Asia

UPDATED: Major disaster as London-bound passenger plane carrying more than 240 people crashes after take-off in India

An Air India plane headed to London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said,…

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Two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific for first time

Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Tuesday. Japan's Defence Ministry has confirmed the…

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Thai Military Poised for Major Action Amid Cambodia Border Tensions

Tension has been rising between Thailand and Cambodia following the killing of a Cambodian soldier in May during a brief exchange of gunfire at a disputed border area between the…

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South Korea elects liberal Lee Jae-myung after months of political turmoil

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's main liberal party, has won the country's presidential election, following months of political turmoil after the last president was impeached. Election officials have yet…

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India and Pakistan Enter Drone Arms Race After Border Clashes

Just after 8:00 p.m. on May 8, red flares lit up the skies over Jammu in northern India as Indian air defences fired on drones launched from Pakistan. The skirmishes…

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Japan introduces rules to block strange baby names

Parents in Japan will no longer have free rein over the names they give their children, after the introduction this week of new rules on the pronunciation of kanji characters.…

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Thailand vows tighter controls of cannabis as smuggling cases among tourists soar

Officials in Thailand have said they plan to tighten regulations on cannabis sales after cases of tourists attempting to smuggle the drug out of the country soared in recent months.…

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Controversy over ‘Napalm Girl’ photo

The World Press Photo group has suspended the attribution of authorship for one on the most famous press photographs ever taken, after a new documentary challenged 50 years of accepted…

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Taiwan wants peace and talks with China

Taiwan wants peace and dialogue with China as war has no winners, but the government must continue to strengthen the island's defences, President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday as he…

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China grants visa-free entry to some of Latin America’s biggest economies

China will extend its visa-free policy to nationals of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, putting some of Latin America's largest economies on equal footing with many European and Asian…

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India has only ‘paused’ military action against Pakistan, Modi says

Narendra Modi has said India has only “paused” its military action against Pakistan and would “retaliate on its own terms” to any attacks, after a ceasefire brought escalating hostilities between…

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Duterte elected mayor of home city from Hague prison

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at The Hague over his drug war that killed thousands, has been elected mayor of his family's stronghold, according to early, partial…

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Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes China’s Tibet

An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck Tibet early on Monday, the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) said. The quake hit the city of Shigatse at 5:11 a.m. (2111 GMT), at a…

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US VP Vance says war between India and Pakistan will be ‘none of our business’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the U.S. cannot control the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors and a war…

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India says military stations attacked by Pakistan drones and missiles

Blasts rang out across the Indian city of Jammu late on Thursday during what the government said was a Pakistani drone and missile attack on military stations around the Kashmir…

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Worrying Escalation Between India and Pakistan

Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated, with both countries claiming responsibility for a series of military actions across their borders. India issued a statement Thursday claiming it targeted…

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India launches air strikes on Pakistan

India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the…

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India says it has responded to ‘unprovoked’ firing from Pakistan

India said it had responded to 'unprovoked' firing from Pakistan along the de facto border for the fourth consecutive night, as it deepens its search for militants in the region…

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North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia

North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un…

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Pakistan and India exchange fire as UN calls for ‘maximum restraint’

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the line of control in disputed Kashmir, officials have said, after the UN urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show “maximum restraint”…

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Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists

Pakistan has responded with tit-for-tat measures against India as tensions soared following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Islamabad suspended all visas issued to Indian nationals…

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Pakistan closes its airspace to Indian airlines as tensions rise

Pakistan closed its air space for Indian airlines and rejected New Delhi's suspension of a water sharing treaty on Thursday in retaliation for neighbouring India's response to a deadly militant…

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India downgrades ties with Pakistan after deadly Kashmir attack

India has summoned the top Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi, local media reported on Thursday, a day after it announced measures to downgrade ties with Islamabad as relations between the…

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Attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir kills 26

Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when suspected militants opened fire at tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory, police said on Wednesday, the worst such attack in…

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China sends back new Boeing jet made more expensive by tariffs

A Boeing jet intended for a Chinese airline landed back at the planemaker’s US production hub on Sunday, a victim of the tit-for-tat bilateral tariffs launched by Donald Trump. The…

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China wants partnership with EU to counter US ‘abuse’,

China wants to deal with the European Union as a partner instead of a rival, its ambassador to Spain said, amid shifting geopolitics and Washington's new trade policy which he…

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China raises tariffs on US goods to 125% as trade war ramps up

China has announced additional tariffs on US goods to 125%, according to Reuters. That is up from the previous level of 84%. China’s finance ministry is reported as saying that…

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China lashes back with 84% tariffs on US goods

China will impose 84% tariffs on U.S. goods from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced, its finance ministry said on Wednesday, firing the latest salvo in a global trade…

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South Korean military fire warning shots after North Korean soldiers cross the border

South Korea’s military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the rivals’ tense border on Tuesday, South Korean officials said.South Korea’s military said in a statement that about 10…

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China censures Trump tariff ‘blackmail’ as market turmoil eases

China vowed not to bow to "blackmail" from the United States as a global trade war ignited by U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs showed little sign of abating on…

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China announces retaliatory 34% tariffs on US goods

China announced additional tariffs of 34% on U.S. goods on Friday, the most serious escalation in a trade war with President Donald Trump that has fed fears of a recession…

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New search for long-missing flight MH370 suspended

The latest search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been suspended, Kuala Lumpur’s transport minister said, more than a decade after the plane went missing.“They have stopped the operation for…

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South Korea’s President Yoon ousted as court upholds impeachment

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted on Friday by the Constitutional Court, which upheld parliament's impeachment over his imposition of martial law last year that sparked the country's…

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China conducts long-range live-fire drills in the East China Sea amid Taiwan tensions

China's military held long-range live-fire drills in the East China Sea on Wednesday in an escalation of ongoing drills around Taiwan, saying it was practicing precision strikes on port and…

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Chinese military launches large-scale military drills around Taiwan

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6am Monday until 6am Tuesday. The…

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UPDATED: Powerful quake in Southeast Asia kills several

A powerful earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday, killing several people, bringing down a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok and toppling buildings and bridges in neighbouring Myanmar, where the ruling…

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Japan court dissolves controversial ‘Moonies’ church

A court in Japan has ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church, which came under scrutiny after the shock killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The…

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Trump says he still has good relations with leader of ‘nuclear power’ North Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he still has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with whom he held several summits during his first term,…

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Germany’s BND suspects COVID-19 pandemic originated from a Wuhan lab accident

Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, concluded that the outbreak of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic in 2020 could well have been triggered by an accident at a Chinese laboratory that…

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Philippines ex-leader Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings

Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over his deadly war on drugs. The…

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South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes

Seven people were injured Thursday after two Air Force KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight air-to-surface bombs outside a training range during live-fire drills, military officials and fire authorities said,…

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North Korea threatens response to US carrier in South

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, on Tuesday threatened with a series of provocations in response to the US deploying its aircraft carrier…

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China vows ‘reunification’ push as it holds ‘shooting’ drills off Taiwan’s coast

China's military held "shooting training" on Wednesday off Taiwan's southwest coast in a move Taipei described as provocative and dangerous, while a senior Chinese leader vowed unswerving efforts to bring…

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Search resumes to find missing Malaysian Airlines MH370 aircraft 11 years on

The US and UK-based maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March…

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China anger as US amends wording on Taiwan independence

The US State Department has removed a statement from its website that previously said Washington does not support Taiwan's independence, sparking criticism from China. Beijing condemned the change, calling it…

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Kim Jong-un celebrates final phase of construction project with enormous explosion

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a massive explosion at a groundbreaking ceremony in Pyongyang on Sunday, marking the final phase of a project to build thousands of new apartments.…

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U.S. warns China’s war games near Taiwan could be used to conceal attack

China’s military exercises around Taiwan have become so extensive that they can soon be used as a “fig leaf” to conceal an attack on the island, according to the top…

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China hits back at Trump’s tariffs

Beijing struck back on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs against China, announcing levies of 15 percent on U.S. liquefied natural gas and coal, and 10…

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Taiwanese President calls for dialogue with China for peace

Taiwan and China need to talk to each other to achieve peace given the “multifold changes” in the international situation, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said on Monday, calling for dialogue…

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Dozens feared dead in crush at Kumbh Mela religious festival in India

Dozens are feared dead following crowd crushes at India’s Kumbh Mela festival, as vast numbers gathered for ritual bathing at one of Hinduism’s holiest sites, local officials reported. According to…

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North Korea suspected of preparing to send more troops to Russia; Trump ready to meet Kim

Russia to fight Ukrainian forces, even after suffering losses and seeing some of its soldiers captured. "As four months have passed for the dispatch of troops for the Russia-Ukraine war,…

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India offering $1million to anyone who can decipher this 5,300-year-old writing

Archeologists and linguists, assemble! An eye-wateringly huge prize awaits whoever can decipher a 5,300-year-old Indus language. Crack the code, get $1 million. Interested? Well, the offer is real but you…

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US deploys Typhon missile launchers to new location in Philippines

The U.S. military has moved its Typhon launchers - which can fire multipurpose missiles up to thousands of kilometres - from Laoag airfield in the Philippines to another location on…

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Taliban say 2 Americans held in Afghanistan were freed in a prisoner exchange

A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges,…

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At least 12 Indians killed serving in Russian armed forces, India says

At least 12 Indians have died serving in the Russian armed forces, India's foreign ministry said on Friday, adding that 18 more are still serving in the army, of whom…

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South Korean investigators arrest impeached President Yoon, ending weeks-long standoff

South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over insurrection allegations, with the embattled leader saying he agreed to comply with what he called an illegal probe…

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Pakistani airline resumes Europe flights after EU ban lifted

Pakistan's state-run carrier PIA has resumed flights to Europe after the EU lifted a four-year safety ban. The airline is still barred from flying to the UK and US. A…

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