Hong kong taiwan

TAIPEI: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Taiwan Monday (Nov 26), the US Geological Survey said, and was felt hundreds of kilometres away in Hong Kong. The quake hit around 100km off the island of Penghu in the Taiwan Strait on Monday morning, at a depth of 13km. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which the USGS had initially reported at 5.6-magnitude. Hong Kong residents reported feeling the quake, and some took to social media to discuss the rare event. "I did (feel it)! I thought I was dizzy, I saw the clothes that were hung up swaying around," wrote one Facebook user in a discussion group for Hong Kong's Tai Po district. The Hong Kong Observatory said it had received nearly 1,000 reports of the quake being felt, with a duration of a few seconds. "Initial estimate gave a local intensity of IV (four) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, that is hanging objects swing. Windows, dishes, doors rattle," it … [Read more...] about 5.7-magnitude quake hits off western Taiwan

YILAN, Taiwan: At least 18 people have died after an express train derailed and flipped over on a popular coastal tourist route in Taiwan on Sunday (Oct 21), the island's worst rail accident for more than 25 years. Images from the site showed the Puyuma Express train completely derailed and lying zigzagged across the track in northeastern Yilan county. All of the train's eight carriages had derailed and five had flipped onto their side near Xinma station, the railways administration said, adding that 366 people were on board the service en route to the southern city of Taitung. Authorities said 175 people were injured in the accident, which happened at 4.50pm local time. As of 9.35pm, all passengers onboard - including the dead and injured - had been evacuated or removed from the wreckage, the Taiwan Railways Administration said. READ: ‘A scene of terror’ – passengers on derailed Taiwan train tell of narrow escape "There are four carriages that were overturned … [Read more...] about At least 18 dead, 175 injured after Taiwan train derails

The world's hopes for curbing climate change hinge on action by two giant nations whose relations are deteriorating: China and the United States. The two countries both say they are intent on retooling their economies to burn less climate-wrecking coal, oil and gas. But tensions between them threaten their ultimate success. China and the United States are the world's No. 1 and No. 2 carbon polluters , respectively, pumping out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet's atmosphere. The fast cuts in carbon needed to stave off the worst of climate change are all but impossible unless these countries work together and basically trust each other's pledges. During the Trump administration, the U.S. used China's emissions as an excuse not to act, and in the past China pointed to U.S. historical emissions as a reason to resist action. New details of how quickly China plans to reduce carbon emissions will be revealed Friday when Beijing releases its next … [Read more...] about US-China tensions threaten global climate change efforts

The local Mandarin pop scene has a new star and it’s Jarrell Ng, the newly minted winner of singing talent competition show Spop Sing!. At the grand final, held on Sunday (Nov 4) at the Padang, audiences voted the 18-year-old Singapore Polytechnic student to the top spot. Ng beat three other finalists to take home the cash prize of S$30,000, capping off a four-month long competition journey. He went on to perform his debut song, Wings Of Pride, which was specially composed by local composer Lee Wei Song. Ng also impressed the resident judges, veteran music teachers and singers Billy Koh, Peter Lee and Liang Wen Fu, as well as Eric Moo, who invited him to be a special guest at his upcoming concert. “It feels a bit like I’m dreaming,” said Ng, a second-year Music and Audio Technology student. “The Spop Sing! journey has been quite long. I’ve put a lot of effort into learning the songs and performing them. Now that it’s come to an end, I’m very excited about what’s … [Read more...] about Newly crowned Spop Sing! champion Jarrell Ng will get a regional career leg-up with artiste contract

Despite leading with 12 nominations – including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress – Zhang Yimou’s Shadow lost the big prize of the night, Best Film, to Hu Bo’s An Elephant Sitting Still at the 55th Golden Horse Awards held in Taipei on Saturday (Nov 17). View this post on Instagram A post shared by 金馬影展TGHFF (@goldenhorsefilmfestival) Not that Shadow did poorly at the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars. It went on to pick up five awards, including best director. Other winners included Taiwanese actress Hsieh Ying-xuan. She scooped the prize for her role in Dear Ex, which depicts the relationship between a gay man, his lover and his widowed mother after his death. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 金馬影展TGHFF (@goldenhorsefilmfestival) China’s Xu Zheng picked up the award for Best Actor for his role in Dying … [Read more...] about Golden Horse Awards: Zhang Yimou finally wins best director but loses best film