Asia

Less bluster, but no compromise seen as South Korean, Japan ministers meet in China

Editorial Bureau August 20, 2019

SEOUL/TOKYO – South Korea and Japan have toned down the rhetoric but show little sign of compromise in a bitter political and economic dispute as their foreign ministers prepare to meet in China this week. Relations between the two U.S. allies are at their worst in years, with a trade row

Asia

Indian Islamic preacher apologises to Malaysians for racial remarks

Editorial Bureau August 20, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR – Controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik apologised on Tuesday for making racially sensitive remarks in Malaysia, after police banned him from speaking in public and questioned him for hours over the comments. Naik, who faces charges of money laundering and hate speech in India, has come under fire for comments that pitted […]

Asia

Philippines warns of ‘unfriendly’ greeting for uninvited warships

Editorial Bureau August 20, 2019

MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned of “unfriendly” treatment for foreign ships travelling in the country’s territorial waters without permission, in a rare swipe at China’s use of warships just a few miles off Manila’s coast. Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo, on Tuesday made the demand for transparency

Asia

Schools deserted in Indian Kashmir as parents fear more unrest

Editorial Bureau August 20, 2019

SRINAGAR, India – Schools reopened in Indian Kashmir’s main city on Monday but most classrooms were empty as parents kept their children home, fearing unrest over the government’s decision two weeks ago to revoke the region’s autonomy. About 200 primary schools were set to open in Srinagar in a sign of normality returning to Muslim […]

Asia

Schools deserted in Indian Kashmir as parents fear more unrest

Editorial Bureau August 19, 2019

SRINAGAR, India – Schools reopened in Indian Kashmir’s main city on Monday but most classrooms were empty as parents kept their children home, fearing unrest over the government’s decision two weeks ago to revoke the region’s autonomy. Some 190 primary schools were set open in Srinagar in a sign of normalcy returning to Muslim majority […]

Asia

Japan shrine for war dead vandalised by man claiming to be Chinese

Editorial Bureau August 19, 2019

TOKYO – Japanese police on Monday arrested a man claiming to be Chinese for throwing a black ink-like liquid on a curtain at one of the buildings of Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine for war dead, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Japan’s neighbours see the shrine as a symbol of the country’s former militarism, since it honours […]

Asia

Hong Kong readies for further protests after huge, peaceful rally

Editorial Bureau August 19, 2019

HONG KONG – Hong Kong is gearing up for further protests this week after hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators braved heavy rain to rally peacefully on Sunday, marking a change to what have often been violent clashes. Sunday’s massive turnout, which organisers put at 1.7 million, showed that the movement still has widespread support […]

Asia

Japanese, South Korean foreign ministers to meet in Beijing on Wednesday

Editorial Bureau August 19, 2019

TOKYO – Japan’s foreign minister Taro Kono will meet his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, in Beijing on Wednesday, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on Monday, amid deteriorating relations between the two East Asian countries. The talks will come during a trip to Beijing from Tuesday until Thursday for a meeting with their Chinese […]

Asia

Malaysia court postpones biggest 1MDB trial involving ex-PM Najib

Editorial Bureau August 19, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian court on Monday postponed for a week the biggest of five trials linked to a multi-billion-dollar scam at state fund 1MDB and allegedly involving former prime minister Najib Razak. Najib, who lost a general election last year, has been hit with 42 criminal charges of graft and money laundering at […]

Asia

India reimposes movement curbs on parts of Kashmir’s main city after clashes

Editorial Bureau August 18, 2019

SRINAGAR – Indian authorities reimposed restrictions on movement in major parts of Kashmir’s biggest city, Srinagar, on Sunday after violent overnight clashes between residents and police in which dozens were injured, two senior officials and eyewitnesses said. In the past 24 hours, there has been a series of protests against New Delhi’s Aug. 5 revocation