Blasts hit Bangkok as city hosts major security meeting

Six bomb blasts wound at least four people at three sites in Bangkok, as the Thai capital hosts a Southeast Asian security meeting with top diplomats from the United States, China and other world powers.
2 August 2019, 05:24 AM

Trump hits China with more tariffs, sharply escalating trade dispute

US President Donald Trump vows to impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports from September 1, sharply escalating a bruising trade war between the world's largest economies and jolting financial markets.
2 August 2019, 04:57 AM

Japan's cabinet approves removal of S Korea from favoured trade list

Japan's cabinet approves a plan to remove South Korea from a list of countries that enjoy minimum export controls, a move likely to escalate tensions fuelled by a dispute over compensation for wartime forced labourers.
2 August 2019, 04:46 AM

N Korean man defects across DMZ: South

A North Korean man has crossed the demilitarised zone into South Korea and was in Seoul’s custody early yesterday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
1 August 2019, 18:00 PM

‘It’s absolutely not true’

China’s claim that “most” inmates have been released from re-education camps in its Xinjiang region has been met with anger and scepticism by the Uighur diaspora which has launched a social media campaign challenging Beijing to prove it.
1 August 2019, 18:00 PM

Average life expectancy in Japan hits record high

The average life expectancy of Japanese people reached record highs of 87.32 years for women and 81.25 for men in 2018, an increase of
1 August 2019, 18:00 PM

Malaysia to reform labor laws to cut 'over-dependence' on foreigners: Mahathir

Malaysia will review its labor laws to cut an “over-dependence” on foreign labor and address other issues, its prime minister says, amid simmering discontent against overseas workers who make up 46 percent of the labor force.
1 August 2019, 08:51 AM

Stop sowing distrust

China yesterday urged non-Asian nations to avoid sowing “distrust” and division over contested seas in a swipe at the US shortly before its top diplomat was due to arrive at a Bangkok summit bearing a message of reinvigorated American trade and security
31 July 2019, 18:00 PM

N Korea tests 2 missiles

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles early yesterday, the South Korean military said, only days after it launched two similar missiles intended to pressure South Korea and the United States to stop upcoming military drills.
31 July 2019, 18:00 PM

‘Most’ inmates are out, found jobs: China

Chinese officials yesterday said “most” individuals held in re-education camps in its northwest Xinjiang region have left the centres and found jobs -- though they did not provide any figures.
30 July 2019, 18:00 PM

17 killed as Pakistani army plane crashes into residential area

A Pakistani military aircraft on a training flight crashed in a built-up area in the garrison city of Rawalpindi early on Tuesday killing all five crew members and 12 civilians and setting off a blaze that left a pile of smoking rubble.
30 July 2019, 04:38 AM

China condemns HK protests

China yesterday reiterated its support for Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, and its police, and called on Hong Kong people to oppose violence following another weekend of clashes between protesters and police in the city.
29 July 2019, 18:00 PM

North Korea releases Russian fishing boat

North Korea has released a Russian fishing boat with a crew of 15 Russians and two South Koreans after it was detained for violating entry regulations, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said yesterday. The release comes nearly two weeks after North Korean border guards took
28 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Rohingyas should be given citizenship or their own state: Dr Mahathir tells Myanmar

The Rohingyas should be treated as Myanmar nationals or be given a chance to form their own state, says Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
28 July 2019, 05:11 AM

HK braces for new rally after fresh riot police clashes

Defiant pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong are readying for another big rally, a day after police fires rubber bullets and tear gas in the latest violent confrontation that has plunged the financial hub deeper into crisis.
28 July 2019, 04:22 AM

Club balcony collapse kills 2 in South Korea

Two people died and 16 were injured, including athletes taking part in swimming’s world championship, after a balcony collapsed under the weight of party-goers at a South Korean nightclub, police said yesterday. The balcony at the Coyote Ugly club close to the athletes’
27 July 2019, 18:00 PM

Huawei apologises after thousands queue in vain for $54 phone promotion

Thousands of people responding to Huawei's $54 smartphone National Day promotion turn up at 27 stores across Singapore, only to be told that the phones were out of stock.
27 July 2019, 05:02 AM

8 killed as quakes hit far northern Philippines

Eight people are killed and dozens injured when a series of earthquakes strike islands in the far northern Philippines, terrifying locals and sparking an urgent search of collapsed homes.
27 July 2019, 04:18 AM

China’s police state goes global

Muslims who escaped China’s crackdown in Xinjiang still live in fear, saying new homes abroad and even Western passports afford them no protection against a state-driven global campaign of intimidation.
26 July 2019, 18:10 PM

Death toll rises to 24 in China landslide

The death toll in a landslide that buried a village in southwest China rose to 26 yesterday following the discovery of two more bodies, state media said. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 25 people were still missing three days after the disaster which struck in Shuicheng
26 July 2019, 18:10 PM