MANILA: The Philippines' top diplomat unambiguously told Beijing where to go on Monday (May 3), as the government insisted that Chinese vessels were still illegally lingering in the disputed South China Sea. "China, my friend, how politely can I put...

SEOUL: South Korean officials fuelled hope on Monday (May 3) for the arrival of 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by mid-May to prop up an inoculation campaign that is flagging as supplies dwindle, hit by shipment delays. Nearly 3.4 million of the...

DHAKA: At least 26 people were killed when a speedboat packed with passengers collided with a vessel transporting sand on Monday (May 3) in the latest maritime disaster to hit Bangladesh. Police said the speedboat carrying about three dozen passenge...

Australia on Monday said a Chinese company's controversial 99-year-lease on Darwin Port is under review and could be scrapped, opening a new point of friction in relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Taiwan's defence minister on Monday (May 3) said that authorities were investigating whether a man from mainland China had managed to cross the Taiwan Strait in a rubber dinghy in a bid to seek political sanctuary.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has closed land crossings with Iran and Afghanistan for travellers and slashed international flights as the government warned of a "critical" few weeks ahead in the battle against COVID-19.  The border restrictions were announc...

TAIPEI: Taiwan will suspend from Tuesday (May 4) the entry of people who have been to India over the previous 14 days, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said, the latest place to enforce curbs on travel from coronavirus-battered India. The Indian var...

JAKARTA: Indonesia has recorded two cases of a highly infectious COVID-19 variant first identified in India in the capital Jakarta, the country's health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday (May 3). "There were two new mutations that entered....

India on Monday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 12th straight day, taking its overall caseload to just shy of 20 million, while deaths from COVID-19 rose by 3,417.

TOKYO: Finance ministers and central bank governors from China, Japan and South Korea on Monday (May 3) vowed "targeted" measures for those countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and committed to foster fiscal and financial stability. In...

BANGKOK: Thailand on Monday (May 3) reported a new daily record of 31 coronavirus deaths, the health ministry said, as the country grapples with a third wave of infections. After managing to largely control the virus for around a year through shutd...

BEIJING: China reported 11 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland on Sunday (May 2), down from 15 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Monday. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all the new cases were im...

An increasingly powerful China is challenging the world order, acting "more repressively" and "more aggressively" as it flexes its influence, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview that aired on Sunday (May 2).

Fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban has left more than 100 insurgents dead in the past 24 hours, the defence ministry said Sunday as it took control of a US military base in a restive province.

A leading Indian industry body urged authorities to take the "strongest national steps" and to curtail economic activity to save lives on Sunday (May 2) as the country battles surging coronavirus cases that have overwhelmed the healthcare system.

China's carrier group conducts exercises in South China Sea

KOLKATA: The incumbent chief minister's party in India's West Bengal state has defeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party in a state election held as the coronavirus pandemic surged to crisis levels. Modi has been criticised for focusing on the e...

Cambodia reported a daily record of 730 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, as the country struggles to contain a wave of infections that emerged about two months ago.

Malaysia has detected its first case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India, Health Minister Adham Baba said on Sunday, days after imposing a ban on flights from India.

NEW DELHI: India's COVID-19 death toll jumped by a record 3,689 deaths of Sunday (May 2), the highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic, taking the country's death toll to more than 215,000.  Authorities reported 392,488 new infection...

Hundreds of Thai protesters hurled red paint, tomatoes and eggs at a Bangkok court Sunday, demanding the release of all political detainees, including an activist who was hospitalised after a hunger strike.

SINGAPORE: A cross-border travel scheme facilitating trips between Malaysia and Singapore for compassionate reasons such as death and visits to loved ones who are critically ill is set to kick off on May 17. This was confirmed in a joint statement o...

Myanmar's security forces opened fire on some of the biggest anti-coup protests in days on Sunday (May 2), killing seven people, media reported, three months after the coup plunged the country into crisis.  The protests, after a spell of dwindlin...

NEW DELHI: With Indian hospitals struggling to secure a steady supply of oxygen, and more COVID-19 patients dying amid the shortages, a court in New Delhi said it would start punishing government officials for failing to deliver the life-saving items...

NEW DELHI: A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters. Des...

SEOUL: Recent comments from US President Joe Biden and members of his administration show he is intent on maintaining a hostile policy toward North Korea that will require a corresponding response from Pyongyang, North Korean officials said on Sund...

JAKARTA: Naila Novaranti, perempuan Indonesia yang telah terjun payung di tujuh benua di dunia, tak kenal gentar. Ketangguhannya telah membawanya keliling dunia dari Antarktika hingga Gunung Everest. Naila, 39, adalah atlet yang terakreditasi ole...

JAKARTA: The sky's the limit for Naila Novaranti, Indonesia’s female skydiver who has parachuted on seven continents in the world, including challenging locations such as Antarctica and Mount Everest.  A former secretary, the 39-year-old is an ...

India should go into lockdown for several weeks to arrest the current devastating surge in Covid cases, top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said in comments published Saturday.

Explosions blasted off throughout Myanmar's largest city Yangon on Saturday as protesters held flash marches for democracy, defying a brutal junta that has held onto power for three blood-drenched months.

Waking up to grim messages and speaking on a daily basis to despondent doctors, our correspondent in Mumbai wonders if her city will ever be the same again.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong migrant worker groups on Saturday (May 1) criticised plans to make COVID-19 vaccines compulsory for all foreign domestic helpers, labelling the move "discriminatory and unjust". Health officials said they were planning to roll o...

SINGAPORE: Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein will make an official visit to Singapore from Saturday (May 1) until Sunday, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). In the statement issued on Saturday, MFA said th...

JAKARTA: Workers in Indonesia marked international labour day on Saturday (May 1) with significantly less attended marches due to COVID-19 restrictions but thousands still vented their anger at a new law they say harms their rights and welfare. Abou...

BEIJING: Millions of travellers criss-crossed China as the Labour Day holiday got underway on Saturday (May 1), packing out tourist sites, thronging restaurants and visiting family as the vast country edges towards life after COVID-19. The world's ...

NEW DELHI: India was due Saturday (May 1) to open up its jumbo vaccination drive to all adults, but many states do not have the stocks as hospitals reel from a vicious COVID-19 surge. Less then two months ago, the health minister said India was in ...

NEW DELHI: India recorded on Saturday (May 1) more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours for the first time, the first country to do so in the pandemic, official data showed. According to the health ministry, 401,993 new infections were regi...

The actress says that Manson also violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England under the false pretenses of roles in music videos and movies that never materialised.

BANGKOK: Thailand on Saturday (May 1) reported a new daily record of 21 coronavirus deaths, the health ministry said, as the Southeast Asian country prepared to open registration for a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign. The health ministry repo...

SHANGHAI: China reported 16 new COVID-19 cases on Friday (Apr 30), down from 13 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Saturday. All of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas, the National Heal...

TOKYO: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast on Saturday (May 1), authorities said, but no tsunami warning was issued. At least three people were injured by Saturday's jolt, which produced strong shaking along parts of th...

AHMEDABAD: At least 18 people, including two healthcare workers were killed in a fire at a COVID-19 hospital in the western Indian state of Gujarat late on Friday (Apr 30) night, officials said on Saturday, in the country's latest deadly hospital acc...

SYDNEY: Australian citizens and residents who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday (May 3) and those who disobey will face fines and jail, government officials sai...

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Friday (Apr 30) imposed new travel restrictions on India in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States. The new restrictions, which take effect at 12:01am ET (0...

February’s coup in Myanmar has turned the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries whose militaries have played a significant political role. The programme Insight examines the situation in Indonesia and the prospects for its democracy.

It provides critical back-end staff to other countries, particularly in finance and health. Coupled with its role in pharmaceutical supply, it is imperative everyone pitches in to help India, says this economist.

Climate change has thrown monsoon, wind and wave patterns into disarray, affecting the fishermen’s operating costs and potential of pulling in a good catch.

TikTok has appointed Singaporean Shou Zi Chew as the new chief executive officer of the popular video-sharing platform.

China has taken initial steps to improve protection of US know-how under the "Phase One" trade pact, but must go further and implement those measures, the top US trade negotiator said Friday.

Sri Lanka announced Friday that its economy shrank 3.6 percent last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making it the worst downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.

The United States on Friday renewed calls for the World Health Organization's decision-making body to include Taiwan over China's objections, pointing to the island's strong record on fighting Covid.

BANGKOK: A Thai anti-government protest leader held in pre-trial detention on charges of insulting the country's monarchy has been hospitalised following 46 days of a hunger strike, the corrections department said on Friday (Apr 30). Parit "Penguin...

BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday (Apr 30) offered additional assistance to India in battling the COVID-19 outbreak ravaging the country, putting aside a simmering rivalry and tensions along their disputed border. State media reported tha...

SINGAPORE: Singapore will stop entry or transit for visitors with recent travel history to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force said on Friday (Apr 30). The ban starts on May 2 and covers all long-term ...

JAKARTA: Indonesia has greenlighted the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm on Friday (Apr 30), as the country looks to boost its vaccination programme by involving the private sector.   The auth...

TOKYO: This summer's virus-postponed Olympics could be held behind closed doors, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto told AFP on Friday (Apr 30), pledging to ensure the Games will be safe. Former Olympian Hashimoto said the Games could only be a s...

Landslides have killed at least three people at a Chinese-backed power plant on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the disaster agency said Friday, with fears that the toll would rise.

The dual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and Myanmar's post-coup political crisis could could result in nearly half the population, or as many as 25 million people, falling into poverty by 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns...

BEIJING: Gathered in a practice room, five generously proportioned young men in baggy black sweaters are patting their bellies and waggling their arms. Bearded with double chins, they shout “Hoo-Ha!” in time to upbeat African drums. The choreogr...

BANGKOK: A Myanmar swimmer has abandoned his dream of competing at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the junta ruling his homeland, saying that taking part would be "propaganda" for the regime. Win Htet Oo is one of Myanmar's top swimmers but in ear...

BENGALURU :All vaccination centres in India's financial capital of Mumbai were shut for three days starting Friday due to a shortage of vaccines, said authorities, as the country posted another record daily rise in coronavirus cases.

A North Korea defector group this week twice defied a ban by Seoul on flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula, it said Friday.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong was among the four people who pleaded guilty on Friday (Apr 30) of participating in an illegal assembly on Jun 4 last year to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen incident. It was the first time the vigi...

MANILA: Community-run stalls offering free food to the needy have multiplied across the Philippines, with many struggling to feed their families as COVID-19 restrictions bite and government help falls short. Street sweeper Juliet Reyes regularly pic...

NEW DELHI: The first US emergency aid to India arrived on Friday (Apr 30) as the country battles a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases which has overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. A Super Galaxy military transporter carrying more than 400 oxyge...

TOKYO: Tokyo consumer prices fell unexpectedly in April due to cuts in mobile phone fees by major carriers, government data showed on Friday (Apr 30), making the central bank's 2 per cent inflation target appear even more elusive. Major carriers hav...

TOKYO: Japan's industrial output posted a surprise increase in March, as a jump in car production helped keep an economic recovery from last year's deep coronavirus slump on track. The output rise will likely ease worries about the impact the health...

SYDNEY: Living half a world away from coronavirus-stricken Indian relatives, Sydney doctor Yadu Singh has beat back his frustration at being unable to help by providing lifesaving medical guidance via phone, text and video chat. It was 4am in easte...

BEIJING: China's factory activity expanded at a slower-than-expected pace in April as supply and transport bottlenecks weighed on production and overseas demand lost momentum. The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) fell to 51.1 ...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit US President Joe Biden in Washington on May 21, the White House said Thursday.

RANSIH KALAN, India: Every year, Swarn Singh sows rice in his fields, knowing that the thirsty crop is draining northern India's Punjab of its groundwater. But Singh says he has no choice, adding, "We'd rather plant crops that need less water". The...

TOKYO: A Japanese sumo wrestler has died after landing on his head during a bout last month in a horrifying injury that caused shockwaves and calls for reform in the sport. Hibikiryu, a lower-tier wrestler whose real name was Mitsuki Amano, died of...

MAE SARIANG, Thailand: Thousands of ethnic Karen villagers in Myanmar are poised to cross into Thailand if, as expected, fighting intensifies between the Myanmar army and Karen insurgents, joining those who have already escaped the turmoil that foll...

BANGKOK: A shortage of hospital beds in Thailand has put a strain on its public health system as a new wave of COVID-19 infected more than 34,000 patients this month. On Thursday (Apr 29), the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) rep...

Among the five is the woman who returned the dogs, initially thought to be uninvolved in the robbery.

The United States is looking to help India quickly and sharply scale up oxygen supplies available for COVID-19 patients as it rushes in aid, officials said on Thursday (Apr 29).

Why were the Academy Awards show blocked in China? A nationalist backlash against Nomadland director Chloe Zhao isn’t quite it, says Professor Bo Zhiyue.

One can assess ASEAN’s recent emergency meeting in Jakarta in two ways. One scenario is cautiously optimistic; the other would be tantamount to pure fatalism, says a foreign affairs observer.

Chile, a global leader in vaccination, is considering issuing a "green card" to those inoculated against the coronavirus in an effort to encourage younger adults who may be reluctant to turn out for their shots, health officials said on Thursday (Apr...

Pakistan has purchased 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from three Chinese companies, its health minister told Reuters on Thursday.

India's severe medical oxygen supply crisis is expected to ease by mid-May, a top industry executive told Reuters, with output rising by 25 per cent and transport infrastructure ready to cope with a surge in demand caused by a dramatic rise in corona...

NATO has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said Thursday.

BANGKOK: A court in Thailand on Thursday (Apr 29) denied bail for seven detained activists accused of insulting the king, two of whom have deteriorating health from more than a month of hunger strikes, their lawyer said, prompting concern from right ...

BEIJING: Financial regulators in China summoned 13 Internet companies on Thursday (Apr 29) to call for changes to their fintech operations, the central bank said in a notice, as Beijing ramps up scrutiny on monopolistic practices in the country's te...

Vietnam said on Thursday it had detected its first locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus in 35 days, as authorities ordered tighter surveillance to prevent a new outbreak.

TAIPEI: Taiwan began moving more than 400 people to a centralised quarantine facility on Thursday (Apr 29) from an airport hotel after a rare domestic outbreak of COVID-19, and will sterilise the entire hotel building. Taiwan has kept the pandemic w...

JAKARTA: Indonesia has formally designated Papuan separatists as "terrorists", its chief security minister said on Thursday (Apr 29), a move activists said could expand the powers of security forces, including lengthy detentions without charge. The ...

NEW DELHI: Ashish Poddar kept an ice pack on hand as he waited outside a New Delhi hospital for a black market dealer to deliver two drugs for his father, who was gasping for breath inside with COVID-19. But the drugs never arrived, the ice that was...

China warned the United States on Thursday (Apr 29) against imposing its democratic ideals, while criticising trade sanctions and military moves in Beijing's backyard just hours after President Joe Biden's speech on American geopolitical priorities.

Japanese business leaders and a Nobel Prize-winning biologist called upon the government to reform its vaccination programme, including allowing drive-through inoculations, as the nation struggles to contain a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BEIJING: China's population grew last year, the statistics bureau said on Thursday (Apr 29), in an apparent bid to quash reports that it had fallen, but authorities stopped short of saying from which year numbers had grown. On Tuesday, the Financial...

BANGKOK: Thailand's finance ministry on Thursday (Apr 29) reduced its 2021 economic growth forecast for a second time this year to 2.3 per cent from 2.8 per cent growth, after a third wave of coronavirus infections struck the tourism-reliant nation...

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Thursday (Apr 29) that authorities would build houses for the relatives of the crew of a submarine that went missing before being found in pieces on the bottom of the Bali Sea, with all 53 personnel ...

China became the country to have administered COVID-19 vaccinations to more people than any other this week, but health authorities will need to accelerate the rollout to meet a target to inoculate 40per cent of its population by the end of June.

In Hong Kong's famed party zone Lan Kwai Fong, dormant bars and clubs are revving up to serve customers again, but only if they have had at least one vaccine shot - one of the few examples globally of offering greater freedom for the vaccinated.

Unidentified attackers fired rockets at two Myanmar air bases on Thursday (Apr 29) but there were no casualties and only minor damage in another sign of deteriorating security since the military overthrew an elected government three months ago. Ther...

The team bus of Liaoning Hongyun will be auctioned to help pay its former players, but it will take much more than that to raise the $850,000 that Jacob Mulenga says he is owed.

BENGALURU: India's COVID-19 infections crossed the 18 million mark on Thursday (Apr 29) with almost 380,000 new cases, breaking another world record for new daily infections. The explosion in infections, blamed in part on a new virus variant as wel...

QINGDAO: Chinese officials were waiting for better weather before deciding whether to siphon off the remaining cargo from a stricken tanker after hundreds of tonnes of oil spilled into the Yellow Sea after a collision in dense fog two days ago. The ...

The United States said on Thursday it was "deeply concerned" by a new Hong Kong immigration law which includes powers to stop people leaving the city, raising fears Chinese mainland-style exit bans could be deployed there.