News Headlines

Nearly half of Afghanistan - 21.9 million people - will need humanitarian aid this year, the UN said before the conflict with Pakistan flared up.

Sharif Osman Hadi's death set off violent protests in Bangladesh, with angry mobs torching several buildings including two major newspapers deemed to favour India, as well as a prominent cultural institution.

CNA had reported that the former political aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was told by the premier to back off from such a move, but Farhash says he did not receive any such order.  

Analysts said that with little time to prepare and Washington's attention focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran, prospects for a major trade breakthrough are limited. 

Under the framework, both countries will strengthen collaboration in areas such as cross-border electricity imports, civil nuclear energy and liquefied natural gas, among others.

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Sunday that it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft, concentrated in the Taiwan Strait, over the previous 24 hours.

South Korea’s military said that it detected about 10 ballistic missiles fired from North Korea’s capital region toward the eastern sea.

Parliament chairman Tran Thanh Man told local media the election results would be announced on Mar 23.

In this first part of a series on electric vehicles in Asia, CNA examines how one of Southeast Asia’s largest untapped copper deposits in Mindanao could boost the Philippines’ role in the global EV supply chain. 

Last month's general election result faces court scrutiny over the barcodes on the ballots, which could potentially be used to identify which party or candidate a given voter had chosen.

The Indian-flagged LPG tanker Shivalik crossed the Strait under escort from the Indian Navy, two sources said, while a second vessel, Nanda Devi, was expected to follow.

The Philippines, which is chairing ASEAN this year, convened the special meeting as concerns over the Iran conflict deepened.

Beijing has portrayed itself in the region as a reliable alternative to an erratic US President Donald Trump, who launched sweeping tariffs last year that unsettled global trade.

The Malaysian government is in a strong position to absorb the higher costs due to the various fiscal reforms and consolidation measures implemented over the past three years, said Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan.

As part of a three-year diploma programme, students will receive specialised training in areas like ingredient selection, charcoal control and flavour development, alongside business and restaurant management skills.

A second arms package, worth around US$14 billion, could be approved for Taiwan after US President Donald Trump visits Beijing later this month.

Thailand alleges that the area had been used as a base of operations by the Cambodian military as well as criminals running transnational scams.

What if the answer to volatile oil markets lies not in oil fields, but in food waste? This alternative could make airlines much less susceptible to fluctuations in oil prices. 

Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi is expected to discuss the initiative with US President Donald Trump during their planned Mar 19 meeting in Washington.

Disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have prompted India to prioritise household and transport gas supplies, leaving restaurants and other businesses scrambling for fuel.

"He will support Malaysia (when Singapore faces Malaysia), but will always show up for me," said Siti Khadijah Shahrem.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his government have little time to lose in pushing harder for reform, if they wish to retain their support base, says an academic.

Fervour for AI agent OpenClaw has consumed China in recent weeks but underneath the excitement, there are concerns, says Catherine Thorbecke for Bloomberg Opinion.

Sources tell CNA that PM Anwar Ibrahim instructed his former political aide-turned-business figure Farhash Wafa Salvador to withdraw from a campaign to take control of the company.  

Officials will weigh impacts and responses to surging oil prices as well as disruptions to shipping, logistics and trade flows.

Late last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government has been turning away applications for new data centres that are unrelated to artificial intelligence over the past two years or so.  

India invoked emergency measures last week to divert gas to priority areas, leaving the hospitality industry struggling to get sufficient supply.

The service linking the capitals will operate four days a week in both directions.

The Hong Kong flagship carrier said that the price of jet fuel has "approximately doubled" due to conflict in the Middle East.

The law implements a trade agreement for South Korea to invest US$200 billion in US strategic industries and US$150 billion in shipbuilding-related cooperation in return for more favourable tariff terms.

From diplomatic signalling to efforts to revive domestic demand and “invest in people”, China’s Two Sessions that closed on Thursday (Mar 12) offered clues to Beijing’s priorities for the year ahead and beyond.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war has disrupted global oil shipments and driven fuel prices sharply higher.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had struck the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree for ignored "warnings".

The bodies were found inside a car in Queensland’s flood-hit Gympie region.

Non-governmental organisations say they are receiving more complaints from Myanmar nationals over issues like unpaid wages, as well as allegations of recruitment scams that lure workers into illegal work such as sexual services.

The US said it found that Singapore had excess global capacity in semiconductors despite a trade deficit.

Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country.

Oil prices jumped more than 9 per cent on Thursday to break back above US$100 a barrel as Iran struck two tankers in Iraq and threatened to bring down the global economy.

The language of China's 2026 government work report reveals the tensions shaping its economic strategy, say experts.

While the Iran war has not spilled out of the Middle East, defence planners from Asia will look closely at how it is being fought, says defence writer Mike Yeo.

Some parents and experts question how realistic enforcement will be, whether children will find ways to bypass the restrictions, and how digital literacy can go in ensuring young people’s online safety.