One of the most powerful typhoons on record has hit Japan’s southern island of Okinawa injuring four people and leaving thousands in the dark. The Japan Meteorological Agency says Typhoon Bolaven is making its way over Okinawa and its surrounding areas Sunday, bringing as much as 50 centimeters of rain over the next 24-hours and […]
Taiwan Soaked, Bigger Typhoon Heads for Okinawa
Posted August 25th, 2012 at 11:15 pm (UTC-5)
A very powerful typhoon with winds gusting more than 200 kilometers per hour is moving toward Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, while Taiwan may get a second dose of a typhoon that hit there Friday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said Saturday that Typhoon Bolaven will sweep directly over Okinawa Sunday, bringing as much as 50 […]
US To Expand Missile Defense In Asia
Posted August 23rd, 2012 at 6:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. defense officials say the United States is planning to expand its missile defenses in Asia, in response to threats from North Korea and aggressive moves by China. News reports Thursday quoted officials as saying the buildup could include a new radar in southern Japan and possibly another one in Southeast Asia. The X-band radars […]
Report: Asia Cities Must ‘Go Green’ or Risk Disaster
Posted August 15th, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
A new report by the Asian Development Bank is warning that Asia’s rapidly growing cities must “go green” in order to prevent disasters such as mass flooding and out-of-control pollution. The report says Asia, which is urbanizing at a faster rate than anywhere else, is already home to almost half of all the world’s city […]
Mass of Marine Rock Afloat Off New Zealand
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 5:30 pm (UTC-5)
The New Zealand air force has spotted a mass of volcanic rock nearly the size of Belgium afloat in the Pacific about 1,000 kilometers northeast of Auckland. Witnesses say the strange phenomenon, first spotted Thursday, resembles a polar ice shelf and is made up of golf ball-size lightweight pumice expelled from an underwater volcano. Authorities […]
Asian Economies Are Weakening
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC-5)
New reports are signaling that Asian economies are markedly slowing in the face of weakening demand for their exports. On Friday, China said growth of its exports had virtually stalled, up just one percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, two key Asian financial centers, Hong Kong and Singapore, reported weak economic figures for the April-to-June […]
Typhoon Haikui Slams Eastern China
Posted August 8th, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
Typhoon Haikui has hit eastern China, the third such storm to make landfall there in a week. The storm came ashore in Zhejiang province early Wednesday bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. More than 1.5 million people were evacuated ahead of the storm, which is expected to hover over […]
Typhoon Haikui Hits Eastern China
Posted August 7th, 2012 at 11:30 pm (UTC-5)
Typhoon Haikui has hit eastern China, the third such storm to make landfall there in a week. The storm came ashore in Zhejiang province early Wednesday bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. Zhejiang officials have evacuated more than 130,000 people, while in Shanghai, just to the north, about 200,000 […]
Shanghai Evacuates 200,000 Ahead of Huge Typhoon
Posted August 7th, 2012 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
Some 200,000 people have been ordered out of their homes in Shanghai, where authorities are preparing for the third typhoon to hit the Chinese coast in a week. Authorities say 23 people are dead and nine are missing after typhoons Damrey and Saola crashed into eastern Zhejiang province, causing flooding and landslides. The latest typhoon, […]
Typhoon Saola Batters Taiwan, Takes Aim at China
Posted August 2nd, 2012 at 4:40 am (UTC-5)
Typhoon Saola is moving slowly across Taiwan, dumping torrential rains, triggering landslides, and forcing nearly the entire island to shut down. Government officials warned residents to stay in their homes Thursday because of the powerful storm, which has already been blamed for four deaths in Taiwan. Dozens of flights have been cancelled and major financial […]
