Asia

South Korea to criminalise watching or possessing sexually explicit deepfakes

South Korean lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that criminalises possessing or watching sexually explicit deepfake images and videos, with penalties set to include prison terms and fines. There has…

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Japan destroyer passes through Taiwan Strait for first time

Japan's Self Defense Force patrolled the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time in an attempt to send a message to China, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing multiple government…

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Taiwan reports surge of Chinese warplanes off its coast

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday it had detected a surge of Chinese warplanes flying off its east, west and south coasts in what a security source said was China…

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North Korea leader’s sister says US is increasing threats with nuclear submarine

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticised the presence of a U.S. nuclear submarine in the South Korean port of Busan, state media…

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India reports first case of mpox from new, fast-spreading clade 1b variety

India said on Monday that an mpox case involving a traveller in the southern state of Kerala was from the fast-spreading clade 1b variety, marking the country's first recorded case…

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Japan says Russian patrol aircraft violated its airspace

A Russian military patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace near Hokkaido's Rebun Island on three separate occasions on Monday, prompting Japan's Self-Defense Force to dispatch aircraft in an emergency response and…

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Sri Lankans elect Marxist-leaning Dissanayake as president

Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian…

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Sri Lankans to vote for president in tight election

Sri Lankans will vote for a new president in a tightly contested election on Saturday, with the outcome expected to determine the fate of fragile economic recovery led by incumbent…

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US keeps missile system in Philippines as China tensions rise

The United States has no immediate plans to withdraw a mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, despite Chinese demands, and is testing the feasibility of its use in a…

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More Indians than ever are going on holiday abroad – so where are they heading and why?

Travel is on the rise again. According to the UN’s tourism agency, international travel for all purposes reached 97% of its pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of 2024. In…

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Pope Francis leaves for Rome after 12-day Asia trip

Pope Francis left Singapore for Rome on Friday, after a demanding trip across Southeast Asia and Oceania in which he urged action on climate change, pressed for interfaith dialogue, and…

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Economic relationship with China “unfair”, “imbalanced”, India foreign minister says

India's economic relationship with neighbour China has been very "unfair" and "imbalanced", Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday. Jaishankar, speaking at an event in Geneva, also said about…

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Pope Francis, in Singapore, urges fair wages for migrant workers

Pope Francis on Thursday urged political leaders in Singapore, a leading global financial hub, to seek fair wages for the country's million-plus lower-paid foreign workers. In likely the last major…

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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says country to increase number of nuclear weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country is now implementing a nuclear force construction policy to increase the number of nuclear weapons "exponentially," state media KCNA said on…

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China announces joint naval and air drills with Russia

China’s Defense Ministry announced on Monday that joint naval and air drills with Russia will begin this month, emphasizing the growing military ties between the two nations as Russia continues…

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Bali to ban building of some hotels to tackle over-development

Indonesia has agreed to set a moratorium on the construction of hotels, villas and nightclubs in some areas on the tourist resort island of Bali, as it grapples with the…

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China stops foreign adoptions of its children

China will no longer send children overseas for adoption, the government said, overturning a more than three-decade rule that was rooted in its once strict one-child policy. More than 160,000…

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Pope Francis, in Muslim-majority Indonesia, warns against religious extremism

Pope Francis on Wednesday urged political leaders in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, to guard against religious extremism, which he said distorted people's religious beliefs through "deception and…

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Pope Francis arrives in Indonesia to begin ambitious Asia-Pacific tour

Pope Francis arrived on Tuesday in Indonesia, the first leg of an ambitious four-country Asia-Pacific tour in which he is expected to urge global action on climate change. The 87-year-old…

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China’s major public airlines report losses

China's leading state-owned airlines reported losses in the first half of the year, affected by a slower-than-expected recovery in international travel, an oversupply in the domestic market, and increased global…

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China decides not to impose tariffs on EU brandy

Beijing said on Thursday it would not impose provisional tariffs on brandy imported from the European Union despite finding it had been sold in China below market prices, giving both…

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China holds 2nd day of talks on Taiwan, fentanyl with top Biden aide

U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan started his second day of meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing on Wednesday, aimed at quieting tensions between the two…

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Chinese military plane reportedly carries out first violation of Japanese airspace

Japan has condemned a reported violation of its airspace by a Chinese military aircraft as “utterly unacceptable” and a threat to its security. The incursion, described by Japanese media as…

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China’s military conducts armed patrols, joint police patrols near China-Myanmar border

China's military said on Monday it had organised army units and joint air-ground police patrols near the Myanmar border to maintain security and stability as fighting between Myanmar's ruling junta…

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Taliban laws ban women’s voices and bare faces in public

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public under new laws to combat immoral behaviour and promote virtue. The laws were approved by…

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Schools, internet shut near Mumbai as protests grow against sexual abuse of minors

Internet services were cut off and schools were closed for a second straight day in a town near India's financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday, as protests over the alleged sexual…

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China’s probes on EU products following EV tariffs

China has opened an anti-subsidy probe into imported dairy products from the European Union, stepping up tension with the bloc a day after Brussels released its revised draft decision related…

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Thailand says mpox case recorded in traveller from Africa

Thailand has detected an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa last week and is awaiting test results to determine the strain, a disease control official said…

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A magnitude 5.3 earthquake rattles Pakistan and Kashmir

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook parts of Pakistan and the Himalayan region of Kashmir early Tuesday, panicking residents. There were no immediate reports of damage, officials said. The epicenter of…

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One case of clade 2 mpox detected in Pakistan

One case of the mpox virus has been detected in Pakistan of the clade 2 variety, the country's ministry of health said, adding that no cases of the clade 1b…

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North Korean soldier defects to the South

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea early on Tuesday crossing the militarized border in the eastern part of the Korean peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South's…

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Protests spread over Indian doctor’s rape and murder

Some Indian junior doctors remained off the job on Sunday as they demanded swift justice for a colleague who was raped and murdered, despite the end of a strike called…

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South Korea, US kick off annual drills over North’s military, cyber threats

South Korea and the United States kicked off annual summertime military Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on Monday, seeking to boost their joint readiness to fend off North Korea's weapons and…

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Philippines detects new mpox case

The Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus in the country, the first since December last year, its health department said on Monday. The case is a…

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Foreign airlines lose interest in China as domestic carriers expand abroad

Chinese airlines are gaining market share on international routes, industry data shows, as foreign rivals are deterred by weak China travel demand and rising costs and extended flight times because…

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Paetongtarn Shinawatra elected youngest Thai PM

Thailand's parliament elected political neophyte Paetongtarn Shinawatra as its youngest prime minister on Friday, only a day after she was thrust into the spotlight amid an unrelenting power struggle between…

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North Korea’s Kim and Russia’s Putin vow deeper ties on Korean liberation day

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked an anniversary of independence from Japan's…

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Japan PM Kishida to step down as scandals prove too much

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will step down in September, ending a three-year term marred by political scandals and paving the way for a new premier to address…

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UPDATED:Magnitude-5.3 earthquake hits Tokyo after Japan issued megaquake advisory

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake hit Tokyo and eastern parts of Japan on Friday evening, the government said, a day after it issued the first-ever advisory about the risk of a huge…

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Sheikh Hasina to return to Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return to her country when its new caretaker government decides to hold elections, her son said, but it was not clear if she…

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Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s other female PM, to be freed after Hasina’s ouster

Days ahead of her 79th birthday, Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is set to get a welcome gift: release from house arrest after anti-government protests ousted her bitter…

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Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday and fled the country, as more people were killed in some of the worst violence since the birth of the South Asian…

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China records hottest month in recent history

China had its hottest month in observed modern history in July, Chinese state media reported, mirroring record hot weather seen around the world last month. Temperatures averaged 23.21 degrees Celsius…

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North Korea wants to restart nuclear talks if Trump wins

North Korea wants to reopen nuclear talks with the United States if Donald Trump is re-elected as president and is working to devise a new negotiating strategy, a senior North…

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At least two dead in India’s capital, schools shut after heavy rain

At least two people were killed after heavy rain in India's capital Delhi led to water logging, and schools were shut on Thursday after prediction of more rain, authorities said.…

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U.S. upgrades military command in Japan, warns of China threats

The United States announced plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen coordination with its ally's forces, as the two countries labelled China the "greatest…

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Philippines bans online casinos linked to scam centres

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered the shutdown of a sprawling network of online casinos that have been linked to a slew of criminal activities. Known locally as Pogos,…

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Russia allies North Korea, Belarus keen to boost ties, KCNA says

North Korea is keen to boost ties with Belarus to "open a new era", state media KCNA quoted Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as saying on Wednesday, a day after…

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Taiwan starts annual war games

Taiwan started its annual Han Kuang war games on Monday, which this year aim to be as close as possible to actual combat with no script and simulating how to…

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China pledges industrial modernisation, raft of other reforms

Chinese leaders pledged this week to modernise the country's industrial complex, expand domestic demand, curb debt and property sector risks, as well as implement financial and fiscal reforms, state media…

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Vietnam’s most powerful leader, Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, dies

Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and the country’s most powerful politician, has died following months of ill health, official media said Friday. He was 80.…

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Taiwan must rely on itself for defence, foreign minister responds to Trump

Taiwan must rely on itself for defence and is likely to keep increasing spending and modernising its military given the threat it faces from China, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said…

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North Korea leader Kim discusses military cooperation with Russian official

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received Russian vice minister of defence Aleksey Krivoruchko and discussed the importance of the two countries' militaries to unite more firmly to defend world…

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Communications widely disrupted in Bangladesh as student protests spike

Telecommunications were widely disrupted in Bangladesh on Friday amid violent student protests against quotas for government jobs in which nearly two dozen people have been killed this week. French news…

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UPDATED: Thai police say cyanide killed 6 foreigners in Bangkok hotel, including suspect

Cyanide poisoning was likely the cause of the deaths of six foreigners whose bodies were found in a room in a plush Bangkok hotel, with the suspected killer among the…

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Trump says Taiwan should pay for defence

Taiwan should pay the United States for its defence as it does not give the country anything, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said, sending shares of Taiwanese chip manufacturer…

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Surge of Chinese warplanes fly near Taiwan

Taiwan reported closely monitoring the Chinese military, citing an increasing regional threat, after a surge of warplanes flew near the island to join exercises with China's Shandong aircraft carrier in…

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