Asia Pacific
Wealthy investors from US, China and Hong Kong top applications for New Zealand’s ‘golden visa’ scheme | New Zealand
Wealthy investors from the US, China and Hong Kong are the leaders in applications for New Zealand’s “golden visas” after the government relaxed the scheme’s requirements in a bid to boost the flagging economy. The new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April and lowered investment thresholds, removed English-language requirements […]
Typhoon Ragasa live: Two million people evacuated in southern China after deaths in Taiwan and Philippines | China
Typhoon Ragasa batters Hong Kong and southern China after causing deaths in Taiwan and Philippines Hong Kong and parts of southern China weere on high alert as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, approached on Wednesday with powerful winds and rains, forcing Chinese authorities to shut down schools and businesses […]
Super Typhoon Ragasa: at least 14 killed in Taiwan as Hong Kong and southern China brace for impact | Taiwan
The bursting of a barrier lake in Taiwan has killed at least 14 people and left dozens missing, officials have announced, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rains, bringing widespread damage to parts of east Asia. The outer rim of Super Typhoon Ragasa has been bearing down on Taiwan since Monday as […]
Rodrigo Duterte, former Philippines president, charged with crimes against humanity at ICC | Philippines
Prosecutors at the international criminal court (ICC) have charged former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his “war on drugs”. A heavily redacted charge sheet dated 4 July but made public on Monday laid out the accusations against the […]
Weather tracker: Flash floods and landslides wreak havoc in California | Flooding
Flash flooding and landslides led to the death of a two-year-old boy in California in the US last week, after heavy rainfall followed on the heels of Tropical Storm Mario further south. The storm skirted the Pacific coast of Mexico with minimal disruption, eventually dissipating to the west of Baja California on Tuesday, but the […]
Protesters flood streets of Philippines over state corruption | Philippines
Tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets on Sunday to protest against government corruption after it was alleged that taxpayers have lost billions of dollars to bogus flood relief projects. Students, church groups, celebrities, and citizens from different political camps filled the streets in Manila and other cities. Lawmakers and officials are alleged […]
Deal to transfer TikTok to US control unresolved despite Trump-Xi call | TikTok
Donald Trump’s attempts to broker a deal that would transfer TikTok from Chinese to US control remained unresolved on Friday despite a call between the US president and Xi Jinping. China and the US have been at loggerheads over trade negotiations and the future of TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform that faces a ban […]
Bali to block new hotels and restaurants after deadly flooding raises questions about mass tourism | Bali
Indonesia will ban the construction of new hotels and restaurants built atop cleared rice fields and agricultural land on the popular resort island of Bali, after recent flash flooding killed at least 18 people. A state of emergency was declared on Bali on 10 September after the island experienced the most severe flooding in […]
China issues warning to Papua New Guinea over defence deal with Australia | Papua New Guinea
China has urged Papua New Guinea not to sign a treaty that could restrict or prevent it from cooperating with another country, days after Australia failed to secure a defence pact with the Pacific nation. In a statement on Facebook late on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea said it respected the […]
Mass protest expected in Philippines capital amid public fury over alleged corruption in government projects | Philippines
Thousands of people are expected to join a mass protest in Manila on Sunday amid a groundswell of anger in the Philippines against perceived corruption in government-funded flood control projects. Dubbed the “Trillion Peso March”, the demonstration is named after a Greenpeace estimate of $17.6bn that the environmental organisation alleges is the amount skimmed from […]