A popular Chinese clothing brand has apologised for producing a shirt for children with phrases such as “welcome to hell” and “let me touch you” on it. JNBY has pulled the item – which also features images of the Grim Reaper – after a mother’s online complaint went viral. She says her family bought it for her four-year-old son without understanding the meaning. It has emerged that JNBY has produced controversial clothing in the past. “Welcome to hell. Excuse me? Who are you welcoming?”, the mother wrote on social media platform Weibo. People have since shared photos of other controversial … Continue reading China brand sparks backlash for “welcome to hell” kid’s shirt

Philippine boxing star Manny Pacquiao says he is to run for president in next year’s election. He was nominated as a candidate by a faction of the ruling party, PDP-Laban. On top of a glittering career as a fighter, Mr Pacquiao, 42, is a senator in the Philippines’ parliament. Incumbent Rodrigo Duterte is barred from another term but has been picked by a rival party faction to run for vice-president, a move critics say is an attempt to cling to power. He was selected to run alongside a close ally, Christopher “Bong” Go, but Mr Go says he does not … Continue reading Sport and Politics: Boxing star to run for Philippines president

The rival Koreas test-launched ballistic missiles hours apart from each other on Wednesday in a display of military assets that came amid a faltering diplomatic push to strip North Korea of its nuclear program. South Korea’s presidential office said it conducted its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test on Wednesday afternoon. It said a domestically built missile fired from a 3,000-ton-class submarine flew a previously set distance before hitting a designated target. The statement said the weapon is expected to help South Korea deter potential external threats, boost its self-defense posture and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. The test followed … Continue reading Update: Rival Koreas test missiles hours apart, raising tensions

North Korea fired what has been described as an unidentified projectile towards the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The Japanese Coast Guard also said an object was fired and that it may have been a ballistic missile. If it is a ballistic missile, it contravenes UN resolutions designed to curb the North’s nuclear activities. South Korea and Japan gave no further details. It comes just days after North Korea tested a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan. Experts say the cruise missile could possibly carry a nuclear warhead. The UN Security Council … Continue reading North Korea fires unidentified projectile

North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, state media said on Monday. Tests staged over the weekend saw missiles travelling as far as 1,500km (930 miles) away, according to KCNA. However, they do not violate UN Security Council resolutions – they have led to tough sanctions on North Korea in the past. But it suggests the country is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis. The test provides “strategic significance of possessing another effective deterrence means for more reliably guaranteeing the security of our state and strongly … Continue reading North Korea tests new long-range cruise missile

A fire tore through an overcrowded block in a jail in Indonesia’s western Banten province, killing at least 41 people and injuring dozens, a government spokeswoman and media reports said. The fire, which broke out between 1 to 2am local time (18 to 19:00 GMT) on Wednesday at the Tangerang Prison Block C, has been extinguished and authorities are still evacuating the facility, said Rika Aprianti, a spokeswoman of the corrections department of the law and human rights ministry. “The cause is under investigation,” she said. Investigators from the fire department said that they are also looking at the defective … Continue reading Tragic: Dozens killed in fire at overcrowded Indonesian prison

North Korea has promoted a general long seen as a rising star in the country’s powerful military and a crucial player in its missile programme, to one of the country’s most powerful decision-making bodies, according to state media. Pak Jong Chon will take up a position in the presidium of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and will also serve as secretary of the party’s Central Committee, the KCNA news agency reported on Tuesday. In recent years, Pak has been promoted to a full four-star Army general, led the military as chief of the general staff of the army, and … Continue reading High flying North Korean general promoted to senior party role

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ten civilians, including several children were killed in a US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential area of Kabul on Sunday, according to The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The deceased were from a single extended family and were leaving their car when the strike hit a separate vehicle nearby, The Post said. The youngest victim was a 2-year-old girl, according to a brother of one of those who were killed, according to CNN. The brother told CNN that the individuals killed were “an … Continue reading Goodbye Grenade: US drone strike kills 10 civilians, including children, in Kabul

The co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Sea Ltd, Forrest Li has become Singapore’s richest person as shares of his company surged. Li, who was born in China and later became a Singapore citizen, is now worth $19.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after Sea’s American depositary receipts rose 67% this year. The city-state’s second-richest person, paint tycoon Goh Cheng Liang, has a net worth of $17.7 billion.Sea Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Forrest Li It’s another example of how tech billionaires are climbing up the wealth rankings in countries across Asia. Earlier this year, Brian Kim, the … Continue reading Singapore has a new richest person with $20 billion fortune

A court has granted bail to an Indian federal minister, Narayan Rane, who was arrested over his remark about slapping Maharashtra state’s chief minister. Mr Rane reportedly said that Uddhav Thackeray forgot the year of India’s independence and had to ask an aide during his speech on 15 August. “Had I been there, I would have given him a slap,” he told a rally on Monday. His comments sparked protests in Maharashtra that were led by Mr Thackeray’s Shiv Sena party. Mr Rane and other members from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the cases against him were borne … Continue reading India minister arrested over slap remark gets bail

The World Bank has halted funding for projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of the country. It cited concerns over how the Taliban’s takeover will impact “the country’s development prospects, especially for women”. The move comes just days after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended payments to Afghanistan. The Biden administration has also frozen the assets of Afghanistan’s central bank that are held in the US. “We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures,” a World Bank spokesperson told the … Continue reading World Bank halts aid to Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

A Japanese court said it had sentenced a yakuza mafia boss to death on Tuesday after he ordered a murder and attacks on three other citizens. Satoru Nomura, the 74-year-old head of the “Kudo-kai” crime syndicate in southwest Japan, denied accusations he had masterminded the violent assaults on ordinary people. Fukuoka District Court confirmed it had sentenced Nomura to death, while Japanese media said the verdict came despite a lack of evidence directly linking him to the crimes. “I asked for a fair decision… You will regret this for the rest of your life,” Nomura told the judge after his … Continue reading Japanese crime boss sentenced to death for ordering murder