BANGKOK: Thailand is promoting cannabis as a cash crop for the country’s farmers as another source of income, a senior official said on Sunday (Feb 21). “Everybody has the right to grow marijuana by partnering up with provincial hospitals for me...

Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker by volume, on Sunday asked for patience from foreign governments awaiting their supply of COVID-19 shots, saying it had been directed to prioritise India's requirements.

South Korea will begin administering the first of 117,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Feb. 27, a day after the country begins its first vaccinations with AstraZeneca's products, the prime minister announced on Sunday.

Fujifilm Holdings Corp will restart a clinical trial in Japan of its antiviral drug Avigan for the treatment of COVID-19, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday.

TAIPEI: Taiwan's government said on Sunday (Feb 21) that it had confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant first discovered in Brazil, and that all arrivals from that country would undergo centralised quarantine from this week. Health Minister Ch...

A multimillion-dollar sailing yacht that once belonged to French tycoon Bernard Tapie has sunk off the coast of Malaysia, an official confirmed Sunday, after it caught fire a few days ago.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia moved up its COVID-19 inoculation drive by two days as the first batch of vaccines arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on Sunday (Feb 21). Malaysia aims to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of its 32 million people within a yea...

YANGON: Facebook on Sunday (Feb 21) deleted the main page of the Myanmar military under it standards prohibiting the incitement of violence, the company said, a day after two protesters were killed when police opened fire at a demonstration against t...

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic heads into Sunday's (Feb 21) Australian Open final unbeaten on eight previous occasions in the title match, but knowing he will need to be at his mental and physical best to overcome red-hot Russian Daniil Medvedev. The Ser...

MANDALAY: Tens of thousands of opponents of Myanmar's military coup gathered again on Sunday (Feb 21) in towns from north to south, undeterred by the bloodiest episode of their campaign the previous day when police and soldiers opened fire in the c...

WASHINGTON: The United States is "deeply concerned" by reports that Myanmar security forces have fired on protesters and continue to detain and harass demonstrators and others, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in tweet on Saturday (Feb ...

Cut off from the outside world, with essential supplies curbed, fishing and agricultural communities in Johor could use more help, says Serina Rahman.

KUALA LUMPUR: For Mr Kap Ling Sang, a refugee from Myanmar living in Malaysia, the news that the military in his home country had seized power in a coup on Feb 1 created concerns and worries - about members of his own family who are still there an...

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations refugee agency said on Saturday (Feb 20) at least six people registered with it were among 1,200 Myanmar nationals to be deported by Malaysia next week, while the United States voiced alarm that the plan could put d...

TAIPEI: Taiwan's air force scrambled for a second straight day on Saturday (Feb 20) after a dozen Chinese fighter aircraft and bombers carried out drills close to Taiwan-controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, the defence ministry in Tai...

BRUSSELS: The EU's foreign policy chief on Saturday (Feb 20) condemned increasingly deadly violence in Myanmar, after two protesters were killed as security forces fired live rounds, and said the bloc will "take appropriate decisions". "I strongly c...

SINGAPORE: The use of lethal weapons in Myanmar against unarmed civilians is “inexcusable”, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Saturday (Feb 20) after reports of two deaths in the city of Mandalay.   Myanmar's security ...

TOKYO: Japan's celebrations for Naomi Osaka's fourth Grand Slam title went into orbit on Saturday (Feb 20), with an astronaut tweeting congratulations from the International Space Station. Osaka's 6-4, 6-3 triumph over America's Jennifer Brady in th...

BANGKOK: Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Thailand's parliament after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and nine ministers survived a parliamentary no-confidence motion on Saturday (Feb 20) after a four-day censure debate. "It was a disappoi...

MANDALAY: Myanmar's security forces fired live rounds and rubber bullets at protesters in the country's second-largest city of Mandalay on Saturday (Feb 20), leaving at least two dead and about 30 injured.  Much of the country has been in an upro...

MANILA: The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday (Feb 20) reported 239 new coronavirus deaths, the second-highest daily increase in casualties since the pandemic started, and 2,240 infections. The previous daily high death toll was 259 deaths re...

Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli has revealed that he struggled with depression and felt like the "loneliest guy in the world" after failing with the bat during a tour of England in 2014.

Novak Djokovic says going unbeaten in eight Australian Open finals will give him confidence in Sunday's decider, but he'll need more than that to overcome "the man to beat" - red-hot Russian Daniil Medvedev.

PHNOM PENH: An outbreak of coronavirus has hit the Chinese expat community in Cambodia, the country's Premier Hun Sen said on Saturday (Feb 20), a setback in the nation's otherwise successful containment efforts. The kingdom has so far fared well i...

Taiwan's government on Saturday granted emergency use authorisation for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, with shots expected to be administered at soon as within seven days of arrival.

Severe flooding across several areas in the Indonesian capital forced more than a thousand people to flee their homes on Saturday, with the country’s meteorology agency warning the conditions were set to continue for the next week.

Four retired Taiwanese military intelligence officers -- including a major general -- have been indicted for spying for China, prosecutors said Saturday.

Thailand's prime minister survives no-confidence vote

Opponents of Myanmar's coup took to the streets again on Saturday (Feb 20) with members of ethnic minorities, writers and poets and transport workers among those coming out to demand an end to military rule and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and oth...

Washington has urged the leaders of Myanmar's new military regime to refrain from violence and relinquish power, after the death of a young anti-coup protester sparked new anger against the junta.

Greta Thunberg on Friday tweeted her support for an Indian activist jailed over a guide for anti-government farmers protests, which the Swedish climate campaigner had earlier shared to social media.

The US and Japan will need to shore up their economic heft and pursue a shared commitment towards setting the rules on trade, says Titli Basu.

BANGKOK: Pan’s little face was pressed against the sliding glass door. He was balancing on his three legs, seemingly oblivious to the missing one the vet had taken away to save his life. Six months old, fluffy and mostly white, Pan was looking wi...

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that all Group of Seven leaders expressed their support for Japan's plan to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

A Delhi court granted a police request on Friday (Feb 19) to extend the detention of climate activist Disha Ravi who they accuse of sedition for her alleged role in the creation of an online "toolkit" intended to help farmers protesting reforms.

AlphaTauri's new driver Yuki Tsunoda said on Friday (Feb 19) that his ambition was to be "the first Japanese driver to win a race in Formula 1".

TOKYO: Cooling water levels have fallen in two reactors at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant since a powerful earthquake hit the area last weekend, indicating possible additional damage, its operator said on Friday (Feb 19). New damage could furth...

Forty-six small whales stranded on a beach in Indonesia have died, after rescue efforts succeeded in saving three others, local officials said on Friday (Feb 19).

Strutting across a road junction in Myanmar traditional dress and wielding colourful paper parasols, Yangon's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) activists are stepping up to be part of a "revolution" against the military.

BEIJING: China is considering additional measures to increase its flagging birth rate, more than four years after ending its controversial one-child policy. For decades, China enforced strict controls on additional births in the name of preserving s...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's top health official said on Friday (Feb 19) the government had not politicised any coronavirus vaccine, as she sought to reassure residents worried about China's Sinovac, due to be rolled out in the global financial hub from ne...

SINGAPORE: Myanmar's refined fuel imports have stalled as protests over the Feb 1 coup have shut the banks and government offices necessary for trade, while depreciation in the nation's currency has driven up costs, four industry sources said. The ...

HANOI: Vietnam will receive 60 million COVID-19 vaccines this year, including 30 million under the WHO-led COVAX scheme, the health minister said on Friday (Feb 19) as the Southeast Asian country battles its biggest virus outbreak since the pandemic...

KUALA LUMPUR: Students in Malaysia will return to schools in phases, beginning with pre-schoolers as well as Primary 1 and Primary 2 students on Mar 1.  In a press conference on Friday (Feb 19), Senior Minister for Education Mohd Radzi Md Jidin sa...

BANGKOK: Hundreds gathered outside of parliament in Bangkok late on Friday (Feb 19), holding a demonstration that coincided with the censure debate against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha by opposition lawmakers inside the buildi...

As Serena Williams bade an emotional goodbye to the Rod Laver Arena crowd, one question was left hanging in the Melbourne air: Will she be back?

India reported on Friday its biggest jump in new coronavirus infections in three weeks, with 13,193 cases, while thousands of marshals fanned out to enforce mask wearing across the financial capital of Mumbai, which is battling a recent spurt.

SEOUL: South Korea's prime minister assured there were no safety issues with AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine on Friday (Feb 19), as the government held final drills ahead of next week's scheduled rollout of the first vaccines. The AstraZeneca vacc...

India has criticised United Nations rights experts for their concerns about constitutional changes made in the Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir, where militants have been fighting for independence for three decades, and said the officials lacked ...

Indonesia's Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupted on Friday, belching out fiery red lava.

SINGAPORE: When the pastor of a church in Batam came across a S$10,000 note in a container of secondhand clothes from Singapore he had received to sell, he took it to a local moneychanger who purportedly told him it was genuine. However, 49-year-old...

YANGON: A woman who was shot in the head last week as police tried to disperse protesters in Myanmar's capital died on Friday (Feb 19), her brother said, marking the first death among opponents of the military coup since they began demonstrating ...

CHAMOLI, India: Long before this month's deadly flash flood in a remote Indian Himalayan valley, Kundan Singh Rana knew that all the construction work in the fragile region would one day mean disaster. "The rivers, mountains and trees are like our g...

Although a decade has passed, New Zealander Gordon Cullen still vividly recalls his daring escape from a high-rise tower block during the deadly Christchurch earthquake on February 22, 2011.

China's military on Friday named four soldiers killed in a brawl with Indian forces last year, the first confirmation of deaths by Beijing from the border clash that also killed at least 20 Indian soldiers.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's government review of public broadcaster RTHK has found deficiencies in editorial management and a lack of transparency in handling complaints, signalling a major overhaul of the revered institution as concerns grow over media f...

TOKYO: Japan confirmed a new variant of COVID-19, and an infection cluster emerged at a Tokyo immigration facility, presenting new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic. The new variant has been found in 91 cases ...

The United States consulted jointly Thursday with South Korea and Japan, allies often at odds with each other, as President Joe Biden reviews how to move forward on North Korea.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's highest court on Friday (Feb 19) found news portal Malaysiakini in contempt of court over comments posted by readers deemed offensive to the judiciary, in a case widely seen as a test of media freedom in the country.  Last ...

Opponents of Myanmar's military coup welcomed new sanctions from Britain and Canada on Friday as protesters prepared to take to the streets for what will mark two weeks of daily demonstrations in the Southeast Asian country.

WASHINGTON: The United States will keep tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by the former Trump administration in place for now, but will evaluate how to proceed after a thorough review, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNBC on Thursday (Feb 18). ...

MANILA: A clutch of Philippine firms, including newly launched real estate investment trusts (REITs), could make the country Southeast Asia's biggest IPO market this year, driven by attractive valuations and a recovering economy. Investors and banke...

India’s rural economy is still largely dependent on farming and related activities, and the farm sector accounts for nearly half of the workforce, says a political scientist.

There has been, among others, one significant consistency in all the three military coups in the country’s history - 1962, 1988 and 2021 – says Dr Nehginpao Kipgen.

London was never on Hong Konger Aragorn's wish list of places to visit, but now the 36-year-old is trying to build a new life in the British capital after fleeing a security clampdown in his birthplace.

NEW DELHI: Air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in the Indian capital New Delhi last year, a higher toll than in any other big global metropolis, according to a study released on Thursday (Feb 18). The study by Greenpeace Southe...

TOKYO: The top diplomats of the United States, India, Japan and Australia on Thursday (Feb 18) sought an "urgent" return to democracy in Myanmar in four-way talks, the US State Department said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his first joint ta...

Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka Thursday welcomed the resignation of gaffe-prone Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori and his replacement by a woman as a big boost in the drive for equality.

Three climbers lost on Pakistan's K2 are believed to have died on the mountain, a Pakistan official said on Thursday (Feb 18), more than a week after the group went missing while trying to summit the world's second-highest peak.

A multimillion-dollar sailing yacht that once belonged to French tycoon Bernard Tapie went up in flames off Malaysia on Thursday (Feb 18), with firefighters battling for hours to put out the blaze.

THIMPHU, Bhutan: Police in Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom famed for its happiness index, have detained a top general and two judges over an alleged plot to overthrow the country's top military officer and chief justice. The allegations about the con...

JAKARTA: Indonesia's capital Jakarta is threatening residents with fines of up to 5 million rupiah (US$356.89) for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, an unusually stiff penalty aimed at ensuring compliance with a new regulation making inoculations mandatory...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Thursday (Feb 18) reported a new daily high of 25 COVID-19 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities in the country to 1,030. Two of the deaths were reported in Sarawak. They involved a 72-year-old woman who tested pos...

BANGKOK: Thailand's second domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine will soon undergo human trials, officials said on Thursday (Feb 18), adding that the plan was to produce up to 5 million doses by the end of the year. The vaccine, developed by Thai...

SEOUL: South Korea's President Moon Jae-in on Thursday (Feb 18) visited a factory that can make 10 million syringes a month and plans to double capacity to prevent shortages, as the nation rolls out its coronavirus vaccination campaign next week. So...

Hong Kong's High Court denied bail on Thursday to media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, the most high-profile person to be charged under the Chinese-ruled city's national security law.

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Thursday (Feb 18) that there should be no violence against unarmed civilians in Myanmar, adding that live rounds should not be fired on them under any circumstances. Singapore's Ministr...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police said on Thursday (Feb 18) they had questioned the founder of a dating application being probed for suspected exploitation for prostitution, after complaints over its claim that thousands of university students had signe...

KATHMANDU: Nepal on Thursday (Feb 18) approved the emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of China’s Sinopharm, a government official said, the second vaccine cleared after AstraZeneca's product.  The move paves the way for...

Hong Kong's government on Thursday approved the Chinese-made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine for emergency use after a panel of experts fast-tracked its recommendation despite the drug's comparatively low efficacy.

TAIPEI: Germany's BioNTech said on Thursday (Feb 18) it still intends to provide Taiwan with COVID-19 vaccine doses after the island's health chief warned "political pressure" had scuppered a deal with the company. Taiwanese health minister Chen Sh...

NEW DELHI: India will make COVID-19 molecular tests mandatory for people arriving directly or indirectly from the UK, South Africa and Brazil in a bid to contain the spread of more infectious virus variants found in those countries. India, which has...

Hackers attacked military-run government websites in Myanmar Thursday as a cyber war erupted after authorities shut down the internet for a fourth straight night.

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court on Thursday (Feb 18) ordered Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, to enter a defence in a corruption trial linked to a multimillion-dollar project approved while the ex-prime minister was still...

Myanmar's military junta has issued arrest warrants against six celebrities for encouraging strikes that have paralysed many government offices in protests against this month's coup, with total arrests since then now nearing 500.

NEW DELHI: A New Delhi court on Wednesday (Feb 17) acquitted a journalist of criminal defamation after she accused a former editor-turned-politician and junior external affairs minister of sexual harassment. MJ Akbar, now 70, filed a case against jo...

ZHAOYUAN, Shandong: Six people were killed in a fire at a gold mine in eastern China's Shandong province, state media reported on Wednesday (Feb 17), with the local government announcing a new campaign to shut down unsafe facilities following recent...

Boeing Co issued a technical bulletin to airlines reminding them to ensure pilots closely monitor the airplane's state and flight path to prevent a loss of control in flight, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Also known as the Ganges, it is one of the foundations of Indian civilisation but has since been tarnished by pollution and filth. The programme Insight looks at the fight to restore the river to its former glory.

The Myanmar military has used the pandemic to justify the coup and cement their power thereafter, says an Asian politics scholar.

The United Nations on Wednesday led calls for a coordinated global effort to vaccinate against Covid-19, warning that gaping inequities in initial efforts put the whole planet at risk.

The US Justice Department charged three North Korean military intelligence officials on Wednesday (Feb 17) in a campaign of cyberattacks to steal US$1.3 billion in crypto and traditional currencies from banks and other targets.

Myanmar's anti-coup protesters returned to the streets in force on Wednesday (Feb 17), staging the biggest demonstrations since troops fanned out around the country to quell opposition to the new military government.

BANGKOK: The lawyer representing Myanmar democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday (Feb 17) he is preparing for the worst in a trial he fears could take six months. Attorney Khin Maung Zaw is defending the ousted civilian leader, who was det...

China has dismantled dozens of structures and moved vehicles to empty out entire camps along a disputed Himalayan border, where Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a face-off since last summer, satellite images released on Wednesday show.

JAKARTA: Market traders were among the first to benefit from Indonesia's second phase of mass vaccinations against the coronavirus on Wednesday (Feb 17), as the government looks to right the country's pandemic-battered economy. Medical teams are now...

Hong Kong may be in its worst recession in years but its luxury property market is still thriving after a five-bedroom apartment broke records with its $59 million price tag.

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai, while in jail, has been arrested again on suspicion of assisting one of the 12 fugitives captured by China at sea last year, local newspaper Oriental Daily reported on Wednesday, without citing a source.

JAKARTA: Indonesia is consulting members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on a possible meeting of the region’s foreign ministers to discuss the military coup in Myanmar.  In the first stop of her regional tour, Foreign Min...

Thailand's digital ministry on Wednesday warned Thai users not to break the law on the audio drop-in application Clubhouse, which has rapidly emerged as a platform for discussions of the country's monarchy.