News Headlines

WASHINGTON: US spy agency leaders warned on Wednesday (Apr 14) of the "unparalleled threat" posed by China, citing Beijing's regional aggression, cyber capabilities and economic clout as they testified at a public congressional "Worldwide Threats" hearing for the first time in more than two years ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's interior minister on Wednesday (Apr 14) recommended a ban on an Islamist political party whose supporters held violent rallies this week to condemn the arrest of their leader that left at least five people dead. Saad Rizvi, a Muslim cleric, had threatened protests if ...

PARIS: Climate change is making India's monsoon stronger and more chaotic, scientists said on Wednesday (Apr 14), warning of potential severe consequences for food, farming and the economy affecting nearly a fifth of the world's population. A new analysis comparing more than 30 climate models from ...

China's CanSino Biologics Inc said on Wednesday that no serious blood clot cases related to its COVID-19 vaccine had been reported so far.

NEW DELHI: India set itself the goal of improving its Olympic medal tally to a "double digit" in Tokyo, with the country's top sports officials pledging every help to the athletes with 100 days to go to the Games. The world's second-most populous nation has been an Olympic laggard, and the six ...

YANGON: Myanmar's ruling junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the military's Feb 1 coup, a state-run newspaper reported on Wednesday (Apr 14). Doctors, nurses and medical students have marched and joined strikes to show their ...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday (Apr 14) banned 11 organisations, including the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, a week ahead of the second anniversary of the Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 279 people. Anyone linked to the groups - the other nine of which are local religious and ...

Thailand reported on Wednesday 1,335 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and the third record rise this week, as the country struggles with a new wave of infections.

HARIDWAR/AHMEDABAD, India :India's new coronavirus infections hit a record on Wednesday, as crowds of pilgrims gathered for a religious festival despite oxygen shortages and strict curbs in other areas.

US envoy John Kerry will visit China this week for climate change talks -- the first official trip under the Biden administration -- in a trip Washington hopes will put aside diplomatic spats and focus on joint environment challenges.

TOKYO: A western Japanese city cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Apr 14), the second area to scrap the event as the clock ticks down to the postponed Games. The decision comes 100 days before the 2020 Olympics begin and accompanies fresh concerns ...

TOKYO: Japan's nuclear regulator said on Wednesday (Apr 14) that it would bar Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), operator of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from restarting its only operable atomic power station due to safety breaches uncovered last year. The setback marks another low ...

SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered officials on Wednesday (Apr 14) to explore petitioning an international court over Japan's decision to release water from its Fukushima nuclear plant, his spokesman said, amid protests by fisheries and environmental groups. Japan unveiled plans on ...

SHANGHAI: US climate envoy John Kerry was set to arrive in China on Wednesday (Apr 14) for what Beijing said would be a four-day trip, as the two countries seek cooperation over the environment despite acrimony on other fronts. In the first trip to China by a Biden administration official, the ...

TOKYO: A western Japanese city cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking coronavirus cases on Wednesday (Apr 14), fueling fresh fears about whether the pandemic-postponed Games should go ahead with just 100 days until the opening ceremony. Even as Tokyo unveiled installations featuring ...

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's electoral reform Bill was introduced in the city's legislature on Wednesday (Apr 14), setting in motion changes that will give Beijing greater control over the process while reducing the number of directly elected representatives. The Bill is part of efforts to rein in ...

BEIJING: China described its military exercises near Taiwan as "combat drills" on Wednesday (Apr 14), upping the ante as senior former US officials arrived in Taipei on a trip to signal President Joe Biden's commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. Taiwan has complained over the proximity of ...

Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar sloshed red paint in the streets on Wednesday (Apr 14) to symbolise the blood spilled and more than 700 lives lost in a brutal military crackdown.

A record fine, public penitence from a tech giant and a 'who's who' of digital firms warned to "rectify" their ambitions within a month -- state regulators are showing no one is bigger than Beijing in Xi Jinping's China.

The president of Toshiba stepped down on Wednesday (Apr 14), a week after the the Japanese technology and manufacturing conglomerate said it was studying an acquisition proposal from a global fund where he previously worked.

TAIPEI: Taiwan said on Wednesday (Apr 14) its chip companies will adhere to US rules after Washington added seven Chinese supercomputing entities last week to an economic blacklist and after a Taipei-based chipmaker halted orders from one of the entities named. The U.S. Commerce Department said ...

Once a shining symbol of Japan's advanced technology and economic power, Toshiba has been rocked by turbulence in recent years, facing scandals and losses before staging a recovery.

Police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center declared protests to be an unlawful assembly Tuesday evening as demonstrations over the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright continued for a third consecutive night.

South Korea has recorded its highest daily jump in new COVID-19 infections in about three months, as officials urge the public to maintain vigilance.

Six people were rescued and 12 others are missing after a commercial vessel capsized several miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, officials said Tuesday.

Thailand reported on Wednesday 1,335 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and the third record rise this week, as the country struggles with a new wave of infections.

TOKYO: Holding the postponed Tokyo Olympics this summer will be "really difficult" given a spike in COVID-19 infections across Japan, the head of the Tokyo Medical Association has warned. Haruo Ozaki sounded the alarm as rising daily cases prompt new coronavirus restrictions in Tokyo and elsewhere ...

HONG KONG: Cute cartoon animals have been at the heart of Hong Kong clothing brand Chickeeduck since 1990, displayed on everything from T-shirts and tote bags to baby rompers and pillows. But owner Herbert Chow is now struggling to get his designs made in China, where his avian characters have ...

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday (Apr 13) that the semi-autonomous territory's legislative elections will take place in December, more than a year after they were postponed by authorities citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic.

Hong Kong's legislative elections to take place in December

China reported 12 new mainland COVID-19 cases on April 13, up from nine a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Wednesday.

US climate envoy John Kerry will visit China this week in the first trip there by the Biden administration, which says it will find areas of cooperation with Beijing despite soaring tensions on multiple fronts.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration are recommending that the United States pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine over six reported US cases of a "rare and severe" type of blood clot.

North Korea could resume nuclear tests this year as a way to force President Joe Biden's administration to enter into dialogue, US intelligence experts said in a report released on Tuesday (Apr 13).

President Joe Biden will remove all US troops from Afghanistan before this year's 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, finally ending America's longest war despite mounting fears of a Taliban victory, officials said Tuesday.

The Chinese Big Tech firm knows the outcome could be far worse in a country that has ruled by law, in a year of huge importance to the Chinese Communist Party , says Professor Bo Zhiyue.

Myanmar’s ethnic minorities might hold the key to breaking the country’s political impasse, says Rahul Mishra.

President Joe Biden, having concluded there is no military solution to the security and political problems plaguing Afghanistan and determined to focus on more pressing national security challenges, will formally announce Wednesday that US troops will withdraw from the country before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, a senior administration official said.

Indonesia said on Monday (Apr 12) that it is satisfied with the effectiveness of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine it is using, after the acknowledgement by China’s top disease control official that current vaccines offer low protection against the virus.

TOKYO: Japan and Germany agreed in security talks on Tuesday (Apr 13) to expand their military cooperation as the two nations shared concern about China’s increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. At the so-called “two-plus-two” talks held online, the Japanese and German foreign ...

China sent 25 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone on Monday, the largest breach of that space since the island began regularly reporting such activity in September, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said.

JAKARTA: The government of Riau Islands province has proposed a safe travel corridor with Singapore starting on May 1 or Jun 1, said a senior Indonesian tourism official on Tuesday (Apr 13).  In a press release, Mdm R Kurleni Ukar, who is the deputy for strategic policy at the tourism ministry ...

GENEVA: The UN rights chief warned Tuesday (Apr 13) of possible crimes against humanity in Myanmar and said it seemed to be heading towards a massive conflict like the one ravaging Syria. In a statement, the UN rights office urged countries to take immediate and decisive action to push the ...

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar cancelled traditional new year festivities on Tuesday (Apr 13) and instead showed their anger with the country's generals through low-key displays of defiance and small protests across the country. The five-day New Year holiday, known as Thingyan, is usually ...

With an average of 3.1 million doses of Covid-19 administered each day, the United States is on pace to hit another vaccination milestone: Half of adults in the country are expected to have received at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of this week.

Hong Kong's government on Tuesday said it will be illegal for residents to encourage others to boycott or cast blank ballots in the city's already limited local elections as part of China's drive to ensure only "patriots" govern the finance hub.

NEW DELHI: India is to fast-track emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and Moderna shots. The move, which will drop the need for companies to do small ...

China's locally developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology could start late-stage clinical trial overseas as early as next month, official media said on Tuesday.

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will "waive" his chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine, arguing elderly people like him should not be prioritised. Just more than 1 million people in the Philippines have received their first shot since the beginning of March - a fraction of the ...

South Korea's health authorities said on Tuesday they would consider the use of coronavirus self-test kits despite their relatively low accuracy, after the new mayor of Seoul called for their approval.