There were 11,646 new Covid-19 cases recorded and 107 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Thursday morning.

TOKYO: Can rock and roll keep people safe from bear attacks? One Japanese region is hoping so, and has commissioned a cautionary anthem warning residents about the threat of its ursine inhabitants.

Indonesia’s parliament approved a $190-billion state budget for next year while moving closer to passing sweeping reforms to the country’s tax system that should help fund spending and cut reliance on debt.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said on Thursday it would now be mandatory for all federal government employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with exceptions only to be allowed on health grounds.

KABUL - The Taliban on Thursday violently cracked down on a small women's rights demonstration, firing shots into the air and pushing back protesters, AFP journalists witnessed.

BEIJING: China has urged banks to steady the housing market and avoid speculation as fears mount that Evergrande's debt crisis could spill over into the property sector.

A sonar scanner was being used in the search on Thursday for a barge tug that overturned and sank in the deep and muddy Chao Phraya River on Wednesday, trapping the husband-and-wife crew inside the vessel.

The level of the Chao Phraya River remains well below the top of the flood embankments and there is no flooding in any riverside area, the Bangkok governor reassured city residents on Thursday.

BRISBANE, Australia: The Daintree rainforest in northern Queensland has been returned to its indigenous owners as the government begins to cede control of the world's oldest tropical forest.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: The Mun River burst its banks on Thursday, flooding many communities in Phimai district.