South Korean military believes two ballistic missiles were launched, making it the second such test in three daysNorth Korea has carried out what could be the second ballistic missile test in a matter of days and the fourth this month, according to rep…
Tonga volcano eruption: Pacific tsunami damage unclear as ash blankets island nation
Conditions hinder communications from towns believed to have been inundated by waves as New Zealand sends first surveillance flightA thick blanket of ash from a huge undersea volcanic eruption has covered the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, contaminati…
Global Processing Services adds $100M to its coffers to grow its embedded finance and API payments platform
Embedded finance continues to be the engine driving the growth of fintech, with one group of companies building core banking, payments and other financial technology, and a much bigger group tapping that technology through APIs to build customer-facing businesses. Today, one of the bigger players on the core technology side — Global Processing Services — […]
New Zealand yoga industry suffers as anti-vax sentiment co-opts wellness industry
Rejection of Covid vaccines among wellness community has been blamed on popular social media accounts that spread disinformationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMany know Wanaka, a picturesque tourist town at the foot of New …
Hong Kong media outlet Stand News to close after police raid
Reports say editors, board members and pop singer were held in early morning sweep as 200 officers raid officeThe most prominent pro-democracy media outlet still operating in Hong Kong, Stand News, said it will shut down after police raided its offices…
Speed of Stand News shutdown sends chilling signal to Hong Kong’s media
Analysis: the police raid and closure of the pro-democracy website has left journalists wondering who will be nextThe Christmas attack on Hong Kong website Stand News was no great surprise in a city where all forms of political opposition are being dis…
Outcry as Hong Kong University memorial to Tiananmen Square victims is removed
Site of the Pillar of Shame at the city’s oldest university is under guard after workmen dismantled statueHong Kong’s oldest university has removed a statue mourning those killed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 and posted guards at the site where…
China locks down 13 million people in Xi’an after detecting 127 Covid cases
Snap lockdown, which prompted panic in the city, comes little over a month before Beijing is set to host the Winter OlympicsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUp to 13 million people have been placed into lockdown in the city o…
Asia’s factory workers at the sharp end of the west’s supply chain crisis
Migrant workers ate and slept in factories swarming with Covid, sealed off from outside worldFor weeks, Hoang Thi Quynh* worked and slept inside a garment factory in Tien Giang province, in southern Vietnam. She would start her shift at 7.15am and then…
Cat burglar: New Zealand pet steals bong, bag of white powder and lacy underwear
Keith the cat is known locally for making off with everything from live eels to tradesmen’s boots A New Zealand cat with a reputation as a talented thief has taken his habit to new lows by bringing home drugs and a pair of lacy black knickers, accordin…