Asia & Pacific

An anxious wait is leaving Taiwan vulnerable. The island has ordered $19 billion worth of U.S. weapons. But it could take years to deliver them. To fix the backlog, some lawmakers floated the idea of making some of the American weapons in Taiwan. A Taiwanese diplomat reacts.  

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Two Malaysian military helicopters collided midair and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 people on board and injuring a swimmer in a pool, authorities said. The helicopters were rehearsing at a naval base in northern Perak state for the navy’s 90th-anniversary celebration when the accident occurred, the navy said […]

The State Department highlighted the Chinese regime’s extensive operations to silence its targets in the United States and elsewhere, deploying tactics such as stalking, forced disappearances, and projecting police power overseas. The groups the regime goes after include persecuted minority groups, dissidents, Chinese students abroad, and adherents of spiritual faiths, according to the department’s April […]

TAIPEI—Taiwan’s quake-hit eastern county of Hualien was rattled by dozens of aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor damage was reported and no casualties and major chipmaker TSMC said it saw no impact on operations. Largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 […]

The $95-billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed in a House vote at the weekend. Jeff Crouere, a political analyst and TV and radio host, tells NTD that with its passage, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is violating the Hastert Rule—which requires that the speaker does not schedule floor votes for bills that lack […]

TOKYO—An initial analysis of flight data recorders recovered from the crash of two Japanese navy helicopters showed no sign of mechanical problems, Japan’s defense minister said Monday, indicating likely human error. One of the eight crew members died and a search is continuing for the seven others. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said an initial analysis […]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said. Thousands of spectators looked on as the mishap took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in […]

TOKYO—Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country’s defense minister said Sunday. One crew member who had been recovered from the waters was later pronounced dead, while rescuers searched for seven others who were […]

Google is facing a civil lawsuit from a group of Japanese doctors over false information posted on the company’s Google Maps app. The lawsuit, which was filed in Tokyo District Court on April 18, is seeking 1.4 million yen—which equates to almost $9,500 in damages for over 60 medical professionals, who have claimed the company […]

MANADO, Indonesia—More people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island were evacuated on Friday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds, and the possibility of a tsunami. An international airport in Manado city, which is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the erupting Mount Ruang, is […]

TAIPEI, Taiwan—The U.S. 7th Fleet said a Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, a day after U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said […]

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang Mountain sent ash thousands of feet high. Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area. The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi Island had at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological […]

TOKYO—An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning. The epicenter was the Bungo Channel, a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, the agency said. Ehime and Kochi prefectures were hit by the quake with an intensity […]

BANGKOK—Burma (also known as Myanmar)’s jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest as a health measure due to a heat wave, the military government said as it freed more than 3,000 prisoners under an amnesty to mark this week’s traditional New Year holiday. Those released included several […]

Samsung has claimed the title of the world’s No. 1 cell phone maker for the first quarter of this year, thereby surpassing Apple for the lead spot. The iPhone maker appears to be suffering as rivals step up competition.    

How could Iran’s strike on Israel be shaping China’s military readiness for a possible move against Taiwan? NTD sat down with Tommy Waller, president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy, for a deeper discussion.  

JAKARTA—Landslides on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on the weekend killed at least 18 people with rescue efforts, including police sniffer dogs, still ongoing for two missing people, local authorities said on Monday. The local government in South Sulawesi also reported that two people were in a critical condition in hospital. Landslides, triggered by high-intensity rains, affected […]