Tag: Asia & Pacific

One in Three ‘Health’ Foods Contain Misleading Claims

Many sports foods—powders, bars, and ready-made shakes—sold in grocery stores, pharmacies, and health food stores are marketed as being healthy food for an active lifestyle, but they may not be as nutritious as they claim to be, with approximately a third being mislabelled, an in-depth investigation by Australian researchers has found. PhD candidate Celeste Chapple…


New Zealand Prioritising Maori and Pacific Island Patients Over Others in the Name of ‘Equity’

New Zealand’s National and ACT parties have decried the Labour government for promoting racial discrimination after it was revealed that surgery waitlists in Auckland take ethnicity into consideration when prioritising healthcare. National’s health spokesperson, Dr Shane Reti, has called on the government to drop the ethnicity requirements “immediately.” “While there has been historical inequity that…


North Korea Calls Failed Spy Satellite Launch ‘The Most Serious’ Shortcoming, Vows 2nd Launch

SEOUL, South Korea—Top North Korean officials vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as they called their country’s first, and failed, launch last month “the most serious” shortcoming this year and harshly criticized those responsible, state media reported Monday. In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a military reconnaissance…


Xi Rejects US Bid for a Military Crisis Hotline: Blinken

China has refused to resume direct military communication with Washington despite repeated efforts from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top U.S. diplomat said on June 19 shortly after meeting with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While he “raised repeatedly” the prospect of setting up a crisis communication line between the U.S. and Chinese militaries,…


Japan Releases Figures on Organ Transplant Tourism

Japan recently released its latest numbers for transplant travelers, showing one-third of them had their organs transplanted in China. A Japanese governmental survey said that as of the end of March, 543 people were confirmed to have received organ transplants overseas, 175 of whom had received transplants in China, accounting for more than 32 percent…


South Korea Conducts Nationwide Probe Into Alleged Covert Chinese ‘Police Stations’

South Korea’s authorities have launched a probe into the alleged Chinese police stations operating covertly across the country after a Chinese restaurant in Seoul was found to have served as a base last month. South Korean intelligence officials and police jointly investigated the presence of covert Chinese police stations in various regions, including the capital…


Earthquake Recorded Off Burma’s Coast, Shakes Buildings in Thailand

BANGKOK—An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Burma (also known as Myanmar) on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Burma’s biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the…


5 Killed After Truck Collides With Bus in Hokkaido in Northern Japan

TOKYO—Five people were killed and 12 others taken to the hospital after a truck collided with a bus in Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to local media reports. Police said the truck might have strayed into oncoming traffic, Kyodo news agency reported. The bus was carrying 15 passengers at the time of the accident, which…


Thailand Hosts Talks to Reengage With Burma Despite ASEAN Members’ Rejection

Thailand on Monday hosted an informal meeting among neighboring countries to discuss with Burmese officials the cessation of violence in the military-ruled country, despite opposition from key ASEAN members. The meeting will involve high-level representatives from Laos, Cambodia, India, China, Brunei, Vietnam, and Burma—also known as Myanmar—according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This would…


Blinken Could Meet Xi on Final Day of Talks in China

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken met with China’s top diplomat and will potentially meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he nears the end of his two-day visit to Beijing on Monday. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi greeted Blinken at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Monday. They exchanged handshakes upon meeting and posed for photos…