China wrapped up military drills in the South China Sea today (July 11). Before the drills, which began on July 5 and included live-fire war games, Chinese authorities issued a notice that the exercise area was off limits.
Tensions are escalating in the South China Sea. On July 12 a UN tribunal will deliver a long-awaited verdict on Beijing’s sweeping claims to the vital waterway. Each year more than $5 trillion in trade passes through the sea, which contains rich fishing grounds and large, mostly untapped reserves of oil and natural gas.
It’s safe to say China’s leadership doesn’t think highly of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. The international tribunal will issue a ruling on July 12 that could invalidate China’s sweeping territorial claims to most of the South China Sea, a strategically important waterway rich in natural resources.
China will conduct military drills in the contested South China Sea this week, ratcheting up tensions ahead of a tribunal ruling expected to challenge its claims to most of the strategically important sea. China’s territorial claims overlap in parts with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan in an area that holds vast energy and marine resources and through which more than $5 trillion in trade passes every year.
After months of waiting, Vietnam’s public finally has an explanation to the mysterious fish die-off that started in early April, lasted two to three weeks, and devastated the local fishing industry. As some suspected, the cause was pollution from a new Taiwanese steel factory, the government’s environment ministry said today (June 30) in much-anticipated press conference.
People love gossiping about royalty, and Indonesians are no different. They’re currently enjoying an intriguing royal drama unfolding in the sultanate of Yogyakarta, in the center of Java Island.
Beijing’s claim that most of the South China Sea belongs to China may be questionable, but its public relations campaign has been impressive. The latest trick: an animated video posted to Weibo (link in Chinese) this week by state-run broadcaster CCTV. Weibo is a hugely popular social media platform among China’s youth.
Over 160 countries and the European Union have signed on to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The United States, however, has long declined to do so.
Indonesia has been signaling for the past few years that it will be more vigorously defending its maritime resources. It loses billions of dollars every year to illegal fishing. This weekend tensions flared over an operation conducted on Friday (June 17) against Chinese fishing vessels operating within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Indonesia’s Natuna islands.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations appeared to officially express deep concern over escalating tensions in the South China Sea in a statement yesterday (June 14). The foreign ministers of member nations and China had gathered for a special meeting near the southern Chinese city of Kunming.
Yesterday (June 13) Cambodian prime minister made clear where his alliances lie. Faced with possibly losing $465 million in EU aid if his country’s human rights situation didn’t improve, he shrugged off the threat and instead heaped praise on China, which makes no such demands. China is also Cambodia’s biggest aid partner.
At the Tony Awards tonight (June 12), an acceptance speech by Lin-Manuel Miranda might have stolen the show. The Broadway composer-playwright, having just won the award for best original score for the blockbuster musical Hamilton, moved many viewers and audience members with a tribute to his wife and a poetic reflection upon the Orlando shootings.
Japan is known for having some of the world’s safest cities, and stories of lost or forgotten items ending up back with their owners are common. But while you can probably find your expensive camera right where you accidentally left it a few hours ago, one item in particular is likely to vanish: your umbrella.
In case there was any confusion about China’s territorial claims in South China Sea, columns and articles have appeared in some local publications in various parts of the world to clear things up. Many are based thousands of miles from the South China Sea.
China is clearly militarizing in the strategic South China Sea—causing international alarm and increased defense spending among neighbors. But as it asserts its claim to the region, it’s also throwing some softer elements in amid the militaristic buildup—including lighthouses, a tourist resort, and a hospital. The latest awkwardly placed civilian outpost is a farm.
Taiwan said today (June 6) that it will ignore any air defense identification zone (ADIZ) China might establish in the South China Sea. Beijing has indicated that it could soon set up such a zone, in which aircraft are supposed to identify themselves to Chinese authorities as they fly through.
Nobody said parenthood was easy.
A murder-suicide took two lives at the University of California, Los Angeles on Wednesday morning local time (June 2). William S. Klug, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, was shot in an engineering building on the campus. The shooter, whose identity has not yet been shared, was identified as a male young enough to be a student. He turned the gun on himself after killing the professor. A possible suicide note was found at the scene. The campus was locked down for a few hours, with officers in camouflage and tactical gear securing the area.
An airline has many things to consider when hiring flight attendants, including background, experience, and references. In AirAsia’s office in South Korea, a video audition—voted upon by the public online—will also be taken into consideration.
On Sunday night (May 29), two Australian women, out on a stroll, ventured into the waters off Thornton beach, in Australia’s Daintree National Park. One, Cindy Waldron, never came back—the victim of a saltwater crocodile attack.
In March, an Indonesian patrol boat captured a Chinese fishing trawler illegally operating within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone. Before it could impound the offending vessel, however, two Chinese coast guard vessels appeared, stole back the trawler, and towed it back to international waters, leaving the Indonesians with only the Chinese crew to show for their efforts.
Much has been written on the sexism that plagues corporate Japan, even as the government encourages companies to promote women into senior roles. But women face plenty of discrimination in the political sphere, too.
US president Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, Japan, today (May 27) was seen by many as a poignant gesture—not quite an apology for the US’s devastating atomic bomb attack on the city during World War II, but at least an important acknowledgement of the human cost of that military action.
SeaWorld San Diego seemed to be doing everything right in 2011, by the standards of the international theme park business. In an industry report for that year (pdf), it was one of two parks noted for being “outstanding performers.” The park was praised for its 13% attendance growth, and credited for opening a new show featuring the killer whales Shamu and Baby Shamu, plus an attraction called Turtle Reef.
