Tag: Asia & Pacific

Japan Sends Bomb Experts to Inspect ‘Mystery Ball’ Washed up on Shore

February 22, 2023
Asia & PacificChinaJapanJapan mystery ballWorld
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Japanese explosive experts have reportedly been called in to examine a large spherical object of unknown origin that washed up on a beach in Japan on Tuesday. A local woman found the mysterious ball on Enshu Beach in Hamamatsu City and alerted the police. The object was described as an “iron ball” with a diameter…

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New Zealand Raises Interest Rate to 4.75 Percent, Eating Into Housing Affordability

February 22, 2023
Asia & PacificAustraliaBusiness & MarketsGlobal Real Estatehousing affordabilityinflationinterest rate hikesofficial cash ratereal estaterecessionReserve Bank of New ZealandWorld
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New Zealand’s central bank has raised the official cash rate (OCR) by another 50 basis points to 4.75 percent after Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed the livelihood of many Kiwis. “It is too early to accurately assess the monetary policy implications of these weather events, given that the scale of destruction and economic disruption are only now…

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AUKUS Is Now the Future, Says Australian Prime Minister

February 21, 2023
anthony albaneseAsia & PacificAustraliaAustralia national securityChinaChina-Australia RelationsInternationalInternational RelationsNational SecurityUSUS-China relationsWorld
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AUKUS is now the core of Australia’s national security strategy, says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “AUKUS is about much more than nuclear submarines or even technological inter-operability,” Albanese told the National Press Club on Wednesday. “AUKUS is about the future. “It further formalises the common values and the shared interest that our three nations have…

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Taiwan’s Leader Seeks Stronger Military Exchanges With US Amid China’s Provocations

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificChinaChina-Taiwan TensionsPresident Tsai Ing-WenSpecial TopicsTaiwanThe United StatesUSWorld
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Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has sought to bolster military exchanges with the United States in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) continued provocations against the self-ruled island. “Going forward, Taiwan will step up cooperation with the United States and other democratic partners to confront such global challenges as authoritarian expansionism and climate change,”…

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North Korea’s Nuclear Site Exposes South Korea, Japan, China to Radioactive Materials: Report

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificNorth KoreaWorld
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North Korea’s nuclear test site puts hundreds of thousands of North Korean residents and people in South Korea, Japan, and China at risk of exposure to radioactive elements through groundwater contamination, according to a South Korean human rights organization. In a recent report (pdf), the Transitional Justice Working Group said that North Korean residents living…

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Japan Mulls Raising Age of Consent to 16 After Public Outrage on Rape Acquittals

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificJapanWorld
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The Japanese government has proposed raising the country’s legal age of consent for sex from 13 to 16 years old after the acquittal of multiple sexual offenders in 2019 sparked public outrage. A panel of the Justice Ministry submitted the proposal on Friday, which clarifies eight acts that constitute the victim’s lack of consent, including…

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Japan’s Factory Activity Shrinks at Fastest Pace in 2–1/2 Years: PMI

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificBusiness & Marketseconomic policieseconomyinflationJapanmanufacturingPMIrecessionWorld
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TOKYO—Japan’s manufacturing activity contracted at the fastest pace in 30 months in February, a business survey showed on Tuesday, in a worrying sign for the world’s third-largest economy, which is facing weakening demand and struggling to tame cost pressures. The au Jibun Bank flash Japan manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to a seasonally adjusted…

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Japan Recounts Its Islands, Discovers 7,000 More

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificDiaoyu/Senkaku IslandsJapanJapanese IslandsWorld
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The number of islands in Japan is expected to increase by 7,273 after a new government recount. Geographers have said current official statistics of 6,852 islands are off the mark. With the recent geographical study of the archipelago, the figure is expected to rise to 14,125 islands, which is more than double the current figure, a…

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EU Slaps Burma’s Junta With Fresh Sanctions Amid Surge in Violence

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificBurmaEuropeEuropean UnionMyanmarWorld
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The European Union on Monday issued a fresh set of sanctions targeting Burma’s high-ranking officials and entities, the EU’s sixth sanctions in the two years since the nation’s 2021 military coup that drew international condemnation. This round of sanctions targets nine individuals and seven enterprises that the EU claims are responsible for the violence escalation…

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Former Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama Banned From Parliament for ‘Seditious’ Speech

February 21, 2023
Asia & PacificAustraliachina-pacificFijiFrank BainimaramaInternationalpacific islandPoliticsSitiveni RabukaWorld
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Fiji’s former prime minister and incumbent opposition leader Frank Bainimarama has been banned from parliament for three years after making “seditious” remarks and insulting the president. The Fijian Parliament voted on the decision to terminate Bainimarama on Friday, with Bainimarama being accused of breaching parliamentary privileges. Bainimarama, Fiji’s longest-serving PM and leader of the FijiFirst…

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