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Taiwan will look to its domestic arms industry as well as foreign suppliers to respond to China's continuing military buildup, but has no interest in engaging in an arms race with its cross-strait rival, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The remarks from spokesman Chen Chung-ji came a day after China announced an 8.1 percent rise in its military budget for this year to 1.1 trillion yuan ($173 billion), the world's second largest after the United States. "Taiwan has no intention of getting involved in an arms race with China, or with neighboring countries," Chen told reporters at a briefing. "However, we expect to strengthen our capabilities in self-developing arms, including locally built vessels and aircraft, or even information and communication warfare," Chen said. China regards Taiwan as Chinese territory to be eventually brought under its control, by force if necessary. Under China-imposed diplomatic isolation, Taiwan has few avenues for p...

Myanmar is continuing its "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya with a "campaign of terror and forced starvation" in Rakhine state, a UN human rights envoy said on Tuesday, six months after a military crackdown sparked a mass exodus of the Muslim minority. Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh since violence erupted in August, taking with them horrifying testimony of murder, rape and arson by soldiers and vigilante mobs. While the majority of those refugees fled Myanmar last year, Rohingya continue to stream across the border by the hundreds every week. "The ethnic cleansing of Rohingya from Myanmar continues. I don't think we can draw any other conclusion from what I have seen and heard in Cox's Bazar," UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour said after speaking to newly-arrived Rohingya in Bangladesh's crowded refugee camps. Source :- yahoonews

The leader of Malaysia's biggest pro-democracy group said on Tuesday she will stand for parliament in a general election under the banner of an opposition alliance aiming to throw Prime Minister Najib Razak out of office. Maria Chin Abdullah is chairwoman of the activist group Bersih, which means "clean" in the Malay language, and which has for years led anti-government protests against Najib who has been dogged by a scandal over huge losses at a state fund. Her support for the opposition in a general election that must be held by August is likely to bolster the Pakatan Harapan opposition alliance, led by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, especially among urban voters frustrated with Najib's rule. "The system has not worked for us. We have to try new strategies and entering parliament is just one of them,” Maria, 62, she told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur. Source :- yahoonews

South Korean presidential envoys have met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in the highest-level talks between the rivals in years. The meeting extends a temporary lull in tensions brought by the North's outreach to the South during the recently concluded Pyeongchang Olympics, where North Korean officials expressed Kim's desire for a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and willingness to open dialogue with the United States. Reviving meaningful dialogue with the North is critical for the policies of Moon, who insists Seoul should be in the "driver's seat" in international efforts to deal with the North Korean nuclear problem. However, experts say it could be difficult for the South to arrange a summit with the North coming off a year in which Pyongyang test-fired dozens of missiles and conducted its most powerful nuclear test. Source :- yahoonews

The head of scandal-hit Japanese steelmaker Kobe Steel announced his resignation on Tuesday after the firm submitted false strength and quality data for products shipped to hundreds of clients worldwide. Hiroya Kawasaki's resignation was a new blow to the reputation of Japan Inc after similar quality-control scandals hit industrial titans ranging from carmaker Nissan to Mitsubishi Materials. Following a deep and prolonged bow in apology, Kawasaki told reporters: "As I think it's best to go ahead quickly with reforms under new members, I ... will step down from president on April 1 this year." "We have caused trouble to many people. As soon as we can, we would like as many people as possible to think that Kobe Steel has changed," added Kawasaki, who had been in the job since 2013. "I'm really sorry." The firm has not yet named a successor but pledged to hold a board meeting "in the near future" to select someone to turn the ship around...

Global carmakers are showing off a mix of low-emission electric vehicles and high-end sports cars at the Geneva International Motor Show. Many of the new offerings display the battery-electric and autonomous technology carmakers say they need to meet tough emissions standards and cope with an expected shift to cars as a service to be ordered rather owned. Mercedes-Benz rolled out its EQA concept car, a compact battery electric vehicle with a virtual radiator that changes appearance depending on the selected driving program. Volkswagen's I.D. Vizzion large electric sedan was shown in an autonomous version without a steering wheel. Big horsepower and fossil fuels remained very much in evidence however. Source :- yahoonews

South Korean prosecutors have called former President Lee Myung-bak to appear for questioning over allegations he took bribes when in office, a prosecutor said on Tuesday in the latest top-level political corruption scandal to rock the country. Prosecutors last month sought a 30-year jail term for former President Park Geun-hye, Lee's successor, who was ousted last year amid an influence-peddling scandal and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. Lee was asked to present himself for questioning on March 14, the senior prosecutor said. "We must question (Lee) to reveal the truth", the prosecutor told reporters. "We expect him to show up since we gave sufficient time for him to prepare for the questioning". Lee has denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation into the bribery allegations, summoning his family and confidants and raiding their homes and offices, politically motivated. Source :- yahoonews