Japanese historians slam sex-slave apology review

A group of Japanese historians on Friday stood behind their government's 1993 apology over wartime sex slavery, slamming Tokyo's possible move to revise it as "unforgivable".
Link

The golden fields of Luoping

 

Link

The international law basis behind China’s claims

Many have called on China to base its claims in the South China Sea on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). In fact, Unclos might not be the proper forum for China’s claims. Customary international law, which recognises historical claims of the kind China is putting forth, might be a more apt avenue.

Former NUS law don Tey Tsun Hang acquitted of corruption charges on appeal

Former National University of Singapore law professor Tey Tsun Hang, who was previously convicted in a sex-for-grades scandal, was on Friday morning acquitted of all his charges in Singapore’s High Court on appeal.
Link

UK, US spies 'stored millions of Yahoo webcam images'

US senators said British and US spy agencies showed a "breathtaking lack of respect" for privacy after reports they had intercepted and stored images from webcams used by millions of Yahoo users.
Link

Nanjing massacre memorial stirs strong emotions in China

The skulls, bones, and names of thousands of dead at the Nanjing massacre memorial stand as a stark demonstration of China and Japan's inability to move beyond history in their increasingly tense relationship.
Link

15 Incredible Malaysian Beaches for the perfect getaway

Link

White trash cyclist in Singapore

 

Link

5 Cheap and Good Places to Get Your Sushi Fix in Singapore

Link

Japan considers revision of comfort women apology

Japan is to consider revising its landmark apology for its wartime system of sex slavery, a top official said on Monday, in a move likely to draw fury in South Korea and beyond.

Sichuan mining tycoon’s fall from philanthropist to ‘triad boss’

Revelations about Sichuan mining magnate Liu Han’s alleged crimes have shaken those who knew him as a great philanthropist

Media’s heavy hints signal endgame in the pursuit of Zhou Yongkang

The Communist Party’s main mouthpiece has pointed the finger at party and law enforcement officials for protecting a Sichuan billionaire who allegedly ran a mafia-type gang.

Directive bans patients from making ‘cash gifts’ to hospital doctors

Some medics welcome move to end payment of ‘red packets’, but others contend practice will endure as long as health worker wages stay low

Singapore repatriation firms’ tactics under workers’ rights microscope

Bangladeshi claims he had knife held to his throat by ‘repatriation firm’ hired by Singapore employer trying to force him out to reclaim bond

Documents released by Snowden links NSA to spying on US law firm

The National Security Agency was involved in the surveillance of an American law firm while it represented a foreign government in trade disputes with the United States, according to a new report based on a top-secret document that had been obtained by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden.

NSA Australia allies 'spied on US law firm' in Indonesia row

Australian spies tapped a US law firm representing Indonesia in a trade dispute with the US, new leaks say.
Link

Chinese army cracks down on housing, cars in anti-graft drive

Link

China sacks police chief of vice hub in prostitution scandal

The Chinese government on Friday sacked the police chief of the southern “sin city” of Dongguan following a candid report by the state broadcaster on the underground sex industry there, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

China state media slams Aston Martin over handling of sports car recall

China’s state media has slammed Aston Martin over a recall of its luxury cars involving parts produced in the country, saying the British firm is using the stereotype of low-quality ‘Made in China’ manufacturing to mask its own shortcomings.

Nanjing seeks Unesco listing for massacre documents

China has applied to Unesco for inclusion of documents related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in a move seen as a response to Japan’s request to add kamikaze pilots’ letters

Japan on backfoot in global PR war with China after Abe shrine visit

Japan risks losing a global PR battle with China after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial shrine for war dead and comments by other prominent figures on the wartime past helped Beijing try to paint Tokyo as the villain of Asia.
Link

US cracks down on luxury car re-exports to China

Criminal or civil actions have been filed in US states, but some contend it’s just a commercial dispute

War sex slavery unspeakably bad, says former Japanese PM Tomiichi Murayama

It’s time for Tokyo to resolve issue, Murayama says after meeting ‘comfort women’ in Seoul

Chinese state media slam Japan PM Abe’s ‘gangster logic’

A Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece on Tuesday criticised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in unusually harsh terms, denouncing the leader for comparing the Asian rivals’ tensions to the British-German relationship before the First World War.

What type of cheater are you?

Whether a cheating spouse is forgiven may depend on the type of affair, with women more upset by emotional affairs, while men care more about physical ones, according to a survey by cheaters' website Victoria Milan.
Link

Can Jakarta be more sensitive?

“The diplomatic row between Indonesia and Singapore is unfortunate and could have been avoided if we had been a little more sensitive towards our neighbour.

許冠傑 - 浪子心聲

Briton Christopher Gordon Sang jailed two weeks for pushing cabby on the head

China criticizes Japan over comments doubting Nanjing massacre

China's Foreign Ministry has criticized remarks by a board member of Japan's state broadcaster who said a massacre carried out by Japanese troops in China's then-capital of Nanjing in 1937 did not happen.
Link

China furious at Japan NHK manager's Nanjing denial

China reacted furiously on Wednesday to the denial of the Nanjing massacre by a senior manager at Japan's national broadcaster, calling his remarks "a barefaced challenge to international justice".
Link

Japan unease over U.S. alliance adds fuel to Abe's security shift

Link

NHK manager’s Nanjing denial no problem, says Japan government

Countries in the world ignored the propaganda ... that Japan’s troops carried out a massacre in Nanjing. Why? There was no such thing. - Naoki Hyakuta

That's why Japan cannot and will not be forgiven.

Foreign education no guarantee of success in China job market

Record numbers of newly minted university graduates are returning to the mainland to a job market not overly impressed with all their efforts

China says no cover-ups using state secrecy as excuse

China has unveiled new rules telling officials not to cover up what should be publicly available information using the excuse it is a state secret, in what state media said was a move towards greater government transparency.

Chinese firms march to Beijing’s austerity beat

Airlines, high-end hotels and eateries cutting prices, catering to masses now

Japan upset by South Korean ‘comfort women’ comics at French show

Japan has expressed its “regret” at a South Korean exhibit at an international comic book festival in France featuring “comfort women” forced into wartime sex slavery in Japanese military brothels.

The lingering stench of an imperial era

The English banker and “relationship manager” Anton Casey - who stirred a storm of indignation among Singaporeans earlier this month with his intemperate comments - is the latest in a long line of Westerners to have disparaged Asians in language laden with barbs about their race and class.

Biden asked Abe not to visit war shrine

US Vice President Joe Biden spent an hour trying to persuade Japan's prime minister not to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, two weeks before a pilgrimage that sparked fury in Asia, a report said Wednesday.
Link

Snowden claims NSA collects economic intelligence as well

There is “no doubt” the US engages in industrial espionage, Edward Snowden said in an interview in which he also asserted that he worked alone in disclosing mass surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA).

As 'African' Chinese park money in Hong Kong, Beijing targets 'naked' officials

Step by step, Chinese authorities are making life tougher for officials looking to spirit assets and family members out of the country to avoid close scrutiny and strict currency controls.
Link

Japan NHK head’s ‘comfort women’ remark stirs controversy

The newly appointed head of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has stirred controversy by saying the system of forcibly drafting women into military brothels during World War II was “common in any country at war”.

Anton Casey loses job over derisive comments

Anton Casey, the British expatriate whose derisive comments about Singapore’s public transport have stirred public anger, is no longer with wealth management company Crossinvest Asia.

British expat Anton Casey's posts 'deeply offensive': Shanmugam

Link

Arrogant Crossinvest Banker Anton Casey calls Singaporeans a 'wuss'

How Anton Casey is making life tough for arrogant expat bankers in Singapore

Link

British expat Anton Casey on anti-Singaporean Facebook posts: Please forgive me

Link

Beijing orders shutdown of ‘secret’ clubs, restaurants within public parks

The Beijing city government has issued an order to close down all private clubs and high-end entertainment venues set up at the city’s spacious public parks, amid efforts to curb officials’ lavish lifestyles and crack the whip on corruption.

China hails first test of hypersonic nuclear missile carrier

US no longer only one with Mach 10 glider that can outfox defences and deliver nuclear warhead

US biological weapons tested in Okinawa in 60s

The US army conducted field experiments of biological weapons, which could harm rice cropping, in the Japanese island of Okinawa in the early 1960s, a press report said Sunday.

Hong Kong triads supply meth precursors to Mexican drug cartels

Members of 14K and Sun Yee On crime gangs supplying the notorious Sinaloa cartel with raw materials to produce ‘Ice’ as demand surges

Over 1,000 ill as Japan tainted food scandal widens

More than 1,000 people have fallen ill after eating pesticide-contaminated frozen food as a scandal widens across Japan, Jiji Press reported Wednesday.

Thai protest leader Suthep a son of the elite with an axe to grind

Suthep Thaugsuban, the leader of the Thai protests, is a political veteran with a chequered past and a hatred of what he calls the 'Thaksin regime'

Chris Harris pits the Porsche 911 Turbo S against a McLaren 12C

Declaration of air zone is a sign that Beijing thinks risk of conflict is rising

The motives are complicated, analysts say, but it could signal an end to the era of China ‘hiding its capabilities while biding its time’

Technological progress gave China confidence to declare ADIZ

Improvements in the People’s Liberation Army’s air surveillance and control systems helped give Beijing the confidence to create its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, military experts said.

Italian mafia fed man alive to pigs

A group of Calabrian mafia assassins beat a rival with a spade and fed him alive to pigs, Italian police said after rounding up 20 people for various mob crimes including five murders.

Canada let NSA spy on G20, G8 summits

Canada allowed America’s National Security Agency to spy on G20 talks in Toronto in 2010 and at the G8 summit days earlier, according to documents cited by public broadcaster CBC.

By law, the CSEC cannot target anyone in Canada without a warrant, and is prohibited by international agreement from getting the NSA to spy on its behalf.

Guardian

Producer of Pretty Woman, Arnon Milchan, admits he’s an Israeli spy

Now the Israeli businessman behind hits such as Pretty Woman, Fight Club and L.A. Confidential has finally come forth with a stunning admission - for years he said he served as an Israeli spy, buying arms on the country’s behalf and boosting its alleged nuclear programme.

Protected air space over East China Sea to remain ‘forever’

Sudden announcement of controversial defence zone was under consideration ‘for some time’ and will not be rescinded, say Beijing advisers

Shrine find suggests Buddha may have been born two centuries earlier

Discovery of timber structure dating to 6th century BC suggests sage may have lived 200 years earlier than generally believed, say scientists

Malaysia summons Singapore envoy over spying reports

Link

Top-secret exposé: Singapore helping US spy on Malaysia

Neighbouring Singapore is a key partner of the “5-Eyes” intelligence group which was revealed to have tapped telephones and monitored communications networks in Kuala Lumpur, according to more top secret documents leaked by intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden.

China creates air defence zone over Japan-controlled islands

Aircraft are expected to provide their flight plan, clearly mark their nationality, and maintain radio communication with Chinese authorities

Xi Jinping tipped to promote Communist Party allies to strengthen powerbase

Li Zhanshu, 63, one of Xi’s closest allies, is the front-runner to replace Han Zheng, 59, as Shanghai’s party boss, the sources said. The party boss outranks the city mayor.

Right-wing Japanese group dismisses fears of former Philippine ‘comfort women’

A right-wing historical group in Japan has criticised former comfort women in the Philippines who expressed fear at the sight of Japanese troops providing aid in their town as being the work of “professional accusers.”

Right-wing Japanese group dismisses fears of former Philippine ‘comfort women’

A right-wing historical group in Japan has criticised former comfort women in the Philippines who expressed fear at the sight of Japanese troops providing aid in their town as being the work of “professional accusers.”

Foreign trainees in Japan face exploitation

Link

Former bank officer jailed 11/2 years for Halloween fight which left party-goer dead

 

A Briton, who got into a fight at a Halloween party, was jailed for 11/2 years on Thursday. James Daniel Rhodes, 36, was convicted of causing grievous hurt to Mr Ronald Tan, an Australian. Mr Tan, 34, fractured his skull during the fight and died two months later.

Elliott Raymond Pitcher jailed for attacking cabby over $20 fare

A 31-YEAR-OLD commodities broker who kicked and punched a cabby over $20 in fares was jailed for two weeks yesterday.

Appointment of top audit official to Party organ signals shift in China’s anti-graft strategy

A personnel reshuffle in the Communist Party’s disciplinary forces in Shanghai appears to indicate a power transfer from local governments to the central anti-graft authorities, analysts say.

China, South Korea reject complaint from Japan over statue of assassin

China and S Korea reject complaint from Japan over proposed memorial to activist who killed colonial governor more than a century ago

Tokyo reacts to anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea

Japanese attitudes towards South Korea harden in the wake of criticism over Tokyo’s wartime actions and Seoul’s pivot to major trading partner China

Indonesia downgrades Australia ties over spying row

Australian spy chiefs give assurances that there will be no more wiretapping in Indonesia

Chinese official shamed over adultery 'contract' that fines bad behaviour

Link

China praises Korean assassin whom Japan calls a ‘criminal’

China and South Korea are to cooperate on a memorial to a Korean national hero who assassinated a Japanese official a century ago, provoking a diplomatic row Tuesday.

Xi Jinping shows muscle by setting up panels on economic reform, security

The creation of two new panels to oversee economic reform and national security provides perhaps the strongest sign yet that President Xi Jinping has successfully consolidated power across the government after a year in office.

Impatient Beijing subway commuters get the better of German fare machines

Superior foreign technology often fails when put to the test in China’s different market conditions

‘Little emperors’ harden up on reality TV shows

Spoiled children taken out of their comfort zones prove to be surprisingly independent

Bombing exoneration for Fujian man 12 years on exposes China legal abuses

Beaten so badly he repeatedly tried to kill himself, when Chen Keyun signed his confession to bombing a Chinese Communist party office he was not even sure what it said.

Frustrated Hong Kong women head to mainland China in search of love

Unhappy with ‘limited options’ at home, more of the city’s singles are turning to matchmaking events over the border to find a life partner

Chinese Americans protest across US over Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘kill Chinese’ skit

British banking director, Mason Robert Alford, fined $4,000 for hitting cabby

Younger buyers spice up Bentley’s cars

They prefer two-door Continental coupes and convertibles in bold, bright colours

Hackers expose Asia’s weak cyber defences

A rash of website hackings in the Asia-Pacific has exposed weak cyber defences which must be improved to help the region deal with more sophisticated and sinister threats, particularly from criminal organisations, analysts said.

Timelapse China in Motion

Link

Jewel - Foolish Games

CIA compelled medics to torture terror suspects: independent report

Military trumped medics’ oath to be ethical and made them complicit in abuses, independent report says; CIA and Pentagon reject findings

China's Forbidden City Built with Giant 'Sliding Stones'

The Forbidden City, the palace once home to the emperors of China, was built by workers sliding giant stones for miles on slippery paths of wet ice, researchers have found.
Link

Kerry says in some cases US spying 'reached too far'

Link

Australia Participated in N.S.A. Program, Document Says

Australia, a close ally of the United States, has used its embassies in Asia to collect intelligence as part of the National Security Agency’s global surveillance efforts, according to a document leaked by Edward J. Snowden and published in the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel.

Manila Mayor Aims to Ease Tensions With Hong Kong

A former Philippine president, Joseph Estrada, now the mayor of Manila, hopes to accomplish in the next few weeks what the national government has failed to do in three years: mend strained ties with Hong Kong over a botched hostage rescue attempt in which eight tourists were killed.

US network apologizes for child's 'Kill Chinese' quip

A US network has apologized after a child flippantly suggested to "kill everyone in China" during a late-night comedy show which infuriated Asian American activists.
Link

China's Real Estate Bubble

Lawsuit after six million bottles of Australian wine poured down drain

Global drinks giant Treasury Wine Estates was on Monday facing a class-action lawsuit from Australian shareholders after oversupply issues forced six million bottles of wine to be poured down the drain.

Manila backtracks on South China Sea accusation against China

In an embarrassing twist after foreign affairs and defence officials had accused China of preparing to build new structures on Scarborough Shoal, a group of rocks about 120 nautical miles off the coast of the main island of Luzon, Aquino said the blocks found within the shoal "are not a new phenomenon" and "some of them have barnacles attached to them."
Link

Kunming's illegal street racing scene

Link

Xi sets up special unit to probe Zhou Yongkang corruption case

Xi Jinping takes unusual step of forming special unit to investigate Zhou Yongkang graft scandal, bypassing party’s internal disciplinary system

Elite French winemakers seek elusive Chinese blend

The world's fine winemakers have exacting standards for soil, climate and cultivation to produce the perfect grape. And they are looking to recreate that unlikely blend in China -- better known for cheap mass production.
Link

US businessman accused of being mob boss in China

When more than 500 policemen swooped in to arrest 40 suspected gangsters in southern China last year, the alleged kingpin was a Los Angeles businessman who had hoisted an U.S. flag amid a crowd to welcome Xi Jinping, now China’s president, to California.

Conflict and clashes over China's prized caterpillar fungus

Link