17 h. ago Six dead in China's Inner Mongolia after steel factory blast

Six dead in China's Inner Mongolia after steel factory blast  Reuters

Events

20 h. ago China: Factory explosion in Inner Mongolia province kills four, injures 84

China: Factory explosion in Inner Mongolia province kills four, injures 84  BBC

Events

22 h. ago China girl writes love messages to late grandpa, leads to calls for better grief education

An 11-year-old girl in China who often sends text messages to her dead grandfather has moved millions of internet users in the country. According to a report by media outlet The Cover, the girl’s mother known as Han, who lives in the southwestern Sichuan province, discovered the messages on her daughter’s phone-watch. The little girl has a careless personality and seldom talks about the grandfather’s death. As a result, Han was surprised and touched when she found the messages. She later shared...

Politics

24 h. ago State Council to supervise probe into factory explosion in north China's Inner Mongolia

State Council to supervise probe into factory explosion in north China's Inner Mongolia  Xinhua

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29 h. ago Factory explosion in China's Inner Mongolia region kills 2 and hospitalizes 84

Factory explosion in China's Inner Mongolia region kills 2 and hospitalizes 84  WRAL

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31 h. ago Explosion at Chinese Steel Plant Leaves Two Dead, Eight Missing

Explosion at Chinese Steel Plant Leaves Two Dead, Eight Missing  Bloomberg.com

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42 h. ago Explosion at steel plate factory in China's Inner Mongolia region kills 2, state media reports

Explosion at steel plate factory in China's Inner Mongolia region kills 2, state media reports  Reuters

Events

45 h. ago North Korean media report on New Year's cards suggests chill with China remains

North Korean media report on New Year's cards suggests chill with China remains  Korea JoongAng Daily

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong police arrest another man with knife, days after earlier case in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police have arrested a man who brandished a knife in an apparently disoriented state near a McDonald’s in Tsuen Wan, just two days after officers shot dead another blade-wielding attacker elsewhere in the city. Police said they received a report at 8.42am from a passer-by that a man was seen holding a knife in the area near a McDonald’s on Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan. On arriving at the scene, officers immediately subdued the man, with no injuries reported. According to local media...

Events

3 d. ago China halts electricity imports from Russia, Russian media reports

China halts electricity imports from Russia, Russian media reports  Yahoo

Politics

5 d. ago Trump praises Venezuela’s ‘terrific’ interim president after call

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held a “long call” with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, the first known contact between the two leaders since the ousting of Nicolas Maduro. “We just had a great conversation today, and she’s a terrific person,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He later said on social media that he and Rodriguez had discussed “many topics”, including oil, minerals, trade and national security. “We are making tremendous progress,” Trump...

Politics

5 d. ago Ford suspends worker who heckled Trump and got flipped off by US president

The Ford employee whose heckling of Donald Trump prompted an obscene gesture from the US president has been suspended, the US vehicle workers’ union said on Wednesday. During a tour of the Ford Motor Company’s F-150 factory in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday, Trump raised his middle finger at the worker following catcalls, according to widely seen video of the incident. The heckler seemed to shout, in part, “paedophile protector”, US media reported – an apparent reference to suspicions that Trump...

Politics

7 d. ago How a snap election in Japan could put Sanae Takaichi in a stronger position with China

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be weighing up an early election, a move that could put her in a stronger position with both China and the United States if she secures a decisive win, according to observers. But a diplomatic thaw between Japan and China is not expected any time soon. Media reports in recent days have suggested that Takaichi may call a snap general election to capitalise on her high approval ratings. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported on...

Politics

7 d. ago Court lifts anonymity order for Hong Kong barrister accused of molestation

A Hong Kong court has lifted a temporary anonymity order and ruled that a barrister cannot keep his identity hidden in criminal proceedings over allegations that he twice molested a former pupil nine years ago. Eastern Court’s Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai ruled the media could report the name of the defendant, Simon So Shun-yan, who was accused of molesting the pupil at a flat in Sai Ying Pun on August 30, 2017. The 32-year-old barrister represented himself at a hearing on Monday...

Events

8 d. ago 4 injured in bombings in Thailand’s south amid ongoing insurgency

Assailants detonated bombs at nearly a dozen petrol stations in Thailand’s south early Sunday, injuring four people, the army said, the latest attacks in the insurgency-hit region. A low-level conflict since 2004 has killed thousands of people as rebels in the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia battle for greater autonomy. Several bombs exploded within a 40-minute period after midnight on Sunday, igniting 11 petrol stations across Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani...

Events

1 week ago Soaring healthcare costs in the Philippines: are doctors’ fees to blame?

The Philippine government is exploring ways to cap doctors’ professional fees following public complaints about soaring hospital bills, a move that has drawn resistance from physicians who say they are being unfairly blamed for deeper failures in health financing. The Department of Health (DOH) said it was studying possible standards for doctors’ fees after patients took to social media to report unexpectedly high out-of-pocket expenses. But doctors’ groups argue that the real culprit is...

Science

1 week ago Body, capsized boat found in Japan waters raise spectre of North Korean ‘ghost ships’

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

1 week ago Mystery ‘ghost ship’ discovery puzzles Japan. Fisherman, defector or spy?

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

1 week ago China tutoring school’s promotion links civil service exam success to higher bride prices

A Chinese civil service exam tutoring company has sparked controversy by claiming that they can help clients pass the test and then demand an additional 200,000 yuan (US$29,000) in bride price. On December 28, a netizen posted a video claiming that a civil service exam tutoring institution in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, northern China, had used a controversial banner to promote its business. The Inner Mongolia branch of Beijing Chongzheng Education Consulting Co., Ltd., was established in October...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese tourist in Malaysia accused of harassing rare turtle, killing sea slugs

A female tourist from China, who went diving in Semporna, Malaysia’s Sabah state, has called out another Chinese national who was seen dragging a critically endangered hawksbill turtle, breaking corals deliberately and killing sea slugs during a dive, China Press ­reported. The tourist, known only as Xiaoqing, shared on social media that she visited Sabah and went diving in Semporna on December 31 and January 3. During the first dive, Xiaoqing witnessed another diver from China who was in his...

Events