News Headlines

Organisers say that more than 3,200 events are planned in all 50 states, with flagship rallies in New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC, for what they hope could be the largest single-day nonviolent protest in US history. 

The talks come after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a national energy emergency earlier this week, citing oil supply disruptions due to the Middle East conflict and announced efforts to diversify fuel imports, including sourcing from China.

North Korea has long been accused of widespread rights abuses, including running prison camps and severely restricting freedom of expression and access to information.

The new government will move quickly to deliver a policy statement to parliament so it can begin its work, said Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Indonesian tankers Pertamina Pride and Gamsunoro, owned by a subsidiary of state energy firm Pertamina, remain in the Gulf, a company spokesperson said.

Noida International Airport is 75km from New Delhi and will serve 12 million passengers a year in its initial phase, with the potential to grow to as many as 70 million.

While major powers may have difficulties in their own relations, Singapore wants to remain friends with all of them and it should be possible to do so, says Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

"With this agreement in place, there is greater confidence that disruptions like those seen in early March will not recur," says Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Malaysian activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri – who was refused entry to Singapore on Mar 22 – had “incited” activists in Singapore to break the law and use violence, said Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam.

The restrictions began on Mar 28, making Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox. 

The arrests of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak come a day after PM Balendra Shah and his Cabinet were sworn in.

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.