South Korea will send a government delegation to Iran "at the earliest possible date" to negotiate the release of a seized oil tanker and its crew, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Thailand's prime minister said on Tuesday his country had ordered an additional 35 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccine, bringing its total vaccine pipeline to 63 million doses.

Hong Kong's outgoing top judge made a plea on Tuesday to maintain judicial independence as China state media and a growing host of pro-Beijing figures call for an overhaul of how the financial hub's courts are run.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mr Annuar Musa has been sacked as Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s secretary-general, reported Malaysian media on Tuesday (Jan 5). Mr Ahmad Maslan, the secretary-general of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has confirm...

BEIJING: A year after the outbreak started, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are due in China for a highly politicised visit to explore the origins of the coronavirus, in a trip trailed by accusations of cover-ups, conspiracy and fear...

Chinese jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan's defence zone last year, a defence official said Tuesday, as a military-linked think-tank warned tensions were now at their highest since the mid-1990s.

TOKYO: Tokyo's annual New Year tuna auction ended on Tuesday (Jan 5) without the usual jaw-dropping bidding war, with the country's "Tuna King" holding back on gunning for the top fish, citing the pandemic woes affecting the restaurant industry. The...

The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus in South Korea passed 1,000 on Tuesday, while an increasing number of gym owners said they would reopen in protest against strict social distancing rules.

Indonesia must ensure a radical cleric and suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings does not incite more violence when he is released from jail this week, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said on Tuesday.

Indonesia will begin its nationwide COVID-19 mass vaccination programme on Jan. 13, the country's health minister said on Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia holds the view that the amount of compensation needed to be paid to Singapore for the termination of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project is much lower than S$270 million, said Minister in the Prime Minister...

NEW YORK: The New York Stock Exchange said on Monday (Jan 4) it no longer intends to delist three Chinese telecom giants that have been targeted by US President Donald Trump's outgoing administration, in a shock reversal of an announcement made on...

NEW DELHI: Representatives of the Indian government and protesting farmers failed again on Monday (Jan 4) to reach agreement on the farmers' demand that new agricultural reform laws be repealed. With the government refusing to revoke the legislation...

SHANGHAI: China reported 33 new COVID-19 cases on Jan 4, matching the count from the day before, the country's national health authority said on Tuesday (Jan 5). The National Health Commission said in a statement that 16 of the new cases were infec...

BINTAN: Fisherman Budi, not his real name, furiously scanned the sea in front of his house in eastern Bintan, Indonesia.   The water was brown and it has been hard to get a catch for the past few years. He is among hundreds of fishermen in the Ka...

India's Bharat Biotech is aiming to have a production capacity of about 700 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year, according to a top executive of the biotechnology company.

Indian government ministers and farmers' leaders on Monday failed to break the deadlock over the farmers' demands to repeal three agricultural reform laws, and will meet again on Jan. 8 for the next round of talks, one of the leaders said.

DUBAI: Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media said on Monday (Jan 4), amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to U...

Dubai Airports and the operator of Hyderabad airport, GMR Hyderabad, have agreed a logistics deal for COVID-19 vaccine distribution to handle up to 300 tonnes of vaccines per day, the companies said on Monday.

A radical Indonesian cleric linked to the deadly Bali bombings will be released from prison this week, authorities said Monday, after an earlier bid to free him early was axed following a public uproar.

KLUANG: The body of a Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) student, who was reported missing on Sunday (Jan 3), was found at Kampong Bentong in Kluang at noon on Monday. Kluang district police chief Low Hang Seng said the body of 20-year-old Ikma...

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has commended his security detail for their "loyalty and courage" in inoculating themselves with unauthorised COVID-19 vaccines, his spokesman said on Monday (Jan 4), as some lawmakers called their actions...

Thousands of mourners from a minority Shiite community in Pakistan on Monday protested alongside the bodies of miners killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong on Monday (Jan 4) extended its suspension of face-to-face school classes until mid-February, with the spread of the coronavirus in the Asian financial hub remaining "critical". Schools in the city have been mostly shut for a ye...

SEOUL: South Korea's population fell for the first time in 2020, with more people dying than were born, the government said on Monday (Jan 4), warning that towns in poor regions faced a "crisis of extinction". The world's 12th-largest economy has on...

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has started reopening schools and museums as it relaxes a six-week lockdown following a coronavirus outbreak late last year, marking a contrast with some neighbouring countries that are facing new restrictions due to rising COVID...

The US military on Monday blamed the Taliban for a spate of assassinations of prominent Afghans, the first time Washington has directly accused the insurgent group of the killings.

JAKARTA: As Indonesia prepares to begin mass inoculations against COVID-19, its plan to prioritise working age adults over the elderly, aiming to reach herd immunity fast and revive the economy, will be closely watched by other countries. Several co...

BANGKOK: Thailand will receive its first COVID-19 vaccines in February from China's Sinovac Biotech and will have the capacity to produce 200 million doses a year locally of the AstraZeneca vaccine, senior officials said. Thailand, which is aiming t...

JOHOR BAHRU: Four individuals from two frozen meat import companies were remanded for four days by the Magistrate’s Court in Johor on suspicion of being involved in corrupt activities, as investigations continue over the smuggling of frozen me...

SINGAPORE: The compensation to be paid by Malaysia to Singapore after the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project was terminated cannot be disclosed publicly because there is a confidentiality clause in the agreement between the two cou...

Afghan government representatives and Taliban officials are due to resume their power-sharing talks, officials said on Monday, although battlefield clashes and targeted killings risk undermining efforts to end the war.

HANOI: Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, the government said on Monday (Jan 4), adding that authorities are also seeking to purchase vaccines from other sources, including Pfizer. The Southea...

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister on Monday (Jan 4) urged the public to stay home to help contain the country's biggest COVID-19 outbreak yet and avoid a strict lockdown, as authorities confirmed a daily record of 745 new infections. The government...

BEIJING: Thousands of people were lining up in Beijing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as China races to innoculate millions before the Chinese New Year mass travel season in February. More than 73,000 people in the Chinese capital have received the f...

KUALA LUMPUR: A French-Irish teenager with learning difficulties died by "misadventure" after disappearing in the Malaysian jungle on a family holiday and no one else was involved, a coroner ruled on Monday (Jan 4). The mother of Nora Quoirin, watc...

SARAIL, Bangladesh: In a rickety hut on the border with Bangladesh and India, two brothers are among the last local breeders of the Sarail hound, a dog on the brink of extinction. Tall and lean with a powerful chest, pointed ears and bi-coloured fur...

SEOUL: South Korea expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily COVID-19 cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four da...

SINGHU, India: In a stand-off between farmers from India's northern breadbasket and the government that has convulsed the country, the farmers have a 21st-century ally: A handful of supporters scattered around the world running a Twitter handle. Th...

BEIJING: Activity in China's factory sector rose in December as the world's second-largest economy sustained its recovery to pre-pandemic levels, a business survey showed on Monday (Jan 4), however, increasing cost pressures slowed the pace of expans...

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday (Jan 4) the government would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climb and strain the country's medical system. The possi...

SHANGHAI: Mainland China reported 33 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jan 3), up from 24 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Monday. The National Health Commission said in a statement that 20 of the new cases were impo...

SEOUL: When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old university student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: It might be the last chance to do so covertly before people start taking off masks this year as vaccines are distribu...

An ageing population, overreliance on investment and the shifting geopolitical landscape are key challenges as the Asian giant shifts gears, says David Dollar.

A Malaysian coroner will on Monday (Jan 4) deliver an inquest verdict into the death of a French-Irish teen whose body was found in the jungle after she went missing on a family holiday.

NEW DELHI: India will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for several months, the head of Serum Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, said o...

India on Sunday granted emergency approval to Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN but faced questions after taking the step without publishing efficacy data for the homegrown coronavirus vaccine.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported 1,704 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jan 3), with Selangor accounting for the majority of the latest infections. Malaysia is currently battling its third wave of COVID-19 during its recovery movement control order (RM...

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Barisan Nasional (BN) have decided to contest all parliamentary and state seats that they won in the 14th general election (GE14). UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also BN c...

DHARMSALA: Hundreds of Tibetans in exile braved the rain and cold on Sunday (Jan 3) in India’s northern city of Dharmsala, where the exiled government is based, and voted for their new political leader as the current officeholder’s five-year term...

TOKYO: Tokyo reported 816 new daily COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jan 3), a day after governors from the capital and neighboring prefectures called on the Japanese government to announce a state of emergency to combat a recent surge in cases. Prime Min...

SEOUL: Dressed in South Korea's traditional costume, the hanbok, two divers at a Seoul aquarium make New Year bows to visitors from underwater. Under mysterious yellow and blue lights in the country's largest 2,200-ton water tank called The Ocean, t...

JOHOR BAHRU: Floods across the state of Johor have displaced more than 6,500 people as of Sunday (Jan 3) afternoon.  A total of 6,557 people from 1,694 families evacuated their homes, up from 1,780 victims from 500 families on Saturday night. Me...

Gunmen kill 11 minority Shiite coal miners in SW Pakistan

A 29-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly breaking into the Tokyo residence of Emperor Naruhito, where he reportedly spent two hours before being discovered, local media said on Sunday (Jan 3).

Thailand's government held off from ordering new nationwide business shutdowns on Sunday amid a new wave of coronavirus cases but empowered some provincial governors to set their own restrictions and pleaded with the public not to travel.

India's drugs regulator said on Sunday it had given final emergency-use approval for two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech.

PARIS: Countries across the world tightened restrictions on their populations on Saturday (Jan 2) to fight a resurgence of COVID-19, as the European Union offered to help drug companies expand vaccine production to deal with distribution "bottlenecks...

SEOUL: A South Korean health official said on Sunday (Jan 3) that a third wave of COVID-19 is being contained, as it reported the lowest number of new infections in nearly four weeks with the help of tougher restrictions during the New Year holiday ...

China reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 2, up from 22 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Sunday.

BANGKOK: A group of people were hard at work on the dusty roadside by a railway.  Wearing yellow aprons and black gloves, they swept dry leaves into piles and scooped up garbage with their hands. Their faces are wrinkled and beaded with sweat whil...

JOHOR BAHRU: About 1,000 people in Malaysia's southern state of Johor have been placed in temporary evacuation centres after flooding caused by two days of heavy rain which started on Friday (Jan 1). Four districts - Kulai, Johor Bahru, Kluang an...

NEW DELHI: India has approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, paving the way for a huge immunisation campaign in the world's second most populous country. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar t...

China will take "necessary measures" to safeguard the interests of its companies after the New York Stock Exchange began delisting three Chinese telecom firms accused of having military ties, the country's commerce ministry said on Saturday.

China has rebuffed the latest offer of talks from Taiwan, saying the government was engaging in a "cheap trick" and provocation by seeking confrontation with China at every turn.

The finishing touches were being put on a glitzy show at the Sydney Opera House Saturday, as the venue prepared to host an opera crowd for the first time since March.

India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes as the drug regulator prepared to approve the first vaccine.

Bangkok's nightlife will go quiet as a ban on bars, nightclubs and restaurant alcohol sales goes into effect Saturday, among a raft of restrictions aimed at curbing the kingdom's rising coronavirus toll.

HANOI: Vietnam has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, the health ministry said on Saturday (Jan 2). The variant was detected in a 44-year-old woman returning to Vietnam from Brit...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will request the central government to declare a new state of emergency over a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday.

BEIJING: Different efficacy results for a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine released separately in China and in United Arab Emirates are both real and valid, an executive at China National Biotec Group (CNBG) told state media. China approved its first COVID-...

China's relationship with the United States has reached a "new crossroads" and could get back on the right track following a period of "unprecedented difficulty", senior diplomat Wang Yi said in official comments published on Saturday.

South Korea will extend unprecedented social distancing rules in Seoul and neighbouring areas until Jan. 17, a health official said on Saturday, including a ban on gatherings larger than four people.

SEOUL: South Korea will expand a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to include the whole country, and extend unprecedented social distancing rules in Seoul and neighbouring areas until Jan. 17, the health minister said on Saturday (Jan...

Jokowi’s transformation from hands-on, man-of-the-people into a large and looming political leader is complete with this latest Cabinet reshuffle, says ISEAS-Yusof Ishak’s Made Supriatma.

2020 has been a brutal year of lessons regarding good governance. A look at why some low-income countries thrived should spark rethinking on the parts of advanced nations like the US and UK, says Ngaire Woods.

Entrepreneurs banking on electric vehicles as one of the solutions to tackle climate change are positioning themselves early, as Thailand looks to ramp up production.

The United States marked the New Year on Friday by passing the extraordinary milestone of 20 million Covid-19 cases, after global celebrations welcoming in 2021 were largely muted by the pandemic.

There is no sign new coronavirus variants will affect the immune impact of a vaccine that China has just authorised for public use, a disease control official was quoted as saying on Friday.

MANILA: The Philippines will prohibit the entry of foreign travellers from the United States effective Jan 3, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said on Friday (Jan 1), after the more infectious new variant of the coronavirus was detected in Flori...

SINGAPORE: Singapore residents will not be able to travel to Indonesia under existing travel corridor arrangements, after the Indonesian government imposed a temporary ban on the entry of all foreign nationals. The new regulation, which was announc...

India's drug regulator is set to approve on Friday a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The New York stock exchange has begun the process of delisting three Chinese telecoms companies as it seeks to comply with an order by the Trump administration barring investment in firms with ties to the Chinese military.

KUALA LUMPUR: The recovery phase of Malaysia's movement control order (RMCO) has been extended until Mar 31, 2021, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday (Jan 1). He said the decision was made following a risk assess...

New Year's Day is the biggest holiday in Japan's calendar, but this year's festivities have been subdued following record highs in new coronavirus cases nationwide and calls from the government to stay home.

Thousands of New Year revellers packed into the centre of Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid-19 was first detected, cheering and releasing balloons to welcome in 2021.

BEIJING: Two major airports in northeastern China are requiring departing passengers show a negative coronavirus test taken over the previous 72 hours before they can board their planes.   The requirements by the Shenyang and Dalian airports come...

The Thai capital of Bangkok will close all schools for two weeks after the New Year holiday as it tightens measures to control a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the city said on Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will honour its obligations under the Bilateral Agreement for the cancelled High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed said on Friday (Jan 1).  The Singapore and Malaysian gover...

BANGKOK: Thailand confirmed 279 new coronavirus cases and two new deaths on Friday (Jan 1), taking the total number of infections to 7,163 cases and the number of deaths to 63 since the outbreak started last January. The majority of the new cases we...

California hospitals at 'brink of catastrophe'; 25,000 dead

SINGAPORE: It is the end of the line for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project after the Prime Ministers of both countries announced on Friday (Jan 1) that the agreement for the venture had lapsed.  The Singapore Government has ...

SEOUL: Kim Jong Un thanked North Koreans for supporting his leadership in "difficult times" in a rare hand-written New Year letter released Friday (Jan 1) ahead of a crucial ruling party congress that will set the country's economic goals. The perso...

TAIPEI: Taiwan is ready to have "meaningful" talks with China as equals as long as they are willing to put aside confrontation, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday (Jan 1), offering another olive branch to Beijing in her New Year's speech. Democra...

SINGAPORE: The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project will be discontinued after the HSR agreement lapsed on Dec 31, 2020, the Prime Ministers of both countries said in a joint statement on Friday morning (Jan 1). Both Singapore and M...

Pakistan arrests 31 people over demolishing of Hindu temple

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced a Chinese court's jailing of Hong Kong democracy activists who tried to flee by boat, saying it showed Beijing's true face to its citizens and the world.

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts: Moderna on Thursday (Dec 31) confirmed it will supply 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the South Korean government, with deliveries starting in May. The vaccine, which is authorised for emergency use in the Unite...

BEIJING: China has made major progress in developing its economy and eradicating rural poverty over the past year despite the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a New Year address on Thursday (Dec 31). China was the first maj...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will end the year with a record number of daily COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, reporting 2,525 new cases on Thursday (Dec 31). There were eight more fatalities, taking the country's death toll from the coron...