An internal probe is underway on how an alleged attacker was able to sneak a gun into the police headquarters on Wednesday, before being fatally shot.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday (Apr 1) they would resume the use of BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine next Monday after abruptly halting inoculations nine days ago due to defective packaging. A batch of 300,000 doses is due to arrive i...

MANILA: The Philippine military said on Thursday (Apr 1) it has documented illegal manmade structures on Union Banks in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands, near areas where hundreds of Chinese vessels had massed last month. Military chief Lieu...

Taiwan and the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau launched a coronavirus travel bubble on Thursday (Apr 1) to promote tourism, in recognition of their success in stamping out the pandemic locally.

China's CanSino Biologics Inc said the efficacy rate for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine may fall over time although it should still have a rate of 50per cent or more five to six months after inoculation.

SEOUL: Roiled by property scandals and economic failures, South Korea's liberal ruling party looks set to lose the mayoral offices in the two largest cities, making it harder for President Moon Jae-in to achieve the policy goals of his last year in o...

TOKYO: Japan's government said on Thursday (Apr 1) it will impose COVID-19 emergency measures in Osaka, such as shorter business hours, asking people to work from home and that they should refrain from activities like karaoke. Osaka governor Hir...

BEIJING: Designer Zhou Li took to the stage amid applause following her runway show at China Fashion Week with a prop that has political overtones: A bouquet of cotton plants. "As far as I'm concerned, I think Xinjiang cotton is my sweetheart, my lo...

GENEVA/KUALA LUMPUR: Myanmar Red Cross workers have been arrested, intimidated and injured on the frontlines as they tried to treat mounting civilian casualties, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Thur...

RAWANG, Malaysia: Paper masks and goggles are among offerings that Chinese Malaysians will burn to mark Qing Ming Festival on Sunday (Apr 4), hoping that their ancestors can use them to fight COVID-19 in the afterlife. Qing Ming, or Tomb Sweeping ...

NEW DELHI: India opened up its COVID-19 inoculation programme to people above 45 on Thursday (Apr 1) as infections surge, which will delay vaccine exports from the world's biggest vaccine producer. The country, with the most number of reported COVI...

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court found seven prominent democrats guilty of unauthorised assembly charges, including 82-year-old barrister Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 72, the latest blow to the city's beleaguered democracy movement. Lee, who h...

South Korea said on Thursday it will issue so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports to immunized citizens, joining other nations introducing such certificates to revive cross-border travel while keeping infection risks under control.

The national security advisers for the United States and the Philippines discussed their shared concerns over Chinese activities in the South China Sea in a call on Wednesday (Mar 31), the White House said.

NEW YORK: China on Wednesday (Mar 31) said it wanted a "democratic transition" in military-ruled Myanmar, but ruled out sanctions at a United Nations Security Council meeting. "China hopes that Myanmar will restore peace, stability and constitutio...

Japan's first doses of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine are coming from plants in the United States, the company said in an interview with the Asahi Newspaper.

The UN envoy on Myanmar on Wednesday implored the Security Council to take action amid the escalating crisis there, warning of the risk of civil war and an imminent "bloodbath" as the junta violently represses pro-democracy protests.

India hit a five-month high for cases this week, but it will need to revisit the factors that gave it a breather for 10 weeks earlier this year, say NUS’ Dr Karthik Nachiappan and Dr Diego Maiorano.

Asian Americans of all types experience being “forever foreigners” in a wide range of ways, says a sociology professor.

Myanmar’s military government announced on Wednesday (Mar 31) it is implementing a unilateral one-month ceasefire, but made an exception for actions that disrupt the government’s security and administrative operations.

Worldwide losses of old-growth tropical forests increased 12 per cent in 2020, with climate impacts such as fires, storms and droughts playing a significant role, causing an area roughly the size of Denmark to disappear, according to new data report...

The Bangladesh government wants to send thousands more Myanmar Rohingya refugees to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal before the cyclone season starts despite safety concerns raised by the international Red Cross.

SINGAPORE: Singapore and China are looking at how travel links between the two countries can resume, Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Wednesday (Mar 31). Dr Balakrishnan was speaking at the end of a two-day visit to F...

The United States reaffirmed Wednesday that Hong Kong has lost its autonomy from China as it vowed to pressure Beijing for dismantling the city's special status.

BEIJING: China on Wednesday (Mar 31) slammed "unethical" critics as it faced mounting pressure over origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, after the World Health Organization chief revived the theory that the coronavirus may have leaked from a Chinese lab...

JAKARTA: A woman was shot dead by Indonesian police in a gunfight at the force's national headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon (Mar 31). The 25-year-old was a "lone wolf" who believed in Islamic State ideology, police chief Listyo Sigit ...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will receive its first 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by drugmaker AstraZeneca in June, the country's science minister said on Wednesday (Mar 31). The Southeast Asian nation, which began its national COVID-19 vaccinat...

JAKARTA: Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina said it has put out a fire that had engulfed part of its 125,000 barrel per day refinery in Balongan, West Java and had begun making preparations to restart the plant. The fire broke out just after mi...

Hundreds of Chinese vessels believed to be manned by militias in the South China Sea have spread to a wider area, the Philippines said on Wednesday, defying its demand for the flotilla to be withdrawn immediately.

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) have pledged to strengthen cooperation in facing the next general election.  In a joint statement on Mar 31 (Wednesday), both parties also stressed that the...

Indonesian firefighters were working Wednesday to put out a large blaze at one of the country's biggest oil refineries that has been burning for more than two days after an explosion rocked the facility.

YANGON: Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in good health on Wednesday (Mar 31)  in her first video meeting with one of her lawyers since she was detained in a coup, as the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff to leave t...

H&M and other fashion brands have been under fire in China for statements voicing concern about allegations of labour violations in cotton fields in the far west region.

China's Huawei Technologies reported modest annual profit growth for 2020 as overseas revenues declined due to disruption caused by the pandemic and the company's placement on a US export blacklist.

TOKYO: A Japanese karate champion who will compete at the Tokyo Olympics testified before an ethics commission on Wednesday (Mar 31), alleging that a federation official hit her in the face with a bamboo sword. Ayumi Uekusa, who will compete in the ...

Japan has halted new aid to Myanmar in response to the coup, according to the country's foreign minister, but is stopping short of sanctions imposed by some nations on military and police commanders.

BANGKOK: Five Thai activists were indicted on Wednesday (Mar 31) on charges of attempted violence against the queen during a demonstration last year, when a royal motorcade encountered dozens of protesters. Their lawyer Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen said p...

JAKARTA: The second black box of the ill-fated Sriwijaya Air plane that crashed into the Java Sea in early January and killed all 62 people on board has been recovered, authorities said on Wednesday (Mar 31).  The location of the cockpit voice reco...

TAIPEI: The China-US trade war is pushing Beijing to step up its efforts to steal technology and poach talent from Taiwan to boost China's semiconductor industry's self-sufficiency, the government of the tech-powerhouse island said on Wednesday (Mar...

HONG KONG: A Filipina who was sacked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong after being diagnosed with cancer - a case that exposed the vulnerability of low-paid foreign workers - has passed away, a friend confirmed on Wednesday (Mar 31). Baby Jane Allas...

YANGON: Myanmar activists held candle-lit vigils overnight after scores of deaths in recent days from a military crackdown on anti-coup protesters and clashes in ethnic border areas, as the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff to leave. ...

The southwestern Chinese city of Ruili that borders Myanmar ordered on Wednesday a one-week home quarantine for residents of the city's urban area due to new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases there.

Australian Olympians became embroiled in the global row over Chinese forced-labour cotton on Wednesday (Mar 31) as the country revealed its uniforms for the upcoming Tokyo Games.

Her character’s name in the upcoming series was similar to that of a prominent figure in the 1987 student protests in South Korea, Chun Young Cho.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said an understanding has been reached for all ministers who are party members of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to continue serving in his Cabinet.  The statement, issued on ...

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr on Tuesday called for new steps to ensure Huawei Technologies and ZTE equipment is barred from U.S. telecommunications networks and ensure no electronic devices produced with forced labor enter the Uni...

JAKARTA: Indonesia's transport ministry said on Wednesday (Mar 31) that it had recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea shortly after take-off on Jan 9, killing all 62 people on board. A news...

WASHINGTON: The United States strongly condemns moves by China to further reduce political participation and representation in Hong Kong and is deeply concerned by a second delay in the territory's Legislative Council elections, the US State Departme...

BEIJING: China's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in three months in March as factories cranked up production after a brief lull during the Chinese New Year holidays, with improving global demand adding further momentum to a solid ...

TOKYO: Japan's famous cherry blossoms have reached their flowery peak in many places earlier this year than at any time since formal records started being kept nearly 70 years ago, with experts saying climate change is the likely cause. Japan's favo...

US orders departure of non-essential diplomats from Myanmar

The timing, response by local authorities and other related developments this week gives food for thought on China’s response, says Professor Bo Zhiyue.

The United States will speak out about human rights everywhere including in allies and at home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Tuesday, turning a page from Donald Trump as he bemoaned deteriorations around the world.

Tracing his fingers over a "Love and Peace" tattoo inked on his forearm in a misty valley on the Thai-Myanmar border, 49-year-old former soldier Isaac said he was contemplating a return to war.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday (Mar 30) met to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches but did not take any immediate action, although the United States said the world body was considering new measures.

A group of religious and socially conscious investors and other funds are ramping up pressure on Western companies over alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, highlighting the challenges for brands trying to maintain their business t...

Chile's president Sebastian Pinera said on Tuesday (Mar 30) that his government had signed a new deal with CanSino Biologics for its one-dose coronavirus vaccine as the South American nation vaults ahead with one of the world's fastest inoculation dr...

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday (Mar 30) replied to a letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and said Islamabad desires peaceful relations with New Delhi, an official source told Reuters.

Japan and Indonesia's ministers of defence and foreign affairs pledged on Tuesday to tighten their military ties to face an assertive China as the two countries hold talks in Tokyo.

KUALA LUMPUR: In addition to the one it already has, Malaysia is set to receive by the middle of this year another vessel that removes plastic trash from rivers. The vessel, built by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, is sponsored by ...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has allowed in a container of plastic waste from the United States after finding that it held only clean, recyclable material, and did not after all violate a brand-new United Nations treaty banning trade in contaminated plasti...

TOKYO: A man has been charged over online abuse directed at a Japanese star of Netflix reality show Terrace House who took her own life last year, prosecutors said on Tuesday (Mar 30). A spokesman for Tokyo Prosecutors' Office told AFP they had mad...

A billionaire Thai opposition figure was charged Tuesday with defaming the monarchy after he questioned the government's alleged over-reliance on coronavirus vaccines from a company linked to the royal family.

KATHMANDU: Nepal was set to restart COVID-19 inoculations after receiving a donation of doses from China, resuming a campaign that was put on hold because India slowed vaccine exports. India and China have sought to use vaccine diplomacy to extend i...

MAE SAM LAEP, Thailand: Thailand's prime minister denied on Tuesday (Mar 30) that his country’s security forces have sent villagers back to Myanmar who fled from military airstrikes, and said his government is ready to shelter anyone who is escapin...

Thanks to media and civil society groups, there's a steady flow of accurate information and analysis on Myanmar's current situation to protesters, says a media studies professor.

HANOI: A court in Vietnam on Tuesday (Mar 30) sentenced a Facebook user to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of spreading "anti-state propaganda" on social media, police said. Vu Tien Chi, 55, was convicted of "making, storing, spreading i...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday (Mar 30) the government expects to hold Legislative Council elections in December, more than a year after they were postponed due to COVID-19. Lam was speaking at a press conference after China ...

YANGON: Rubbish piled up on the streets of Myanmar's main city on Tuesday (Mar 30) after activists launched a "garbage strike" to oppose military rule as the toll of pro-democracy protesters killed by the security forces since a Feb 1 coup rose to m...

JAKARTA: Indonesian state oil firm Pertamina said on Tuesday (Mar 30) it was still trying to fully extinguish a fire that broke out at its Balongan refinery a day before, injuring six people and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of nearby resident...

A Myanmar footballer playing for a Malaysian club has been hit with a one-match ban for flashing the three-finger salute used by anti-coup protesters during a game, an official said Tuesday.

HWASEONG, South Korea: In a South Korean rice field, the teenage world drone-racing champion is preparing to defend his title in one of the planet's fastest and highest-tech sports. But at all of 18 years old, Kang Chang-hyeon fears he is quickly p...

Several Asian countries scrambled to find alternative sources for COVID-19 inoculations on Tuesday (Mar 30) after export restrictions by manufacturer India left a World Health Organization-backed global vaccine sharing programme short of supplies.

HANOI: A court in Vietnam handed a two-year suspended jail term to a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant on Tuesday (Mar 30) after finding him guilty of breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules and spreading the virus to others, police said. After a one-da...

Shares in AirAsia Group fell in morning trade on Tuesday (Mar 30), as analysts lowered earnings forecasts after the Malaysian budget airline group posted its record quarterly loss.

MUMBAI: India recorded 56,211 new cases of coronavirus, a slight dip from the country's record-breaking tallies over the last three days, data from the health ministry showed on Tuesday (Mar 30). The country's tally dipped below the 60,000 mark afte...

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will make a two-day trip to Fujian, China, his ministry said on Tuesday (Mar 30).  "(His) visit reaffirms the long-standing and substantive relations between Singapore and China, as both cou...

BEIJING: Leather, glitter, stilettos and a strut - voguing, the underground dance phenomenon, has seized Beijing and given China's LGBT community a "playground" to celebrate their identities. Sashaying down the runway clad in fake fur, mile-high wi...

BEIJING: Beijing approved a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system on Tuesday (Mar 30), a senior politician who works with China's parliament on matters relating to the former British colony's mini-constitution, told Reuters. The measure...

TOKYO: Japan's health minister apologised on Tuesday (Mar 30) after media reported ministry employees had gathered at a restaurant late at night in Tokyo in violation of the government's COVID-19 contagion protocols. Norihisa Tamura confirmed that 2...

KUALA LUMPUR: The US Customs has found forced labour practices in Top Glove's production of disposable gloves and directed its ports to seize goods from the manufacturer, it said on Monday (Mar 29). In a statement overnight, US Customs and Border P...

SHRI DUNGARGARH, India: Asli Bai Sayat, 72, had to travel for two hours on a camel cart to get her first COVID-19 vaccine shot in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan, but she may not have to go so far for the follow-up dose. After a slow start, In...

The civilian death toll in the Myanmar military's crackdown on protesters passed 520 as armed rebel groups on Tuesday (Mar 30) threatened the military government with retaliation if the bloodshed does not stop.

PARIS: France on Monday (Mar 29) slammed "blind and deadly" violence in Myanmar where the ruling junta's ruthless crackdown left more than 100 people dead on Saturday, during the deadliest weekend since the military coup. "The security forces in ...

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, slammed South Korea's president for calling the North's recent missile test "concerning" and suggesting Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington should not create hurdles for talks, state media KCNA ...

After UMNO’s general assembly meeting, the shifting sands of coalition politics and UMNO’s polarising announcement make the road ahead rockier, says James Chin.

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi said on Monday he had tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving his first dose of an unnamed vaccine, just over a week after a similar announcement from the prime minister.

WASHINGTON: The US is immediately suspending all engagement with Myanmar under a 2013 trade and investment agreement until the return of a democratically elected government, US trade representative Katherine Tai said on Monday (Mar 29).  Saturday w...

NEW YORK: Britain has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar, where scores of anti-coup protesters were killed over the weekend, diplomatic sources said on Monday (Mar 29). The 15 Security Council members wil...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's budget airline AirAsia Group reported a record quarterly loss on Monday (Mar 29), as depreciation and impairments deepened the impact of lockdowns, but said it was confident of a full recovery in two years' time. Net loss in...

SINGAPORE: Singapore is studying a proposal from Hong Kong to reopen borders safely, said Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung on Monday (Mar 29) after a Hong Kong official said it has resumed discussions on a travel bubble with Singapore. “We are v...

A Myanmar toddler has miraculously survived a weekend airstrike that killed his father in their bamboo hut near the coup-hit country's border with Thailand.

SINGAPORE: Singapore has condemned the bombing in front of a Catholic church in Indonesia on Sunday (Mar 28), saying there is no justification for such violence. “Nothing can justify such violence against innocent civilians and places of worship,�...

India reported the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases in five months on Monday, with the second wave of the disease driven by surging infections in the country's richest state Maharastra.

Thai police on Monday vowed to arrest more people participating in anti-government protests after detaining nearly 100 at a demonstration a day earlier, citing a law restricting gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Indians gather for Holi celebrations as virus cases surge

JAKARTA: The two suspected suicide bombers who attacked a Catholic church in Makassar, Indonesia were husband and wife who received online training on bomb making, authorities said on Monday (Mar 29).  Speaking at the scene of the attack, the hea...

The Oscars will not be shown in Hong Kong for the first time in more than half a century, its local broadcaster confirmed Monday, as doubts remained over whether Hollywood's top awards will air in mainland China.

SINGAPORE: Malaysia has paid more than S$102 million in compensation to Singapore for the terminated Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, ministers from both countries said on Monday (Mar 29).  The payment of S$102,815,576 (RM32...

GENEVA: An international expert mission to Wuhan has concluded it was very likely that COVID-19 first passed to humans from a bat through an intermediary animal, while all but ruling out a laboratory leak. The intermediate host hypothesis was deeme...