Rescue teams dug for survivors trapped in crumpled buildings in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people, burying some in rubble and landslides.People called out from beneath the remains of a flattened three-storey shop in the capital Port Vila, where scores of rescuers worked through the …
Rescuers hunt for survivors in Vanuatu quake, nine dead Read More »
Rescuers searched desperately for survivors as they sought to assess the full scale of devastation wrought by Cyclone Chido on the French overseas territory of Mayotte, which emerged on Wednesday from a first night spent under curfew. French President Emmanuel Macron “will be in Mayotte on Thursday”, his office announced late on Tuesday, as authorities anticipate …
Mayotte reels from cyclone devastation, France’s Macron to arrive Thursday Read More »
A Filipina who spent nearly 15 years on Indonesia’s death row tearfully reunited with family members Wednesday after arriving in Manila, where she now awaits a hoped-for pardon in a women’s prison.Mother of two Mary Jane Veloso landed at daybreak, then was immediately transferred to prison following a repatriation deal between the two countries over …
Filipina on Indonesia death row arrives home to ‘new life’ Read More »
Japan’s government voiced dismay on Wednesday over the release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson after Danish authorities refused Tokyo’s extradition request.Greenland arrested the Sea Shepherd founder in July for alleged damages and injuries caused by the group’s high-seas battles to stop Japan’s “scientific” whale hunts in the 2000s and 2010s.”It is regrettable that the Denmark …
Japan ‘regrets’ release of anti-whaling activist Watson Read More »
Call it an antidote to fast fashion: Japanese jeans hand-dyed with natural indigo and weaved on a clackety vintage loom, then sold at a premium to global denim connoisseurs.Unlike their mass-produced cousins, the tough garments crafted at the small Momotaro Jeans factory in southwest Japan are designed to be worn for decades, and come with …
True blue tradition: how Japan’s coveted jeans are made Read More »
Djafaruddin says he has recovered from the trauma of collecting bodies when the world’s deadliest tsunami devastated Indonesia’s western coast two decades ago, but he still breaks down when thinking about the orphaned children.The resident of worst-hit city Banda Aceh jumped in his black pickup truck to shift dozens of the dead, some missing limbs …
‘End of the world’: tsunami body collector’s torment 20 years on Read More »
A UN envoy has warned that Syria’s protracted conflict “has not ended yet”, even as victorious Islamist-led rebels stepped up contacts with governments that deemed ousted president Bashar al-Assad a pariah.Assad fled Syria just over a week ago following a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), more than 13 years after …
Tsunami-hit nations will next week commemorate the more than 220,000 people who died in the Boxing Day disaster two decades ago, when huge waves tore into coastal communities around the Indian Ocean.Beachside memorials and religious ceremonies will be held across Asia in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, which were the worst hit by one …
Indian Ocean nations to mark 20 years since devastating tsunami Read More »
Famed Australian broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones said Wednesday he is “certainly not guilty” of alleged historical sex crimes, after his first court appearance. The 83-year-old is a household name across Australia and for years he held immense sway through his conservative radio talk show.Jones was arrested last month at his luxury Sydney apartment …
Famed Australian broadcaster denies ‘baseless’ sex offence charges Read More »
Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou headed to China on Wednesday for a trip he said was aimed at building “a bridge for peace”, after Beijing last week intensified military drills around the island.Ma, who belongs to the Beijing-friendly main opposition party Kuomintang, was president of the democratic island from 2008 to 2016. He oversaw warmer relations …
Ex-Taiwan leader says China visit to foster cross-strait peace Read More »
