News Headlines

Seven months after the United States and China signed a preliminary agreement to temper their trade war, Beijing's purchases of US agricultural goods have yet to reach the deal's target.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will refrain from visiting the Yasukuni shrine for war dead on the 75th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two, Jiji news agency said on Sunday, but will make an offering on the emotive day, as he has done in the past.

MUMBAI: At least seven people died after a massive fire broke out at a hotel that was being used as a COVID-19 facility in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state early on Sunday, police said. "Several people who were trapped and injured have been rescued and moved to a government hopsital. Fire is ...

Chinese entrants in the race to put autonomous vehicles on the road are bringing "robotaxis" online in hopes that a hired-car format can be the key to unlocking wide acceptance of the futuristic technology.

The Japanese city of Nagasaki on Sunday commemorates the 75th anniversary of its destruction by a US atomic bomb, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing a scaling back of ceremonies.

A senior member of US President Donald Trump's administration will land in Taiwan Sunday for Washington's highest level visit since switching diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a move Beijing has condemned.

China reported 23 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Aug 8, down from 31 a day earlier, the country’s health authority said on Sunday.

JAKARTA: It was supposed to be a glorious day for Muhammad Fadli Imammuddin. The motorcycle racer, who was then 30 years old, was the first to cross the finish line at the Indonesian leg of the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) on Jun 7, 2015. He had been dreaming of winning a race in front of ...

Eager to find a foil for China, US President Donald Trump's administration is stepping up support for Taiwan, although a high-level visit to the island shows it is still treading carefully on an especially explosive issue.

NEW DELHI: Tens of thousands of female health workers on the frontline of India's battle against COVID-19 have gone on strike to demand better pay and protection. With India now registering the world's third highest pandemic caseload at more than two million infections, the women in several states ...

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of a Bangkok court on Saturday to demand the release of activist leaders, vowing to escalate anti-government demonstrations with a call for a protest in the Thai capital.

Indian authorities had practised for years for a jet overshooting the "table-top" runway at Kozhikode airport, but local resident Fazal Puthiyakath was not prepared for the "blood and death" of the real thing.

NEW DELHI: At least 18 people were killed on Friday (Aug 7) when a passenger jet was ripped in two after it overshot and skidded off the runway upon landing in southern India, officials said. More than 100 others were injured, 16 of them seriously, after the Air India Express Boeing 737 from Dubai ...

KOCHI, India: Seated on the last row of the plane, Muhammed Junaid sensed something was amiss when Air India Express flight IX 1344 from Dubai was jerked around by strong winds as it approached the southern Indian city of Kozhikode late on Friday (Aug 7). After an aborted attempt, the aircraft ...

At least 21 people have died after 46 days of heavy rains in South Korea, with the country's longest monsoon in seven years causing more flooding, landslides and evacuations on Saturday.

Faced with the coronavirus collapse in travellers, Taiwanese airlines have begun offering sight-seeing "flights to nowhere" on their passenger jets -- including flight attendant lessons for children.

At least 21 people have died after 46 days of heavy rains in South Korea, with the country's longest monsoon in seven years causing more flooding, landslides and evacuations on Saturday.

Carrie Lam vowed to heal divisions when she became Hong Kong's leader, but her tenure has been marred by massive protests and a crackdown by Beijing that prompted the United States to sanction her.

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 4,226 new coronavirus infections and 41 additional deaths.

If your idea of the purr-fect day is spending it curled up with convalescent rescue cats and a coffee, then one cafe in Vietnam has you covered.

SINGAPORE: Mentari Primananti, 41, spent last week’s Idul Adha holiday at a resort in Bandung, Indonesia.  The two nights of accommodation cost around 1 million rupiah (US$68.56), half of what it would usually cost. “The resort had a great view, a lot of outdoor facilities and activities … We ...

BEIJING: Tens of thousands of mask-making companies mushroomed across China at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but many are struggling to survive as they face stricter quality control measures and falling domestic demand. China launched a huge effort to produce protective gear to meet ...

BEIJING: China reported 31 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Aug 7, down from 37 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Saturday (Aug 8). Of the new cases, six were imported infections involving travellers from overseas compared with 10 such cases reported a day earlier, the ...

Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed Europe on Friday to become the region hardest-hit by coronavirus deaths, as India passed the sombre step of recording over two million infections.

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday (Aug 7) imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the territory's current and former police chiefs and eight other top officials for what Washington says is their role in curtailing political freedoms in the territory. The sanctions were ...

A ban by President Donald Trump's administration on Chinese mobile apps such as TikTok and WeChat risks fragmenting an already fragile global internet and creating an American version of China's "Great Firewall."

NEW DELHI: India's official coronavirus case tally hit two million on Friday (Aug 7), doubling in three weeks as the pandemic sweeps into smaller cities and rural areas, with experts warning the real toll could be much higher. A record daily jump of more than 60,000 fresh infections was recorded ...

Bollywood actors and crew aged over 65 will be allowed to resume shoots, an industry official said Friday, after an Indian court overturned coronavirus restrictions limiting the presence of older people on film sets.

The inter-governmental Mekong River Commission on Friday urged China and Southeast Asian countries to share more data on hydropower dam operations, as water flow in the Mekong hit record low levels for a second consecutive year.

A US ban on the WeChat messaging platform could cut lines of communication between friends in China and America and force people to switch to a replacement, social media users said on Friday.

Vietnam's health ministry on Friday reported 37 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the country's total tally to 784 infections, with 10 deaths.

NEW DELHI: Almost 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the substance that caused the mega-explosion in Lebanon, has been stuck in an Indian port since 2015, officials confirmed. At least 153 people died and more than 5,000 were injured when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate languishing for years in ...

Japan has agreed to acquire 120 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine if it is successfully developed, the health minister said on Friday.

MANILA: The Philippines has seen a jump in coronavirus infections due to intensified testing, the presidential spokesman said on Friday (Aug 7), defending the country's response to the pandemic after overtaking Indonesia to record the most cases in Southeast Asia. Infections have surged nearly ...

The Serum Institute of India said it will partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and international vaccine alliance GAVI to manufacture and deliver 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other low- and middle-income nations as early as 2021.

Hong Kong will offer free voluntary coronavirus testing for residents, leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as the global financial hub races to contain a resurgence of the virus over the past month.

Thai authorities arrested a student leader and legal adviser on Friday over anti-government protests, a legal group said, as young protesters said they wanted to expand their movement and escalate their anti-government activities.

The party will neither be part of the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition nor Pakatan Harapan. 

BEIJING: Beijing accused the United States of "suppression" after President Donald Trump ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese social media giants TikTok and WeChat.  Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing on Friday (Aug 7) that the US move came at ...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former minister for finance Lim Guan Eng has pleaded not guilty to a corruption charge over the RM6.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) Penang undersea tunnel project on Friday (Aug 7). Lim was accused of asking for a 10 per cent cut from the profits of the project when he was ...

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Environment Minister has warned that urgent action is needed to rebalance humans’ relationship with nature, or mankind may not live into the next century. In an address to diplomats, politicians and journalists on Friday (Aug 7), Mr Varawut Silpa-archa compared the challenges ...

The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats."

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's former finance minister Lim Guan Eng was arrested on Thursday (Aug 6) and is set to be charged with corruption in connection to the Penang undersea tunnel project, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said. Lim will be charged at the Special Corruption Court on ...

BEIJING: A Chinese court said on Friday (Aug 7) it had sentenced a Canadian to death for transporting and manufacturing drugs, the second Canadian in two days to receive a death penalty for drugs, and the fourth since Canada detained a top Huawei executive in 2018. Relations between China and ...

MEERUT, India: Sarthak Anand says his neighbours treated him like a "criminal" when he got COVID-19, a common experience in India's vast hinterland where the pandemic - and stigmatisation - are now raging. "Even though I have recovered fully, no one wants to come near me," Anand, a government ...

MANILA: The Philippines' health ministry on Friday (Aug 7) reported 3,379 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total number of confirmed infections to 122,754. In a bulletin, the ministry said deaths had increased by 24 to 2,168. Infections have surged nearly seven-fold while ...

SEOUL: Hundreds of South Korean trainee doctors went on strike on Friday (Aug 7) to protest a government plan to boost the number of medical students in the country, arguing it would be a poor use of additional funding for the sector. The government said its goal to increase the number of medical ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to provide food and shelter for hundreds of families who lost their homes in floods, the KCNA state news agency reported on Friday.

China saw another surprise jump in exports last month as the global economy slowly reopened after virus lockdowns, data showed Friday, but there were warnings that while the country is expected to get back on track by year's end, overseas shipments would likely struggle.

The two cross-border travel schemes - the RGL and PCA - will be open to applications next Monday.