Weekly News Summary – March 25

Published on Mar 25, 2011 by Luke Hunt

Stephen Tucker looks at the headlines making news this week from around south-east Asia and a little bit beyond. The aftermath of the twin natural disasters in Japan dominated south-east Asian news this week. The official death toll topped 10,000, with more than 16,000 still missing. The damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continued to make headlines, with two workers hospitalized after being exposed to high levels of radiation. Green groups celebrated an unexpected affect of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, with news that the nation’s whaling industry will take years to recover from the tragedy. Tokyo’s legal system was back at work, imposing a death sentence on a 28-year-old man who admitted killing seven people in 2008. Tomohiro Kato....

Indian Beach

Published on Mar 24, 2011 by Luke Hunt

BOMBORRA IMAGES — Along the Tamil Nadu coastline of south east India a beach culture of many facets has evolved. From surfing to fishing, India’s foreshore is put to great use. This photo essay was shot along the way. Photo feature by Luke Hunt. .

Weekly News Summary – March 18

Published on Mar 18, 2011 by Luke Hunt

A  look at the headlines making news this week from around South-east Asia  and a little bit beyond. ASIAWATCH– A week into Japan’s nuclear emergency and it became apparent the crisis would not be solved quickly. Last week’s massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant’s backup power system, sending temperatures soaring and triggering fears of a meltdown. There were increasingly ominous signs in the emergency. Radiation levels were described as “extremely high,” unexplained white smoke billowed from damaged reactors and officials warned spent fuel rods could be on the verge of spewing radioactive material. Despite seven days of desperate efforts, including waterbombing the troubled reactors using military helicopters, the reactors failed to....

Bubba Clinton in the Garden of Eden

Published on Mar 16, 2011 by Luke Hunt

By Skeikh Ya’erbuti AsiaWATCH — It was probably the worst kept secret along Sukhumvit, the main thoroughfare through Bangkok that’s host to every kind of trade imaginable – legitimate or otherwise. Hush money was paid and the girls were sworn to secrecy. Behind the scenes it was possibly the greatest diplomatic coup ever for the folks along Soi 7-1. Former US president and occasional bad boy Bill Clinton had come to town and true to form was looking to whet his whistle. Soi 7-1 is a leafy lane off Sukhumvit, with an array of international businesses that have blocked out the traffic and lined the pavements with an assortment of trees, some local wildlife, decking and created a fresco dining....

Weekly News Summary – March 11

Published on Mar 13, 2011 by Luke Hunt

A look at the headlines making news this week from around South-east Asia  and a little bit beyond. ASIAWATCH — It was a week during which earthquakes rocked the region. An 8.9 magnitude quake struck 130km off Japan’s east coast, around 25km underground. Tsunami waves wereas high as 10m and travelled up to 10km inland. The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations in at least 20 other countries. Government authorities estimated the final death toll from the earthquake – the fifth strongest in the past 100 years – could far exceed 1,000 people. An explosion damaged a nuclear power station in north-east Japan, leading to the evacuation of a further 170,000 people in surrounding areas. The earthquake struck two days....