Asia

by Sean CHANG Communist China’s creation seven decades ago irrevocably changed Taiwan, but Beijing’s huge celebrations this week will be met with a collective shrug on an island where people increasingly see themselves as distinct from the mainland. After the People’s Republic of China was declared on 1 October 1949, its rival, the Republic of […]

by Jerome TAYLOR / Jasmine LEUNG Ripped-up paving stones lay scattered around the graffiti-scarred streets of Hong Kong  after one of the most violent days in a summer of rage, as protesters ready for fresh clashes on Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of communist China’s founding. The protest-wracked financial hub witnessed its fiercest political violence in weeks […]

Indonesia saw a series of demonstrations that has little to do with climate change or the noble struggle of Swedish student and climate activist Greta Thunberg. But the students in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia left behind tons of plastic waste on the streets in the aftermath of their angry protests. They were protesting against […]

Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly lambasted critics of the criminal code bill after a massive protest at Parliament this week. He questioned the media companies that are campaigning against the bills, which include a revision of the anti-corruption laws which critics say will reduce the influence of Indonesian graft-busters. He said there are […]

US aggression and an obsession with disarmament mean another summit between Washington and Pyongyang is looking doubtful, North Korea said on Friday, even as it praised US President Donald Trump as “bold” and “wise”. Washington has “done nothing for the implementing the joint statement” from the first US-North Korea summit held in Singapore last year, […]

The Indonesian police detonated a bomb, seized weapons and a flag in anti-ISIS coordinated raids in Cilincing, North Jakarta and in Bekasi, West Java on Monday. Bomb experts also seized an improvised explosive device he was allegedly planning to use in an attack. The bomb, which, reportedly contained highly explosive triacetone triperoxide or TATP, was destroyed in a controlled detonation near the […]

At least two groups of anti-graft activists plan to file a lawsuit against the recently amended law on the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, saying the amendment process was full of flaws and the revisions undermine the agency. There are calls for the President to halt the implementation of the amendments but Joko Widodo said he would not issue any memos […]

Hong Kong’s embattled leader said Tuesday more than 20,000 people have applied to take part in a dialogue session with her and “vent their anger” at the government after three months of huge pro-democracy protests. It is the government’s first attempt to reach out to the protestors since millions took to the streets in the […]

by Alastair HIMMER Set in 2019, cult 80s movie “Blade Runner” envisaged a neon-stained landscape of bionic “replicants” genetically engineered to look just like humans. So far that has failed to materialise, but at a secretive research institute in western Japan, wild-haired roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro is fine-tuning technology that could blur the line between man […]

Jambi in Indonesia fell into utter darkness as the sky turned red, giving an eerie look to towns and villages while panicked residents posted videos of the phenomenon on social media. The haze in Jambi, specifically in the District of Muarojambi, worsened this weekend with the surrounding views looking reddish and dark. “This is daytime condition after […]

Fear of being arrested over new laws outlawing sex before marriage has resulted in many Australians cancelling holidays to Bali. The new laws would make consensual sex between unmarried adults a crime in Indonesia, and it does not recognise same-sex marriage outlawing all LGBT liaisons but also unmarried couples living together. The Criminal Code revision bans insulting religion, the […]

South Korean K-Pop star HyunA has responded to the controversy after she lifted her dress during a college festival performance. A video of HyunA giving some very unexpected fan service at a festival at the Korea Aerospace University made its way around the Internet on 19 Sept. Around the 02:41 mark on the video, HyunA […]

Ahn Jae-hyun, a South Korean actor who just recently went through a divorce has decided to withdraw from the television series ‘Journey to the West 7’. Ever since his ‘good man’ image was affected and also his public ongoing marital problems with actress Goo Hye-sun, Ahn wanted to avoid the series from being affected by […]

Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai is offended that a headline decided to focus on her breasts. The Dancing Diva singer asked for the opinion of her fans on what kind of gender education they had gotten when the headline focused on her breast size, in a status update on her official Facebook page. The post was […]

B.I., the former leader of K-pop group iKON has allegedly admitted to some of the drug charges brought against him. Based on local news outlets in SBS News and The Korea Times, EOnline! reported that the police however have not revealed specific charges B.I. admitted to. B.I., 22 was questioned over a 2016 drug case […]