Asia News

  • Asean agrees Myanmar election is not a priority, Malaysia says
    on July 11, 2025 at 8:26 am

    KUALA LUMPUR — The Southeast Asian bloc Asean has agreed that an election in Myanmar was not a priority and is urging the country's ruling junta to adhere to its peace commitments instead, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Friday (July 11).Myanmar, an Asean member, is in the grips of an escalating civil war […]

  • China offers to help resolve Thailand and Cambodia border dispute
    on July 11, 2025 at 6:40 am

    BEIJING — China urged Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their border dispute through friendly dialogue, offering to play a constructive role by upholding an "objective and fair" position, its foreign ministry said.Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged peaceful coexistence between the neighbours during a meeting on […]

  • Malaysia says China will sign Southeast Asia nuclear weapons free zone treaty when documents are ready
    on July 10, 2025 at 8:05 am

    KUALA LUMPUR — China will sign up to a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region as soon as all documentation is ready, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Thursday (July 10).The Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, or SEANWFZ, has been in force since 1997, limiting the use of nuclear […]

  • 10 dead after bridge collapses in India's Gujarat, NDTV reports
    on July 9, 2025 at 8:54 am

    Ten people have died after the collapse of a bridge in India's western state of Gujarat, broadcaster NDTV reported on Wednesday (July 9). People carry a victim in a stretcher after a bridge collapsed in Vadodara in the western state of Gujarat, India, July 9, 2025. PHOTO: Reuters [[nid:719466 […]

  • Thailand parliament starts debates on sensitive political amnesty bills
    on July 9, 2025 at 7:15 am

    BANGKOK — Thailand's parliament met on Wednesday (July 9) to begin deliberations on draft bills seeking amnesty for thousands of people charged with crimes relating to mass demonstrations and rallies over the two decades of political turmoil.Five draft bills submitted to parliament by four political parties and […]

  • Taiwan launches annual war games with simulated attacks against military command
    on July 9, 2025 at 2:41 am

    TAIPEI — Taiwan launches its largest ever military drills on Wednesday (July 9), starting with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure ahead of a Chinese invasion, senior defence officials said.The early stages of the annual Han Kuang exercises will focus on testing how Taiwan's military can […]

  • South Korea returns 6 North Koreans stranded at sea this year
    on July 9, 2025 at 2:32 am

    SEOUL — South Korea returned on Wednesday (July 9) six North Koreans who had become stranded at sea earlier this year after their vessels had drifted south, Seoul's Unification Ministry said on Wednesday.The North Koreans had expressed a desire on multiple occasions to go back home, according to the ministry.The […]

  • US tariffs to take centre stage as Asean meets in Malaysia
    on July 9, 2025 at 1:53 am

    KUALA LUMPUR — Southeast Asian foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday (July 9) as the region grapples with renewed uncertainty over US trade tariffs and as a simmering territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia threatens to disrupt the bloc's unity.The gathering in Malaysia of the 10-member Association […]

  • Preliminary report in Air India crash expected to be released by Friday, sources say
    on July 9, 2025 at 1:22 am

    A preliminary report into the crash of an Air India jetliner that killed 260 people in June is expected to be released by Friday (July 11), a step that could provide early details into the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, three sources said on Tuesday.While the report from Indian investigators could be […]

  • ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women
    on July 9, 2025 at 1:08 am

    THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court on Tuesday (July 8) issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and […]