News Headlines

CNA spoke to Ravichandran Tharumalingam after his successful summit attempt on May 5. He described the achievement as a way to “conquer old demons”. 

If you're planning a trip to Japan, here's what you'll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.

A joint session of the Philippine Congress on Wednesday declared Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the notorious late dictator, the winner of this month's election and confirmed he would become the country's next president.

What has the Malaysian government done to ease depreciation pressure? Would pegging the ringgit to the US dollar help? CNA asks the experts.

North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile in an easterly direction on Wednesday morning, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet the leaders of India, Australia and Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday for a summit of the "Quad" nations.

Some followers of Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara claim he was denied entry due to Islamophobia, but Singapore has acted consistently against behaviour that may potentially jeopardise religious and communal harmony, says ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute's Dr Norshahril Saat.

Some people who had been investigated under the Internal Security Act were followers of Somad, including a 17-year-old who was detained in January 2020, says Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.

Seven people have died after a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people caught fire on Monday, with seven passengers still missing, the coast guard said.

View the latest Japan news and videos, including politics, travel and style headlines.

Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt won a landslide victory in the Bangkok governor election, according to unofficial results.

Political and regulatory issues in China have been exacerbated by zero-COVID and Russia’s war. The unpredictable outlook for many multinationals may herald a shift in how the global economy works, says the Financial Times’ James Kynge.

What is it like to travel to Cambodia’s tourist town of Siem Reap post-pandemic? As a guest at the exclusive Amansara resort, CNA Luxury’s Melissa Stewart experiences solitary temple visits, a spiritual water blessing and a private cruise down the freshwater lake of Tonle Sap.

There's a widespread assumption that cash is on a one-way path of inevitable decline, hastened by COVID-19. But cash payments and demand for physical currency paint a highly mixed picture in Southeast Asia, says this academic. 

Abdul Somad Batubara also said Singapore is a Malay land similar to Riau.

Singapore says it is closely monitoring the situation at its overseas missions in Indonesia. 

• Biden set to arrive in South Korea with worries growing over possible North Korean missile test

 Australians made up the bulk of tourists in Bali before the pandemic. With the winter holidays coming up, tourism operators hope they will return in droves again.

After sticking to its COVID-free claim since the start of the pandemic, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un may be just desperate enough to have announced this explosive outbreak to the world, says Robert E Kelly.

While the United States is an irreplaceable element of any strategic balance in Southeast Asia, diplomatic relationships could be in jeopardy if it pushes the ideological dimensions of its rivalry with China too insistently, says former Singapore senior diplomat Bilahari Kausikan.

A record 31 candidates are vying for the governor post on May 22, with observers suggesting that the outcome could be a barometer for the popularity of the ruling government before the next general election.

Sri Lanka's new prime minister said on Monday the crisis-hit nation was down to its last day of petrol, as the country's power minister told citizens not to join the lengthy fuel queues that have galvanized weeks of anti-government protests.

Japan, like Germany, is massively increasing military spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With United States seemingly overstretched, Tokyo’s move to strengthen its military could be a concern, says this international relations lecturer.

The Japanese island chain of Okinawa marked the 50th anniversary on Sunday of the end of US occupation and its return to Japan with ceremonies and celebrations amid growing worry about its proximity to an increasingly assertive China.

Amid the Ukraine crisis, China warns of a similar tragedy in Asia as it accuses the US of ‘bloc politics’ in the region. The documentary When Titans Clash examines Beijing’s claim and concerns — and the possibility of a future war.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst crisis since independence, and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's response to public anger and frustration is to deploy military force. This will neither quell unrest nor solve the country's economic problems, says this academic. 

Indonesia’s nickel reserves are set to play a big part in the electric vehicle revolution. CNA looks at local concerns over mining and how adherence to environmental regulations is key.

Dilmah Tea CEO Dilhan C Fernando is not afraid of adapting to the times to ensure that tea drinkers enjoy their drink just the way they like it.

Indonesia's palm oil export ban isn't about domestic shortages, but more about the government's stand-off with industry over pricing, says a political analyst.

The majority of Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, are mainstream and of moderate persuasion, but some are used by Jemaah Islamiyah to groom young cadres. A rigorous and systematic assessment of pro-JI schools is imperative for Indonesia's security and social interests, says RSIS fellow Noor Huda Ismail.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is the presumptive President of the Philippines after winning a landslide in elections on May 9, according to unofficial results.

Many Filipinos look at Marcos Jr as their saviour – believing he can achieve the best of what his father did in his time, while avoiding the worst of his mistakes, says Manila-based writer Jeff Bansigan.

• Military rescues Sri Lanka's PM in pre-dawn operation as violent clashes leave 8 dead

After contract doctors staged a walk-out last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysia government created more permanent posts. This won’t be enough if scores of medical graduates continue to enter the healthcare system, says journalist Loh Foon Fong.

China's drive for homegrown innovation, fuelled by tensions with the West, could lead to a decoupling of the country's technology from the rest of the world, say business professors.

Women in Afghanistan must cover their faces in public, according to a decree issued by the Taliban on Saturday.

Political campaigners are using sophisticated and organised methods to mislead the public, getting them to buy into messages crafted by advertising experts, influencers and trolls.

Tensions with China have led Indonesia to step up defence around the Natuna Islands. But the archipelago wants to be known for tourism, its regent tells the programme Insight.

President Xi Jinping is expected to seek a third term as party leader in a crucial party congress later this year. Having claimed credit for the early success of zero-COVID, he would struggle to avoid blame for the policy’s breakdown, says the Financial Times' Gideon Rachman.

Nationally, opinions are divided over Bongbong’s candidacy and the legacy of the Marcos family.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, Japan and South Korea have reported.

In baseball-mad South Korea, professional cheerleaders doing elaborate K-pop routines are as integral to the games as beer and fried chicken.

The leaders of Japan and Thailand announced a new defense agreement on Monday as well as plans to upgrade their economic relations, as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrapped up the last leg of a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia.

Dior hosted a fashion show in South Korea for the very first time on Saturday, presenting its latest collection to a star-studded audience in Seoul.

With the land borders reopening and weakening of the ringgit, Singaporeans are opting to travel to Johor Bahru for their Hari Raya shopping.  

Russia has warned Japan of "retaliatory measures" if it expands joint naval exercises with the United States near Russia's eastern borders.

A freak electrocution in southern India killed at least 11 people, including two children, when their vehicle snagged overhead transmission lines and burst into flames as they rode in a religious procession, authorities said on Wednesday.

Check-ins via the MySejahtera contact tracing app will no longer be necessary, as the country broadly lifts COVID-19 curbs.

A man with intellectual disabilities was executed in Singapore on Wednesday, his family's lawyer said, after a long campaign for clemency failed, putting the city-state's zero-tolerance drug laws back under scrutiny.

China's COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines, after a wave of regulatory reforms and geopolitical brinkmanship, may be incompatible with Beijing's ambitions to turn Shanghai into an international financial centre, says the Financial Times' Tabby Kinder.