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
Proceedings shown live on TV for first time
Proceedings from Pakistan’s Supreme Court were broadcast live yesterday by state television for the first time, giving an unprecedented view into the workings of an institution that has historically had a huge impact on the country’s politics.
US women among NGO staff detained in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have arrested at least 18 staff of an international NGO, including an American woman, accusing them of carrying out Christian missionary work, the country’s leaders said yesterday.
Suu Kyi party says Myanmar junta depriving her of medical care
Myanmar's junta is endangering the life of jailed democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, her political party said on Thursday, accusing the generals of depriving her of medical care and food during her incarceration
Taiwan detects 39 Chinese warplanes, carrier
Taiwan said yesterday it had detected 39 Chinese warplanes and an aircraft carrier near the island after a US destroyer and a Canadian frigate transited through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend.
Cyclone report: Myanmar court jails journalist for 20 years
A court in military-ruled Myanmar yesterday sentenced a photojournalist to 20 years in prison, his employer said, the longest known prison term handed down to a media professional since the 2021 army coup.
Asean summit note uses ‘PM of Bharat’
After the row over the use of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the traditional ‘President of India’ in the official dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week’s G20 summit, a note on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indonesia visit to attend the
Myanmar junta ‘likely’ to hold polls in 2025
Myanmar’s junta will likely hold elections in 2025, party officials told AFP yesterday, even as the military struggles to crush resistance to its rule.
Myanmar junta refuses to allow outside doctor to see ailing Suu Kyi
Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is ailing and a request for an outside physician to see her has been denied by the country's military rulers, a source familiar with the matter and the shadow government loyal to her said on Tuesday
Christian priest shot, injured
A man shot and wounded a Christian priest in eastern Pakistan, according to a police complaint released yesterday, just weeks after vigilante mobs in the area attacked churches and burnt down homes, displacing hundreds in the small religious minority community.
Bomb attack on Myanmar border hub kills 5 officials, wounds 11
A bomb attack on a government compound in the Myanmar border hub of Myawady killed five government and security officials and wounded 11 policemen, sources told AFP on Monday