International

Inflammatory stories masquerading as real news pose a particularly toxic threat in Asian countries with long-standing religious and ethnic divides, but promises by some regional leaders to tackle the problem carry equal menace. Borrowing from U.S. President Donald Trump's political playbook, government heads with an authoritarian streak are using the mantra of "fake news" to shield themselves from negative media coverage, and push legislation that critics say is aimed more at stifling dissent than punishing fabrication. The problem they profess to be addressing is a genuine one. Internet penetration is now so extensive - even in the poorest areas - that fake stories dressed up as fact can go viral on social media overnight and reach massive audiences with often dire consequences. In India last year, seven people were killed by a mob after a false story spread on WhatsApp that they were child-traffickers. A number of Asian leaders have tapped into the resulting public concern and … [Read more...] about Asian push to crack down on ‘fake news’ sparks alarm

As night falls on the Philippine resort island of Boracay, beach-goers eat, drink and watch a troupe of fire dancers twirling flames and performing acrobatics. Among the dancers is Princess Taunan, who, like many other workers in the tourist business, will be out of a job next week when the holiday hotspot closes for up to six months. The closure is part of a major clean-up of the island President Rodrigo Duterte has described as a “cesspool” due to pollution. “It’s good. At least it will save the island and my daughter will benefit since it’s also for their future,” Taunan, 22, told Reuters. Boracay, due to be closed to all visitors from April 26, has joined other beach resorts across Southeast Asia facing growing pressure from a surge in visitors. The island, which generated over $1 billion last year and is home to more than 30,000 people whose livelihoods depend on tourism, can no longer cope with the strain of two million annual visitors, the … [Read more...] about Fire dancers hope to keep flame alive during Boracay closure

At least one person was dead and three others were injured after a nearly 2,000-foot TV station tower collapsed in Missouri on Thursday. Crews were working on the tower when it fell, KTTS reported. The workers were about 105 feet up at the time of the collapse. One of the workers became trapped under the tower and was killed while three others were injured. None of the injuries were said to be life-threatening. "It's very lucky that we didn't have more fatalities out here," Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Rob Talburt said. The tower, which was said to be 1,891 feet tall, lay crumpled on the ground, pictures of the scene showed. The tower was used by KSMU and Ozarks Public Television for broadcasting, the Springfield News-Leader reported. The structure is owned by Missouri State University.  “We were conducting some tower enforcement modifications to comply with some FCC changes to channels,” Andrea Mostyn, a Missouri State University … [Read more...] about One dead, several injured after TV station tower collapses in Missouri

"The hotline between the leaders will be connected tomorrow and working-level officials will conduct a trial call," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-keyom said Thursday. The two Koreas have agreed that President Moon Jae-in and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un will hold telephone talks before the summit. He added the date of the first telephone talks has not been fixed. The two sides will hold separate rehearsals ahead of the landmark summit, he said. The South plans to rehearse on Tuesday and Thursday at the summit's venue, the House of Peace on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjeom, while the North is expected to use the venue for its own rehearsal on Tuesday or Wednesday, Kim said. All subcommittee chiefs of the South's summit preparatory committee will attend the first rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon, while the second rehearsal, which will take place on the eve of the summit, will involve more people and be more detailed, the spokesman said. The South plans to open a … [Read more...] about Koreas to open hotline between leaders Friday

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the natural disaster management agency, said on April 19 that up to 316 houses, four mosques and two school buildings were devastated, while 2,104 people have fled home to evacuation centres. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as the country lies at a vulnerable zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire.-VNA Tags: earthquake Indonesia disaster … [Read more...] about Earthquake leaves two dead, over 300 buildings damaged in Indonesia

Australian warships were challenged by the Chinese military in South China Sea earlier this month, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported on Friday, citing Australian defense officials. The Australian Defense Department confirmed that three ships had recently traveled to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam but declined to comment on “operational details related to ships transiting the South China Sea.” The ABC cited one official saying the exchanges with the Chinese navy were polite but “robust.” “The Australian Defense Force has maintained a robust program of international engagement with countries in and around the South China Sea for decades,” the Defense Department said in a statement emailed to Reuters. China recently completed a massive military drill in the South China Sea, where its claims are hotly disputed by Vietnam as well as Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. The waterway is known as the East Sea in Vietnam. Prime Minister Malcolm … [Read more...] about China challenged Australian warships en route to Vietnam: Australian media

By Khanh Lynh  &nbspApril 20, 2018 | 08:57 am GMT+7 Cargo is unloaded onto the shore of Mischief Reef in this image taken by the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative on March 16, 2015 and released to Reuters. Chinese military aircrafts were allegedly spotted on a Spratly reef claimed by Vietnam in January. Vietnam's foreign ministry on Thursday dismissed any activities in the East Sea without Hanoi's consent as illegal, regarding recent reports of new Chinese military aircraft in the region. Activities conducted in the Spratly and Paracel Islands without Vietnam's authorization are "completely invalid and illegal," the ministry's spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang told reporters, as questioned over reports on Wednesday that China has sent two military aircraft on the Spratly's Mischief Reef, which is claimed by Vietnam. Hang said Vietnam has sovereignty over both archipelagos as defined in accordance with the 1982 … [Read more...] about Vietnam calls for peace efforts after Chinese military aircraft reported in troubled waters

Lance Armstrong has agreed to pay $5 million in order to settle the looming federal fraud case stemming from his drug-fuelled reign as king of the Tour de France, it was confirmed on Thursday. The former cycling superstar was due to face a trial next month over claims he defrauded the U.S. government when he doped while racing for his United States Postal Service-sponsored team. The Postal Service and former team-mate Floyd Landis had sought around $100 million in damages from Armstrong in the case, which was due to get under way on May 7. However the prospect of a ruinous judgement going against the cancer survivor was averted after Armstrong's lawyers and the U.S. Justice Department brokered a settlement. "No one is above the law," U.S. Justice Department lawyer Chad Readler said in a statement announcing the deal. "This settlement demonstrates that those who cheat the government will be held accountable." Armstrong's attorney Elliot Peters said in a statement the settlement "ends … [Read more...] about Lance Armstrong to pay $5m settlement in US fraud case: lawyer

A recent shift in nuclear weapons policies in the United States and Russia, involving upgrades, modernisation and growing arsenals is as dangerous as North Korea's nuclear threat, campaigners warned Thursday. Beatrice Fihn, who heads the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), hailed an upcoming summit between the United States and North Korean in what Washington hopes will persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But she said there needed to be more focus on the dangers posed by the United States and other traditional nuclear-armed states, which have recently engaged in "dangerous escalatory activities." "The new nuclear policies from the United States and Russia that increase the arsenals and create new types of more usable nuclear weapons, these are very dangerous changes," she told journalists in Geneva. "I think they are equally dangerous as North Korea's nuclear threats," she said. Five of the world's nine nuclear-armed states - Britain, China, … [Read more...] about US, Russian nuclear shift as dangerous as N Korean threat: campaigners

By Reuters  &nbspApril 20, 2018 | 08:04 am GMT+7 A China yuan note is seen in this illustration photo, May 31, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Thomas White The efforts are part of Trump's intellectual property remedies, which include China-specific investment restrictions. The U.S. Treasury is considering ways to restrict sensitive Chinese investments in the United States by invoking an emergency powers law and bringing forward some security review reforms for corporate acquisitions, a senior Treasury official said Thursday. Heath Tarbert, Assistant Secretary for International Markets and Investment, told an Institute of International Finance Forum that those efforts were part of the Trump administration’s “Section 301” intellectual property remedies, which include China-specific investment restrictions. Asked about reports that the Treasury may bring forward parts of a bill to modernize Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States security … [Read more...] about US Treasury considers emergency powers on Chinese investments: official