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.
Gunmen shoot dead Afghan ex-lawmaker
Gunmen shot dead an Afghan former lawmaker and one of her bodyguards in the capital Kabul in a night-time attack at her home, police said yesterday.
Punjab assembly dissolved on Imran’s orders
The provincial assembly in Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, was dissolved late Saturday, in a move orchestrated by former prime minister Imran Khan as part of a bid to force early general elections.
Air strikes near India border: Myanmar junta hits ethnic rebels
Myanmar's junta has carried out air strikes on an ethnic armed group's base near the border with India, the rebels and media said Wednesday, with one bomb landing close to the international boundary.
Pak minister in Geneva to secure IMF bailout fund
Pakistan has stepped up efforts to secure money from an international money lender and a friendly state as the South Asian country faces an unprecedented economic crisis.
Myanmar Jail Riot: Prisoner killed, dozens wounded
A prisoner was killed and more than 60 wounded after a riot broke out at a Myanmar prison west of Yangon, the junta said yesterday.
Myanmar military holds election talks with ethnic rebels
Myanmar’s junta is holding talks with three ethnic rebel groups on staging elections in areas they control, a rebel spokesman said yesterday, as the military prepares for polls the US has said will be a “sham.”
Myanmar will hold ‘free, fair’ polls: junta
Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said it would hold “free and fair” multiparty elections as it marked Independence Day yesterday, days after increasing Aung San Suu Kyi’s jail term to 33 years. The junta is preparing for fresh elections later this year
Lanka freezes recruitment
Sri Lanka began a fresh austerity drive yesterday, freezing government recruitment as new taxes and higher electricity prices kicked in with authorities trying to secure an IMF bailout.
IS claims responsibility
Islamic State yesterday claimed responsibility for an attack on Taliban forces in Kabul.
‘Beef up the military muscle’ in 2023
Kim Jong Un has called for an “exponential” increase in North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, including mass producing tactical nuclear weapons and developing new missiles for nuclear counterstrikes, state media said yesterday.