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
What happens next as no party gains majority
Pakistan’s national election ended with no party winning a majority in parliament, in polls marred by militant violence, political turmoil and questions of transparency.
What challenges will the new govt face?
Pakistan held a national election yesterday to elect a new government, with multiple crises plaguing the nuclear-armed, South Asian nation of 241 million.
Imran votes by postal ballot
Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and other incarcerated political figures have cast their votes through a postal ballot from Adiala Jail. However, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was unable to partake in voting as she was arrested after the completion of the postal voting process.
‘Vote matters’ despite alleged rigging
Pakistanis turned out early for election said they believe their votes count, despite allegations of rigging in the nation’s most fractious poll in recent history.
Pak govt hints at shutting down internet
Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz on Tuesday hinted at the possible suspension of the internet service in case of security issues in any area on the election day today while Amnesty International called for uninterrupted internet access across the country during the polling process.
How do polls in Pakistan work?
Here are some facts about how the electoral system works in Pakistan:
King of comebacks Sharif looks set to be PM again
Three-time Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has never managed to see out a full term, heads into today’s election on the brink of his biggest comeback to date.
Imran not on ballot, but still on country’s mind
His name may not be on the ballot, but Imran Khan will be on the country’s mind as Pakistan votes in an election today that observers say is deeply flawed without his participation.
Despite crises, polls dominated by personalities
Pakistan goes to the polls tomorrow with the jailing of popular former prime minister Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, dominating headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country.
Thai govt to ban recreational cannabis use
The Thai government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis, the health minister said on Tuesday, after the kingdom decriminalised the drug in 2022