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.
51 killed in Pakistan transport tragedies
At least 51 people were killed in two separate transport accidents in western Pakistan yesterday, when a bus plunged off a bridge and a boat carrying a class of children capsized.
UN aid chief raises concerns with Taliban
The United Nations’ aid chief visited Kabul on Monday and raised concerns over women’s education and work with the Taliban administration’s acting minister of foreign affairs, an Afghan ministry statement said.
Power returns to Pakistan after outage
The national power grid was restored in Pakistan, the energy minister said yesterday, a day after a nationwide breakdown left most of the country’s 220 million people without electricity and caused tens of millions of dollars in industry losses.
Fighting flares between junta and rebels in Myanmar’s Karen state
Fighting has flared in recent days between Myanmar junta forces and rebels opposed to their rule, officials and locals said today, with reports that large numbers of civilians have fled the violence.
Tackling birth rate crisis ‘cannot wait’
Japan’s low birth rate and ageing population pose an urgent risk to society, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said yesterday, pledging to address the issue by establishing a new government agency.
Fault in nat’l grid: Pakistan hit with major power outage
A massive power breakdown in Pakistan yesterday affected most of the country’s more than 220 million people, including in the mega cities of Karachi and Lahore.
'Welcome Corps' would allow Americans to sponsor refugees
The US Department of State, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, has launched the Welcome Corps, a new private sponsorship program that will enable Americans to sponsor refugees arriving through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), directly support their resettlement, and make a difference by welcoming these new neighbours into their communities.
Deadly plane crash: Nepal finds all but 1 missing person
Rescuers used drones and abseiled down a deep gorge yesterday looking for the last missing person from Nepal’s worst air disaster in 30 years, in which at least 71 people died including small children.
Pak PM makes conditional talks offer to India
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made a conditional offer to his Indian counterpart to open talks on all outstanding issues between them, including disputed Kashmir, which he believes could be facilitated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Vietnam president resigns amid major anti-graft purge
Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned, state media said Tuesday, after days of rumours he was about to be sacked amid a major anti-corruption drive that has seen several ministers fired.