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International News

From The Asian Reporter, V36, #6 (June 1, 2026), page 2.

Toxic runoff from rare earth mines are risking SE Asia’s rivers

CHIANG SAEN, Thailand (AP) — A lone finger-length fish was a disappointing start to 75-year-old Sukjai Yana’s day. He recast his net from the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, slowly drifting towards the confluence of the Mekong and Kok rivers in northern Thailand. Thailand is bearing the brunt as toxic runoff from rare earth mines in upstream Myanmar and Laos seep into the Mekong Basin, threatening millions who rely on its waters for farms and fisheries. These heavy metal toxins imperil Southeast Asia’s globally important, multi-billion-dollar produce industry, the backbone of its developing economies. "The Mekong and Kok Rivers are both a source of food and income, which gives life to the people," said Sayan Khamnueng of the Living Rivers Association. "The river contaminants are the biggest transboundary issue we’ve ever faced." Thailand’s response to the spreading problem has been limited to monitoring levels of heavy metals and educating communities about health risks. That raises concerns for Cambodia and Vietnam, downstream.

A record 274 climbers scale Mount Everest in a single day

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hundreds of climbers scaled Mount Everest in a single day, setting a new record with 274 successful ascents, according to officials. The climbers took advantage of the clear weather on Wednesday, May 20, said Rishi Ram Bhandari of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal. It was the highest number of climbers to reach the summit on a single day from the popular route on the southern face of the peak, which is located in Nepal. The peak can be scaled from either the southern side in Nepal or northern face in Tibet. On May 22, 2019, Nepal’s side had 223 and the Chinese side had 113 climbers on the summit. Chinese authorities, however, have closed the route this year. Earlier in the week, veteran mountain guide Kami Rita Sherpa scaled the peak for the 32nd time, breaking his own record. His closest competitor, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, scaled the peak for the 31st time. Also, Lakpa Sherpa scaled Everest for the 11th time, topping her own record for the highest number of climbs by a female climber. This year’s Everest climbing season began late because of risk from a huge serac hanging over the key route to the summit. There were around 494 climbers and equal number of their Sherpa guides who were expected to attempt to scale the 29,032-foot peak by the end of May, when the climbing season on the peak ends. Thousands of people have climbed the peak since it was first scaled on May 29, 1953, by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay.

Japan records bigger exports, imports despite oil issues

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s exports soared 14.8% in April from the same month a year earlier, according to Finance Ministry data, showing that its trade remained robust despite worries over supplies of oil and gas due to the war in Iran. Exports were stronger than expected, rising for the eighth straight month as shipments of semiconductors surged nearly 42% by value from the previous year. Booming demand for computer chips and other infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence has yielded a windfall for many high-tech Asian manufacturers. Imports rose 9.7% from a year earlier. The trade balance shifted to a surplus of 301.9 billion yen ($1.9 billion) from a deficit in the same month the year before. Japan recorded a surplus of nearly 643 billion yen in March. Higher exports of medical products, paper goods, and electrical machinery also contributed to the stronger export performance in April. Exports to China rose 15.5% and exports to the U.S. rose 9.5%. Imports from China climbed 15% while those from the U.S. jumped 23%, the data show. While overall imports rose, Japan’s oil imports fell nearly 50% by value from a year earlier, while imports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, dropped 20%. Supplies have been crimped by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transport route for exports from the Persian Gulf, due to the war in Iran. Japan imports almost all of its oil, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to offset lower supplies by ordering the release of some national oil reserves. However, shortfalls have pushed prices higher and also impacted the production of oil-related products such as naphtha. The price of Brent crude, trading at $70 a barrel before the war in Iran, has shot above $100 and a weakening yen has made imports of oil denominated in dollars still more costly for Japan.

Teen charged over vending machine straw-licking video

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A French teen is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore after posting a video on social media of himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then putting it back. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged in late April, according to the city-state’s largest English-language newspaper, The Straits Times. He allegedly committed the offense at a shopping mall in March, and his video spread rapidly when it surfaced, the report said. The teen was granted court permission to travel to Manila May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation, The Straits Times said. Mischief carries a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine, or both, while public nuisance is less severe with up to three months in prison or a fine, or both. IJooz, the company operating the juice vending machine, filed a police report, and sanitized the dispenser while replacing all 500 straws in the machine. It said it would upgrade its machines to include measures such as individually packaged straws and straw compartments that unlock only after the transaction is completed. Lawyers for the teen, who is studying in a French business school in Singapore, declined to comment on the case when contacted. Singapore, a small, densely populated city-state, tightly regulates public behavior and cleanliness. This includes restrictions like limits on chewing gum and strong penalties for littering and vandalism.

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