MANDALAY, Myanmar — At least 54 jade miners in northern Myanmar were believed to be dead on Tuesday after a huge mound of tailings collapsed into an open-pit mine, burying workers and heavy equipment, officials said. The disaster occurred late Monday night in the remote Hpakant area of Kachin State, where miners produce billions of dollars’ worth of jade each… Read more »
OTTAWA (Reuters) – The leaders of Canada and Japan on Sunday touted the benefits of a Pacific trade deal that U.S. President Donald Trump walked away from and said the pact should serve as a model for future agreements. The landmark 11-country trade deal, a revamped version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), came into force last December. It does not… Read more »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military said it sent two Navy warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday as the Pentagon increases the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China. The voyage risks further raising tensions with China but will likely be viewed by self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from the Trump administration amid growing… Read more »
Global pandemics that impact on food supplies are scary things. The latest threat comes from African swine fever, a highly contagious virus with no known cure, and a near zero survival rate for infected pigs. The good news is that the disease is not harmful to human health. The bad news is that it will probably hurt our wallets. The… Read more »
Thousands of people protested in Hong Kong over a proposed law change that would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. Officials say they need to amend the law before July so that they can extradite a murder suspect to Taiwan. Demonstrators – some marching with umbrellas – fear Beijing is trying to exert more power over the… Read more »
China’s President Xi Jinping has sought to ease concerns about its Belt and Road project at a summit in Beijing. Speaking at the forum, Mr Xi vowed to ensure transparency and the “fiscal sustainability” of all projects. The initiative is seen by some as a bid for geopolitical influence and has been criticised for indebting recipient countries. Mr Xi also… Read more »
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused the US of acting in “bad faith” during the summit earlier this year with President Donald Trump, according to the Korean Central News Agency. He also said peace in the Korean peninsula would depend entirely on Washington. Mr Kim made his remarks at Thursday’s summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok. The… Read more »
A British tourist who was acquitted of assaulting Australia’s former Rugby Sevens captain James Stannard has won a defamation case against a TV network. Sam Oliver, from Newcastle, said Australia’s Nine Network had wrongly depicted him as being guilty of a “cowardly” criminal act in Sydney. He was found not guilty last year. On Friday, a judge rejected Nine’s argument… Read more »
“You stood up and you stood together,” the Duke of Cambridge has told New Zealanders in the aftermath of March’s shootings which killed 50 people. Prince William called the attacks an “unspeakable act of hate” in a speech at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, where 42 people died. Praising the country’s response, he said “in a moment of… Read more »
A university in Japan said it would not hire professors or teachers who smoke, a move that apparently is a first by a state-run university, Asahi Shimbun reported. However, Nagasaki University officials said exemptions to the rule will be allowed if applicants promise to quit the habit after taking up the post. The new policy announced on April 19 reflects… Read more »