HONG KONG: Hong Kong's government said on Monday (Jun 21) that it would shorten the quarantine period for vaccinated people arriving in the city to seven days from 14 days provided travellers show sufficient antibodies against the coronavirus. Lead...

NEW DELHI: India's Olympic body has slammed as "unfair" strict rules imposed by the Japanese government on athletes from several nations hit by COVID-19 for the Tokyo Games starting next month. Tokyo 2020 organisers said on Monday (Jun 21) that addi...

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has given the Malaysian government a two-week deadline to reconvene parliament.  Party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a statement on Monday (Jun 21) that it was important to reconv...

NEW DELHI: India opened up free vaccinations to all adults in an attempt to bolster its inoculation drive on Monday (Jun 21), as Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a muted International Yoga Day hailing the practice's "protective" properties aga...

HONG KONG: The world's biggest casino hub of Macau will shake up its casino regulator by more than doubling the number of gaming inspectors and restructuring several departments in its latest move to ramp up supervision.  The executive council that...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily warned on Monday (Jun 21) it is unable to pay staff and is at imminent risk of closure after the government froze the company's assets using a sweeping new national security law. Apple Daily ...

SEOUL: The United States' new top envoy for North Korea said on Monday (Jun 21) he looks forward to a "positive response soon" on dialogue from North Korea, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, during his Seoul trip to meet counterparts from S...

A rise in religious conservatism in Indonesia is drawing talent away from what some view as un-Islamic jobs in banking, industry professionals say, creating hiring woes for conventional banks but a boon for the country's fledgling sharia finance sect...

PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government could always have Parliament reconvene but push out bills without them needing to go through legislative scrutiny, says Oh Ei Sun.

Myanmar's junta chief left the country Sunday for Moscow, where he will attend a security conference, state media said, marking only his second known trip abroad since he seized power in a coup.

Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani and the head of the country's peace process will meet President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday, as the planned American military withdrawal accelerates.

DUBAI: Aviation giant Emirates said on Sunday (Jun 20) that it will resume flights from India from next week, after Dubai lifted a ban imposed when COVID-19 cases spiked. The United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, suspended all flights from In...

Sri Lanka's military launched an investigation on Sunday (Jun 20) after social media posts showed soldiers forcing civilians to kneel on the streets as a punishment for flouting COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Pope Francis on Sunday (Jun 20) appealed to Myanmar's military leaders to allow aid to reach displaced, hungry people who have fled fighting since the Feb 1 coup and to respect religious sites as places of sanctuary.

SHANGHAI: Hong Kong's strategy to strengthen the city's global financial hub status is through greater integration with mainland China, now that Beijing has helped restore "stability" in the city, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Sunday (Jun 20). ...

On Sunday, Ho Chi Minh City banned public gatherings of more than three people and imposed lockdown orders on some virus-prone areas.

South Korea will relax social distancing rules and allow private gatherings of up to six people in the greater Seoul area from the current four starting on Jul 1, the government said on Sunday (Jun 20).

China has now administered more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the country's health authority said on Sunday (Jun 20), more than a third of the number given worldwide.

The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, CNN Philippines said on Sunday, citing the head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily said on Sunday (Jun 20) the freezing of its assets in a national security probe had left the newspaper with cash for "only a few weeks" of normal operations and it may struggle to pay staff wa...

COLOMBO: The United Nations representative in Sri Lanka said the sinking of a container ship that caught fire while transporting chemicals off the capital Colombo has caused “significant damage to the planet” by releasing hazardous substances in...

While the United States and Europe waged a 17-year trade battle over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus, China poured money into its own commercial aircraft to take on the Western aviation duopoly.

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will be on an official visit to Hanoi from Sunday (Jun 20) to Wednesday, at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son. During the visit, Dr Balakrishnan will meet Mr Son, as we...

A few weeks ago, New Delhi's crematoriums were operating around the clock dealing with Covid-19 victims. Now the Indian capital's shopping malls and markets are buzzing again.

TAIPEI: Taiwanese staff working at the island's representative office in Hong Kong will begin leaving the Chinese-run city from Sunday (Jun 20), a senior official said, after the government there demanded its officials sign a document supporting Bei...

The Financial News, backed by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), on Sunday advised against speculating about liquidity tightening and policy direction, saying such action can mislead and roil markets.

TOKYO :Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes' village to the media on Sunday, showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during the sporting extravaganza.

SINGAPORE: An Indonesian fugitive on Interpol's red notice list was repatriated from Singapore to his home country on Saturday (Jun 19). Adelin Lis has been wanted in Indonesia since 2008 over corruption and illegal logging, reported the Antara ne...

China's census showing its population has stopped growing might be a positive development when it could lead to lower costs and a stronger push for automation, says Adair Turner.

Much of the money that pays for the competition is spent to build global brands, say two sports commentators.

JAKARTA: Sebelum ada COVID-19, pekerja migran Indonesia Muhammad Kurdi memiliki kehidupan yang baik di Makkah, Arab Saudi. Ayah tiga anak tersebut sudah tinggal 15 tahun di Makkah dan sebelum pandemi bekerja sebagai mutawif untuk Jemaah Indonesia, ...

JAKARTA: Life was good for Indonesian Muhammad Kurdi who has lived in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for about 15 years. The father of three used to work as a guide for pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, earning up to 200 million rupiah ...

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday (Jun 19) rejected a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an arms embargo against the Southeast Asian nation and condemning the military's February seizure of power. Myanmar described the resol...

The United States announced Saturday that 2.5 million Covid vaccine doses were on their way to Taiwan in a move likely to draw disapproval from Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island.

JAKARTA: Indonesia will receive 50 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly made by Pfizer and BioNTech, with the first batch expected in August, a senior health ministry official said on Saturday (Jun 19). "Pfizer vaccines will start arriving...

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Saturday cancelled all public viewing sites for the summer Olympics, diverting some venues to be COVID-19 vaccinations centres instead.

NEW DELHI: India's central government on Saturday (Jun 19) urged states to be careful in reopening from COVID-19 lockdowns to prevent a resurgence of infections in the hard-hit country. Indian states are easing restrictions as a second wave of coron...

TOKYO: Tokyo will cancel all public Olympics viewing events in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections, the city governor said on Saturday (Jun 19). Having postponed the Games for a year because of the pandemic, Japan has already banned ...

SRINAGAR: Sajad Hassan sat at his professor's hospital bedside for three nights, doing most of the talking as his friend and mentor breathed through an oxygen mask and struggled with a suspected COVID-19 infection. Both were confident the 48-year-ol...

AirAsia Group Bhd's chief executive officer said the aviation industry could return to normal next year as international borders gradually reopened, state news agency Bernama reported on Saturday.

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia reported 20 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday (Jun 19), a record for a single day, as the country detected its first Delta variant cases and authorities urged people to be vigilant. The Southeast Asian nation has recorded one of ...

SHANGHAI: China's crackdown on cryptocurrency "mining" has extended to the southwest province of Sichuan, where authorities ordered cryptocurrency mining projects closed in the major mining centre. Cryptomining is big business in China, accounting f...

HONG KONG: Two executives from Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper appeared in court on Saturday (Jun 19) on charges of collusion and were denied bail after authorities deployed a sweeping security law to target the newspaper, a scathing critic of Beij...

YANGON: Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar donned flowers in their hair on Saturday (Jun 19) to mark the birthday of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest and is due to face court again next week. Aung San Suu Kyi's el...

NEW DELHI: India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines, wants to resume exports of coronavirus jabs but cannot do so until its domestic needs are met, the head of the country’s COVID-19 task force said on Friday (Jun 18). “Once our imm...

BEIJING: The airport in China's southern city of Shenzhen said on Saturday (Jun 19) that anyone entering the premises must show a negative virus test taken within 48 hours before entry. The instruction posted on the airport's official WeChat page fo...

A young wild boar in Hong Kong has sparked delight by hopping onto a Hong Kong train and leading staff on a merry cross-harbour chase that included boarding two separate trains.

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reinforced the ruling Workers' Party discipline and appointed new members of its powerful politburo, state media KCNA reported on Saturday (Jun 19). The party's central committee held a plenary meeting for ...

HONG KONG: Crowds gathered outside a Hong Kong court early on Saturday (Jun 19) ahead of a hearing for two executives of newspaper Apple Daily charged under the city's sweeping national security law, in a case that has drawn international condemnatio...

Australia is lodging a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization over China's imposition of anti-dumping duties on Australian wine exports, the government announced Saturday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kawasan Petaling Street yang biasanya sibuk kini lengang dan sunyi sepi di bawah sekatan pergerakan penuh yang sedang berkuatkuasa. Peter Chin yang telah menguruskan Restoran Kiew Yee Baru di sini sejak 1960an berkata beliau mula menu...

KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Street, a usually bustling area, was deserted and quiet under the current total lockdown.  Peter Chin, who has been running Restoran Kiew Yee Baru in the same spot since the 1960s, said they would start closing the restaur...

While reopening borders is not currently feasible given the epidemiological situation, now is the time to start preparing for a gradual reopening and facilitating a resumption of international air travel, writes Brendan Sobie.

Japan will only achieve widespread vaccination until about mid-October – long after the Olympic and Paralympic athletes have gone home, says Takatoshi Ito.

Milkha Singh, one of India's most successful track athletes who overcame childhood tragedy to seek Olympic glory, has died aged 91 after a long battle with Covid-19, Indian media said Friday.

COLOMBO: More dead turtles washed up on Sri Lankan beaches on Friday (Jun 18), underscoring the environmental blight caused by a container ship fire off the country's coast. The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl was carrying hundreds of tonnes o...

TOKYO: Japanese medical experts said on Friday (Jun 18) that banning spectators at the Olympics was the least risky option for holding the Games, even as they appeared resigned to the possibility of fans in venues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The g...

SEOUL: South Korea has pledged to donate a total of US$200 million to the COVAX programme that is supplying coronavirus vaccines for lower-income countries, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said on Friday (Jun 18). COVAX, bac...

TAIPEI: Taiwan will allow Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Taiwan's Foxconn, and TSMC to negotiate on the government's behalf for COVID-19 vaccines, a spokesman said on Friday (Jun 18), but warned he couldn't guarantee success. Taiwan is trying...

Move over Paul the Octopus, Thailand has a new claimant to the football forecasting crown: Boy the "psychic" lion, who has so far correctly called four Euro 2020 matches.

Health officials in India's richest state have urged authorities to step up preparations against a possible third wave of coronavirus infections, they said on Friday, as lockdowns eased less than a month after a surge that killed thousands.

MANILA: The Philippines has increased the number of nurses and healthcare workers allowed to go overseas to 6,500 annually, a senior official said on Friday (Jun 18), amid high demand for its health professionals. The Philippines, one of the world's...

BANGKOK: Thailand's planned reopening of the resort island Phuket next month to vaccinated visitors, bypassing quarantine requirements, has met a lukewarm response, with hotel bookings indicating expected occupancy of less than 20 per cent so far. T...

HONG KONG: Five men who took part in a mob attack on Hong Kong protesters two years ago were found guilty of rioting and wounding on Friday (Jun 18) in the first convictions over an assault which sparked widespread outrage. The brazen attack took p...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police charged the chief editor and chief executive of newspaper Apple Daily on Friday (Jun 18) with collusion with a foreign country, a national security case that has sent chills through the city's media. On Thursday, 500 po...

Tens of thousands on dhabas line India's national highways, but many are now struggling to survive as customers stay at home despite several state governments relaxing COVID-19 curbs on movement.

BANGKOK: A group of volunteers have spent days rescuing at least 120 cats locked up in three townhouses outside Bangkok, where the animals were kept in dark rooms and small, filthy cages with hardly any food or water. The buildings are located near...

BEIJING: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday that China rejects a U.S. Federal Communications Commission vote to advance a plan to ban approvals for equipment in U.S. telecoms networks from Chinese firms including Huawei and ZTE. ...

SEOUL: A North Korean hacking group known as Kimsuky broke into the network of South Korea's state-run nuclear think tank last month, the latest in a series of cyberattacks by the North, a South Korean lawmaker said on Friday (Jun 18). The breach of...

Satara, INDIA: Having watched his father's funeral pyre burn by a river bank close to their farm last month, Indian sugarcane grower Dattatray Bagal and his brothers had to set aside grief to count the financial cost of the coronavirus's impact on th...

Thousands of Olympic volunteers and officials began receiving vaccines in Tokyo on Friday, five weeks before the Games, as experts warned it would be safest to hold the event without fans.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must be careful when using the term "herd immunity" as COVID-19 is likely to stay even after a large portion of the population is vaccinated, national coordinating minister for immunisation Khairy Jamaluddin said on Wednesday...

Japan will tighten its rules on support for exports of new coal power plants, in line with a pact by the Group of Seven nations (G7) to halt new government backing for "unabated coal power" by the end of 2021, a government official said on Friday.

Hunters shot and killed a brown bear in northern Japan on Friday after it rampaged through a city, injuring four people including a soldier and lumbering across busy roads.

SEOUL: About 760,000 South Koreans who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine will be offered Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine as a second dose due to shipment delays by global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX, the government said.  Sev...

Japanese corporate giants are joining the nation's COVID-19 vaccination effort ahead of the Olympic Games as the government struggles to meet its inoculation targets amid fears of a resurgence of infections.

BEIJING: Eight employees of a unit of China Gas Holdings have been detained by local police after a fatal gas pipeline explosion on Sunday, according to a statement by the Shiyan city government.  The blast, which killed 25 people and injured 138, ...

Consumer prices rose slightly in Japan in May for the first time in 14 months, data showed Friday, but analysts said they were unlikely to soar above pre-pandemic levels.

SYDNEY/BEIJING: A World Bank-led project declined to award a contract to lay sensitive undersea communications cables after Pacific island governments heeded U.S. warnings that participation of a Chinese company posed a security threat, two sourc...

China is ramping up a propaganda blitz ahead of the 100th birthday of the ruling Communist Party, with banners and billboards around the country reminding citizens to live a "civilised" life and obey authorities.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily increased its Friday (Jun 18) press run after 500 police officers raided its newsroom on Thursday and seized reporting materials as part of a probe into whether articles threatened China's national security....

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country needs to prepare for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the United States under President Joe Biden, state media reported Friday.

While India’s daily infections are down sharply, many now suffer from insomnia, panic attacks and other psychological symptoms, says the Financial Times’ Amy Kazmin.

The Build Back Better World plan builds on past US efforts to boost international infrastructure financing and is not necessarily aimed at countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative, says Andre Wheeler.

Vaccine hesitancy, concerns over specific vaccines and choosiness over which vaccine to take may be causing unnecessary delays in Malaysia’s vaccination programme, says Monash University Malaysia’s Dr Vinod RMT Balasubramaniam.

Cash incentives, lucky draws and burger vouchers are among the incentives given out to encourage people to register for their shots.

The White House will consider arranging talks between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as the two countries spar over issues including human rights, a top US official said on Thursday (Jun 17).

The top US general said on Thursday (Jun 17)  there was a low probability that China would try to take over Taiwan militarily in the near-term as Beijing has some way to go to develop the capabilities needed.

The United Nations General Assembly is set on Friday (Jun 17)  to call for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urge the military to respect November election results and release political detainees, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, diploma...

YANGON: An American journalist detained in Myanmar since May appeared in a special court on Thursday (Jun 17), his employer said, where he faces charges under a law that criminalises encouraging dissent against the military. "Frontier Myanmar's ma...

COLOMBO: Dozens of turtles and dolphins were killed by intense heat and chemical poisoning from a container ship that burned for almost two weeks off Sri Lanka, authorities said on Thursday (Jun 17). The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl has bee...

HANOI: Vietnam's health ministry on Thursday reported 515 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of new daily infections recorded since the virus was first detected in the country in January last year. Vietnam has recorded 12,014 infections overall...

THIMPU, Bhutan: At least a dozen people have been killed in Bhutan and Nepal and several others are missing as torrential monsoon rains hit the region, triggering landslides and inundating homes, officials said on Thursday (Jun 17). The annual monso...

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday (Jun 17) of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of CO...

JAKARTA: Indonesia's chief economic affairs minister defended President Joko Widodo's flagship job creation law at the Constitutional Court on Thursday (Jun 17), arguing the move to simultaneously amend scores of laws in one go was legal. The law th...

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has acknowledged the king's views and will take follow-up measures based on the Constitution and the laws, said the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday (Jun 17).  The King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Mus...

A pig that became an unlikely national icon in China after surviving 36 days under rubble from a powerful 2008 earthquake has died at the age of 14, sparking an outpouring of emotion on Thursday (Jun 17).

JAKARTA: More than 350 Indonesian doctors and healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac and dozens have been hospitalised, officials said, as concerns rise about the efficacy of some vaccines against more virul...

PARIS: Cathay Pacific is working with Airbus to introduce "reduced crew" long-haul flights with a sole pilot in the cockpit much of the time, industry sources told Reuters. The programme, known within Airbus as Project Connect, aims to certify its A...

SEOUL: South Korea has provided US$900,000 to a UN-led humanitarian aid initiative for Myanmar, UN data showed on Thursday (Jun 17). A spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier data on its financ...