Author name: admin

BEIJING/KATHMANDU – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 95 people and collapsing hundreds of houses, Chinese authorities said. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 80 km (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Tremors also shook buildings in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and India. The China Earthquake Networks Center located the epicenter at Tingri county, known as the northern gateway to the Everest region, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). Source link

Seoul – South Korean anti-graft investigators secured a new court-ordered arrest warrant Tuesday for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose failed martial law bid threw the country into turmoil. The former star prosecutor has refused questioning three times after his bungled Dec. 3 martial law decree plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades. As anti-graft officials and police got a fresh warrant from the same court that issued the first order, Yoon was believed to be holed up in his residence surrounded by hundreds of guards preventing his detention. Source link

Paris – Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died Tuesday age 96, was the far-right bogeyman of French politics, infamously dismissing the Holocaust as a detail of history and spending half a century whipping up anger over immigration. The co-founder of the far-right National Front — later renamed the National Rally (RN) — was eventually booted out of the party by his daughter Marine for anti-Semitism. A former paratrooper, Le Pen sent shock waves through France in 2002 when he made it to the second round of the presidential election, which was won by Jacques Chirac. Source link

LAS VEGAS – Tesla supplier Panasonic Energy plans to eliminate its supply-chain dependence on China for electric vehicle batteries made in the United States, a senior executive said, calling the shift a “No.1 objective.” The comments from Allan Swan, President of Panasonic Energy of North America, highlight how incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to raise tariffs on imported Chinese goods has forced companies around the world to reassess their manufacturing processes. Panasonic Energy, which supplies batteries to Tesla and other automakers, is a unit of Japanese electronics giant Panasonic. Source link

Following last year’s Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan. 1, Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel to the affected areas right after the disaster, which resulted in a delayed initial response from volunteers. But although volunteers often face criticism on social media, with some accusing them of being a “burden” to victims, Kobe University Professor Emeritus Yoshiteru Murosaki, an expert in disaster management, argues that volunteers are essential from the very moment a disaster strikes. Murosaki arrived at the hard-hit areas of the city of Nanao and others on Jan. 6, soon after the disaster struck, and delivered supplies like water and diapers to evacuation centers while conducting inspections. Source link

Nippon Steel insists that it will not back down in its lawsuit against the U.S. government for blocking its purchase of U.S. Steel, while politicians and businesses in Japan express concern about the scuttling of the deal. “There is no reason or need to give up,” Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto said during a news conference Tuesday morning. “I am convinced that this is the best course of action.” His comments, delivered sternly and conveying a seriousness of purpose, came just a day after Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel lodged a suit against the U.S. government for blocking the deal on national security grounds. Source link

Tokyo is looking to begin offering a subsidy for epidural childbirths in the 2025 fiscal year as a way of reducing the burden on women looking to have children, which, if it materializes, would make it the first such move in the country at the prefecture-level. Such a subsidy was one of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s campaign promises when she ran for her position last year. She has noted how it would be one way for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to take some burden off Tokyoites seeking to have children, but hesitating due to various reasons, and for the city to reverse its declining birthrate. “I’ve heard many people say that they had their first child and never want to experience the same pain they felt again,” she said in June. “In that sense we must protect the mother’s body and at the same time create an economy and support system where women would want to have a second and third child.” Source link

A recent report by the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) warns consumers about the dangers associated with heated apparel, such as vests and jackets with built-in heating elements, as well as rechargeable hand warmers powered by lithium-ion batteries. The report, part of an international safety initiative led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), urges consumers to exercise caution when using these devices. According to the CAA, injury reports linked to lithium-ion battery-powered heating gear have surged over the last 10 years, with 68 incidents recorded between April 2014 and September 2024. Source link

Japan flagged its concern over sudden and one-sided moves in the currency market in its first warning to speculators in 2025 after the yen hit its lowest level since July. “We will take appropriate action if there are excessive movements in the currency market,” Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters Tuesday, in a veiled threat of direct intervention. Kato said he is “deeply concerned” about recent moves, including those driven by speculators. The finance minister spoke after the yen touched 158.42 against the dollar on Tuesday morning, its weakest in almost six months. The yen strengthened following Kato’s remarks. The currency was trading around 158.11 at lunchtime in Tokyo. Source link

WASHINGTON – In April 2024, a spokesperson for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suggested that the Philippines and China had entered into an undisclosed “gentleman’s agreement” between 2016 and 2022. China would not challenge the status quo in the West Philippine Sea and the Philippines would send only basic supplies to its personnel and facilities on the Ayungin Shoal. But now, the Philippines is emerging as an essential player in resisting China’s strategic ambitions in the region, with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration asserting Philippine maritime claims through naval confrontations and new legislation. This comes at a time when the country is facing a quieter, but equally serious, threat at home. The recent, high-profile case of Alice Guo — a former mayor accused of graft, money laundering and espionage — shows how domestic corruption leaves the Philippines vulnerable to Chinese infiltration and subterfuge. How the Philippines navigates this challenge could shape not only its future but also the broader stability of Southeast Asia. Source link