South Korea is likely to return to a familiar game plan to replace Iranian oil it will no longer have access to after May now that the United States intends to tighten sanctions on Iran’s exports.South Korea is the biggest buyer of Iranian condensate, an ultralight oil prized by the country’s refiners as a raw material for petrochemicals manufacturing.SK Incheon Petrochem, Hyundai Oilbank and Hanwha Total Petrochemical are set to once again scan the world for alternative, but more expensive,…
Dozens dead in Indonesian floods, 12,000 more evacuated
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed nearly 40 in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said on Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation.Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.On Monday, Indonesia’s disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing in Sumatra island’s Bengkulu province.A landslide…
At least 10 dead, thousands displaced after severe flooding in Indonesia
At least 10 people are dead and eight missing after days of heavy rain-triggered floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, authorities said on Sunday.Some 12,000 people have been evacuated while hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads have been damaged by the severe weather which affected nine districts or towns across Bengkulu province, officials said.The waters have receded in some places but officials warned the full extent of the damage was not yet known and some areas…
Thai Sriracha plays it cool in the US and spices it up in China after realising it can take the heat
Any Asian worth his salt would know Sriracha is a must-have sauce at the dinner table. It makes everything spicier, and for those living overseas, it is the familiar flavour of home.Sriracha, the name of a former fishing village in Thailand’s eastern coastal town of Chonburi, has been the generic name for the hot sauce made of chillies, vinegar, salt and sugar for almost a century, but no one really knows who invented it.But the Sriracha market is dominated by two brands.In the United States,…
The strange lives of Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday suicide bombers
Details regarding the suicide bombers involved in the attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday appear stranger by the minute.The copper factory belonging to one of them, 33-year-old Illham Ibrahim, had received favourable treatment from the state, it has now been revealed.When Sri Lanka Telecom wanted to dispose of copper cables, the tender was given to the suicide bomber’s operation, according to Ranjith Vithanage, president of the country’s Consumer Rights Protection Association.The copper…
Widodo thinks he won the election, as does Prabowo. Is Indonesia on the verge of a 1998-style uprising?
In the past week, the spectre of Indonesia’s deadly May 1998 protests has been whispered about with alarm among the intelligentsia as the nation awaits the final count of last week’s presidential election.Memories of that dark chapter in Indonesia have flooded back as Prabowo Subianto’s camp has become increasingly restless, with supporters insisting he won the ballot despite exit polls showing him trailing behind incumbent President Joko Widodo.“Prabowo’s campaign team can accuse whoever of…
Huawei ban: Australia becomes increasingly isolated among Five Eyes partners if UK includes Chinese firm in 5G network
Despite US calls for a boycott of Huawei technology within the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, leaked discussions from the UK’s National Security Council have indicated a willingness to permit the Chinese telecoms giant’s involvement in “non-essential” parts of the country’s new 5G infrastructure.The US has urged other Five Eyes members – the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – to exclude Huawei from the construction of new telecommunications networks, claiming the company could…
No oxygen, no food, no water: ‘Miracle rescue’ for Singapore-based Malaysian climber Chin Wui Kin, who was stranded on Nepal’s Mount Annapurna for two days
A Malaysian climber stranded in the open for two nights on one of the world’s most treacherous mountains was rescued in Nepal on Thursday, expedition organisers said.Climbing experts said it was a “miracle” that 48-year-old survived the freezing conditions on Mount Annapurna for so long.Chin reached the top of the 8,100-metre (26,500-foot) Himalayan mountain on Tuesday but failed to return to the nearest camp, 1km (0.6 miles) below the peak, with the rest of his group. He was a part of a 13…
Vladimir Putin-Kim Jong-un summit: what do both sides aim to gain?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok provides an intriguing twist to the global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang, which appeared to hit a wall after a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump collapsed in February.It also adds a chapter to the storied but often strained friendship between Pyongyang and Moscow, which was forged in the blood of war and weathered by the Soviet collapse and tensions…
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad’s visit to Huawei in Beijing seen as sign of ‘endorsement’
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited Huawei Technologies’ Beijing office on Thursday morning in what was seen as a sign of Malaysian support for the Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier.Mahathir’s visit could be seen as an “endorsement” for Huawei which is still in the running to provide 5G gear for the country’s telecommunication networks, according to a source familiar with the matter who declined to be named talking about confidential matters. However, no technology…