Asia
Bangabandhu’s autobiography translated to Korean
The autobiography of the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “The Unfinished Memoirs" has been translated into Korean language as part of celebrating his birth centenary.
Japan minister says necessary to 'wake up' to protect Taiwan
Speaking to the Hudson Institute think tank, State Minister of Defence Yasuhide Nakayama questioned whether the decision of many countries, including Japan and United States, to follow a "one-China" policy that has recognized Beijing rather than Taipei since the 1970s would stand the test of time.
Myanmar violence escalates with rise of ‘self-defence’ groups: report
Violence in post-coup Myanmar has escalated as anti-junta “self-defence” forces step up to take on the military, a report said yesterday, warning of an “enormous” human cost if the regime uses its full power in subsequent crackdowns.
Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily journalist at airport: media
Hong Kong police arrested a former senior journalist with the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper on a suspected national security offence as he was trying to catch a flight out of the city, media reported.
China turns on world’s second-biggest hydropower dam
The first two generating units of the world’s second-biggest hydroelectric dam were officially turned on Monday in southwestern China, the government announced.
Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily journalist at airport -local media
Hong Kong police arrested a former senior journalist with the Apple Daily newspaper at the international airport on Sunday night on a suspected national security charge as he tried to leave the city, according to local media reports.
Thailand announces new restrictions in Bangkok, other provinces
Thailand on Sunday announced new restrictions centred around its capital in a bid to tackle the country's worst coronavirus outbreak.
Hong Kong's Apple Daily apologises to readers in farewell note for final edition
Apple Daily has apologised to its readers, hundreds of whom queued past midnight for one of a million copies of the final publication, for not meeting their expectations.
After 60 years, East Jerusalem Palestinians face eviction under Israeli settler rulings
For Nabil al-Kurd, being forced out of the East Jerusalem home he has lived in since the 1950s would be a fate worse than death.
Singapore approves Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine in Asia first
Singapore became on Monday the first Asian country to approve Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine and said it expects to start receiving shots by the end of the year.
China gives Pakistan $1.5 billion loan to repay $2 billion Saudi Arabia debt
China has agreed to immediately provide $1.5 billion financing line to Pakistan to help the country repay a $2 billion Saudi Arabia debt, according to India Today.
ADB launches $9 billion vaccine initiative for Asia Pacific
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a $9 billion Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) vaccine initiative offering rapid and equitable support to its developing members as they procure and deliver effective and safe coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines.
Pakistani media coverage of PM Hasina and envoy’s meet leaves out 1971 remarks
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 3 said Bangladesh cannot forget and forgive atrocities committed by Pakistan in 1971 when Pakistani High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui called on her at the Gono Bhaban. Unlike the Bangladeshi media outlets, Pakistani news media, curiously, left out the remarks made by PM Hasina on Pakistan’s atrocities in 1971.
UAE says Chinese Covid vaccine 86 percent effective
The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot.
19 Bangladeshi fishermen rescued from Indian waters in Bay of Bengal
Indian Coast Guard personnel have rescued 19 Bangladeshi fishermen who were stranded in Indian waters in the Bay of Bengal.
Indonesia’s Bio Farma says not yet able to determine Sinovac vaccine efficacy
Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma has said the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac could not yet be determined, after previously saying that interim data showed 97% efficacy.
Women in Asia often abused online but find limited recourse: UN Women study
Civil society activists say that women commonly face online violence in Asian countries but for many victims, fear and distrust make reporting these attacks to authorities “often the last resort,” a new UN Women study has found.
Asia News Network alliance to begin new chapter as legal entity in Singapore
Twenty-one years after a group of regional editors sealed an agreement in Bangkok to form a voluntary alliance, Asia News Network (ANN) has taken a major step forward with its formal registration as a legal entity, based in Singapore.