Reuters Asia Top

Indonesia 2019 forest fire destruction far worse than official estimate – study

14 Jan 2022

By Fathin Ungku SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Indonesia’s devastating forest fires in 2019 burned nearly twice as much land as was officially reported, according to a recent study, raising concerns among environmental campaigners over the government’s transparency regarding deforestation. The Southeast Asian country, which has the largest rainforests outside of the Amazon and Congo, has razed …

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S.Korea court exempts teens, supermarkets from vaccine passes

14 Jan 2022

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean court on Friday ruled that large shops and teenagers should be temporarily excluded from COVID-19 vaccine pass mandates in the capital Seoul, part of an intensifying legal fight over one of Asia’s strictest vaccination policies. A group of more than 1,000 doctors, professors and ordinary citizens …

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Myanmar believes new ASEAN chair will rule with fairness – spokesman

14 Jan 2022

(Reuters) – Myanmar believes that Cambodia will rule with fairness during its chairmanship this year of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a spokesman for its ruling military council said on Friday. There were “good results” from a visit to Myanmar last week by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Myanmar junta spokesman Zaw Min …

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Analysis: North Korea’s ‘hypersonic missile’ tests raise military stakes in Asia

14 Jan 2022

By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) – Even as debates swirl over their capability, a series of “hypersonic missiles” recently tested by nuclear-armed North Korea sparked sudden talk of preemptive strikes and arms races amid worry over the vulnerability of U.S. troops and their allies in Asia. North Korea kicked off the new year with three …

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Britain’s MI5 spy service warns lawmakers over Chinese agent of influence

14 Jan 2022

By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s domestic spy service MI5 has warned lawmakers that the Chinese Communist Party has been employing a woman to exert improper influence over members of parliament. MI5 sent out an alert and picture of the woman named Christine Lee on Thursday alleging she was “involved in political interference activities” …

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Beijing takes steps to reduce traffic, pollution during Winter Olympics

14 Jan 2022

BEIJING (Reuters) – Aiming to reduce road traffic and pollution during the Winter Olympics, host city Beijing announced a series of measures on Friday, including a ban on heavy vehicles transporting construction waste, dirt, sand and gravel for nearly two months. In response to any forecast increase in air pollution levels, which often happens during …

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Frustration over COVID-19 restrictions in increasingly isolated Hong Kong

14 Jan 2022

By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong is following mainland China’s zero-tolerance approach to control COVID-19, rankling many residents of the international financial hub as much of the world shifts towards living with the coronavirus. Hong Kong effectively closed its borders and imposed social restrictions this month to deal with a spurt in …

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China’s Zhuhai cancels all flights to Beijing over COVID-19

14 Jan 2022

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s southern city of Zhuhai has cancelled all flights to the capital, Beijing, from Friday because of concerns over COVID-19, state television said. (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

U.N. chief appeals for release of money to save Afghan lives

13 Jan 2022

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Thursday for a suspension of rules preventing the use of money in Afghanistan to save lives and the economy and for a path to the conditional release of frozen Afghan foreign currency reserves. “International funding should be allowed to pay the salaries …

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