Asian fans of smartphone game Pokemon Go are hunting out the best telecom providers&nbsp;and network gear to overcome the hurdle posed by patchy network signals in their race to capture virtual&nbsp;cartoon characters. 
 
From Indonesia to Hong Kong and Cambodia, the wild popularity of Nintendo&#39;s augmented reality app is also&nbsp;driving lifestyle changes for many gamers, who must trudge through real-life locations in their quest.&nbsp;The game launched in many Southeast Asian countries on August&nbsp;5, a month after the United States, New&nbsp;Zealand and Australia, but enthusiasts are finding they must first vanquish shaky transmission signals. 
 
In Indonesia, Muchamad Syaifudin, a 29-year-old bank employee, said he switched to a mobile carrier&nbsp;offering better data packages, while his friends snapped up modems, at a cost of $20 each, to lock on to&nbsp;the signals.&nbsp;&quot;We can bring the modems to play, especially at places where a signal is hard to find,&quot; Syaifudin told&nbsp;Reuters by telephone. 
 
He and his friends living in Central Java, a province famed for its idyllic paddy fields and mountains,&nbsp;used to spend leisure time playing strategy games at home.&nbsp;But now, armed with the new devices, they increasingly venture out to catch the Pokemons that appear at&nbsp;temples and other landmarks where people gather. 
 
In Hong Kong, commuters are hopping on the trams known as &quot;ding dings&quot; in their forays, while in countries&nbsp;such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, the USA State Department has sent tweets warning players to beware of&nbsp;unexploded wartime mines.&nbsp;The game officially launched just two weeks ago in Indonesia, but tens of thousands of enthusiastic&nbsp;adopters among a population of 250 million had started playing earlier, using proxy sites to access app&nbsp;stores elsewhere. 
 
Gamers are fuelling a boom for modem makers, such as PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk, whose nationwide sales of&nbsp;4G modems, priced around 300,000 Indonesian&nbsp;Rupiahs ($23) each, have jumped fivefold in just two months.&nbsp;The firm has launched new devices with bigger battery capacity, Derrick Surya, Smartfren&#39;s vice president&nbsp;for brand and marketing communication, told Reuters. 
 
Retailers also benefit as more gamers seek devices to power up mobile connections and minimise the expense&nbsp;of data packages.&nbsp;&quot;More and more customers are looking for alternative sources of additional mobile network capacity,&quot; said&nbsp;Billy Cahya, a salesman at an electronics shop in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. 
 
Also surging, however, is the demand for game innovations, ranging from new characters to a higher maximum&nbsp;level players can reach, said Syaifudin.&nbsp;&quot;Looking for Pokemons, looking for items, battling at gyms. We have done that again and again,&quot; he said,&nbsp;referring to game sites where players stage contests between virtual characters.&nbsp;&quot;It probably needs a new concept to retain our interest,&quot; he added. 
 
Other players complain rural areas have few Pokestops, or stockpile sites to secure equipment needed to&nbsp;catch Pokemons.&nbsp;&quot;We have fewer Pokestops in Legazpi City compared to metropolitan areas,&quot; said Rey Anthony Ostria, a&nbsp;player in the Philippine city about 340 kilometres&nbsp;(211 miles) from Manila, the capital. &quot;In towns that I have&nbsp;visited, there&#39;s almost none.&quot;

(Reuters)

The reality app is making gamers trudge through real-life locations in their quest to capture the virtual cartoon characters

Asian fans of smartphone game Pokemon Go are hunting out the best telecom providers and network gear to overcome the hurdle posed by patchy network signals in their race to capture virtual cartoon characters. From Indonesia to Hong Kong and Cambodia, the wild popularity of Nintendo's augmented reality app is also driving lifestyle changes for many gamers, who must trudge through real-life locations in their quest. The game launched in many Southeast Asian countries on August 5, a month after the United States, New Zealand and Australia, but enthusiasts are finding they must first vanquish shaky transmission signals. In Indonesia, Muchamad Syaifudin, a 29-year-old bank employee, said he switched to a mobile carrier offering better data packages, while his friends snapped up modems, at a cost of $20 each, to lock on to the signals. "We can bring the modems to play, especially at places where a signal is hard to find," Syaifudin told Reuters by telephone. He and his friends living in Central Java, a province famed for its idyllic paddy fields and mountains, used to spend leisure time playing strategy games at home. But now, armed with the new devices, they increasingly venture out to catch the Pokemons that appear at temples and other landmarks where people gather. In Hong Kong, commuters are hopping on the trams known as "ding dings" in their forays, while in countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, the USA State Department has sent tweets warning players to beware of unexploded wartime mines. The game officially launched just two weeks ago in Indonesia, but tens of thousands of enthusiastic adopters among a population of 250 million had started playing earlier, using proxy sites to access app stores elsewhere. Gamers are fuelling a boom for modem makers, such as PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk, whose nationwide sales of 4G modems, priced around 300,000 Indonesian Rupiahs ($23) each, have jumped fivefold in just two months. The firm has launched new devices with bigger battery capacity, Derrick Surya, Smartfren's vice president for brand and marketing communication, told Reuters. Retailers also benefit as more gamers seek devices to power up mobile connections and minimise the expense of data packages. "More and more customers are looking for alternative sources of additional mobile network capacity," said Billy Cahya, a salesman at an electronics shop in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Also surging, however, is the demand for game innovations, ranging from new characters to a higher maximum level players can reach, said Syaifudin. "Looking for Pokemons, looking for items, battling at gyms. We have done that again and again," he said, referring to game sites where players stage contests between virtual characters. "It probably needs a new concept to retain our interest," he added. Other players complain rural areas have few Pokestops, or stockpile sites to secure equipment needed to catch Pokemons. "We have fewer Pokestops in Legazpi City compared to metropolitan areas," said Rey Anthony Ostria, a player in the Philippine city about 340 kilometres (211 miles) from Manila, the capital. "In towns that I have visited, there's almost none." (Reuters)

Pokemon Go spurs lifestyle changes, business boom as it rolls out in Asia

A &quot;jungle woman&quot; who was discovered scavenging naked by a farmer in Cambodia nine years ago, was reunited with her father in Vietnam today, her adoptive family said. 
 
In 2007, the farmer found the woman caked in dirt, hunched over like a monkey and looking on the ground for pieces of dried rice. 
 
She was taken in by a Cambodian family who identified her as Rochom P&#39;ngieng, a girl who went missing in 1989 while herding water buffalo in a northeastern province that borders Vietnam and is home to some of Cambodia&#39;s wildest jungle. 
 
It was believed she had spent some 18 years living in the jungle. 
 
But nearly a decade later, a 70-year-old Vietnamese man named Peo claimed to be her real father, saying his daughter went missing in 2006 - just a year before she was found - and has a history of mental health issues. 
 
In a letter given to her Cambodian adopted family last month, Peo said he recognised his daughter, named Tak, after seeing recent photos on Facebook. 
 
Rochom Khamphy, a member of her adoptive Cambodian family, told AFP she was returned to the Vietnamese man Saturday morning after authorities approved his paternity claim. 
 
&quot;We gave her back to his Vietnamese father. Both my family and Vietnamese relatives cried while watching their reunion,&quot; he said, adding that the family believed Peo to be her biological father. 
 
&quot;We are going to miss her,&quot; Rochom Khamphy told AFP, adding that the woman left his family with no belongings, only &quot;the clothes she was wearing&quot;. 
 
The Vietnamese father has agreed to pay the adoptive family $1,500 for taking care of his daughter. 
 
(AFP)

Rochom P'ngieng went missing in 1989 in a northeastern province that borders Vietnam. She was found by a farmer in Cambodia in 2007

A "jungle woman" who was discovered scavenging naked by a farmer in Cambodia nine years ago, was reunited with her father in Vietnam today, her adoptive family said. In 2007, the farmer found the woman caked in dirt, hunched over like a monkey and looking on the ground for pieces of dried rice. She was taken in by a Cambodian family who identified her as Rochom P'ngieng, a girl who went missing in 1989 while herding water buffalo in a northeastern province that borders Vietnam and is home to some of Cambodia's wildest jungle. It was believed she had spent some 18 years living in the jungle. But nearly a decade later, a 70-year-old Vietnamese man named Peo claimed to be her real father, saying his daughter went missing in 2006 - just a year before she was found - and has a history of mental health issues. In a letter given to her Cambodian adopted family last month, Peo said he recognised his daughter, named Tak, after seeing recent photos on Facebook. Rochom Khamphy, a member of her adoptive Cambodian family, told AFP she was returned to the Vietnamese man Saturday morning after authorities approved his paternity claim. "We gave her back to his Vietnamese father. Both my family and Vietnamese relatives cried while watching their reunion," he said, adding that the family believed Peo to be her biological father. "We are going to miss her," Rochom Khamphy told AFP, adding that the woman left his family with no belongings, only "the clothes she was wearing". The Vietnamese father has agreed to pay the adoptive family $1,500 for taking care of his daughter. (AFP)

Cambodia's 'jungle woman' reunites with Vietnamese father

Hoang Xuan Vinh won Vietnam&#39;s first Olympic gold medal with his last shot to deny Rio Games hosts Brazil an opening day title on Saturday. 
 
Vinh, 41, fell into the arms of his coaches after his near-perfect final shot in the men&#39;s 10m air pistol. 
 
He duelled with Sao Paulo-born Felipe Almeida Wu who had taken the lead after the penultimate shot. 
 
The Vietnamese military man claimed the title with a total points haul of 202.5. Crowd favourite Wu, almost 20 years his junior, took silver only .3 adrift. 
 
Bronze went to Pang Wei while South Korean defending champion Jin Jongoh trailed in fifth. 
 
Jin had his head in his hands walking off after failing to replicate his heroics at London 2012. 
 
He also won 50m pistol gold four years ago and will be hoping to turn around his form when he defends that title later in the competition. 
 
The first of the eight finalists to be knocked out was the Nepalese-born Indian Jitu Rai. 
 
Russia&#39;s representative Vladimir Gontcharov was next for the chop, followed by Italy&#39;s Giuseppe Giordano, Jin, and Juray Tuzinsky. 
 
That left the stage clear for the three-cornered climax. Pang&#39;s exit setting up a tense face off between the two military men. 
 
Wu had his partisan fans leaping out of their seats when he hit the front, but Vinh fired his 20th and final shot true and straight to nail it in the style of a worthy successor to Jin. 
 
(AFP)

Crowd favourite & Sao Paulo-born Felipe Almeida Wu came in second. South Korean defending champ Jin Jongoh trailed in at fifth

Hoang Xuan Vinh won Vietnam's first Olympic gold medal with his last shot to deny Rio Games hosts Brazil an opening day title on Saturday. Vinh, 41, fell into the arms of his coaches after his near-perfect final shot in the men's 10m air pistol. He duelled with Sao Paulo-born Felipe Almeida Wu who had taken the lead after the penultimate shot. The Vietnamese military man claimed the title with a total points haul of 202.5. Crowd favourite Wu, almost 20 years his junior, took silver only .3 adrift. Bronze went to Pang Wei while South Korean defending champion Jin Jongoh trailed in fifth. Jin had his head in his hands walking off after failing to replicate his heroics at London 2012. He also won 50m pistol gold four years ago and will be hoping to turn around his form when he defends that title later in the competition. The first of the eight finalists to be knocked out was the Nepalese-born Indian Jitu Rai. Russia's representative Vladimir Gontcharov was next for the chop, followed by Italy's Giuseppe Giordano, Jin, and Juray Tuzinsky. That left the stage clear for the three-cornered climax. Pang's exit setting up a tense face off between the two military men. Wu had his partisan fans leaping out of their seats when he hit the front, but Vinh fired his 20th and final shot true and straight to nail it in the style of a worthy successor to Jin. (AFP)

Vinh wins Vietnam's first-ever gold medal with his last shot

Vietnam has warned that the inability of Southeast Asian nations to forge a unified front against Beijing&#39;s militarisation of the South China Sea is a &quot;test&quot; of the regional bloc in the face of its greatest security challenge. 
 
The unusually strong comments from a key claimant to the contested waters, comes as diplomats meet in Laos for the first summit since a UN-backed tribunal debunked Beijing&#39;s legal claim to vast stretches of the strategically vital sea. 
 
After talks stuttered on Sunday, Vietnam&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a late night statement warning that the South China Sea had become &quot;a test case for the unity and the central role of ASEAN&quot;. 
 
&quot;Many ministers stressed that in this context, ASEAN should promote solidarity, unity and a central role,&quot; the statement added. 
 
Diplomats met for a new round of crunch talks, called for by Laos today morning.&nbsp;As they came to a close, Indonesia&#39;s foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, expressed optimism that a statement would be agreed to, though diplomats previously told AFP it would likely be &quot;watered down&quot;. 
 
Staunch Beijing ally Cambodia has been accused of scuppering efforts by the bloc to issue a joint statement calling on Beijing to adhere to the UN tribunal&#39;s decision.&nbsp;Four ASEAN members - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea.&nbsp; 
 
Most members of the bloc want to keep pressure on China over its campaign of island building in the strategic waters.&nbsp;But ASEAN operates on a tradition of consensus diplomacy, meaning a single nation can have an effective veto power if it disagrees with the others. 
 
China has been accused of teasing poorer members like Laos and Cambodia into fracturing regional unity with promises of aid and trade.&nbsp;Critics have long derided ASEAN for lacking real diplomatic clout. 
 
A failure to respond to the tribunal ruling or the region&#39;s key security issue will do little to counter those claims.&nbsp;The ongoing impasse in Vientiane has led to fears of a repeat of a 2012 summit in Cambodia, where the bloc failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in its history because of disagreements over the South China Sea. 
 
Chinese pressure was blamed last month for a startling show of discord by the bloc, when countries swiftly disowned a joint statement released by Malaysia after an ASEAN-China meeting.&nbsp;That statement had expressed alarm over Beijing&#39;s activities in the South China Sea. Cambodia and Laos were later fingered as being behind moves to block the joint statement. 
 
(AFP)

Four ASEAN members - Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea

Vietnam has warned that the inability of Southeast Asian nations to forge a unified front against Beijing's militarisation of the South China Sea is a "test" of the regional bloc in the face of its greatest security challenge. The unusually strong comments from a key claimant to the contested waters, comes as diplomats meet in Laos for the first summit since a UN-backed tribunal debunked Beijing's legal claim to vast stretches of the strategically vital sea. After talks stuttered on Sunday, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a late night statement warning that the South China Sea had become "a test case for the unity and the central role of ASEAN". "Many ministers stressed that in this context, ASEAN should promote solidarity, unity and a central role," the statement added. Diplomats met for a new round of crunch talks, called for by Laos today morning. As they came to a close, Indonesia's foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, expressed optimism that a statement would be agreed to, though diplomats previously told AFP it would likely be "watered down". Staunch Beijing ally Cambodia has been accused of scuppering efforts by the bloc to issue a joint statement calling on Beijing to adhere to the UN tribunal's decision. Four ASEAN members - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea. Most members of the bloc want to keep pressure on China over its campaign of island building in the strategic waters. But ASEAN operates on a tradition of consensus diplomacy, meaning a single nation can have an effective veto power if it disagrees with the others. China has been accused of teasing poorer members like Laos and Cambodia into fracturing regional unity with promises of aid and trade. Critics have long derided ASEAN for lacking real diplomatic clout. A failure to respond to the tribunal ruling or the region's key security issue will do little to counter those claims. The ongoing impasse in Vientiane has led to fears of a repeat of a 2012 summit in Cambodia, where the bloc failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in its history because of disagreements over the South China Sea. Chinese pressure was blamed last month for a startling show of discord by the bloc, when countries swiftly disowned a joint statement released by Malaysia after an ASEAN-China meeting. That statement had expressed alarm over Beijing's activities in the South China Sea. Cambodia and Laos were later fingered as being behind moves to block the joint statement. (AFP)

Vietnam warns South China Sea is a 'test' of ASEAN

The United States is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalise on an international court ruling that denied China&#39;s claims to the South China Sea, several US administration officials said on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;What we want is to quiet things down so these issues can be addressed rationally instead of emotionally,&quot; said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic messages. 
 
Some were sent through US embassies abroad and foreign missions in Washington, while others were conveyed directly to top officials by Defence Secretary Ash Carter, Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior officials, the sources said. 
 
&quot;This is a blanket call for quiet, not some attempt to rally the region against China, which would play into a false narrative that the US is leading a coalition to contain China,&quot; the official added. 
 
The effort to calm the waters following the court ruling in The Hague on Tuesday suffered a setback when Taiwan dispatched a warship to the area, with President Tsai Ing-wen telling sailors that their mission was to defend Taiwan&#39;s maritime territory. 
 
The court ruled that while China has no historic rights to the area within its self-declared nine-dash line, Taiwan has no right to Itu Aba, also called Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys. Taipei administers Itu Aba but the tribunal called it a &quot;rock&quot;, according to the legal definition. 
 
The US officials said they hoped the US diplomatic initiative would be more successful in Indonesia, which wants to send hundreds of fishermen to the Natuna Islands to assert its sovereignty over nearby areas of the South China Sea to which China says it also has claims, and in the Philippines, whose fishermen have been harassed by Chinese coast guard and naval vessels. 
 
Unknown Quantity 
 
One official said new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte remains &quot;somewhat of an unknown quantity&quot; who has been alternately bellicose and accommodating toward China. 
 
Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that ahead of the ruling he had spoken to Carter, who he said that China had assured the United States it would exercise restraint, and that the US government made the same assurance. 
 
Carter had sought and been given the same assurance from the Philippines, Lorenzana added. 
 
China, for its part, repeated pleas for talks between Beijing and Manila, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying the it is time to get things back on the &quot;right track&quot; after the &quot;farce&quot; of the case. 
 
Today, the official newspaper of China&#39;s ruling Communist Party said China had shown it can fix territorial issues via talks, pointing to agreement reached with Vietnam over their maritime boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin and ongoing talks with South Korea. 
 
&quot;China is a faithful defender of the principle that countries large and small are equal and has consistently upheld using consultations to resolve border issues on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect,&quot; the People&#39;s Daily said in a commentary. 
 
Meanwhile, two Chinese civilian aircraft landed on Wednesday at two new airports on reefs controlled by China in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, a move the State Department said would increase tensions rather than lower them. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t have a dog in this fight other than our belief ... in freedom of navigation,&quot; State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing on Wednesday. &quot;What we want to see in this very tense part of Asia, of the Pacific, rather, is a de-escalation of tensions and we want to see all claimants take a moment to look at how we can find a peaceful way forward.&quot; 
 
Contingency Plan 
 
However, if that effort fails, and competition escalates into confrontation, US air and naval forces are prepared to uphold freedom of maritime and air navigation in the disputed area, a defence official said on Wednesday. 
 
Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said confrontation is less likely if the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries work with the United States rather than on their own. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think China wants a confrontation with the United States,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;They don&rsquo;t mind a confrontation with a Vietnamese fishing boat, but they don&rsquo;t want a confrontation with the United States.&quot; 
 
The court ruling is expected to dominate a meeting at the end of July in Laos of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.&nbsp;US Secretary of State John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang, will attend the ministerial. 
 
Sino-American relations suffered two fresh blows on Wednesday as a congressional committee found China&#39;s government likely hacked computers at the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the United States challenged China&#39;s export duties on nine metals and minerals that are important to the aerospace, auto, electronics and chemical industries. 
 
(Reuters)

Confrontation is less likely if the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries work with the United States rather than on their own

The United States is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalise on an international court ruling that denied China's claims to the South China Sea, several US administration officials said on Wednesday. "What we want is to quiet things down so these issues can be addressed rationally instead of emotionally," said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic messages. Some were sent through US embassies abroad and foreign missions in Washington, while others were conveyed directly to top officials by Defence Secretary Ash Carter, Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior officials, the sources said. "This is a blanket call for quiet, not some attempt to rally the region against China, which would play into a false narrative that the US is leading a coalition to contain China," the official added. The effort to calm the waters following the court ruling in The Hague on Tuesday suffered a setback when Taiwan dispatched a warship to the area, with President Tsai Ing-wen telling sailors that their mission was to defend Taiwan's maritime territory. The court ruled that while China has no historic rights to the area within its self-declared nine-dash line, Taiwan has no right to Itu Aba, also called Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys. Taipei administers Itu Aba but the tribunal called it a "rock", according to the legal definition. The US officials said they hoped the US diplomatic initiative would be more successful in Indonesia, which wants to send hundreds of fishermen to the Natuna Islands to assert its sovereignty over nearby areas of the South China Sea to which China says it also has claims, and in the Philippines, whose fishermen have been harassed by Chinese coast guard and naval vessels. Unknown Quantity One official said new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte remains "somewhat of an unknown quantity" who has been alternately bellicose and accommodating toward China. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that ahead of the ruling he had spoken to Carter, who he said that China had assured the United States it would exercise restraint, and that the US government made the same assurance. Carter had sought and been given the same assurance from the Philippines, Lorenzana added. China, for its part, repeated pleas for talks between Beijing and Manila, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying the it is time to get things back on the "right track" after the "farce" of the case. Today, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party said China had shown it can fix territorial issues via talks, pointing to agreement reached with Vietnam over their maritime boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin and ongoing talks with South Korea. "China is a faithful defender of the principle that countries large and small are equal and has consistently upheld using consultations to resolve border issues on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect," the People's Daily said in a commentary. Meanwhile, two Chinese civilian aircraft landed on Wednesday at two new airports on reefs controlled by China in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, a move the State Department said would increase tensions rather than lower them. "We don't have a dog in this fight other than our belief ... in freedom of navigation," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing on Wednesday. "What we want to see in this very tense part of Asia, of the Pacific, rather, is a de-escalation of tensions and we want to see all claimants take a moment to look at how we can find a peaceful way forward." Contingency Plan However, if that effort fails, and competition escalates into confrontation, US air and naval forces are prepared to uphold freedom of maritime and air navigation in the disputed area, a defence official said on Wednesday. Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said confrontation is less likely if the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries work with the United States rather than on their own. "I don't think China wants a confrontation with the United States," he told reporters. "They don’t mind a confrontation with a Vietnamese fishing boat, but they don’t want a confrontation with the United States." The court ruling is expected to dominate a meeting at the end of July in Laos of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. US Secretary of State John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang, will attend the ministerial. Sino-American relations suffered two fresh blows on Wednesday as a congressional committee found China's government likely hacked computers at the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the United States challenged China's export duties on nine metals and minerals that are important to the aerospace, auto, electronics and chemical industries. (Reuters)

US launches quiet diplomacy to ease South China Sea tensions

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coastguard of sinking a fishing boat near a disputed island chain, authorities said on Tuesday, ahead of key UN-backed ruling on claims in the flashpoint South China Sea. 
 
Two Vietnamese boats were chased by a pair of Chinese coastguard ships on Saturday afternoon off Vietnam&#39;s Quang Ngai province, the Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
One ship was boarded by Chinese coastguards who forced the crew overboard, Vinafis said, while a second vessel was prevented from reaching the stranded fishermen. 
 
&quot;Chinese men jumped onto fisherman Vo Van Luu&#39;s boat, struck the Vietnamese sailors and... sunk the vessel,&quot; forcing five crew members overboard, the statement said. 
 
The five fishermen remained in the sea until dark, when the second Vietnamese vessel was able to approach the area. 
 
Vinafis &quot;condemned&quot; the incident and demanded compensation from China. There was no immediate comment from China on the allegations. 
 
Beijing lays claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbours the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which also have partial claims. 
 
Later on Tuesday the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague is set to rule on the legality of China&#39;s claims to an area of the sea contested by the Philippines.&nbsp;It is a much anticipated court ruling with analysts saying a verdict that goes against Beijing could see a spike in aggressive actions in the area. 
 
Vietnam and China frequently trade diplomatic barbs over the disputed Paracel island chain and waters in the South China Sea.&nbsp;China is encouraging patriotic tourists to visit the contested Paracels, which are known as Xisha in Chinese. 
 
Such acts have deepened already simmering anti-Chinese sentiment in Vietnam.&nbsp;At least three Chinese people were killed in 2014 when rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters. 
 
(AFP)

Chinese coastguards boarded a Vietnamese ship and forced the crew overboard, while a second Chinese boat delayed their rescue

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coastguard of sinking a fishing boat near a disputed island chain, authorities said on Tuesday, ahead of key UN-backed ruling on claims in the flashpoint South China Sea. Two Vietnamese boats were chased by a pair of Chinese coastguard ships on Saturday afternoon off Vietnam's Quang Ngai province, the Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) said in a statement. One ship was boarded by Chinese coastguards who forced the crew overboard, Vinafis said, while a second vessel was prevented from reaching the stranded fishermen. "Chinese men jumped onto fisherman Vo Van Luu's boat, struck the Vietnamese sailors and... sunk the vessel," forcing five crew members overboard, the statement said. The five fishermen remained in the sea until dark, when the second Vietnamese vessel was able to approach the area. Vinafis "condemned" the incident and demanded compensation from China. There was no immediate comment from China on the allegations. Beijing lays claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbours the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which also have partial claims. Later on Tuesday the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague is set to rule on the legality of China's claims to an area of the sea contested by the Philippines. It is a much anticipated court ruling with analysts saying a verdict that goes against Beijing could see a spike in aggressive actions in the area. Vietnam and China frequently trade diplomatic barbs over the disputed Paracel island chain and waters in the South China Sea. China is encouraging patriotic tourists to visit the contested Paracels, which are known as Xisha in Chinese. Such acts have deepened already simmering anti-Chinese sentiment in Vietnam. At least three Chinese people were killed in 2014 when rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters. (AFP)

Vietnam says China 'sank' fishing boat in South China Sea

Vietnamese families living in slums along the Red River in Hanoi are using red plastic buckets and old printers to help light homes, cook meals and slash electricity costs by as much as a third. 
 
The recycled goods form the blades and motors of electrical generators that power old motorcycle batteries to illuminate lamps with a brightness equivalent to a 45 watt light bulb. 
 
Though the output generated is small, it makes a significant difference for families previously denied power because they lived too far from a power station or had to ration supply because of the expense, at an average cost of $9 a month. 
 
&quot;It is enough to light the home of my family and other families around here,&quot; said Bui Van Ha, who earns about $4.50 a day on average by trading pottery to feed his family of four. 
 
&quot;Even for only a few hours after dark, it helped us to save on our monthly spending and bring profit to my family.&quot; 
 
The clean energy innovation on the floating village about five kilometres from Hanoi&#39;s central business district is the brainchild of Le Vu Cuong, a lecturer at a Hanoi university. 
 
His wind-powered generator makes use of materials that are cheap and easy to replace and works with a wind speed of just 0.4 metres a second. 
 
&quot;We want to support the low-income community,&quot; Cuong said. &quot;Now they can use more electricity without any extra costs, with energy coming from renewable sources.&quot; 
 
Vietnam produces just 140 MW of solar and wind power each year, but officials say it has the capacity to produce 500 times more. 
 
Cuong hopes to boost energy production, and is looking for donors to help lighten the electricity costs of other low-income families. 
 
(Reuters)

The clean energy innovation on the floating village about 5 km from Hanoi's central business district is the brainchild of Le Vu Cuong

Vietnamese families living in slums along the Red River in Hanoi are using red plastic buckets and old printers to help light homes, cook meals and slash electricity costs by as much as a third. The recycled goods form the blades and motors of electrical generators that power old motorcycle batteries to illuminate lamps with a brightness equivalent to a 45 watt light bulb. Though the output generated is small, it makes a significant difference for families previously denied power because they lived too far from a power station or had to ration supply because of the expense, at an average cost of $9 a month. "It is enough to light the home of my family and other families around here," said Bui Van Ha, who earns about $4.50 a day on average by trading pottery to feed his family of four. "Even for only a few hours after dark, it helped us to save on our monthly spending and bring profit to my family." The clean energy innovation on the floating village about five kilometres from Hanoi's central business district is the brainchild of Le Vu Cuong, a lecturer at a Hanoi university. His wind-powered generator makes use of materials that are cheap and easy to replace and works with a wind speed of just 0.4 metres a second. "We want to support the low-income community," Cuong said. "Now they can use more electricity without any extra costs, with energy coming from renewable sources." Vietnam produces just 140 MW of solar and wind power each year, but officials say it has the capacity to produce 500 times more. Cuong hopes to boost energy production, and is looking for donors to help lighten the electricity costs of other low-income families. (Reuters)

Plastic buckets, broken printers shine light on Hanoi's poor

Michael Cimino, whose roller-coaster career as a Hollywood film director included Oscar-winner &#39;The Deer Hunter&#39; and legendary box office flop &#39;Heaven&#39;s Gate&#39;, has died, US media reported. He was aged 77. 
 
The success of &#39;The Deer Hunter&#39;, a 1978 film about the Vietnam War starring Robert De Niro, made Cimino one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. The film won five Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. 
 
But he followed up in 1980 with &#39;Heaven&#39;s Gate&#39;, an epic Western that New York Times critic Vincent Canby called &quot;an unqualified disaster&quot;. The film&#39;s budget went way over at $36 million, three times the average cost of a movie then. 
 
Cimino&#39;s career never fully recovered. 
 
&quot;He went from a big Oscar film to suddenly being a pariah - everybody&#39;s whipping boy,&quot; Kris Kristofferson, who starred in the film, told the Los Angeles Times in 2004. &quot;Everybody who didn&#39;t get to do a film blamed &#39;Heaven&#39;s Gate,&#39; saying all the money went to &#39;Heaven&#39;s Gate&#39;.&quot; 
 
Born in New York City to a wealthy family, Cimino earned a master&#39;s degree in architecture at Yale University. He was a well-known director of TV commercials before directing his first movie, &quot;Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,&quot; a crime drama starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, in 1974. 
 
After the flop of &#39;Heaven&#39;s Gate&#39;, Cimino&#39;s comeback film in 1985, &#39;Year of the Dragon&#39;, starring Mickey Rourke as a New York City cop, failed to excite neither moviegoers nor critics. 
 
He followed up with &#39;The Sicilian&#39;, based on a Mario Puzo novel and &#39;Desperate Hours&#39;, a remake of a Humphrey Bogart film about a fugitive, starring Rourke and Anthony Hopkins. Both films were panned by critics and largely ignored by filmgoers. 
 
His final Hollywood film, 1996&#39;s &#39;The Sunchaser&#39;, a drama about a doctor, played by Woody Harrelson, who is kidnapped by a dying patient, didn&#39;t fare any better and marked the end of Cimino&#39;s career. 
 
US media said Cimino died on Saturday, but that the cause of death was unknown. 
 
(Reuters)

His 1978 film about the Vietnam War starring Robert De Niro won five Academy Awards, including best picture and best director

Michael Cimino, whose roller-coaster career as a Hollywood film director included Oscar-winner 'The Deer Hunter' and legendary box office flop 'Heaven's Gate', has died, US media reported. He was aged 77. The success of 'The Deer Hunter', a 1978 film about the Vietnam War starring Robert De Niro, made Cimino one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. The film won five Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. But he followed up in 1980 with 'Heaven's Gate', an epic Western that New York Times critic Vincent Canby called "an unqualified disaster". The film's budget went way over at $36 million, three times the average cost of a movie then. Cimino's career never fully recovered. "He went from a big Oscar film to suddenly being a pariah - everybody's whipping boy," Kris Kristofferson, who starred in the film, told the Los Angeles Times in 2004. "Everybody who didn't get to do a film blamed 'Heaven's Gate,' saying all the money went to 'Heaven's Gate'." Born in New York City to a wealthy family, Cimino earned a master's degree in architecture at Yale University. He was a well-known director of TV commercials before directing his first movie, "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," a crime drama starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, in 1974. After the flop of 'Heaven's Gate', Cimino's comeback film in 1985, 'Year of the Dragon', starring Mickey Rourke as a New York City cop, failed to excite neither moviegoers nor critics. He followed up with 'The Sicilian', based on a Mario Puzo novel and 'Desperate Hours', a remake of a Humphrey Bogart film about a fugitive, starring Rourke and Anthony Hopkins. Both films were panned by critics and largely ignored by filmgoers. His final Hollywood film, 1996's 'The Sunchaser', a drama about a doctor, played by Woody Harrelson, who is kidnapped by a dying patient, didn't fare any better and marked the end of Cimino's career. US media said Cimino died on Saturday, but that the cause of death was unknown. (Reuters)

Oscar winning director of 'Deer Hunter' Michael Cimino, dead at 77

Australia has intercepted a boat of Vietnamese asylum-seekers, officials said today, as the government accused people-smugglers of using the upcoming election to drum up new business. 
 
Rhetoric around Canberra&#39;s controversial immigration policy has ramped up ahead of July 2 polls, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has denounced a Labour opposition pledge to allow illegal migrants already in Australia to stay permanently. 
 
The Vietnamese boat was discovered north of Australia this month, with the 21 men, women and children on board processed at sea and then flown home, immigration minister Peter Dutton said. 
 
&quot;They claimed that they were wanting protection. It was found that they weren&#39;t owed protection and they were returned back to Vietnam,&quot; he said. 
 
Under Canberra&#39;s tough measures, asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are either sent back to where they departed or to remote Pacific island camps, where living conditions have been criticised. 
 
While Labour backs the policy of turning back illegal boat arrivals, it has said it would permanently settle the bulk of the 30,000 boatpeople who came ashore under the previous Labour governments of Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, most of which are still waiting to be processed. 
 
&quot;This will send an absolutely unequivocal signal to the people-smugglers that under a Labor government, anyone who manages to get to Australia on a boat will be able to stay here permanently,&quot; Turnbull told reporters. 
 
&quot;The people-smugglers are starting to market again and we know... they are marketing that there will be, or could be, a change of government in Australia and the way the opportunities to smuggle people to Australia will be open again.&quot; 
 
Since the start of its &quot;Operation Sovereign Borders&quot; in September 2013, the government has managed to halt the flood of boat arrivals, and drownings, that characterised previous Labour administrations. 
 
Turnbull said since the Conservatives came to power, 28 boats carrying 734 people have been turned back with no successful arrival in almost 700 days. 
 
(AFP)

The immigration minister said the 21 aboard did not need protection as claimed and sent them back to Vietnam

Australia has intercepted a boat of Vietnamese asylum-seekers, officials said today, as the government accused people-smugglers of using the upcoming election to drum up new business. Rhetoric around Canberra's controversial immigration policy has ramped up ahead of July 2 polls, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has denounced a Labour opposition pledge to allow illegal migrants already in Australia to stay permanently. The Vietnamese boat was discovered north of Australia this month, with the 21 men, women and children on board processed at sea and then flown home, immigration minister Peter Dutton said. "They claimed that they were wanting protection. It was found that they weren't owed protection and they were returned back to Vietnam," he said. Under Canberra's tough measures, asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are either sent back to where they departed or to remote Pacific island camps, where living conditions have been criticised. While Labour backs the policy of turning back illegal boat arrivals, it has said it would permanently settle the bulk of the 30,000 boatpeople who came ashore under the previous Labour governments of Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, most of which are still waiting to be processed. "This will send an absolutely unequivocal signal to the people-smugglers that under a Labor government, anyone who manages to get to Australia on a boat will be able to stay here permanently," Turnbull told reporters. "The people-smugglers are starting to market again and we know... they are marketing that there will be, or could be, a change of government in Australia and the way the opportunities to smuggle people to Australia will be open again." Since the start of its "Operation Sovereign Borders" in September 2013, the government has managed to halt the flood of boat arrivals, and drownings, that characterised previous Labour administrations. Turnbull said since the Conservatives came to power, 28 boats carrying 734 people have been turned back with no successful arrival in almost 700 days. (AFP)

Australia intercepts Vietnam asylum-seeker boat

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