Myanmar's military rulers have approved new investment in projects worth nearly US$2.8 billion, including a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant that will cost US$2.5 billion, the country's investment body said. Approvals for 15 projects were giv...

JERUSALEM: Israel will sign a free trade agreement with South Korea this week, marking the first such arrangement with an Asian market, Israel's economy ministry said on Sunday (May 9). The deal is meant to bolster bilateral trade by cutting out cus...

MUMBAI: India's COVID-19 deaths rose by more than 4,000 for a second consecutive day on Sunday (May 9) as calls for a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus mounted. India's health ministry reported 4,092 fatalities over the past 24 hou...

The death toll from bombs planted outside a girls' school in an area of the Afghan capital populated largely by Shiite Hazaras rose to 50 Sunday as the Taliban denied government accusations that they were behind the bloody attack.

BEIJING: Remnants of China's biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday (May 9), with the bulk of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, according to Chinese state media, ending days of speculation over where the...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will ban all interstate and inter-district movement without permission from the police starting from Monday (May 10). The nationwide ban will last four weeks until Jun 6. It covers all states regardless if they are under the ...

The May 2 election results were a resounding vote of confidence for state chairman Liew Chin Tong, say researchers.

Many modern militaries operate old platforms. The greater challenge is whether maintenance programmes have kept up, says defence analysts Mike Yeo.

KUALA LUMPUR: Emily Lim Phaik Siew seperti tidak sabar-sabar setiap kali berpeluang menghidupkan enjin dan menunggang Kawasaki Vulcan S 650, sebuah motosikal berkuasa tinggi miliknya yang dibeli Disember tahun lalu. “Menunggang motosikal membolehk...

KUALA LUMPUR: Emily Lim Phaik Siew looks forward to every chance she gets to throw a leg over her Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 - a heavyweight bike she acquired last December - and ignite the engine. “Travelling on a motorcycle allows you to get closer t...

DHAKA: Bangladesh has detected its first case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India, the country's health directorate said on Saturday (May 8), weeks after it sealed its borders with its neighbour. Six cases of the Ind...

Myanmar's junta declared Saturday night that a group of ousted lawmakers running a shadow government would now be classified as "terrorists", as the military moves to tighten its grip over a country in turmoil.

SHANGHAI: China's Internet watchdog said on Saturday (May 8) that it will ban some mobile app notifications and tighten regulations as the government ramps up a campaign to rein in the growing influence of Internet companies over its citizens' daily ...

NEW YORK: China has urged United Nations member states not to attend an event planned next week by Germany, the United States and Britain on the repression of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang, according to a note seen by Reuters on Fri...

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia reported 4,519 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday (May 8), the second consecutive day that daily infections have crossed the 4,000 mark.  Selangor recorded the highest number of new cases with 1,722 infections, ...

MALE, Maldives: Maldives police have arrested two people over an assassination attempt on former president Mohamed Nasheed who has been taken off life support, officials and relatives said on Saturday (May 8). The Indian Ocean island has called in i...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday (May 8) began a nine-day shutdown affecting travel and tourist hotspots in a bid to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Already battling a third wave of infections and increasi...

BANGKOK: Thailand expects to offer the Moderna vaccine to most of its population as soon as it steps up the roll-out of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, a health official said on Saturday (May 8). The latest drive comes amid growing public critici...

COTABATO, Philippines: Dozens of Muslim militants occupied a public market overnight in the southern Philippines before fleeing after a tense stand-off with government forces, officials said on Saturday (May 8). The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighte...

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed remained in intensive care Saturday as security services stepped up the hunt for the attackers, who allegedly used a remote control bomb on the democracy pioneer and climate activist.

MORADABAD, India: People in India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh are fighting not just a raging pandemic but also a prickly Hindu nationalist local government that many say is in denial. The state authorities, headed by a monk touted by some a...

PORTO, Portugal: The European Union (EU) and India are expected to further bolster warming ties on Saturday (May 8) by relaunching long-stalled trade talks and agreeing to work together against the pandemic battering the South Asian giant. The deva...

CHENNAI: India on Saturday (May 8) reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns. India's health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overa...

BEIJING: A large segment of a Chinese rocket is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on the weekend, but Beijing has downplayed fears and said there is a very low risk of any damage. A Long March 5B rocket launched t...

The State Department also advised private Americans to reconsider any plans they may have to visit the Himalayan country and asked those already there who wish to leave to submit information to the embassy.

Defeat for the BJP in the West Bengal state elections is a sign voters’ perceptions of their Prime Minister is changing, says Coventry University lecturer Saba Hussain.

Poor reception to the news in Malaysia is because of the perceived double standards in enforcement, the haphazard implementation of the MCO and the worry the government is losing the COVID-19 battle, says James Chin.

The pandemic has crippled many eateries in JB. However, this orh luak stall, run by an elderly couple and their son, has tweaked its business strategy to survive amid tough times.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday attacked a US proposal to hold a "Summit for Democracy," saying such a gathering would only deepen fissures on the international stage.

BANGKOK: Guerrilla soldiers from Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority burned down a government military outpost on Friday (May 7) after capturing it without a fight when its garrison fled, a senior Karen officer said. The position is about 15km from a ...

GENEVA: The World Health Organization announced on Friday (May 7) it had approved a COVID-19 vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm for emergency use. The vaccine, one of two main Chinese shots that collectively have already been given...

Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa on Friday reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 25th time, breaking his own record for the most summits of the highest mountain in the world.

Hong Kong authorities said on Friday residents who have been fully vaccinated can spend a shorter time in quarantine if they have been exposed to a COVID-19 patient, after thousands of people were sent to tiny quarantine quarters for up to 21 days.

BANGKOK: Thailand plans to waive its mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to its capital Bangkok and top tourist destinations from October, an official said on Friday (May 7), in a bid to revive a key industry battered by coronavirus travel c...

TOKYO: International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach's visit to Japan is now expected to be cancelled given that the state of emergency has been extended in Tokyo and other areas, broadcaster NHK said on Friday (May 7) citing unnamed sources. Tok...

The head of tobacco giant Philip Morris said the company will phase out conventional cigarettes in Japan within 10 years, in an interview with the Nikkei business daily published Friday.

KATHMANDU: Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday (May 7) of a major crisis as daily COVID-19 cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. Nepal reported 9,070 new confirmed cases...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a spike of more than 4,400 new COVID-19 cases on Friday (May 7), on the first day of a renewed lockdown in several areas including the capital Kuala Lumpur. There were a total of 4,498 new infections, an increase of...

Travellers entering the Philippines will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine, up from a week previously, as authorities try to contain more infectious coronavirus variants, the presidential spokesman said on Friday.

BENGALURU: As a wave of COVID-19 infections has swept through India, overwhelming its healthcare system and government, people have turned to Twitter in a desperate attempt to crowdsource help for anything from COVID-19 tests to oxygen cylinders. Pl...

BANGKOK: Sureerat Chiwarak sat with calm resolve in front of a Bangkok court as her head was shaved in a protest to support her activist son, jailed for weeks without bail on criminal charges of insulting Thailand's powerful king. It was a moment th...

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Open, scheduled for May 25 to May 30, has been postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country, organisers said on Friday (May 7). Malaysia on Wednesday imposed movement restrictions in the capital...

WELLINGTON: New Zealand wants a more mature relationship with China that goes beyond trade ties and gives room for disagreement, particularly on issues of human rights, the Pacific nation's foreign minister said on Friday (May 7). Nanaia Mahuta's co...

US citizen in Thailand charged with murdering Thai wife

BEIJING: China said Friday (May 7) the risk of damage on Earth from a rocket which fell out of orbit after separating from Beijing's space station was "extremely low", after the United States warned it could crash down onto an inhabited area. Milit...

BEIJING: China said on Friday (May 7) that the risk of damage on Earth from a rocket which fell out of orbit after separating from a module of its new space station was "extremely low", after the United States warned that it could crash down onto an ...

TOKYO: A COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and other parts of Japan was extended on Friday (May 7), less than three months before the Olympics, with restrictions also imposed in two more regions as infections surge. The emergency measures, less s...

TOKYO: Unused COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are set to reach tens of millions of doses, as the country is poised to approve two more shots in coming weeks and the pace of its inoculation campaign remains slow due to manpower and logistical bottlenecks. ...

TOKYO: Japan Airlines posted an annual net loss of US$2.6 billion on Friday (May 7) but did not release a forecast for the current financial year, citing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic. The carrier, Japan's second-largest by market share, ...

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak, who has been convicted over the mammoth 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, is in trouble with the law again - this time for breaking COVID-19 rules in a restaurant.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release on Friday (May 7) of four Hong Kong activists who were jailed for taking part in a vigil for victims of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s popular resort island Phuket is pushing for a “special channel” that would allow it to procure COVID-19 vaccines through its local administration and the private sector, as a new wave of cases could delay its reopening plan...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that he would issue a directive to prevent police officers and personnel from conducting random checks on foreigners without valid reason. He said that this wa...

BENGALURU: India reported another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases on Friday (May 7), bringing the total number of new cases for the week to 1.57 million, as the country's vaccination rate falls dramatically due to transport problems and a lack ...

More than 30 sick climbers have been evacuated from the foot of Mount Everest, raising fears that COVID-19 may scupper a hoped-for bumper season on the world's highest mountain.

Former Maldives president and current parliamentary speaker Mohamed Nasheed was recovering in hospital on Friday (May 7) after an assassination attempt left him with shrapnel wounds.

China's exports growth unexpectedly accelerated in April as the brisk United States recovery and stalled factory production in other countries hit by COVID-19 propped up demand for goods made in the world's second-largest economy.

Japan's government is set to extend on Friday (May 7) a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas by about three weeks until the end of May to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases just months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.

TOKYO: An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled has garnered almost 200,000 signatures in the past few days, as public concerns mount over holding the Games in a pandemic. With less than three months to go before the start ...

It was harrowing to be sick from a notoriously unpredictable virus knowing that drugs, hospital beds and oxygen were scarce, says the Financial Times’ New Delhi correspondent Amy Kazmin.

The US military has deployed more heavy bombers and fighter jets to protect withdrawing American and coalition troops from Afghanistan, which have so far sustained no direct attacks, the Pentagon said Thursday.

HONG KONG: A 15-year-old was among five people arrested in Hong Kong under a sweeping national security law, police said on Thursday (May 6), with local press reporting social media posts sparked their detention. Officers from a specialist team in ...

A Thai court on Thursday granted bail to a prominent pro-democracy protest leader who has reportedly been on hunger strike for over a month.

BANGKOK: A flash mob of mostly young people in Myanmar’s biggest city staged a brief protest march on Thursday (May 6) against military rule, the latest in a series of actions aimed at reducing the chances of a deadly response by the authorities. ...

NEW DELHI: India's badminton team has been forced to withdraw from the Malaysian Open due to a travel ban, potentially impacting the players' hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Thursday (May 6) th...

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to arrest anyone not wearing a mask properly, including below the nose, as the country battles to contain surging COVID-19 infections. Duterte issued the directive after a meeting with ...

TOKYO: A remote Japanese fishing town has sparked debate after spending coronavirus relief funds on a giant squid statue that cost nearly US$250,000 in a controversial bid to boost post-pandemic tourism. The huge pink monument with its tentacles out...

MUMBAI: About 230 million Indians fell into poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year with young people and women the hardest hit, and the current second wave threatens to make matters even worse, a new study has said. India's stringent months...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will repatriate its citizens from the northern and western regions of India amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in India. Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Thursday (May 6) said the repatriation mission will u...

BENGALURU: When an Indian children's rights group tracked down two boys aged 6 and 8 after it was told that their parents were both severely ill with COVID-19 and unable to care for them, the children had not eaten for days. The case, reported by t...

JAKARTA: Three Chinese vessels, one with a manned submersible capable of descending to 10,000m, have arrived in Indonesian waters to help retrieve a submarine that sank and broke apart last month, killing 53 people on board, an official said on Thurs...

MEDAN: The death toll from a landslide at a hydroelectric dam project on Indonesia's Sumatra island has risen to 10, an official said Thursday (May 6), as authorities called off a week-long search for victims. A landslide triggered by heavy rains st...

KUALA LUMPUR: Othlan Jalil, 34 was getting the charcoal fire up to roast his first batch of syrup-glazed chicken wings. There were two more days to go before he would shut for Hari Raya this year. “I had hoped that we could last all the way un...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday (May 6) became the latest of India's neighbours to seal its borders with the South Asian giant as it battles a record COVID-19 surge. Bangladesh and Nepal have also banned flights and sought to close their borders with...

India's cricket chief Sourav Ganguly has defended the attempt to hold the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the country's COVID-19 emergency, insisting it was not a mistake.

BEIJING: The resumption of student visa applications at United States missions in China got off to an acrimonious start this week when netizens took exception to an American embassy social media post they interpreted as likening Chinese students to ...

NEW DELHI: India saw record new jumps in COVID-19 cases and deaths on Thursday (May 6), dashing tentative hopes that the catastrophic recent surge was easing. Health ministry numbers showed 3,980 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the national tot...

The seven members of the Blitzers have trained hard for three years – enduring gym sessions, singing lessons and up to 10 hours of dance practice at a time – for their shot at stardom.

BEIJING: China's state economic planner said on Thursday (May 6) that it has "indefinitely" suspended all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, the latest setback for their strained relations. "Recently, some Australian C...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong will face another 10 months in jail for participating in an unauthorised assembly on Jun 4, 2020, to commemorate the 1989 crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square. It was the first ...

Australia's competition regulator on Thursday (May 6) said that it would block a pricing, code-sharing and scheduling deal between Qantas and Japan Airlines because it would likely mean higher fares for passengers.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday (May 5) that it is following the trajectory of a Chinese rocket expected to make an uncontrolled entry into the atmosphere this weekend, with the risk of crashing down in an inhabited area.

NEW YORK: More than 200 global organisations urged the UN Security Council on Wednesday (May 5) to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, saying the time for statements has passed and immediate action is needed to help protect peaceful protesters agains...

About one in four women in the world’s most populous country are said to have endured domestic abuse. The programme Undercover Asia speaks to victims, experts and an ex-abuser about the deep-seated problem.

What the glittering top line economic growth figures out of China do not show is the millions of Chinese still living in poverty and this is an important driver of China’s political strategy, says an economics professor.

The hardships of the pandemic seem to have triggered a surge in some forms of labour organising, says an economist.

 US President Joe Biden is expected to announce his strategy toward China soon, and calls are growing for him to make a clear public commitment to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of Chinese aggression.

Myanmar’s security forces moved in and the street lamps went black. In house after house, people shut off their lights. Darkness swallowed the block.

Rescue workers dressed in protection gear hoist a gleaming coffin to a temple's crematorium - a fast-tracked process that is a departure from Thailand's tradition of days-long funerals as the kingdom grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak.

HANOI: Vietnam has extended the quarantine period for anyone arriving in the country to three weeks, authorities said Wednesday (May 5), following a fresh community COVID-19 outbreak. The nation has so far kept case numbers low - recording just over...

Going door-to-door in a Manila suburb, Philippines health workers administered COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday to those unable to visit clinics due to illness or old age as part of efforts to protect more vulnerable groups in the area.

GENEVA: WHO experts have voiced "very low confidence" in data provided by Chinese state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on its COVID-19 vaccine regarding the risk of serious side-effects in some patients, but overall confidence in its ability to prevent th...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Wednesday (May 5) that Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru are among the places under a movement control order (MCO) from May 7 to May 20, as the government retightened restrictions ami...

Thai court says key official can stay despite drug case

JAKARTA: Indonesia's economy shrank for the fourth consecutive quarter in January-March, data showed Wednesday (May 5), as the country's leaders struggle to overcome a recession wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The 0.74 per cent on-year contract...

GENEVA: Nepal is being overwhelmed by a COVID-19 surge as India's outbreak spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday (May 5). "We need to act now and we need to act fast to have...

JAKARTA: Train stations and airports in Jakarta were packed with travellers making a last-ditch effort to leave the capital city, with the government set to impose another ban on Thursday (May 6) on the annual exodus to other provinces marking ...

LONDON: The United States, South Korea and Japan pledged Wednesday to cooperate on North Korea as their top diplomats met in London, coming together despite renewed tensions between the Asian nations. Joined by aides, US Secretary of State Antony B...

LONDON: The Group of Seven meeting in London was hit by a COVID-19 scare on Wednesday when India's foreign minister and his entire team said they were self-isolating after two delegation members tested positive. Britain is hosting the three-day fore...

Cricket authorities in Australia and New Zealand rushed to evacuate star players from Covid-hit India on Wednesday, after the lucrative Indian Premier League was abandoned.