Southeast Asia
Rohingya crimes: ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for junta chief
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday said he would seek an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity in the alleged persecution of the Rohingyas.
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.
Main Afghan-Pak border crossing closed
Taliban authorities have closed the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, an Afghan official said yesterday, and residents in the area reported the sound of gunfire near the normally bustling border transit point.
Plane crashes in Philippines, search underway for 4 on board
The plane was carrying two passengers, a pilot and a crew member
Lanka bans single-use plastics
Sri Lanka will ban single-use plastics, the government said yesterday, in a move that follows a series of wild elephant and deer deaths from plastic poisoning.
Philippine mayor gives singles extra pay on Valentine's Day
"On Valentine's Day no one will give them chocolates, flowers... so we thought of giving them this kind of incentive so they can also feel someone cares for them, someone loves them."
Sub-agents, bribes and other woes of migrant workers in Malaysia
Adrian Pereira of North-South Initiative said Malaysia needs a comprehensive law or agreement with the migrant workers country to clearly define and cap recruitment fees
Taliban detain Afghan educator
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have “beaten and detained” an academic who voiced outrage on live television against their ban on women’s university education, his aide said yesterday.
Myanmar extends state of emergency by six months
Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council has agreed to extend the country's state of emergency by six months, state media said Wednesday, likely delaying elections the junta had pledged to hold by August..Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing's request to prolong the state of emergency declar
6.0-magnitude quake rocks southern Philippines
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern Philippines on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, with local authorities warning of aftershocks and possible damage.
Two years on, Myanmar coup takes a 'catastrophic toll'
Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a young factory worker turned resistance fighter mourns the loss of his leg in battle. A former diplomat has not seen his family in four years.
Myanmar slapped with fresh sanctions on eve of coup anniversary
The United States and its allies will impose further sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of the coup with curbs on energy officials and members of the junta, among others..Washington will impose sanctions on the Union Election Commission, mining enterprises, e