BEIJING: At least 12 people were killed and nearly 140 others injured when a gas line explosion ripped through a residential compound in central China's Hubei province on Sunday (Jun 13), local officials said. Rescue efforts were continuing, accordi...

CARBIS BAY, England: China on Sunday (Jun 13) pointedly cautioned Group of Seven leaders that the days when "small" groups of countries decided the fate of the world was long gone, hitting back at the world's richest democracies which have sought a u...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police arrested at least three protesters on Saturday (Jun 12), the anniversary of protests in 2019 that rocked the financial hub and eventually led to Beijing introducing a security law that critics say has stifled dissent.  ...

TOKYO: Toshiba Corp's second-biggest shareholder on Sunday demanded the board chairman and three other directors resign immediately after an investigation found the company had colluded with the Japanese government to pressure foreign investors. ...

Mainland China reported 34 new COVID-19 cases on June 12, down from 35 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday.

CARBIS BAY, England: Leaders of the world's largest economies unveiled an infrastructure plan Saturday (Jun 12) for the developing world to compete with China’s global initiatives, but they were searching for a consensus on how to forcefully call ...

CARBIS BAY, England: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-Yong reaffirmed a commitment between their countries and Japan to work closely toward the "denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," the State Dep...

An incursion by Chinese aircraft into Malaysian airspace is yet another reminder of Beijing’s belligerence, says this observer

JAKARTA: Mitos tentang pulau Semau, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia mengatakan jika ada yang berani menginjakkan kakinya di pulau tersebut dan bukan merupakan penduduk setempat, maka dia tidak akan bisa kembali dalam keadaan hidup. Noverius Henutesa ...

JAKARTA: Local myth has it that strangers who dare to step foot on Semau island in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, will not be able to return home alive.  Noverius Henutesa Nggili, who is part of a motorcycle group that tours the province ...

HANOI: Vietnam has approved the COVID-19 vaccine jointly made by Pfizer and BioNTech for domestic emergency use, the government said on Saturday (Jun 12). It is the fourth vaccine to be endorsed in the Southeast Asian country that is tackling a new ...

BEIJING: China’s famed wandering elephants are on the move again, heading southwest while a male who broke from the herd is still keeping his distance. The group left a wildlife reserve in the southwest of Yunnan province more than a year ago and ...

NEW DELHI: Ram Babu moved from his village to the Indian capital New Delhi in 1980, to clean cars. Soon, he learned to drive and got a job as a tour bus driver. Decades later, he set up his own company, Madhubani Tours and Travels. In March 2020, a ...

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday (Jun 12) cut taxes on medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators and drugs used to treat COVID-19 infections, after widespread criticism over healthcare costs during a devastating second wave of the virus in April an...

Myanmar's junta on Saturday (Jun 12) accused some of the country's two dozen ethnic armed groups of providing training to its opponents to carry out a wave of bombings that it said had targeted public buildings including schools.  Bomb attacks have...

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has restricted the annual Haj pilgrimage to citizens and residents and set a maximum of 60,000 pilgrims in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was announced on Saturday (Jun 12) by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in a ...

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh on Saturday (Jun 12) began overseeing the dismantling of "floating home" communities on the banks of the Tonle Sap River over the objections of longtime residents who say they have nowhere else to go. For...

WASHINGTON: Japanese chemist Ei-ichi Negishi who won the Nobel prize for developing a method for creating complex chemicals necessary for manufacturing drugs and electronics has died aged 85, his US university said. Negishi died on Sunday in Indiana...

ROME: Italian police said Saturday (Jun 12) they had arrested a man wanted by Britain in connection with a people-smuggling plot that led to the death of 39 Vietnamese migrants in the back of a lorry. Stefan Damian Dragos, a 28-year-old Romanian cit...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is seeking an interim claim of US$40 million from the operator of a fire-ravaged cargo ship to cover part of the cost of fighting the blaze, officials said on Saturday (Jun 12). Sri Lanka's attorney general has sent the claim to l...

HONG KONG: The main representative of the Chinese government in Hong Kong said on Saturday (Jun 12) people trying to turn the city into a "pawn in geopolitics" were the "real enemies" and Beijing was the true defender of the city's special status. L...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong bankers and lawyers will be able to search the city's companies registry under proposed exemptions to plans to tighten public access to the database, Secretary for Financial Services Christopher Hui said on Saturday (Jun 12). Bu...

CARBIS BAY, England: The Group of Seven richest democracies on Saturday (Jun 12) sought to counter China's growing influence by offering developing nations an infrastructure plan that would rival President Xi Jinping's multi-trillion-dollar Belt and ...

Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow was released Saturday from prison on the second anniversary of the city's huge democracy rallies, with police out in force and protests now all but banned.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is expected to spend 8 billion ringgit (US$1.95 billion) on fuel and cooking oil subsidies this year, more than double the 3.78 billion ringgit originally allocated, the finance ministry said on Saturday (Jun 12). The announce...

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday (Jun 12) reported 84,332 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, the lowest in more than two months, data from the health ministry showed. The South Asian country's total COVID-19 case load now stands at 29.4 mil...

LONAVLA, India: Indian start-up Mylab Discovery Solutions hopes that its inexpensive COVID-19 home test kit - the country's first - will help the massive South Asian nation better track the pandemic's spread among its 1.3-billion people. CoviSelf ...

CARBIS BAY, United Kingdom: G7 leaders are on Saturday (Jun 12) set to agree a joint declaration aimed at preventing another pandemic, as they resume wide-ranging talks at their first in-person summit in almost two years. The group of leading econ...

SHANGHAI: China reported 35 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Jun 11, up from 22 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Saturday (Jun 12). Of the new cases, eight were local transmissions, compared with nine the previous day, ...

The groups Pakistan has nurtured in supporting the Taliban could strike at its own breast, says Shashi Tharoor.

The Johor skyline is now dotted with empty condominium units, due to an oversupply in the market and lack of foreign buyers.

CARBIS BAY, England: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday (Jun 11) gave the Tokyo Olympics a show of public support at a meeting with Japan's Yoshihide Suga and welcomed efforts to ensure the Games can take place safely. The Tokyo 2020 Ol...

WASHINGTON: The United States and China clashed in rare talks on Friday (Jun 11) as President Joe Biden made his international debut at the Group of Seven (G7) summit, with his administration pressing Beijing on COVID-19, Taiwan and human rights. S...

Pakistan announced a budget Friday of 8.4 trillion rupees ($54 billion) for the next fiscal year, basing it on an ambitious growth target of 4.5 percent and tripling spending on public sector development with an election just two years away.

JAKARTA: McDonald's was forced to briefly shut some outlets in Indonesia earlier this week when the launch of a limited edition meal inspired by K-pop group BTS sparked frenzied excitement and fears of coronavirus contagion. Videos shared with Reute...

MANILA: A polio outbreak in the Philippines has ended, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which praised government efforts to fight the disease despite the coronavirus pandemic. The U...

BEIJING: China has punished 27 government officials deemed responsible for last month's ultramarathon deaths, the state-run People's Daily said on Friday (Jun 11), one of the world's deadliest sporting tragedies in recent history. Twenty-one people ...

A firebrand Pakistani scholar has been detained for making death threats against Nobel prize laureate Malala Yousafzai over her comments on marriage, officials said Friday.

JAKARTA: Indonesia is preparing to receive thousands of deportees from Malaysia, a government official said on Friday (Jun 11), amid a crackdown there on undocumented workers and as the country suffers its most severe coronavirus outbreak so far. Ma...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's movement control order, known as MCO 3.0, will be extended for another two weeks from Jun 15 to Jun 28. Senior Minister for Defence Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced in a statement on Friday (Jun 11) that the decision to extend...

GENEVA: The United Nations rights chief said on Friday (Jun 11) that violence was escalating across Myanmar, warning that the country had plunged into a "human rights catastrophe" since the Feb 1 coup. Pointing to reported military build-up in seve...

BEIJING: Congestion at container shipping ports in southern China is worsening as authorities step up disinfection measures amid a flare-up in COVID-19 cases, causing the biggest backlog since at least 2019. More than 150 coronavirus cases have been...

KUNMING: A herd of wild elephants trekking across China took a break to forage and play in a forest in China's Yunnan province, after one animal became separated from the group. The main herd of 14 foraged and played in the forest after passing thro...

BEIJING: A new Chinese law against foreign sanctions is designed to boost Beijing's power against international pressure, but could spark compliance dilemmas for foreign businesses operating in the world's second-largest economy. It comes just a wee...

BEIJING: Solar panel "wings" spread out and two camera "eyes" pointing ahead, China's Mars rover Zhurong struck a birdlike pose as it explored the Red Planet in photos released by the country's space agency on Friday (Jun 11). Zhurong's touchdown in...

BANGKOK: Thailand has signed a purchase order for 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine develop by Pfizer and BioNTech to be delivered before the end of this year, its health minister said. Details of the deal, delivery time frame and the vaccine...

MANILA: The Philippines will exempt elderly people who have been fully vaccinated from stay-at-home orders to encourage more to get inoculated and help authorities meet COVID-19 immunisation targets, officials said on Friday (Jun 11). Seniors living...

Thailand is prioritising AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccines produced in the country for itself due to the severity of the pandemic there, which has delayed deliveries to Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday.

Hong Kong censors are to vet all films for national security breaches under expanded powers announced on Friday, in the latest blow to the financial hub's political and artistic freedoms.

NEW DELHI: Another spat between India's government and US big tech has exacerbated disillusion among firms which have spent billions to build hubs in their largest growth market, to the extent some are rethinking expansion plans, people close to the...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to depart Friday for the Group of Seven summit in Britain where talk of countering China could overshadow Seoul's efforts to be seen as a bigger player on issues such as climate change and the COVID-19 pande...

KUALA LUMPUR: United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has pleaded with the king to not extend Malaysia's state of emergency beyond Aug 1, its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said after an audience with the ruler on Friday (Jun 11).  The party also ...

SOMA: Tamio Hayashi, 77, doubted he could ever navigate the Internet systems set up to register for COVID-19 vaccines across most of Japan. He hated the idea of using the "troublesome" systems that have broken down and befuddled other older resident...

Beijing has broken its legal obligations by undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and used a national security law to "drastically curtail freedoms" in the global financial hub, according to a report by Britain on its former colony.

KUALA LUMPUR: Recent festive celebrations in Malaysia sparked 60 COVID-19 clusters involving 3,511 cases, the health ministry said on Thursday (Jun 10). From May 13 to Jun 10, authorities said 58 clusters linked to Hari Raya Puasa and two clusters ...

India began an inoculation drive for its 1.38 billion people in earnest in mid-January.

Myanmar military plane crash kills 12, including senior monk

Train travel has largely ground to a halt in Cambodia due to the coronavirus but railway fans can still get their fix aboard a stationary carriage converted into a hipster cafe.

China reported 22 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for June 10, slightly higher than 21 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Friday.

Even after Trump, facts are being used to push narratives, rather than to guide us to the truth, says the Financial Times’ Jemima Kelly.

WASHINGTON: A US senator on Thursday (Jun 10) slammed American companies, including Amazon.com, Apple and Nike, for turning a blind eye to allegations of forced labour in China, arguing they were making American consumers complicit in Beijing's repr...

JAKARTA: Indonesia reported 8,892 new daily coronavirus infections on Thursday (Jun 10), the highest number since Feb 23. The country has reported nearly 1.9 million cases in total. Data from Indonesia's COVID-19 taskforce also showed 211 deaths r...

BEIJING: China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday (Jun 10) that a US move to revoke the Trump administration’s executive orders intended to ban apps like TikTok and WeChat was a “positive step,” amid strained relations between the two c...

Japan's Toshiba sought government help to try and influence a boardroom vote proposed by activist shareholders at its last regular annual general meeting, according to an independent probe published Thursday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The investigation findings for the crash involving two trains on the Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (LRT) line on May 24 showed that certain critical procedures were neglected by the hostler and operation control centre.  Minister fo...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka announced an investigation on Thursday (Jun 10) into a possible oil slick reported off its west coast where a container ship is submerged after burning for 13 days. Coast Conservation Minister Nalaka Godahewa said local experts we...

Hong Kong's anti-discrimination watchdog slammed two prominent pro-Beijing politicians on Thursday (Jun 10) for recent comments warning that next year's Gay Games would "divide the city" and bring "dirty money".

TAIPEI: Taiwan's Medigen Vaccine Biologics said on Thursday (Jun 10) that it was seeking a speedy emergency use authorisation, or EUA, from the government for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate after safely completing phase two trials. Developing its ow...

MANILA: A delay in COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the Philippines has forced some cities in the capital region to close vaccination sites, complicating Manila's efforts to ramp up its immunisation drive. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Thu...

Hong Kong customs announced their biggest ever bust of a speedboat gang smuggling luxury goods into the mainland on Thursday, unveiling a haul that included watches, handbags and shoes, endangered animal parts, cosmetics, wines, whiskey and cigars.

SINGAPORE: The Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble will remain on hold even though the COVID-19 situation in Singapore has improved, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on Thursday (Jun 10).  Authorities on both sides will review the situation ...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong will allow children aged 12 and above to receive the BioNTech coronavirus vaccine as it seeks to boost immunisation rates in the city. Government officials said on Thursday (Jun 10) they will offer the vaccine to about 240,000 c...

Taiwanese rights activists on Thursday urged authorities to revoke a "discriminatory" ban on migrant workers going outside after a coronavirus outbreak spread to the island's lucrative tech sector.

AstraZeneca says it is working closely with Southeast Asia governments to ensure its COVID-19 vaccine is supplied "as quickly as possible", after reported delays in deliveries of orders from a Thai plant owned by the country's powerful king.

SEOUL: South Korean lawmakers are pushing for reform to reduce the military's judicial power after a female soldier who had suffered sexual abuse committed suicide, rekindling criticism of the military's handling of sex crimes. An air force master s...

JAKARTA: An adult male orangutan has been released into an Indonesian national park by conservationists and the government after he was caught eating a villager's coconut plants on Borneo island. As the orangutan habitat diminishes due to land use, ...

A Myanmar military plane carrying a senior monk crashed near the central city of Mandalay due to bad weather on Thursday, a junta spokesman said, with conflicting reports on casualties.

KUALA LUMPUR: More leaders of key Malaysian political parties met King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Thursday (Jun 10), the second day of a series of meetings called by the ruler. Thursday's meetings began with an au...

BENGALURU: An Indian state has raised its COVID-19 death toll sharply higher after the discovery of thousands of unreported cases, lending weight to suspicion that India's overall death tally is significantly more than the official figure. Indian ho...

Wild wind and flooding rain lash southeast Australian state

Protesters shot during rallies against Myanmar's military regime are avoiding treatment for their wounds, fearing arrest if they visit junta-run hospitals and searching desperately for sympathetic doctors to operate on them in secret.

New corruption cases have been opened against Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and two other former officials from her government, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said on Thursday.

Police in China arrested over 1,100 people suspected of using cryptocurrencies to launder illegal proceeds from telephone and Internet scams in a recent crackdown, the Ministry of Public Security said.

3-story building collapses in India in heavy rain, kills 11

At least nine people were killed when a five-storey building being demolished in South Korea suddenly collapsed, crushing a bus, officials said.

SEOUL: South Korea is considering plans to vaccinate workers at key businesses including chip and electronics firms to prevent disruptions to production, an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The labour ministry...

Outside class hours, Kim Kyung-wook delivers meals on foot to apartment blocks near his university in eastern Seoul, while constantly checking his phone to trade stocks, cryptocurrency and used Nike sneakers.

Youths, graduates and migrant workers are paying the price in Malaysia’s on-off movement control orders, says Stewart Nixon.

The European Union denounced on Wednesday Hong Kong's major overhaul of its political system as a breach by China of its international commitments and threatened to send a delegation to visit the autonomous city.

If the spread of COVID-19 continues at current rates it will be years before the virus is controlled in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, as it called for countries to share excess vaccine doses.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued an internal directive calling for several initiatives to counter China, US officials said on Wednesday, but few specifics were provided on how they would be different from efforts already underway.

SINGAPORE: Eight out of 11 member states of the Southeast Asian Games Federation have objected to Vietnam's proposal to postpone the competition over COVID-19 fears, according to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). The SEA Games Federation Office...

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga lamented on Wednesday (Jun 9) drawing so much criticism for Japan's hosting of the Olympics with the COVID-19 crisis unabated, while a newspaper reported that local spectators may be allowed to attend.

An international medical charity warned Wednesday of "life-threatening" consequences for thousands of HIV and tuberculosis patients in Myanmar after it was ordered by the junta to stop work in a southern city.

JAKARTA: More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered on Wednesday (Jun 9) over COVID-19 fears as the chain's new BTS meal deal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop mad country. Jakarta and several other citi...

The Chinese foreign ministry defended the value of cultural exchanges with Japan on Wednesday after Chinese intellectuals came under heavy attack from nationalists online for attending events sponsored by the Japanese government over many years.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has stoked a feud with boxer Manny Pacquiao by criticising his "shallow" foreign policy knowledge, after the senator and eight-division champion said that he found the leader's stand on the South China Sea was "la...

SEOUL: Nine people died and another eight were seriously injured after a building collapsed in southern South Korea on Wednesday (Jun 9), sending debris falling on a bus, local media said. Concrete from the building, which was being demolished at th...

DOHA: India's Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday (Jun 9) said that comparisons with Lionel Messi are misplaced after surpassing his tally of international goals, and added that he remains a huge fan of the Argentine star. Chhetri overtook Messi's total ...

COIMBATORE, India: Twenty-eight elephants have been tested for COVID-19 at a forest reserve in southern India, officials said on Wednesday (Jun 9), after the reported death of a rare Asiatic lion from the virus. In what is believed to be the first ...