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 of 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 det...

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 with...

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.

A rooster fitted with a knife for an illegal cockfight in southern India has killed its owner, sparking a manhunt for the organisers of the event, police said Saturday.

SINGAPORE: Veteran Hong Kong actor Wu Mengda died on Saturday (Feb 27) at the age of 70. Wu, also known as Ng Man-tat, died in hospital surrounded by his family, reported Hong Kong English daily The Standard. A close friend of the actor said Wu was...

The Tokyo Olympics should take place before a live audience, Japan's new Olympics chief has said, despite concerns about hosting the Games during a global pandemic.

Asia Today: S. Korea allows workers to squeeze extra doses

Bangladesh is under "no obligation" to shelter 81 Rohingya Muslim refugees adrift for almost two weeks on the Andaman Sea and being assisted by neighbouring India, said Bangladesh foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended partial coronavirus curbs in the capital until the end of March, as the country awaits the arrival of vaccines.

YANGON: Police in Myanmar on Saturday (Feb 27) escalated their crackdown on demonstrators against this month’s military takeover, deploying early and in force as protesters sought to assemble in the country's two biggest cities. Myanmar police als...

Spider-Man star Tom Holland was grappling with an angry Twitter storm in India on Friday in a case of mistaken cyber identity.

Unlike his predecessors, Chinese President Xi Jinping has demonstrated greater intensity in the desire for reunification, says Cui Lei from the China Institute of International Studies.

Malaysia is waging a fierce battle against a third wave of COVID-19 cases. CNA examines the ups and downs of mitigating the pandemic.

A shipment of 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India is set to arrive in Canada on Wednesday, the chief executive of local partner Verity Pharmaceuticals said on F...

Students clashed with police in Bangladesh's capital on Friday as anger mounted at the death of a writer and government critic in a high-security jail.

NEW YORK: Myanmar's UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, speaking for the country's elected civilian government ousted in a military coup on Feb 1, appealed to the United Nations on Friday (Feb 26) "to use any means necessary to take action against the Myan...

MANILA: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday (Feb 26) signed into law a Bill that gives indemnity to vaccine-makers if their COVID-19 shots cause adverse side effects, days before the country starts its lagging inoculation programme. Desp...

The global economy warrants caution due to uncertainty over coronavirus vaccinations and variants, though Japan's economy shows signs of recovery with low infections, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday.

NEW DELHI: India's economy grew 0.4 per cent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2020, official data showed on Friday (Feb 26), ending its first recession since independence as easing COVID-19 restrictions sparked a modest recovery. The country has...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian banking group AMMB Holdings Berhad (AmBank) said on Friday (Feb 26) it will pay RM2.83 billion (US$699 million) to settle claims linked to a massive financial scandal at state fund 1MDB, a hefty payment that is expected to h...

TAIPEI: Taipei slammed a sudden Chinese ban on Taiwanese pineapples, describing the move on Friday (Feb 26) as "economic intimidation" and likening it to recent tariffs Beijing slapped on Australian wine. The trade to China - which views the island ...

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong university has scrapped an exhibition of World Press Photo winners just days ahead of its opening, citing "safety and security" fears. The decision by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) comes as Beijing and local authorities...

TAIPEI: Taiwan could begin administering its homemade COVID-19 vaccines as early as July, the health minister said on Friday (Feb 26), with the island still awaiting the arrival of imported vaccines to begin its immunisation campaign. Taiwan has kep...

NEW DELHI: India will halt coronavirus vaccinations this weekend to upgrade software used to coordinate its campaign, the health ministry said on Friday (Feb 26), preparing to expand the programme after infections surged in some states. With the wor...

Sri Lanka on Friday ended forced cremations of people who have died of coronavirus, after visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Colombo to respect the funeral rites of the island's minority Muslims.

JAKARTA: Several regencies in the Indonesian province of Riau have raised their alert status for land and forest fires as a number of hotspots have been detected since the beginning of the year. Riau's deputy governor Edy Natar Nasution said in a s...

YANGON: Myanmar security forces cracked down on anti-coup protesters in the country's second-largest city on Friday (Feb 26), injuring at least three people, two of whom were shot in the chest by rubber bullets and another who suffered a wound on his...

BANGKOK: A Thai court granted bail on Friday (Feb 26) to three ministers stripped this week of Cabinet posts after convictions for insurrection over anti-government protests that culminated in a 2014 military coup, their lawyer said. The three, and ...

TOKYO: Myanmar police released a Japanese freelance journalist on Friday (Feb 26) after briefly detaining him during a protest in the commercial capital of Yangon, Radio Free Asia showed in a livestream on Facebook. The arrest of Yuki Kitazumi, who ...

NEW DELHI: India and China have agreed to set up a hotline between their foreign ministers as the two nuclear-armed neighbours look to reduce tensions along a disputed Himalayan border where their troops have been locked in confrontation since last s...

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is struggling to beat back his biggest political challenge in years from a protest movement which began with disgruntled farmers travelling to New Delhi on tractors and is now gaining wider support at ho...

TOKYO: Twenty-five years after Pokemon first began delighting children and adults alike, the phenomenon is still capturing hearts, with smartphone craze Pokemon Go enjoying record success in coronavirus-hit 2020. The augmented-reality game raked in ...

HONG KONG: The Chinese University of Hong Kong has withdrawn recognition of its student union, saying criticism of the city's national security law by newly elected union leaders may have been illegal. The move, accusing the union of having "exploit...

TOKYO: Nami Hamaura says she feels less lonely working from home thanks to her singing companion Charlie, one of a new generation of cute and clever Japanese robots whose sales are booming amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Smart home assistants such as Am...

TOKYO: A forest fire in a sparsely populated area 75km north of Tokyo continued to rage for a fifth day on Friday (Feb 26), as local officials were set to ask dozens more households to evacuate hillside villages. The fire in the vicinity of Ashikag...

Nearly half of Tokyo high schools ask students with hair that is wavy or not black to submit certificates confirming that their hair is not artificially altered, public broadcaster NHK has reported.

SEOUL: Two self-made South Korean billionaires have pledged in as many weeks to give away half their fortunes - a rarity in a country where business is dominated by family-controlled conglomerates and charity often begins and ends at home. Kim Beom-...

Public hospitals are deserted. Government offices left dark. And the trains don't leave the stations.

India finds boat adrift with Rohingya refugees; 8 dead

SEOUL: A group of Russian diplomats and family members used a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea this week, amid Pyongyang's strict anti-coronavirus measures, which include blocking most forms of passenger transport across the border. Nor...

Bangladesh has begun administering coronavirus vaccines to sex workers from the country's largest brothel, a vast warren of shacks home to around 1,900 prostitutes.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong began administering its first COVID-19 vaccines to the public on Friday (Feb 26), kicking off its programme offering free vaccinations to all 7.5 million residents. People age 60 and older and healthcare workers are among the 2....

WASHINGTON: A US court has ordered North Korea to pay damages to the crew and family of the spy ship USS Pueblo, who were tortured and mistreated for 11 months in 1968 after being captured by the North Korean navy. The Washington federal court said ...

The Japanese government will end a state of emergency in all but Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures at the end of this month, a week earlier than scheduled, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.

AMSTERDAM: The Dutch parliament on Thursday (Feb 25) passed a non-binding motion saying the treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority in China amounts to genocide, the first such move by a European country. Activists and UN rights experts say at leas...

South Korea on Friday (Feb 26) administered its first available shots of coronavirus vaccines to people at long-term care facilities, launching a mass immunisation campaign that health authorities hope will restore some level of normalcy by the end o...

BANGKOK: Bottles of black liquid lined the bar, where cocktails would normally be concocted with different gins from around the world. But on this day, they contained black vinegar, used to complement the bar’s latest offering - dumplings. A few s...

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister said on Thursday (Feb 25) his meeting with Myanmar's military-appointed foreign minister this week following a coup in the neighbouring country did not mean "endorsement". The meeting on Wednesday mainly saw him l...

LONDON: Britain announced on Thursday (Feb 25) further sanctions against members of Myanmar's military after it seized power in a coup at the start of this month. The British Foreign Office said it would sanction a further six military figures, addi...

NEW DELHI: India imposed tough new rules on social media platforms on Thursday (Feb 25) as it accused US tech giants of "double standards" in taking down disputed content. The regulations take effect in three months and will force social media, onli...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is seeking $2.2 billion from Chinese banks, the government said on Thursday (Feb 25), in echoes of a borrowing binge more than a decade ago that resulted in the country having to give up a strategic port to China. Money and capit...

Thousands of Indonesia's religious figures gathered on Thursday (Feb 25) for mass COVID-19 inoculations for clergy and faith groups, with monks, priests, imams and nuns queuing to receive their first doses of vaccine.

MANILA: Philippine soldiers will be required to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the military said on Thursday (Feb 25), as the country prepares to receive its first doses and begin inoculations. Pressure is mounting on President Rodrigo Dute...

Pakistan and India on Thursday (Feb 25) pledged to end all firing along their disputed Kashmir frontier, according to a joint statement from their militaries, after months of violence between the nuclear-armed rivals.

The day the military seized power in Myanmar three weeks ago, Phyu delved into her company's emergency funds and gave her staff a one-month advance on their salaries. Phyu, who runs a market research firm, saw trouble ahead then, but is not sure how...

TAIPEI: Taiwan will begin slightly easing restrictions on foreign visitors coming to the island beginning on Monday (Mar 1). The Central Epidemic Command Center says foreign nationals wishing to come to Taiwan for business can apply for special perm...

BEIJING: China on Thursday (Feb 25) said it had never asked US diplomats to undergo COVID-19 anal swabs, following American media reports that State Department personnel had complained of being subjected to the intrusive test. China - which has larg...

NEW DELHI: India is struggling to convince its health and frontline workers to take a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine controversially approved without late-stage efficacy data, government data showed on Thursday (Feb 25), days ahead of a wider roll-out. ...

SEOUL: At six in the morning, Heo Kwang-eum tees off another day in Thailand in coronavirus quarantine - literally. He is one of dozens of South Korean visitors spending two weeks in isolation playing golf at a resort an hour north of Bangkok. The 6...

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian man on Thursday (Feb 25) won the country's first legal challenge against Islamic laws banning gay sex, a victory hailed as "monumental progress" in combating persecution of the LGBT community. He was charged in an Islamic c...

JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers hunted for survivors Thursday (Feb 25) after an illegal gold mine collapsed killing at least three people, with more believed to be buried under the rubble, officials said. A landslide Wednesday evening buried the remot...

Some armed with knives and clubs, others firing slingshot and throwing stones, supporters of Myanmar's military attacked opponents of the coup in downtown Yangon on Thursday (Feb 25), while Southeast Asian governments groped for ways to end the crisi...

Helicopters, firefighters battle 2 forest fires in Japan

Indonesia will receive at least two million doses of a coronavirus vaccine produced by China's Sinopharm for use in a private vaccination scheme due to run alongside a national inoculation programme, a minister said on Thursday.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong residents are buying more houses and apartments to lease out for income in Britain, property agents say, a trend that coincides with what many expect to be a wave of emigration after China passed a national security law last year...

MANILA: The Philippines will take delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccines at the weekend, allowing it to kick off its inoculation programme from next week, a senior official said on Thursday (Feb 25). Despite having among the highest number of coron...

Audiences are cramming into Chinese cinemas to watch a sentimental comedy that has rapidly become one of the most popular films of all time in the country and marks a triumphant debut for its female director.