News Headlines

BEIJING: China reported on Thursday (Jul 29) 49 new COVID-19 cases, down from 86 a day earlier, according to the national health authority, amid an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant in the eastern city of Nanjing. Local infections accounted for 24 of the cases that were detected on ...

WASHINGTON: China's new ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, on Wednesday (Jul 28) wished the US victory against COVID-19 and said great potential awaited bilateral relations, striking an optimistic tone as he arrived at his new post amid deeply strained ties. Qin's arrival comes days after ...

The Malaysian government has limited fiscal space for COVID-19 relief, after running budget deficits for over 20 years, says a researcher.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his government on Wednesday to open the coronavirus vaccination campaign to anyone who wants a shot as his country scrambles to protect the population from more transmissible variants.

Vietnam's major cities may extend or tighten restrictions on movement to contain the spread of COVID-19 as new daily cases have surpassed 6,000 for seven consecutive days, authorities said on Wednesday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his government on Wednesday to open the coronavirus vaccination campaign to anyone who wants a shot as his country scrambles to protect the population from more transmissible variants.

The impasse over the Myanmar coup has thrown up new challenges for countries seeking to navigating the politics of recognition, say Alistair D B Cook and Mely Caballero-Anthony.

China's recent policy tightening against the tutoring industry and Internet platforms is good for long-term development of the country, and China remains committed to opening up its capital markets, the official Xinhua News Agency said late on Wednesday.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will on Thursday (Jul 28) look to nudge forward security ties with Vietnam that have been slowly deepening as both countries watch China's activities in the South China Sea with growing alarm.

China's recent policy tightening against the tutoring industry and Internet platforms is good for long-term development of the country, and China remains committed to opening up its capital markets, the official Xinhua News Agency said late on Wednesday.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's government on Wednesday (Jul 28) appointed a special fraud investigator to scrutinise the company that owns the recently shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, the first such probe in more than two decades. The outspoken tabloid shut in June days after police ...

Junta authorities in Myanmar are seeking help from the international community to tackle the coronavirus, state media said Wednesday, as the impoverished country looks beyond ally China in its struggle to beat back a new wave.

BEIJING: Beijing on Wednesday (Jul 28) told Tencent and other tech developers to address "harassing" pop-up windows on their apps, in the latest salvo in China's battle against the sector. The order came as a Chinese bike-sharing firm scrapped plans for a New York IPO as Beijing also tightens the ...

TAIPEI: Taiwanese authorities are investigating whether a former deputy defence minister may have been recruited by a Chinese spying network, officials and media reports said Wednesday (Jul 28). Chang Che-ping, in office from July 2019 to June 2021, was being probed for allegedly having multiple ...

Thai volunteers on Wednesday turned a cargo warehouse at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport into a 1,800-bed field hospital for COVID-19 patients with less severe symptoms, as the country deals with its biggest outbreak to date.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hit another record high for new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Jul 28) with 17,405 infections. Only six of these were imported infections.  More than half of the new cases were once again from the Klang Valley with 7,171 in Selangor and 2,880 in Kuala Lumpur. Case numbers ...

MEDAN: Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday (Jul 28), spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said. "The volcanic material reached 4,500m into the air and lasted for ...

SINGAPORE: Singapore will send 200 oxygen concentrators to Myanmar to support the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Wednesday (Jul 28). The 10-litre oxygen concentrators will be channelled through the Singapore Red Cross, which will work ...

Daily COVID-19 cases in Olympic host city Tokyo hit a record high for a second straight day on Wednesday, topping 3,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, local media reported, as the spike in infections puts pressure on hospitals.

SINGAPORE: Five men and three women have been arrested following several raids by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) that also netted various contraband with a street value of nearly S$749,000. Baked goods and crumbs believed to be infused with cannabis were also seized, CNB said in a news ...

BEIJING: An inhaled version of CanSino BioLogics' (CanSinoBIO) COVID-19 vaccine triggered immune responses without serious side effects, an early-stage clinical trial showed. The two-dose candidate requires lower dosages than the injected version and could help CanSinoBIO boost its production ...

Gunmen wound Chinese in Pakistan's port city of Karachi

Crisis-hit Japanese carmaker Nissan upgraded its annual outlook Wednesday, projecting a return to the black, after a strong first quarter performance fuelled by a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan's police on Wednesday said they had launched an investigation after local media reported more than 100 LINE messaging app accounts used by officials had been hacked and the company admitted "abnormal activities" had been detected.

Taiwan's police on Wednesday said they had launched an investigation after local media reported more than 100 LINE messaging app accounts used by officials had been hacked and the company admitted "abnormal activities" had been detected.

HONG KONG: Hundreds of elected community leaders in Hong Kong have resigned and dozens of civil society groups have disbanded as China remoulds the finance hub in its own image. Just days before Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city last year, student Wong Yat-chin founded a ...

Governors of three prefectures near Olympics host Tokyo are likely to ask the government to declare states of emergency for their regions, media said on Wednesday, after COVID-19 infections spiked to a record high in the Japanese capital.

Like thousands of his compatriots, Abdel Khalid Nabyar waited outside Afghanistan's main passport office to apply for the precious travel document that would allow him to leave the war-torn nation.

A tropical storm hit northern Japan on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of damage and Olympic football matches in the region were due to go ahead.

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday (Jul 27) aired fresh concerns about China's build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. An American Federation of Scientists (AFS) report on Monday said satellite images showed ...

SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday (Jul 28) reported 1,896 new COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, its highest-ever daily increase, as the country struggles to subdue a fourth wave of outbreaks fanned by the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The daily tally broke a previous record set on Jul ...

BANGKOK: Thailand reported on Wednesday (Jul 28) a daily record of 16,533 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country's total accumulated cases to 543,361. The country's COVID-19 task force also reported 133 new deaths, taking total fatalities to 4,397. BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive ...

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that China's claims and actions in the Indo-Pacific threaten the sovereignty of nations around the region while Washington is committed to building partnerships that guarantee the vital interest of all nations.

US lawmakers on Tuesday pressed corporate sponsors to pull out of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, accusing them of supporting what Washington considers genocide in China's Xinjiang region, but the companies contended they had little influence.

In a climate of economic hardship, a special programme for people who have the money to buy vaccinations was always going to be unpopular, says a researcher.

China once had positive perceptions of the US public health model and was willing to adopt their practices, but today sees itself on equal footing, says a researcher.

China’s clampdown on Didi reflects regulators’ brewing concerns over cross-border data flows, with implications for digital trade, say Qian Jiwei and Deng Liuchun.

The country faced one of the most devastating waves when a more virulent variant ran rampant killing hundreds of thousands. It has managed to tame the beast but what lessons did its twists and turns yield? India’s former Auditor-General weighs in.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in India for talks dominated by turmoil in Afghanistan and common worries about China, while also touching on New Delhi's rights record.

TOKYO: Tokyo's 2,848 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday (Jul 27) were the Olympic host city's highest since the pandemic began, officials said, as media reported that authorities had asked hospitals to prepare more beds for patients as the Delta variant drives the surge. The rise in cases threatens to ...

Indonesia, which uses the Sinovac vaccine as its main COVID-19 inoculation, is considering providing a booster shot, as a study showed antibodies provided by the two-dose shot fade over time, a senior health ministry official said on Tuesday.

Indonesia is optimistic of reaching a net zero emissions target by 2060 or sooner, a senior minister said on Tuesday, after the government submitted updated nationally determined climate goals to the United Nations.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported 207 deaths from COVID-19 for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (Jul 27), with the number of critically ill patients also reaching another high. Thirty-one of the victims were classified as "brought in dead" to hospital, said health director-general Noor Hisham ...

BEIJING: The death toll from floods in central China's Henan province rose to 71 on Tuesday (Jul 27) as a tribute at a subway where 14 people died was sealed off in a sign of sensitivity to public criticism of the government's handling of the disaster. Torrential downpours dumped a year's worth of ...

IPOH: Malaysian police were investigating an incident where a helicopter landed in an open field in Ipoh, Perak, last Friday (Jul 23), reportedly to collect packets of the popular rice dish nasi kandar for a customer in Kuala Lumpur. Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said police had ...

TOKYO -Tokyo's 2,848 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday were the Olympic host city's highest since the pandemic began, officials said, as media reported that authorities had asked hospitals to prepare more beds for patients as the Delta variant drives the surge. The rise in cases threatens to further ...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's opposition lawmakers on Tuesday (Jul 27) pressed law minister Takiyuddin Hassan for an explanation behind the government's decision to revoke emergency ordinances aimed at tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.  The morning parliamentary session was slated for health minister ...

BANGKOK: Authorities in Thailand began transporting some people who tested positive for the coronavirus from Bangkok to their hometowns on Tuesday (Jul 27) for isolation and treatment to alleviate the burden on the capital’s overwhelmed medical system. A train carrying more than 100 patients and ...

BANGKOK: A vast forest complex in Thailand has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, despite the United Nations' own experts warning of human rights violations against indigenous people in the area. The Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in western Thailand is rich in biodiversity, including the ...

Flooding in Myanmar has displaced hundreds of people, slowing efforts to battle a fast-growing coronavirus outbreak amid the chaos that followed the nation's military coup, residents told Reuters on Tuesday (Jul 27). Heavy weekend downpours across southern states caused flooding in several towns ...