Category: Asia & Pacific

‘Dirty Secret’: Made-In-China Solar Panels Produce 3 Times More Carbon Emissions Than UN Claims: Study

An analysis by a non-profit research group drawing on calculations by an Italian analyst looking into the carbon footprint of made-in-China solar panels claims that the influential United Nations body on climate change has been drastically underestimating the carbon intensity of Chinese-made photovoltaic cells. Environmental Progress, a non-profit co-founded by investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger, in…


North Korea Fires 2 Short-Range Ballistic Missiles After US Submarine Arrives in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, adding to a recent streak in weapons testing that is apparently in protest of the U.S. sending major naval assets to South Korea in a show of force. In its third round of launches since last week,…


Putin Signs Bill Banning Transgender Procedures in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that, with a few rare exceptions, bans sex change surgeries and gender reassignment-related hormone therapies. Mr. Putin signed the measure on July 24, with the law officially published in Russia’s federal law register later in the day. The act, which passed both of Russia’s houses…


Police Arrest Suspect in Knife Attack on a Train in Western Japan; 3 Were Slashed and Injured

TOKYO—Japanese police said Monday that they have arrested a man on suspicion of slashing three people on a train in western Japan. The 37-year-old suspect was carrying three knives, including two in each hand, when he was arrested on the platform of Rinku Town station in Osaka, western Japan, immediately after the alleged attack Sunday,…


At Least 15 Killed in Ferry Sinking in Indonesia

JAKARTA—At least 15 passengers were killed when a small ferry capsized during a short 20-minute journey near Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, the national search and rescue agency said on Monday. The other 33 passengers on board were rescued after the accident on Sunday night, the agency said in a statement, adding two of the victims were…


NZ Justice Minister Arrested, Resigns for Mental Health Reasons

New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiri Allan has resigned after she was charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest. Ms. Allan was involved in a car crash in the nation’s capital, Wellington, shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. Her breath test revealed she had driven while over the legal limit, but police have not pressed…


US Halts Aid Funding to Cambodia After Hun Sen Claims Another Lopsided Election

The Biden administration has announced it is suspending some its its foreign assistance programs in Cambodia after the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, claimed a landslide victory in another lopsided election on July 23. The preliminary results from the National Election Commission showed the CPP won 125 seats, while the…


Indian Rescuers Recover 27 Dead but No Sign of Dozens of Missing Villagers Swamped by Landslide

NEW DELHI—Hundreds of rescuers ended a four-day search for scores of people still missing after heavy monsoon rains triggered a massive landslide in a village in western India, an official said Sunday. The rescue teams recovered the bodies of 27 people killed in the Wednesday night landslide that hit the Raigadh district village of Irshalwadi,…


North Korean Defector on Famine, Life Under Communist Regime: ‘People Don’t Know What’s Happening’

A chronic food crisis has descended upon North Korea again, but those living a privileged life in the capital city of Pyongyang are ignorant to the situation in the rest of the country, said defector Hyun-Seung “Arthur” Lee. According to the recent report by the BBC, based on testimonies of three North Korean residents, the…


US Video-Sharing Platform Attacked by CCP Hackers During Live Falun Gong Parade

Gan Jing World, a new online platform based in New York, was attacked by hackers from the Chinese communist regime while airing a live stream of a Falun Gong parade. The hackers tried to spread hate messages against the spiritual practice. Falun Gong practitioners held a rally and parade to commemorate the 24th anniversary of…