Asia News

  • North Korea accuses US of politicising human rights issues
    on April 27, 2024 at 5:04 am

    SEOUL — North Korea accused the US on Saturday (April 27) of politicising human rights in the East Asian country, denouncing what it called political provocation and conspiracy. Pyongyang will make stern and decisive choices to protect its sovereignty and safety in response to Washington using human rights […]

  • Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoal
    on April 27, 2024 at 4:59 am

    MANILA — The Philippines on Saturday (April 27) denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda. A spokesperson at China's embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this […]

  • SIA ordered to pay $3,580 to couple who filed complaint after their recliner seats failed to work
    by Fatimah Mujibah on April 26, 2024 at 11:38 pm

    HYDERABAD - Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been ordered to pay two of its passengers 200,000 rupees (S$3,300) plus other costs after they filed a complaint concerning recliner seats on a flight from Hyderabad to Australia. Mr Ravi Gupta, the director-general of police in India's Telengana state, was travelling with his […]

  • Water shortages, traffic aggravate India's Bengaluru as it votes
    on April 26, 2024 at 8:01 am

    BENGALURU — Dire water shortages, flooding, gridlocked roads and poor civic facilities have become major issues in Bengaluru city, residents in India's tech hub said as they voted on Friday (April 26) in a general election that is otherwise focused on jobs, inflation and Hindu nationalism. The southern […]

  • Smaller towns in South Korea bear brunt of doctors' shortage
    on April 26, 2024 at 7:29 am

    INCHEON, South Korea — Hospitals in South Korea's smaller cities are struggling with a lack of physicians, as a nationwide strike of trainee doctors enters its third month in protest against plans to tackle the shortage by boosting medical school admissions. Seoul, the capital, boasts top-level hospitals, […]

  • China should have confidence to talk to Taiwan, says Taiwanese president-elect
    on April 26, 2024 at 2:49 am

    TAIPEI — China should have the confidence to talk to Taiwan's legally elected government, Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te said on April 25 as he appointed his new national security and diplomacy team amid what he called unprecedented challenges. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as […]

  • Tech companies plug into India's smaller cities for talent
    on April 25, 2024 at 9:21 am

    MADURAI/BENGALURU — Indian engineer B. Ramachandran now prefers living in the smaller cities than the major tech hubs of Bengaluru and Chennai. After the pandemic, the 47-year-old moved to Madurai, a temple town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. He has no plans to leave his hometown, saying the chance […]

  • India sieves online deluge to stamp out disinformation in world's biggest election
    on April 25, 2024 at 7:54 am

    BENGALURU/LUCKNOW — Indian forest service official Surya Sen usually manages a city zoo, but during the world's largest general elections, he has a very different task - rooting out online misinformation to prevent any disturbances. As nearly a billion voters head to the polls in a mammoth six-week […]

  • Taiwan's president-elect appoints new team, says island's security difficult
    on April 25, 2024 at 4:09 am

    TAIPEI — Taiwan faces a difficult national security situation, with China pressing closer all the time, President-elect Lai Ching-te said on Thursday has he announced the appointments of his new security and diplomacy teams ahead of taking office next month. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as […]

  • Battling climate change, Japan looks to seagrass for carbon capture
    on April 25, 2024 at 3:09 am

    YOKOHAMA, Japan — On a recent Saturday, some 100 volunteers gathered on a popular beach in the Japanese port city of Yokohama, wading in the shallows to plant strands of light-green eelgrass on the seabed. What began as a project to restore the natural ecosystem along the coast of the city just south […]