News Headlines

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration has set a new sales target for domestically produced microchips, aiming for an eightfold increase by 2040 compared with 2020 levels.

Balendra Shah was sworn in a day after he released his first public statement since winning the Mar 5 elections, via a rap song posted on social media.

The leadership change comes just days before Myanmar's newly-convened parliament is due to meet to start the process to pick a new president. 

The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) urged the government to approve the hikes in fuel surcharge for both jet and propeller aircraft.

Speaking to CNA, the chairman of Indian conglomerate Piramal Group says artificial intelligence is opening access to credit and public services in underserved areas, but warns it could widen the gap between skilled and unskilled workers. 

In his special address on Thursday (Mar 26), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also announced that the 300-litre monthly quota for subsidised RON95 petrol under the BUDI95 programme has been reduced to 200 litres as an interim measure.

"The ironclad South Korea-US alliance is an essential pillar of peace and stability on the peninsula but excessive dependence is not desirable," President Lee Jae Myung said.

From boosting tourism to generating billions in sales, Japan’s mascots have grown into a powerful industry – but only a few become stars.

China, alongside Russia, abstained from a Mar 11 United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Iran’s strikes on Gulf countries. It had previously backed four rounds of UN sanctions over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme between 2006 and 2010.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong says Singapore is looking at how it can participate in Hong Kong's new developments, such as its Northern Metropolis project.

Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, who received her PhD from the National University of Singapore in January, encouraged some youths in Singapore to adopt her brand of radical advocacy, said Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday (Mar 27). It called her an “undesirable visitor”.

Schools are prohibited from frequently organising examinations and increasing the "academic burden on students", China's Education Ministry said.

The suspected assailant also died after stabbing himself in the neck. 

Former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin could help win back urban and younger Malay voters, while former Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein still wields influence in the party’s power networks, say observers.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the fare hikes partially defray the higher fuel costs but do not fully cover the increase.

Washington and Manila have gaps to plug in integrated air and missile defence and weapons access policy, says a geopolitical analyst.

"My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise,” Nepal’s incoming Prime Minister Balendra Shah sung in his first post-election rap.

The top United States diplomat in Taiwan pledged continued support for the island's efforts to acquire "critical defence capabilities".

"We are now in the process of releasing the Malaysian oil tankers and the workers involved so that they may continue their journey home," says Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Ko Wen-je, the founder of the Taiwan People's Party, was charged in December 2024 with corruption relating to a property development when he was Taipei's mayor.

The supplementary budget, worth 25 trillion won, is in response to the Middle East conflict and aims to support small and mid-sized firms and vulnerable households.

"The US and its allies should earnestly respect the common aspirations of regional countries ... and refrain from introducing bloc confrontation, conflict and the chaos of war into the Asia-Pacific," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

In a keynote address at the Boao Forum for Asia on Thursday (Mar 26), Zhao Leji also pushed back against what he described as power politics and bullying in the international landscape.

The country can help set new rules and standards in emerging domains such as AI, says Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Boao Forum.

In this new Makan Kakis series, Mediacorp GOLD 905’s Denise Tan and JB resident Hossan Leong discover Taman Pelangi’s best eats – Jombali Village and Restoran Ah Kaw – on this cross-border food trip.

Singapore has six restaurants on the list and Odette’s head sommelier Lesley Liu is named Asia’s Best Sommelier.

The country is now the world’s second-largest pet food exporter – trailing only Germany – and is projected to grow exports to US$5 billion by 2030.

One of the main delays is to a 2019 order for 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters, with deliveries to begin this year. 

Global demand for ube is rising, but the crop is vulnerable to erratic weather, prompting some farmers to switch to more resilient alternatives.

During a panel discussion at the Boao Forum for Asia on Wednesday (Mar 25), experts also cited Singapore as a model for emerging artificial intelligence governance.

The tanker crossed the strategic waterway on Monday after successful talks between Thailand's foreign minister and Iran's ambassador to Thailand.

Indonesia will require platforms to deactivate “high risk” social media accounts for under 16s, according to a ministerial regulation issued earlier in March.

Beijing is funnelling resources into scaled-up AI and chip clusters in its next five-year plan but analysts warn that supply-driven expansion could outpace viable market demand.

Since assuming office, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has attended at least nine international summits and made more than 40 official visits to more than 20 countries.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be delivering a keynote address at the Boao Forum for Asia’s annual conference, often touted as Asia’s version of the Davos World Economic Forum.

What was expected to be a bumper year for Indian rice exporters – on the back of a strong harvest – has instead been upended by the ongoing war in Iran.