Tag Archives: Asia

Jakarta has descended into violent chaos with angry mobs torching cars and firing missiles and Molotov cocktails at police in post-election skirmishes. So far, six people have been confirmed dead and a further 200 injured. A reportedly 50,000-strong security force used tear gas and water cannon to quell torrents of …

Facebook said on Thursday it had removed 265 Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages, groups and events linked to Israel due to what it called “inauthentic behavior” targeting users in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. The move is part of wider efforts by Facebook to address concerns over privacy lapses …

Japan is about to start testing its fastest ever bullet train, which can reach speeds of up to 400kph. The Alfa-X train will be put into service in 2030, with plans to run it at 360kph. This will make it faster than China’s Fuxing Hao service linking Beijing and Shanghai …

Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless after a cyclone packing winds of about 200 km per hour slammed into eastern India, ripping out tin roofs and destroying power and telecom lines, officials said on Sunday. At least 33 people were killed after cyclone Fani struck the state of …

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced on Wednesday that he had married his consort, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn, and named her Queen Suthida. The announcement, carried in the Royal Gazette, came just before the official coronation of the king, 66, on May 4-6. Vajiralongkorn, also known by the title King Rama X, …

A new era dawned in Japan on Wednesday as Naruhito officially became emperor at midnight following his father’s historic abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne, the world’s oldest monarchy. The 59-year-old Naruhito will formally take possession of the sacred imperial regalia at a solemn ceremony later Wednesday but he became the …

Heathrow airport has announced increased passenger numbers for the 29th month in a row – but traffic to and from Asia dropped by 2 percent, and to the Middle East by 11 percent. More than 6.5 million passengers passed through the UK’s busiest airport in March, an average of 210,000 …

An extraordinary fire engulfed the mountainous region along the northeastern coasts of South Korea, killing one person and injuring dozens of others. It was confirmed by 16:00, local time, on Friday (0700 GMT) that the fire killed one person and injured 34 others, burning more than 500 hectares of land, …

A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister, a home ministry official said. A search team recovered the bodies from the crash site in Taplejung, about 300 km (185 miles) east of Kathmandu, near the border with …

The Indian government has denounced Pakistan as a “rogue state,” stressing that the country will exercise all options required to overpower Islamabad, which New Delhi holds accountable for a deadly terrorist attack in the disputed region of Kashmir last week. “We (India) have to act in a manner that this …

India will look into commercial considerations and related factors to determine the value of oil imports from any country, an Indian official said, after a top US official warned countries against buying oil from Venezuela. Earlier this week, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton warned countries and companies against buying …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan has been postponed amid widespread protests against him as well as heightened tensions in the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that a two-day visit by the crown prince to Islamabad that was scheduled for Saturday had been postponed. The ministry said …

Almoez Ali scored with a spectacular overhead kick for a record ninth goal of the Asian Cup to set Qatar on their way to a first continental title with a stunning 3-1 win over four-times champions Japan. Ali’s early goal took him past Ali Daei’s 1996 tally and, combined with …

India’s main opposition Congress party has offered to roll out a means-tested universal basic income if it wins the country’s fast-approaching general election. Congress’s leader Rahul Gandhi described the scheme as “the first of its kind in the world”. “We have decided that every poor person in India would be …