KLATEN, CENTRAL JAVA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Mount Merapi, which stands on the border between Yogyakarta and Central Java, has shown heightened volcanic activity over the past few days, spewing incandescent lava from its crater. Sidorejo subdistrict head Jemakir said that apart from incandescent lava, the volcano was emitting booming sounds resembling thunder more frequently, prompting local residents… Read more »
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The United States is closely watching Chinese intentions towards Taiwan, concerned that Beijing’s growing military prowess may increase the risk it could one day consider bringing the self-ruled island under its control by force, a US official said on Tuesday (Jan 15). The senior US defence intelligence official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, did not… Read more »
SHANGHAI (REUTERS) – China has approved construction of one of its tallest dams, a 239m hydroelectric structure on the upstream section of its longest river, the Yangtze, the state planning agency said on Tuesday (Jan 15). Hydropower is a clean and renewable source of energy but large-scale construction in south-west China has sparked accusations of damage to fragile ecosystems and inadequate… Read more »
China has hit back at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, denouncing as “irresponsible” his accusation that it had arbitrarily applied the death penalty to a Canadian national for drug smuggling. A day after Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, was handed a death sentence following a retrial in the city of Dalian, China defended the court decision and urged Canada to respect its judicial sovereignty…. Read more »
BEIJING • China asked some state-run enterprises to avoid business trips to the United States and its allies and to take extra precautions to protect their devices if they need to travel, according to people familiar with the request. In recent weeks, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) – a regulatory body that oversees about 100 government-run companies… Read more »
SEOUL (BLOOMBERG) – The US and South Korea are discussing “corresponding measures” to reward North Korea’s steps towards denuclearisation, South Korea’s foreign minister said, as President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un prepare for a possible second summit. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told a news conference Wednesday (Jan 16) in Seoul that the allies were reviewing various packages of incentives… Read more »
Singapore, one of the richest countries located on the in the South China Sea, has recently been having disputes with Malaysia over territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Five government Malaysian ships were in the waters off of Singapore. The government of Malaysia insists that they are in Malaysian waters however. One of the ships is a buoy laying ship… Read more »
BEIJING — More than 1,000 Chinese fugitives who fled abroad were returned to the country last year and more than $519 million in ill-gotten gains was recovered, the ruling Communist Party said Friday, in what it is seen as a further victory in President Xi Jinping’s years-long drive against corruption. The party’s anti-corruption watchdog said among the 1,335 returned were… Read more »
SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan will make a ministerial statement on Singapore-Malaysia relations on Monday (Jan 14) when Parliament sits for the first time this year. The two countries have been locked in a dispute over airspace and maritime territory. Advertisement In a meeting earlier this week, Malaysia agreed to immediately suspend its permanent restricted area in the airspace over Pasir Gudang, while Singapore suspends its implementation… Read more »
An inquiry has found that hackers resembling state-sponsored actors were responsible for the biggest cyber attack in Singapore’s history, which targeted the healthcare details of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and accessed the data of a quarter of the population. A report published on Thursday described the hackers involved in last year’s attack as “skilled and sophisticated,” with characteristics matching… Read more »