All Asia Pacific
Thai election in 2017 regardless of referendum vote, says junta chief
First LookAre the Olympics cool enough for surfing? IOC says yes, adding 5 sportsThe International Olympic Committee approved baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
First LookJapan protests North Korean missile launch as 'grave threat'South Korean officials said the missile’s trajectory was one of the longest of North Korean tests.
First LookAs Duterte takes reins in Philippines, drug trafficker deaths soarMore than 400 people believed to be linked to illegal drugs have been killed since President Duterte took office in June. Human rights groups and international drug authorities are calling for the killings to stop.
- China court warns against illegal fishing in riposte to Sth China Sea ruling
The Chinese Supreme Court said on Tuesday that people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year.
First LookTaiwan president issues historic apology to nation's aboriginesPresident Tsai Ing-wen offered a formal apology to Taiwan's aboriginal people on Monday for 400 years of 'pain and mistreatment.'
Wang Yu 'confession' – China's bid to counter critics of its crackdown?On the eve a major trial of Chinese human rights lawyers and activists, a video emerges of a prominent associate blaming 'foreign groups' for defaming Beijing.
First LookTokyo elects first female governor: How thick is Japan's glass ceiling?Yuriko Koike was elected governor of Tokyo on Sunday, marking an important moment for a country whose politics are still largely male-dominated.
First LookNorth Korea: The United States has made a 'declaration of war'As US-South Korea war games approach and after America placed Kim Jong Un on list of sanctioned individuals, North Korea ramps up its rhetoric.
Why some South Koreans don't want shield from North's missilesLocals worry the THAAD missile defense system would be a target, while analysts point out the risks of angering China with a joint US project.
Japan stabbing rampage foretold in letter to ParliamentA young Japanese man killed 19 people and injured 25 in a stabbing rampage Tuesday at a facility for the mentally disabled. Such mass killings are rare in Japan.
First LookChina says South Korea THAAD anti-missile system undermines trustChina says that South Korea's decision to deploy the US antimissile defense system to counter threats from North Korea harms the foundation of trust between China and South Korea.
- First LookChina scores key diplomatic win in South China Sea dispute
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations watered down their criticism of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, after Cambodia opposed the communiqué's wording.
Philippine President Duterte declares a cease-fire with communist guerrillasIn his first State of the Nation address before Congress, President Duterte calls for 'permanent and lasting peace.'
First LookUmbrella Movement student leaders convicted but not conquered, they sayJoshua Wong, a student leader in Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement, was convicted for a protest that helped inspire the largest anti-Beijing demonstration in years.
First LookUS Navy plans on return to New Zealand after 30-year nuclear riftThe United States has accepted an invitation from New Zealand to attend a naval celebration in November, more than 30 years after the country blocked a US ship from docking.
In South China Sea case, ruling on environment hailed as precedentThe Hague tribunal said China's harm to coral reefs violates environmental provisions of the Law of the Sea, a ruling seen as having a lasting impact on protecting the ocean.
First LookWhy are Chinese protesters picketing KFC and smashing iPhones?In response to the UN ruling favor of the Philippines in the South China Seas, Beijing protests show the risks involved for global companies seeking to tap Chinese markets.
Philippines Supreme Court dismisses charges against former presidentThe court ordered Gloria Macapagal Arroyo freed after almost five years of hospital detention. Ms. Arroyo was president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010.
Hague ruling on the South China Sea: What shaped Beijing's responseAn international court at The Hague found in favor of the Philippines in a case that challenged China's claims to sovereignty.
