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At least 34 people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi Island early on Friday (Jan 15) morning, said authorities. Hundreds more were injured when the earthquake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among the terrified residents of the island. "The latest information we have is that 26 people are dead ... in Mamuju city," said Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, adding "that number could grow".

Communist China is betting on a return to the status quo ante of American acquiescence to, and support of, its hegemonic ambitions through comprehensive "engagement" and outright appeasement under a Biden administration. That is the primary takeaway, if the recent remarks of Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi are any indication. In the waning days of 2020, Wang delivered a speech at the Asia Society entitled, "Reorient and Steer Clear of Disruptions for a Smooth Sailing of China-U.S. Relations." The title itself gives away the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) game: It seeks a reversion to the...

Another pro-Trump rally/demo being held in Nagoya , Japan as I write . There are been others in Osaka and Tokyo .

There is nothing like Christmas in the Land of the Rising Sun to unleash a collective frenzy of romance What makes Christmas in Japan so unique? Faith has no place in it. Being a secular holiday is not only a time for the usual shopping spree but also a special day for couples to go on a date. A dinner at a luxury French restaurant will be followed by a walk through the “illumination” sites, which are spectacular Christmas lights. They call them the kurisumasu irumineshon, and often in the background, a famous jingle is the Koibito ga Santa kurousu...

A U.S. guided-missile destroyer moved through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.“The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Dec. 19 (local time) in accordance with international law,” the Navy said in a statement. “The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”Following Mustin’s move through the strait, Reuters reported that China’s new aircraft carrier on Sunday performed its own transit through the strait. Shandong conducted the transit while heading to train in the South China Sea, the Chinese navy...

Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) Asian supply chain has been rocked by protests in both China and India over unpaid wages and bonuses, the Financial Times reported Sunday. What Happened: On Friday and Saturday, more than 100 workers on the iPhone maker’s assembly lines protested in China over unpaid bonuses, according to FT. The demonstration against Taiwanese Pegatron Corporation was centered around unpaid bonuses of RMB 10,000 ($1,530) each, according to China Labor Watch. The workers raised the slogan, “Give us back our blood and sweat money,” as per a video seen by FT. Last week, Apple workers in India vandalized...

Taiwan’s navy and air force were deployed on Sunday as a Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the country’s newest carrier, the Shandong, sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, the day after a U.S. warship transited the same waterway. While it is not the first time China’s carriers have passed close to Taiwan, it comes at a time of heightened tension between Taipei and Beijing, which claims the democratically-ruled island as its territory. Taiwan has complained of repeated Chinese military activity, including China’s regular flying of air force aircraft near the island. China says such drills are aimed at protecting...

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With 2020 being such a chaotic year, we'd think that things can't get any more bizarre than they already are. However, this viral video of a realistic-looking dinosaur has proven us wrong. In a 30-second clip circulating on Twitter this week, The video comes with the caption "Alhamdulillah piaraan baru udah nyampe", which translates to "Praise God, the new pet has arrived". While the Triceratops looks unnervingly realistic, it is actually a very elaborate costume that was done up for Mojosemi Forest Park's promotional holiday video, and hidden underneath the dinosaur were a bunch of park employees, Indonesian media reported....

In the middle of a conflict with China, India has taken a significant step by authorising the defence forces to enhance their stocking of weapons and ammunition for a 15-day intense war now. Making use of the extended stocking requirements and the emergency financial powers in the ongoing conflict with China in Eastern Ladakh, the defence forces are expected to spend over Rs 50,000 crore for acquisition of equipment and ammunition from both local and foreign sources. The authorisation to increase the weapon and ammunition reserves to minimum 15-I levels from the earlier existing 10-day stocking is to prepare the...

Some experts argue that the success of China and its neighbors in slowing the spread of the virus without resorting to costly shutdowns gives these countries a leg up in getting their economies back on track once the crisis subsides. Some even go as far as to predict that this will propel East Asia to dominate the post-COVID economy. However, such rosy predictions of a dawning of a new “East Asian era” may be premature in light of the ticking demographic timebomb that looms over the region.

The highest point on Earth got a bit higher Tuesday (Dec 8) as China and Nepal finally agreed on a precise elevation for Mount Everest after decades of debate. The agreed height unveiled at a joint news conference in Kathmandu of 8,848.86m was 86cm higher than the measurement previously recognised by Nepal, and more than four metres above China's official figure. The discrepancy was due to China measuring the rock base on the summit and not - as with the new reading - the covering of snow and ice on the peak.

Widespread, severe flooding has killed at least nine people and affected 210 000 households or more than half a million people in southern Thailand, officials reported Friday, December 4, 2020, describing the situation as the worst they have seen in 50 years. A state of emergency has been declared for Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, where all the fatalities occurred. Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said another person reportedly went missing. The youngest victim was a child aged five. DDPM added that the affected provinces are Surat Thani, Phatthalung, Trang, Songkhla, Pattani, Narathiwat, and the worst-hit, Nakhon Si...

By rejecting the RCEP membership, we have given China a free hand to integrate its economy with Asian nations. Maybe India should look West now The "Act East" policy, with a focus on an extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific Region, has been the cornerstone of India's diplomacy in the current decade. While it was originally conceived as an economic initiative, in recent years, it has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions, including the establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation. India has upgraded its relations to a strategic partnership with Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia,...

Chinese “military harassment” of Taiwan is stoking suspicions that Beijing will attempt to seize control of the territory before the U.S. military finishes reorienting to stymy such attacks. “It is just a matter of time before things backfire and seriously harm the CCP’s image on the international stage,” Taiwanese cabinet minister Ming-Tong Chen said during a Heritage Foundation webinar Wednesday morning. Beijing’s desire for a good reputation may soon be outweighed by the perceived balance of power off the coasts of China, officials and analysts fear. Former White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster suspects that Chinese officials feel a...

President-Elect Joe Biden announced additional nominations to his cabinet on Monday, including a National Security Adviser who has advocated for supporting China’s “rise” in the past. Jake Sullivan has been tapped to fill the role, after previously advising Biden when he served as vice president in the Obama administration. Sullivan also worked for Hillary Clinton when she served as Secretary of State. Sullivan could bring in a fresh perspective to relations with China when compared with the Trump administration if his past comments are an indication. During a lecture he delivered on behalf of the Lowy Institute in 2017, Sullivan...

The Villa Villa Cafe and Bar in Hong Kong published a photo of a custom cake it baked for a customer this week depicting American presidential candidate Joe Biden sniffing the hair of a distressed cartoon girl drawn in the Japanese anime style. The Asian outlet Coconuts, which highlighted the bizarre cake order, described the image of Biden as one of “a handsy pedophile.” Coconuts translated the Chinese text on the cake as reading, “Warmly celebrate Uncle Biden for his election as the 46th US president.” Villa Villa Cafe and Bar advertised the cake as available in multiple flavors and...

With US Treasury yields capped around 0.90% amid concerns that in the absence of fiscal stimulus the Fed will need to step in with more easing (either in the form of extending QE maturities, or an outright expansion in QE), China is facing a different set of challenges and following the recent rout in the bond market following several unprecedented SOE defaults, overnight the Chinese 10Y yield rose another 2bps to 3.36%, and almost 90bps from the all time low of 2.48% hit in April.As a result, the premium for China’s 10-year government bonds over U.S. Treasuries of same duration...

(Photos Courtesy of Korchnoi Pasaribu) ========================================================================= A stunning ocular photoshoot has been shared on social media featuring an indigenous Indonesian island tribe full of people with startling blue eyes. The members of the Buton Island tribe have what is known as Waardenburg syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects pigmentation and that can cause congenital hearing loss. Korchnoi Pasaribu, a geologist from Jakarta, Indonesia, captured the sapphire gazes of several tribe members on camera on Sept. 17. His pictures created quite the internet buzz, going viral on Instagram and drawing attention to the unique and distinctive Buton tribe. Epoch Times...

Nothing less than a major milestone in global economic history and a huge victory for China over increasing US regional hegemony has been realized on Sunday with the signing of the biggest free trade deal ever among fifteen Asia Pacific Nations.Called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, the agreement was signed virtually during the annual summit of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and effectively establishes the world's largest trading block that is expected to encompass almost one-third of all global economic activity, crucially without the United States.Via Grain.orgIt's being further seen as a massive blow to...