News Headlines

BANGKOK: Until recently, Nuttanakul Somsak's daily commute to work was unlike that of most residents in Bangkok: She hopped on a boat for about half the price of a train ticket, and taking just a fraction of the time that a taxi or bus did. For three years, Nuttanakul boarded one of the passenger ...

About 10,000 supporters could be allowed at each leg of the Chinese Super League final next month, a top football official said, as spectators return to China's stadiums despite the lingering coronavirus threat.

A secretive 2018 agreement between Beijing and the Vatican is on the brink of renewal, despite strident US condemnation and warnings from underground Chinese priests loyal to Rome that they have only become more marginalised since it was signed.

China and the Vatican have decided to extend a deal on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops in China by another two years, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.

SEOUL: Samsung leader Jay Y. Lee's trial, in a case of suspected accounting fraud and stock price manipulation connected to a 2015 merger, began on Thursday (Oct 22) as a Seoul court held its first hearing. Lee and 10 other current and former Samsung executives were indicted by South Korean ...

Basing Japan's missile defence systems at sea may cost at least twice as much to complete as its now-abandoned plans for Aegis Ashore ground-based sites and delay it to 2028, a person with knowledge of the plans told Reuters.

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities are worried elections in its third-largest state and a religious congregation could spread the coronavirus. The country's Election Commission issued a warning after political campaigning drew large crowds without masks and social distancing in Bihar, where voting for ...

BANGKOK: Thailand on Thursday (Oct 22) rolled back an emergency decree aimed at ending months of protests against the government and monarchy that had only inflamed anger and brought tens of thousands of people onto Bangkok streets. A government statement published in the official Royal Gazette ...

JAKARTA: Intense rains caused a landslide at a coal mine on Indonesia's Sumatra island that killed 11 miners, authorities said on Thursday (Oct 22). The landslide occurred on Wednesday in a mine tunnel about 20m deep at Tanjung Lalang village in Muara Enim district of South Sumatra province ...

Asia Today: Sri Lanka closes fish market, expands curfew

TOKYO: Japanese researchers showed that masks can offer protection from airborne coronavirus particles, but even professional-grade coverings can't eliminate contagion risk entirely. Scientists at the University of Tokyo built a secure chamber with mannequin heads facing each other. One head ...

SINGAPORE: Forested areas greater than the size of the Netherlands have been burned in Indonesia in the past five years, with 30 per cent of the fires occurring on pulpwood and palm oil concessions, environmental group Greenpeace said on Thursday (Oct 22). Greenpeace said analysis of official data ...

WASHINGTON: The US State Department has approved the potential sale of three weapons systems to Taiwan, including sensors, missiles and artillery that could have a total value of US$1.8 billion, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Reuters reported last week that the White House was moving forward with ...

But even solar energy looks like a better deal, says Kavickumar Muruganathan.

Japan will ease entry restrictions on business travellers for stays of up to three days in a bid to revive economic activity after visits from abroad ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser accused China on Wednesday (Oct 21) of trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from the West, casting it as a malign rival that was seeking to monopolise every important industry of the 21st Century.

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha backed down on Wednesday (Oct 21) over emergency measures he imposed last week to stop three months of protests, but which spurred even bigger demonstrations against his government and the monarchy. As the former military ruler spoke in a televised ...

Long-jumper Sayaka Murakami is hoping not just for a medal at the postponed Tokyo Paralympics, but also for lasting acceptance in a Japanese society where disabled people can feel pressured to stay out of the public eye.

At least 13 South Koreans have died after receiving flu shots in recent days, according to official and local media reports, ramping up fears about vaccine safety even as authorities rule out a link.

SHANGHAI: China will continue to suspend outbound group tours and ban travel agencies from allowing inbound tours due to the risk of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases this winter, authorities said. The country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism made the announcement in a notice published on its ...

JAKARTA: More than a month ago, Lilis felt unwell. She had a sudden headache and was nauseous. Lilis, not her real name, initially thought she was simply tired and regarded the symptoms as signs she was near her menstrual cycle. But after three days, the 37-year-old Jakarta-based housewife did ...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday (Oct 21) the State Department was designating the US operations of six more China-based media companies as foreign missions, a move he said was aimed at pushing back against communist propaganda.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper will travel to India next week for a top-level ministerial dialogue, a statement from India's external affairs ministry said on Wednesday, and are expected to discuss defence and trade issues.

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 750,000 employees in the Klang Valley, Sabah and Labuan have been ordered to work from home effective Thursday (Oct 22), in line with the conditional movement control order (CMCO) enforced in these areas. In a statement on Wednesday, Minister for International Trade and ...

A few dozen Thai royalists held a rally in Bangkok on Wednesday in the face of protests against the government and the monarchy that have drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets in defiance of an official ban.

Tokyo Olympics organisers wrapped up three days of tests on Wednesday, trialling a number of security and COVID-19 countermeasures and asking supporters and officials to pack less to wait less when entering venues during the Games.

ILO says garment industry should do more to help workers

SEOUL: Nine people have died after getting flu shots in South Korea in the past week, raising concerns over the vaccine's safety just as the seasonal inoculation programme is expanded to head off potential COVID-19 complications. Five new deaths were reported on Wednesday (Oct 21) alone, but ...

Tokyo Olympics organisers wrapped up three days of tests on Wednesday, trialling a number of security and COVID-19 countermeasures and asking supporters and officials to pack less to wait less when entering venues during the Games.

An anthology paying cinematic tribute to Hong Kong was the highlight Wednesday on the opening day of Asia's biggest film festival, which has been forced largely online by the coronavirus pandemic.

Kyrgyzstan calls new parliamentary election in December

At least 15 people were killed in stampede among thousands of Afghans gathered outside Pakistan's consulate on Tuesday as jostling broke out between people applying for visas, officials in the eastern city of Jalalabad said.

Asia Today: Philippines allowing foreign travel to resume

Yang Hengjun, an Australian writer detained in Beijing and facing trial for espionage on behalf of a country China hasn't publicly named was a former Chinese spy, according to a confidential letter he wrote to a supporter in 2011.

BEIJING: A city in China's Zhejiang province will offer experimental coronavirus vaccines to its residents, as China broadens an emergency use programme to people in non-priority groups. Residents aged between 18 and 59 in the city of Shaoxing, who are not in priority groups, can apply online for ...

HANOI: Vietnam scrambled to evacuate thousands of people from their homes as tropical storm Saudel approached on Wednesday (Oct 21), bringing more misery for a country that has endured weeks of heavy rains and floods that have killed more than 100 people. Having already battered the Philippines ...

India has recorded 54,044 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 7.65 million, health ministry data showed on Wednesday.

BEIJING: India on Wednesday (Oct 21) returned a Chinese soldier detained after straying across a disputed border where the two countries have clashed in recent months, China's army announced. Corporal Wang Ya Long was handed over early on Wednesday, the Chinese military said in a statement. New ...

SINGAPORE: From monitoring vital signs to filtering filthy air and even translating speech into other languages, the coronavirus-fuelled boom in mask-wearing has spawned an unusual range of high-tech face coverings. As masks become the norm worldwide, tech companies and researchers are rolling out ...

A fast and cheap paper-based coronavirus test will soon be available across India, with scientists hopeful it will help turn the tide on the pandemic in one of the world's worst-hit nations.

China's environment conditions are "grim", falling short of public expectations even after five years of efforts to improve air quality, boost clean energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions, a senior official said on Wednesday.

A familiar scene is taking place in northern India. Vast fields burn, flames engulfing bare stalks of already-harvested crops. Billowing smoke travels across state borders. In towns and cities, the air is thick with yellow haze.

THIMPHU: Sonam Phuntsho was just a young boy when the passion for planting enveloped him.  In a rural village of eastern Bhutan, he recalls the first sapling that he helped foster outside his house, from seeds he retrieved from a forest nearby. “When you plant a tree and when you see it grow, it ...

WASHINGTON: A former top fundraiser for President Donald Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday (Oct 20) to illegally lobbying the US government to drop its probe into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal and to deport an exiled Chinese billionaire. Elliott Broidy, 63, was charged in ...

BEIJING: A Chinese soldier who had strayed across a contested de facto border with India in the Himalayas has been handed back by the Indian side, according to a report by China's official military newspaper, the PLA Daily. The soldier was handed over early Wednesday morning, according to the ...

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, spoke on Tuesday about their campaign against social media negativity, with Harry warning of a "global crisis of hate" that was affecting people's mental health.

Officials in California, home to Walt Disney Co's Disneyland, on Tuesday pushed the reopening of large theme parks months down the road, drawing outrage from the industry, which predicted the loss of thousands more jobs.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways said on Wednesday (Oct 21) it will slash 5,900 jobs and end its regional Cathay Dragon brand, joining peers in cutting costs as it grapples with a plunge in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

JAKARTA: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday (Oct 20) that his country will provide 50 billion yen (US$473 million) in low-interest loans to Indonesia to support its fight against COVID-19. The offer was made to Indonesian President Joko Widodo during talks held at the ...

China reported 11 new coronavirus cases in the mainland on Oct. 20, down from 19 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Wednesday.