Asia

    A sinkhole is a depression in the ground created by erosion or drainage of water. Extremely dangerous, sinkholes vary in size from a few feet across to large enough to swallow an entire building. A huge sinkhole opens up in the centre of a Japanese city Fukuoka on Nov. 8, 2016, raising concern for commercial buildings on its edge. Part of the road that was rebuilt over a massive sinkhole in downtown Fukuoka, Japan was closed off over the weekend when authorities noticed the pavement sunk slightly. Authorities said the road had lowered by nearly 3 inches and the area was closed for a few hours to perform a safety check. No injuries were reported or damage done, so the road was reopened. A side-by-side image of the sinkhole and the repaired road. Earlier this month, it too...

    North Korea is about as low as a country can get in the international reputation stakes. One of the world's most secretive states, it frequently makes headlines for its nuclear testing, and its terrible human rights record. Visitors are unlikely to see this side of the country; tourism is tightly controlled and limited to organized groups. However, the experience can take a dark turn for those who don’t follow the rules, such as the American tourist jailed earlier this year for apparently trying to steal a propaganda poster. Yet, there are destinations that are just as bad if not worse – for tourists to visit.

    The foreign media has not stayed far away from the issue and many leading international newspapers have given their opinions on whether the decision to demonetise currency was a 'masterstroke' or a 'policy failure'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 announced the government’s decision to withdraw old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 and replace them with new currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes with an aim to weed out black money from the system. While declaring the ‘bold’ move, the Prime Minister said people will be allowed to replace their old currency from banks till the end of December. The government also decided to put a cap on the amount of money that can be withdrawn from the bank in a single visit. The move received support from several sections...

    The country has had far more selfie-related deaths than any other country in the world in the last two years. That's the findings from a new study by scholars from Carnegie Mellon University and Indraprastha Institute of Information Delhi. The analysis — provocatively titled “Me, Myself and My Killfie: Characterizing and Preventing Selfie Deaths" — found that of 127 reported selfie deaths from March 2014 to September,"a whopping 76 deaths occurred in India alone!” In a blog detailing the study, it said Pakistan had nine deaths, the United States eight and Russia six over the past two years. In 2015 alone, Indians taking selfies died while posing in front of an oncoming train, in a boat that tipped over at a picnic, on a cliff that gave way and crumbled into a 60-foot ravin...

    Some four million men in Vietnam will have no opportunity of getting married by 2050 if the current imbalance in the nation’s sex ration persists, according to experts. According to the Hanoi Population and Family Planning Department, the capital city’s boy-to-girl ratio at birth in the first 9 months of this year remained high at 113.6:100. Seven districts with the highest boy-to-girl ratios at birth are Son Tay (131.9:100); Ung Hoa (130.1:100); Me Linh (123.6:100); Ba Vi (121.9:100), Phu Xuyen (121.3:100), Thach That (120.9:100) and Soc Son (120.3:100). Similar imbalances nationwide will lead to a shortage of women, which means that by 2050, 2.3-4.3 million men in Viet Nam will have no chance of finding wives, the General Directorate of Population and Family Planning est...

    The move marks a significant departure in India’s nuclear diplomacy and there is apprehension that it may open the floodgates for renegotiation with other countries, with whom Delhi has signed nuclear pacts in the past. Written by Shubhajit Roy | Kobe | Published:November 13, 2016 4:17 am Kobe: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the signing of MoUs between government of Gujarat and prefecture of Hyogo in Kobe on Saturday. PTI Photo India has agreed to link nuclear testing with termination of the civilian nuclear agreement that it signed with Japan on Friday. This has been done through a separate two-page “note on views and understanding” so that Japan could make an exception for India – the deal was the first Japan had signed with a no...

    Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children joined one of the largest anti-government protests ever seen in Seoul on Saturday, demanding South Korean President Park Geun-Hye's resignation over a snowballing corruption scandal. Police put the turnout at 260,000, while organisers said one million people took to the streets for what was the third in a series of weekly mass protests that have left Park fighting for her political survival. On the back of official appeals for calm, police deployed around 25,000 officers, many of them in full riot gear, while police buses and trucks blocked every access road -- major or minor -- around the presidential Blue House. As night fell, Seoul's main ceremonial boulevard Gwanghwamun became a moving river of flickering candles held by...

    Prime Minister Theresa May visits the Sri Someshwara Hindu temple in Bangalore Theresa May’s visit to India will decrease her lifespan by several hours due to the heavy air pollution in the city's capital, experts have said. The Prime Minister’s three-day trade mission to Delhi will have exposed her to air that is 36 times more toxic than London, according to an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace's Energydesk. The Indian capital has been experiencing one of the worst air pollution episodes in its history in recent weeks, after Diwali celebrations enveloped the city in a deep smog made up of smoke, ash and other pollutants. Cambridge University statistician David Spiegelhalter told Energydesk the Prime Minister's exposure to the such air pollution levels could knock hours ...

    Theresa May has made clear she is not ready to back down on new immigration controls in any parliamentary Brexit battle. Speaking as she arrived in India on a three-day trade visit, the Prime Minister insisted the Government has a “strong” case to persuade Supreme Court judges to overturn last week’s High Court decision that MPs and peers should vote on the launch of EU withdrawal talks. And she gave short shrift to suggestions that Parliament might tie her hands by requiring her to make continued single market membership her priority during withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the European treaties. MPs and peers considering amendments to this effect should remember that “the people spoke on June 23” and it is the Government’s job to deliver on their wishes she said. Mrs ...