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by Martin Abbugao and Karl Malakunas VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Beijing came under pressure at an Asian summit Wednesday over its “illegal” island-building in the South China Sea, after the Philippines produced photos it said showed fresh construction activity at a flashpoint shoal. Any artificial island at Scarborough Shoal could be a game-changer in China’s quest to control the South China Sea and raises the risk of armed confrontation with the United States, security […]
Beijing’s “illegal” island building in the South China Sea moves centre stage at an Asian summit after the Philippines produces evidence it says shows fresh construction activity at a flashpoint shoal. Video courtesy Agence France Press TV
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia on Wednesday reported its first case of a pregnant woman with Zika — a resident of a Malaysian state bordering Singapore where authorities are grappling with scores of cases. The 27-year-old woman in the southern state of Johor is the third case in Malaysia of the virus, which can result in infected pregnant women giving birth to deformed babies. The virus causes infant microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally […]
VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The disputed South China Sea was in focus Wednesday at a regional summit in Laos, the first such gathering since an international court said Beijing’s artificial island building program there was “illegal”. China claims most of the sea, even waters approaching neighbouring countries, based on a vaguely defined “nine-dash-line” found on Chinese maps from the 1940s. The Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations dispute this claim. Commentators say the 3 million […]
VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — US president Barack Obama on Wednesday met a survivor maimed by American bombs covertly dropped on Laos decades ago after pledging to help clean up a country he said was still living in the shadow of war. A day after announcing $90 million to survey and remove unexploded ordinance, Obama visited a US-backed NGO which helps provide prosthetics to the tens of thousands maimed by US munitions. Between 1964 and 1973 […]
(REUTERS) The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]
VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The Philippines released photos Wednesday to back its claims that China had secretly begun work to cement control over a crucial shoal in the hotly contested South China Sea. The release of the images, which claimed to show Chinese ships preparing to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal, came hours ahead of a meeting between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Laos. China this week insisted it […]
VIENTIANE, Laos (Reuters) — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered for a second day of meetings in Laos on Wednesday (September 7), as they prepared to hold discussions with international dialogue partners. The meeting hosted by Laos, the rotating chair, is expected to cover a range of regional and international issues, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said at the opening remarks. The rift involving a few ASEAN nations and China […]
(Eagle News) – Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met President Rodrigo Duterte, ahead of the official opening of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos Tuesday (September 6), with both leaders affirming the long and close ties of both countries. This was the first bilateral meeting of President Duterte at the ASEAN Summit. In the bilateral meeting, Lee also invited Duterte to visit Singapore, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Mr. Lee also congratulated […]
(Reuters) — Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte sat down for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday (September 6) on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Laos, with both sides agreeing to strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute. With both countries locked in territorial disputes with China, Abe agreed during the bilateral meeting to provide two large-sized patrol ships and lend up to five used […]
(Reuters) — Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attended the opening ceremony of their regional meeting on Tuesday (September 6). The three-day meeting will bring together leaders from ASEAN and eight other dialogue partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia, New Zealand and the United States. Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith made opening remarks to mark the start of the summit. “In recent years, regional and international environments have undergone rapid and […]
(Eagle News) — THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations has strongly condemned the recent deadly blast in Davao, describing it as a terrorist attack, and at the same time reiterated its commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all forms. “ASEAN strongly condemns explosion, an act of terrorist attack, in Davao, the Republic of the Philippines on 2 September 2016, which caused the loss of lives and injuries. ASEAN extends its deepest sympathies and […]
