Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s minimum wage to go up to 1,700 ringgit from Feb 1
The Malaysian government has agreed to increase the minimum wage rate from RM1,500 currently to RM1,700, with effect from February 1, 2025, said Anwar Ibrahim
Gunmen kill 7 in southwest Pakistan
Gunmen killed seven workers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan late on Saturday, police said.
Vietnam jails journalist for seven years on 'propaganda' charge
A Vietnam court Tuesday sentenced a journalist who wrote about issues including corruption, land rights and the environment to seven years in jail, his sister said, the latest government critic to be put behind bars.
Malaysia charges ex-PM Muhyiddin with sedition over alleged remarks on royalty, lawyer says
Malaysia has charged opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with sedition for allegedly insulting the country's former king, his lawyer said on Tuesday
PRESIDENTIAL POLLS / Lanka’s Rajapaksa scion enters race
Sri Lanka’s ruling party nominated a scion of the controversial Rajapaksa family yesterday to challenge the incumbent president in next month’s polls, the first since the country’s unprecedented economic meltdown.
Oli takes oath as Nepal’s fifth PM in five years
Veteran communist politician K P Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister yesterday, the fifth in five years, hoping to ensure political stability in the impoverished Himalayan nation that badly needs to woo investors and create jobs.
KP Sharma Oli Nepal’s new PM
Nepal’s president appointed Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli as prime minister for a fourth time yesterday, after his communist party forged a coalition government with the centre-left Nepali Congress.
Eleven dead in Vietnam after landslide buries van
A landslide triggered by heavy rains buried and killed at least 11 people who were travelling in a van in northern Vietnam, the country's disaster management authority said on Saturday
Japan quake survivors seek news on rebuild plans
A week after a major earthquake struck the west coast of Japan, thousands of people are still without water and electricity and have yet to be told when plans to rebuild can begin.
Sri Lanka joins US-led naval patrols against Huthis
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka’s navy said yesterday it was joining a US-led maritime taskforce to protect international shipping against attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels.
Pak court lifts life election ban on ex-PM Sharif
Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday scrapped lifetime bans on contesting elections for people with criminal convictions, paving the way for Nawaz Sharif to run for prime minister for a fourth time.
Bhutan to vote as economic strife hits ‘nat’l happiness’
The picturesque Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan holds general elections today with serious economic challenges calling into question its longstanding policy of prioritising “Gross National Happiness” over growth.
Japan ruling party MP arrested
Japanese prosecutors yesterday made the first arrests in a funding scandal that forced Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to replace four ministers last month, local reports said.
Maldives suspends three ministers for insulting India PM
The Maldives government has suspended three deputy ministers for disparaging India’s prime minister, an official said yesterday, during a dip in ties with its powerful neighbour.
Nepal signs energy export deal with India
Nepal yesterday signed a deal with India for the Himalayan republic to export 10,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity over the next decade to its energy-hungry neighbour.
Jet cleared to land before collision
Japanese authorities said yesterday that a passenger jet that collided with a Coast Guard turboprop at a Tokyo airport was given permission to land, but the smaller plane was not cleared for take-off, based on transcripts of conversations with the control tower.
Pakistan election subject to ‘pre-poll rigging’
Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s party is being targeted by “systematic dismemberment” and “pre-poll rigging”, a rights watchdog said yesterday, casting doubt on fairness of upcoming elections.
Japan quake toll rises to 55
A powerful earthquake that hit Japan on New Year’s Day killed at least 55 people, with rescue teams struggling in freezing temperatures yesterday to reach isolated areas where many people are feared trapped under toppled buildings.