KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan has reiterated that there would be no parliamentary sittings during Malaysia's state of emergency which is slated to last until Aug 1.  Speaking during a pre...

YANGON: At least six people were killed as Myanmar security forces fired on protesters on Wednesday (Mar 3), medics say. This comes after the junta hit half a dozen detained journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, with criminal ch...

Government ministers and officials were following Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead by opting on Tuesday for an Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine approved without late-stage efficacy data, instead of the AstraZeneca one.

An endangered turtle bred in captivity laid eggs for the first time in Cambodia, conservationists said this week, in a massive win for animal protection in the kingdom.

YANGON: Myanmar's military authorities have charged an Associated Press photographer and five other journalists over their coverage of anti-coup protests, their lawyer said on Wednesday (Mar 3). AP photographer Thein Zaw, 32, was arrested on Saturda...

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday launched a search for eight people to join him as the first private passengers on a trip around the moon with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

SEOUL: South Korean authorities said on Wednesday (Mar 3) they are investigating the deaths of two people after a media report said the pair - both with pre-existing conditions - died within days of receiving AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. A 63-yea...

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong teenager became the youngest person so far to plead guilty to rioting during 2019's huge protests on Wednesday (Mar 3), as he admitted throwing a petrol bomb at police when aged just 14. The judge accepted advice from the city...

Protests against a military coup in Myanmar showed no sign of abating with more planned across the country on Wednesday (Mar 3), while Myanmar's ousted President Win Myint is said to be facing two new charges. Security forces fired rubber bullets an...

JOHOR BAHRU: There are signs that Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim may be interested in buying over Spanish La Liga club Valencia, currently owned by Singapore businessman Peter Lim. Tunku Ismail posted a series of Instagram stories ...

TAIPEI: Health experts in China say their country is lagging in its coronavirus vaccination roll-out because it has the disease largely under control, but plans to inoculate 40 per cent of its population by June. Zhong Nanshan, the leader of a group...

HONG KONG: Bail proceedings for 47 Hong Kong democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion entered the third day on Wednesday (Mar 3), following marathon hearings that have gone on late into the night and led to some defendants fal...

An overwhelming majority of Japanese said they were "interested in the Olympics", although 58 per cent said they did not want them to be held because of fears over COVID-19, a Yomiuri daily poll showed on Wednesday (Mar 3).

TOKYO: Last week, about 600 people were tested for the coronavirus in the city of Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo: The Japanese government's first stab at systematic random and targeted testing that it hopes will prevent a new wave of infections. About 3...

TOKYO: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday (Mar 3) launched a search for eight people to join him as the first private passenger on a trip around the moon with Elon Musk's SpaceX. He had originally planned to invite artists for the wee...

"As a Southeast Asian woman, being able to have our first Disney princess be inspired by my culture and my people? I feel like that's a huge move in the right direction," said Adele Lim, who also penned Crazy Rich Asians.

The Chinese Communist party system needs entrepreneurs but curtails anyone who becomes too powerful, says the Financial Times' Jamil Anderlini.

WASHINGTON: A China-linked cyber-espionage group has been remotely plundering email inboxes using freshly discovered flaws in Microsoft mail server software, the company and outside researchers said on Tuesday (Mar 2) - an example of how commonly us...

Myanmar's military junta and the envoy sent by its toppled civilian government have launched contradictory claims over who represents the country at the United Nations, officials said Tuesday.

More than a third of Chinese-Australians surveyed reported facing discrimination last year, in a report released on Wednesday (Mar 2) that points to a souring relationship with Beijing and COVID-19 as driving forces.

Hong Kong authorities on Tuesday (Mar 2) reported the death of a chronically ill man, two days after he received a COVID-19 vaccine and said that it is too early to conclude whether the vaccine was related to his death.

Sri Lankan Roman Catholic Church officials declared a “Black Sunday” this weekend to demand justice for the victims of 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed more than 260 people.

The government assured Indians on Tuesday that there were plenty of COVID-19 vaccines for the country even though it has sent quantities overseas.

Tokyo will ask the Japanese government to extend a state of emergency by about two weeks for the capital and three neighbouring prefectures due to a slowdown in the decline of COVID-19 cases, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday.

JAKARTA: Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged a halt to violence and the start of talks on a peaceful solution in Myanmar, where the military seized power from an elected government and is escalating its use of mass arrests and deadly force agains...

NEW DELHI: Amazon.com's Prime Video streaming service on Tuesday (Mar 2) issued a rare apology to its Indian viewers for some scenes in its original political drama series Tandav, which allegedly hurt Hindu religious beliefs. Tandav, a Hindi word me...

China on Tuesday rejected an allegation by a cyber intelligence firm that a state-backed hacking group targeted the IT systems of two Indian coronavirus vaccine makers.

BANGKOK: A Thai criminal court on Tuesday (Mar 2) approved an arrest warrant for an anti-government activist accused of burning a portrait of the country's king over the weekend. Police said activist Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan was responsible for setti...

SINGAPORE: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must reiterate its guiding principles, including adherence to democracy and respect for human rights when it comes to the situation in Myanmar, failing which member states will have no ...

TAIPEI: The de facto US and Canadian embassies in Taiwan on Tuesday (Mar 2) praised the quality of pineapples grown on the island, depicting photographs of their top diplomats in Taipei with the fruit after an import ban by China. China last week s...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Tuesday (Mar 2) granted conditional approval for the use of vaccines made by UK firm AstraZeneca and China's Sinovac, just days after launching its nationwide COVID-19 inoculation programme. Malaysia began its vaccination d...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia announced that it will ease COVID-19 restrictions and reinstate the conditional movement control order (CMCO) for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Penang.  Making the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday (Mar 2...

JAKARTA: Indonesia has detected two cases of the more infectious COVID-19 variant first discovered in Britain, officials said on Tuesday (Mar 2), marking a potential new complication for the country as it tries to contain one of the worst coronavirus...

SINGAPORE: The Myanmar military's use of lethal force in ongoing demonstrations is a "disastrous" move, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. At least 18 people died on Sunday, said the United Nations human rights office, as Myanmar author...

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister said on Tuesday (Mar 2) he has commissioned a study to look into issuing COVID-19 vaccination certificates for international travellers, as the country seeks to revive a tourism industry battered by coronavirus curb...

TOKYO: A US father-son pair accused of helping former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn in his audacious escape from Japan arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday (Mar 2) after losing their battle against extradition, local media said. Former US special forces member Mi...

A decision by South Korean health authorities to allow more doses to be extracted from coronavirus vaccine vials sparked controversy on Tuesday as the country ramped up its vaccinations of healthcare workers and the elderly.

SHANGHAI: Five years ago, China under President Xi Jinping pledged to become a football power by 2050. But the financial collapse of the newly crowned Chinese champions raises fresh questions over that lofty goal. Jiangsu FC on Sunday (Feb 28) said ...

SINGAPORE: Malaysia's largest electricity utility, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), and Singapore-based solar firm Sunseap Group announced on Tuesday (Mar 2) they are forming a joint venture to trial clean electricity imports into Singapore from Malaysi...

MANILA: The Philippines has sacked its former ambassador to Brazil, after she was caught on camera attacking a domestic worker at her official residence in Brasilia. Marichu Mauro was recalled to Manila late last year after Brazil's GloboNews channe...

The leader of Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) said on Tuesday he is in no rush to travel to China to meet President Xi Jinping, and that Beijing's proposals to get Taiwan to accept Communist rule had "no market" on the island.

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano sent a cloud of hot ash as high as 3km on Tuesday, in its first big eruption since August last year.

TOKYO: Japan said on Tuesday (Mar 2) an investigation would be launched after more than 1,000 coronavirus vaccine doses had to be thrown out when a freezer storing them malfunctioned. A medical institution reported that 172 vials of the Pfizer-BioNT...

Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries prepared for a special meeting with Myanmar's ruling military on Tuesday in an effort to quell deadly violence and open a channel to tackle its escalating political crisis.

A Myanmar reporter was attacked in his home and detained by the military, his employer said Tuesday, after days of crackdowns by the junta on anti-coup protesters.

SEOUL: South Korea is drafting an extra budget of 15 trillion won (US$13.38 billion), it said on Tuesday (Mar 2), to boost support for small businesses and safeguard jobs as the resurgent coronavirus forces the government to retain social distancing ...

MANILA: The Philippines has documented six cases of the South African coronavirus variant, its health ministry said on Tuesday (Mar 2), raising concern among its experts that the current vaccines might be less effective. The Philippines started its ...

HONG KONG: Dozens of Hong Kong activists charged with subversion are back in court on Tuesday (Mar 2) to complete a marathon bail hearing that was adjourned overnight when four defendants were rushed to hospital after hours of legal wrangling. Polic...

BEIJING: China's annual session of parliament will chart a course for economic recovery and unveil a five-year plan to fend off stagnation, as strategic rivalry with the United States spurs a shift to reliance on consumption and home-grown technology...

SHANGHAI: China reported 11 new COVID-19 cases on Mar 1, down from 19 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Tuesday (Mar 2). The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all of the new cases were imported infec...

COVID-19 vaccines offer welcome hope. But translating this into effective action will require policymakers to be resourceful in mitigating delays, inequality, and geopolitical risk, says Khor Swee Kheng.

Misinformation and the incessant jockeying for political power are complicating Malaysia’s battle against the coronavirus, says ISEAS-Yusof Ishak’s Serina Rahman.

Prince Harry, who shocked Britain last year when he and his wife Meghan stepped back from royal duties, told U.S. interviewer Oprah Winfrey that he had worried about history repeating itself, according to excerpts released on Sunday.

WASHINGTON: An American father and son were handed to Japanese officials on Monday (Mar 1), their lawyer said, after losing an extradition battle over accusations they helped former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn to flee Japan. Michael Taylor and...

A power failure that crippled India's financial capital of Mumbai in western Maharashtra state last year could have been a case of cyber sabotage, a local minister said on Monday, as China denied a report that it was behind the outage.

Police in Sri Lanka said on Monday (Mar 1) they have arrested two people in connection with the death of a nine-year-old girl who was repeatedly beaten during a ritual they believed would drive away an evil spirit.

Cambodia's exiled opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia to 25 years in jail Monday over an alleged plot to overthrow strongman Hun Sen's government, a court official said.

More than 1,000 shots of coronavirus vaccine went to waste in Japan after storage temperatures deviated from a required range due to a freezer malfunction, the health ministry said on Monday, the country's first such case of wasted vaccines.

BEIJING: China has banned school teachers from meting out any punishment that can cause physical or mental trauma, after a string of student deaths linked to harsh discipline in recent years. New rules issued by the Ministry of Education that take e...

Hundreds of Bangladeshi activists staged a fourth day of protests Monday over the death of a writer in detention as the UN rights chief called for a review of a digital security law used against opposition figures.

The chief editor of an independent Malaysian news outlet was questioned by police Monday on suspicion of sedition after he criticised the conviction of his website for contempt.

A Chinese state-backed hacking group has in recent weeks targeted the IT systems of two Indian vaccine makers whose coronavirus shots are being used in the country's immunisation campaign, cyber intelligence firm Cyfirma told Reuters.

TOKYO: Tokyo has requested Beijing to stop taking anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens as the procedure causes psychological pain, a government spokesman said on Monday (Mar 1). Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government...

JAKARTA: Indonesian resort island Bali has launched a drive-thru vaccination campaign targeting thousands of hospitality workers, as the popular tourist destination eyes reopening to foreign visitors. Billed as the first such campaign in Southeast A...

Japanese government and ruling party officials are discussing possible additional cash payouts to low-income households to help them cope with the coronavirus pandemic, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Mar 1) called on Myanmar's military to stop the use of lethal force on civilians and the immediate release of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other political d...

YANGON: Ousted Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi faced court on Monday (Mar 1) via video link, being seen by her lawyer for the first time since a military coup one month ago triggered relentless and massive protests. Aung San Suu Kyi's appe...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia plans to cull 3,000 wild and domestic pigs after an outbreak of African swine fever in wild boar and backyard pigs in the state of Sabah on Borneo island in mid-February. The disease was detected in at least 300 pigs in three ...

JOHOR BAHRU: With Malaysia's COVID-19 immunisation programme under way, Johor's chief minister hopes negotiations on travel arrangements between the country and Singapore will resume. "Opening of borders, the green travel bubble, all other arrang...

Alexandra Wong disappeared for more than a year into mainland China's opaque judicial system because she joined Hong Kong's democracy rallies.

The high-stakes battle by Chinese Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou against extradition to the United States enters its final stage in a Canadian court on Monday, after more than two years of legal skirmishes and diplomatic barbs.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inoculated with the first dose of a home-grown coronavirus vaccine on Monday, kicking off an expansion of the country's immunisation campaign that began in mid-January with healthcare workers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders to "call out" Covid-19 rule-breakers Monday, as public anger built over a series of infringements that forced the country's largest city back into lockdown.

YANGON: Protesters marched in Myanmar on Monday (Mar 1) in defiance of a deadly crackdown by security forces a day earlier, as calls grow for a more united international response after the worst violence since a coup began one month ago. Police fir...

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has outlined plans for the state to build the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia.  In a press statement on Sunday (Feb 28), Johor's Royal Press Office said that the plant will be built...

MANILA: The Philippines launched a vaccination campaign on Monday (Mar 1) to contain one of Southeast Asia’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks but faces supply problems and public resistance, which it hopes to ease by inoculating top officials. Cabinet off...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin reiterated on Monday (Mar 1) that he will dissolve parliament once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. In a speech taking stock of his one year in office, he said: “The main focus of this governme...

Hundreds of people gathered outside a Hong Kong court on Monday ahead of the hearing of 47 democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion, as authorities intensify a crackdown under the city's national security law.

WASHINGTON: A US national security commission is recommending that American universities take steps to prevent sensitive technology from being stolen by the Chinese military, a sign of growing concerns over the security of academic research. The Nat...

SEOUL: South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said on Monday (Mar 1) that the Tokyo Olympics could provide a chance to reopen talks between North Korea and the United States, North Korea and Japan, and the two Koreas. Speaking at a ceremony marking the...

TOKYO: Makiko Yamada, a key spokeswoman for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, will resign after she and other senior bureaucrats were reprimanded for attending expensive dinners hosted by Suga's son, the government said. Yamada will tender her...

SHANGHAI: China reported 19 new COVID-19 cases on Feb 28, up from six cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Monday (Mar 1). The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all of the new cases were imported infect...

WASHINGTON: The US government is preparing "additional actions" in coming days against those responsible for the violent crackdown and military coup in Myanmar, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday (Feb 28).  "We will contin...

JAKARTA: It was the sudden loud cry of 10-year-old Indonesian Aisyah that caught her neighbours' attention in South Tangerang, Banten province, one day in January.  They quickly rushed to her house, but since they knew Aisyah’s mother had contra...

The US should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley said Sunday, becoming the latest Republican to join a growing furor over the Games and Beijing's rights record.

BANGKOK: Police used water cannon and tear gas against protesters in Bangkok on Sunday (Feb 28), outside a military barracks containing the Thai prime minister's residence. A youth-led protest movement calling for the resignation of Prayut Chan-o-ch...

MANILA: The Philippines received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday (Feb 28), among the last in Southeast Asia to secure the critical doses despite having the second-highest number of infections and deaths in the region. A Chinese milita...

BEIJING: China's factory activity expanded in February at a slower pace than a month earlier, hitting the lowest level since last May and missing market expectations after brief COVID-19-related disruptions earlier in the year. The official manufact...

HONG KONG: Forty-seven Hong Kong democrats and activists were charged on Sunday (Feb 28) with conspiracy to commit subversion, in the largest single crackdown on the democratic opposition under a national security law. Sam Cheung, a young activist ...

Myanmar police shot and killed two protesters on Sunday and wounded several as they cracked down in a bid to end weeks of demonstrations against a Feb. 1 military coup, a doctor and a politician said.

China reported six new COVID-19 cases on Feb 27, down from 10 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Sunday.

Thailand kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign on Sunday, with cabinet ministers, health officials and medical professionals among the first in the queue to receive vaccinations.

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar planned protests on Sunday (Feb 28) a day after the security forces launched their biggest crackdown, arresting hundreds of people and shooting and wounding at least one. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the ar...

Several dozen Hong Kong democrats are due to report to local police stations across the city on Sunday, with some expecting to be charged with breaches of national security as a crackdown on the democratic opposition intensifies.

HONG KONG: More than 500,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday (Feb 27) following a two-day delay due to export procedures, offering a second inoculation option for the city. The Pfizer-BioNTech shots will be off...

The son of a British man held in India -- in a case linked with a Dubai princess who claims she was kidnapped -- has appealed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for help.

Myanmar's United Nations envoy in New York vowed to fight on Saturday after the junta fired him for urging countries to use "any means necessary" to reverse a Feb. 1 coup that ousted the nation's elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

BANGKOK: As American electric vehicle maker Tesla eyes up a hefty investment in Indonesia, concerns are growing over the potential environmental consequences of a nickel mining rush. Tesla has reportedly tabled a proposal to establish a battery pro...

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (Feb 27) shrugged off criticism of her government's rights record as hundreds marched in a second day of protests over the death of a prominent writer in prison. Demonstrators marched at Dh...

Internet investor SoftBank Group said Saturday it reached a settlement with WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann and other investors in the office sharing giant, amid reports that the deal would give the ex-CEO an extra $50 million.