BEIJING, China (AFP) — The deputy editor of the Chinese Communist party’s top theoretical journal has committed suicide, reports said, sending speculation swirling over political infighting, freedom of thought and corruption. Zhu Tiezhi, 56, a well-known essayist on party theories and the deputy editor-in-chief of Qiushi — ‘Seeking Truth’ — hanged himself in the magazine’s garage, Chinese media said. Citing an unnamed friend, Chinese media group Caixin said he had been depressed by ideological disputes […]
Asia
Rains or not, India faces drinking water crisis
by Trudy HARRIS GANGNAULI, India (AFP) — As large swathes of drought-devastated India desperately wait for the monsoon rains to arrive, one village in the dry, hot north is flush with water. But this farming area’s bountiful water supplies are feared contaminated with heavy metals, underscoring the profound challenges facing the world’s second most populous nation. From toxic pollution of rivers and lakes to contamination of groundwater supplies, together with chronic shortages in drought-hit districts, […]
China’s re-entry module of Long March-7 lands on Inner Mongolia region
(Courtesy CCTV) — The scaled-down version of the re-entry module of the Long March-7 carrier rocket landed on Sunday afternoon in a desert in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, close to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. China blasted off its new generation carrier rocket Long March-7 from the Wenchang space launch center in south China’s Hainan province on Saturday. The re-entry module took a fresh new way to return by swirling slowly at a […]
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 on tarmac after catching fire
A Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777 that caught fire after an emergency landing remained on Singapore’s Changi Airport’s tarmac on Monday (June 27). The SIA flight to Milan caught fire early on Monday after returning to Singapore’s Changi airport following an engine oil warning message, but all passengers were safe, the airline and airport officials said. The aircraft’s right engine caught fire after the aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, touched down at Changi airport at around […]
Two China media staff still held after Xi ‘resign’ call: letter
by Tom HANCOCK BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese media outlet that carried a call for President Xi Jinping to resign has been shut down and two of its staff have been detained for more than 100 days, according to a social media post Friday. Wujie News website in March published an anonymous letter accusing the Chinese leader of a litany of policy mistakes and asking him to step down for the good of the […]
Indonesian leader visits South China Sea islands on warship
by Sam Reeves JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — President Joko Widodo visited remote Indonesian islands on a warship Thursday in an apparent show of force after clashes with Chinese vessels and as fears grow Beijing is seeking to stake a claim in nearby waters. Widodo led a high-level delegation including the foreign minister and armed forces chief to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea, arriving at a navy base before being escorted to the […]
China mounts rescue efforts as tornado toll hits 98
YANCHENG, China (AFP) — Emergency personnel mounted rescue efforts amid scenes of carnage Friday as the toll from hurricane-force winds and a tornado in China rose to at least 98 dead, with hundreds more injured. Whole villages were levelled and huge trees felled when winds of up to 125 kilometers (77 miles) per hour struck around Yancheng city, the official Xinhua news agency said. So far 98 people have been confirmed dead and about 800 […]
Train derails in Taiwan, injuring two
A passenger train derailed on its way from Kaohsiung to Hualien in Taiwan around at 06:49 a.m. (GMT) on Wednesday (June 22) , leaving at least 2 people injured. The three carriages at the rear of the train, No. 307, derailed between the Fuyuan and Guangfu stations. In the video that was shared by Ruisui villager Lin Guo-Ding with Reuters, the last carriage is seen almost overturned. According to Lin who happened to be at […]
South Korean foreign minister calls for nuclear suppliers group’s help to solve the North’s nuclear issue
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Thursday (June 23) called for help from a nuclear suppliers group to solve North Korea’s nuclear issue. The delegation of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gathered in Seoul to attend the annual plenary meeting. The NSG aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by restricting the sale of items that can be used to make those arms. It was set up in response to India’s first […]
South Korea’s Volkswagen executive arrives at court for emissions case
An executive at Volkswagen Group’s South Korean subsidiary arrived at a Seoul court on Thursday (June 23) for a hearing on whether he will be arrested in connection with the cheating of emissions tests. The executive, who requested to be known by his surname, Yoon, is accused of manipulating engine software in Volkswagen’s gasoline-powered Golf 1.4 TSI at the request of the headquarters, a person with direct knowledge of the probe told Reuters. A South […]
N. Korea leader says missile test a success, threat to US
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has hailed the successful test of a powerful new medium-range missile, saying it poses a direct threat to US military bases in the Pacific, state media reported Thursday. Kim, who personally monitored Wednesday’s Musudan missile test, said it was a “great event” that significantly bolstered the North’s pre-emptive nuclear attack capability, the official KCNA news agency reported. “We have the sure capability to attack in […]
China using fishing fleets to expand maritime claims: US official
MANILa, Philippines (AFP) — China is using its fishing fleets with armed escorts to bolster maritime claims in disputed territory, a senior US State Department official warned Wednesday, calling China’s behaviour “disturbing”. The comments came after Indonesian warships fired warning shots and detained a Chinese-flagged fishing boat and seven crew near the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea last week, in actions slammed by Beijing. “I think it’s a disturbing trend to see Chinese […]
