Asia

Photo Story: The 2019 Seoul Lantern Festival

Photos of lantern figures on display prior to the Seoul Lantern Festival in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday 31 October 2019. The Seoul Lantern Festival is held under the theme…

Read More Here

North Korea fires unidentified projectiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea has fired two unidentified "projectiles" into the sea, the South Korean military says. If confirmed as a missile test, it would be the North's 12th this year. The…

Read More Here

The 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, in Bangkok

ASEAN Economic Ministers hold hands for a group photo after the 18th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Funeral of South Korean President Moon’s mother

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sits adjacent to the funeral altar for his mother, Kang Han-ok, at the Namcheon Catholic Cathedral in Busan, South Korea. Kang died of a chronic…

Read More Here

Pakistani protesters descend on capital to demand PM quits

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators were due in the Pakistani capital on Thursday to demand that the government step down, piling more pressure on Prime Minister Imran Khan as he strives…

Read More Here

Photo story: Philippines prepares for All Saints, All Souls Day

A man hired to spruce up graves works at a cemetery in Marikina, Philippines, 31 October 2019. Tens of thousands of Filipino Catholics are expected to flock to cemeteries to…

Read More Here

Hong Kong braces for Halloween havoc as protesters target party district

Hong Kong is bracing for a rowdy and possibly hugely dangerous Halloween on Thursday, when thousands of pro-democracy protesters, many wearing banned face masks, plan to combine with fancy-dress clubbers…

Read More Here

Pakistan train fire kills at least 70 after gas canister explodes

At least 70 people have died in a fire on a train in Pakistan after a gas canister being used to cook food exploded. The fire destroyed three of the…

Read More Here

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocks parts of Mindanao in the Philippines

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked Central and Eastern Mindanao on Thursday, October 31, just two days after a strong tremor killed several people and hurt hundreds of others in the…

Read More Here

Second minister in a week resigns from Japan cabinet

Japan’s justice minister stepped down on Thursday - the second resignation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s newly formed cabinet in less than a week - after a media report that…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Fire engulfs 500-year-old world heritage site in Japan

The main building of the Shuri Castle is seen on fire in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, southern Japan, early 31 October 2019. The fire started early Thursday at Shuri Castle in…

Read More Here

India formally divides Jammu and Kashmir state

India has formally divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two new federally administered territories. In the new arrangement, Jammu and Kashmir is one territory, and Ladakh, which borders…

Read More Here

Warning that China may deploy aircraft carrier in Indian Ocean

Admiral John Aquilino, The US Pacific Fleet Commander said there has been no reduction in Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, a vital trade route in the global…

Read More Here

Purge in Thai royal palace continues

Thailand’s king has sacked four royal guards, two of them for “adultery”, in a fresh wave of palace purges a week after his royal consort was stripped of all titles…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Aftermath of the earthquake in the Philippines

Photos of the damage from last Tuesday’s earthquake in the Philippines as shock waves continue to be felt on Wednesday. At least seven people have been killed and around 70…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Protest against illegal fishing in South Korea

Greenpeace activists stand next to a piece of sand art featuring a giant whale during a protest against illegal fishing, on Haeundae Beach in Busan, South Korea, 30 October 2019.…

Read More Here

Victims increase from Philippine earthquake

The death toll from an earthquake in the southern Philippines has risen to seven, officials said, with many more injured. The victims included a seven-year-old boy and his 44-year-old father…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Pollution increases in India after Diwali celebrations

A man throws items used in rituals in a canal after the Diwali celebrations, in Amritsar, India, 28 October 2019. Pollution after Diwali celebrations increases every year in India as…

Read More Here

At least 20 wounded in Kashmir grenade blast

A relative of a person injured in a grenade attack reacts as she waits at a hospital in Srinagar, India, on Monday. According to local media reports, at least 20…

Read More Here

Rescuers try to save two-year-old boy stuck in well in India

Read More Here

Photo Story: Halloween parade in Kawasaki, Japan

Participants in costumes wait for the start of a Halloween parade in Kawasaki city, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on Sunday 27 October 2019. Some 2,000 participants dressed in costumes participated in…

Read More Here

Hong Kong enters recession as protests show no sign of relenting

Hong Kong has fallen into recession, hit by more than five months of anti-government protests that show no signs of relenting, and is unlikely to achieve annual economic growth this…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Diwali festival in Nepal

A slow shutter speed photograph shows an international flight taking off over Kathmandu during the Diwali festival, the 'festival of lights', also known as Tihar celebration in Kathmandu, Nepal. The…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Highlights of the Thailand game show 2019

Photos taken during the Thailand Game Show 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, 26 October 2019. The three-day gaming showcase runs from 25 to 26 October 2019 and is aimed at promoting…

Read More Here

Torrential rain hits Chiba Prefecture in Japan

Torrential rain in the Chiba Prefecture, southeast of Tokyo on 25 October caused floods and landslides, leaving eight people dead and a further four missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just…

Read More Here

South Korea grounds nine Boeing 737 NG planes with cracks

South Korea’s transport ministry on Friday said nine Boeing Co 737 NG planes in the country had been grounded after checks found structural cracks requiring repairs. The suspension follows an…

Read More Here

Japan trade minister resigns

Japanese Trade Minister Isshu Sugawara resigned on Friday, following accusations of election law violations just a month after taking up the key post charged with handling a trade dispute with…

Read More Here

S.Korea’s top convenience store chain stops selling flavoured liquid e-cigarettes

South Korea’s top convenience store chain GS25 has stopped selling flavoured liquid e-cigarettes, the parent company GS Retail said on Thursday. The sales suspension came a day after the country’s…

Read More Here

Death penalty in Bangladesh for 16 who set student on fire

A Bangladesh court has sentenced 16 people to death for the murder of a student set on fire after accusing her teacher of sexual harassment. Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 19, died…

Read More Here

Hong Kong protesters to rally in support of Catalan activists

Hong Kong protesters plan to rally on Thursday evening to show solidarity with people demonstrating in Spain’s wealthiest region of Catalonia over jail sentences handed out to nine separatist leaders.…

Read More Here

Hong Kong formally scraps extradition bill that sparked protests

Hong Kong's legislature has formally withdrawn a controversial extradition bill that sparked months of unrest. The bill - which would have allowed for criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Indian Navy warships arrive in Manila

The India navy vessel INS Sahyadri (F-49) docks at the Port of Manila, in Manilla, Philippines, 23 October 2019. According to reports, two ships of the Indian Navy, the INS…

Read More Here

China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with ‘interim’ chief executive

China is drawing up a plan to replace Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam with an “interim” chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations, which would…

Read More Here

South Korea urges public to stop using liquid e-cigarettes

South Korea’s health minister said on Wednesday he “strongly advised” the public to stop using liquid e-cigarettes amid a global backlash against vaping over growing health concerns. The warning comes…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Emperor Naruhito enthronement in Tokyo

Japanese Empress Masako (R) and Emperor Naruhito wave as they are on their way to the Imperial Palace for the court banquet in Tokyo, Japan. Some 400 guests from Japan…

Read More Here

Japan all set for Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony

Visitors walk through the Imperial Palace outer garden in Tokyo, Japan, 21 October 2019, the day before Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony. Some 2,000 guests from Japan and over 180 countries…

Read More Here

World Internet Conference in China

Visitors at the 6th World Internet Conference, also known as Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, China, on Monday 21 October 2019. As many as more than 600 internet enterprises from…

Read More Here

Photo story: Schwarzenegger presents latest Terminator movie in Seoul

Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at a media event for the movie 'Terminator: Dark Fate' in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday 21 October 2019. The movie will open in South…

Read More Here

China says resolving ‘Taiwan question’ is national priority

China’s defence minister, Wei Fenghe, said on Monday that resolving the “Taiwan question” is his country’s “greatest national interest”, and that no force could prevent China’s “reunification”. Separatist activities are…

Read More Here

Ceremonial destruction of counterfeit goods in the Philippines

A government worker cuts up a counterfeit wallet during a ceremonial destruction of fake consumer goods worth 80.2 million pesos (1.4 million euro) at Camp Crame police headquarters in Quezon…

Read More Here

Dutch health minister calls for international strategy to combat dementia

The Dutch health minister has called for a global strategy to deal with dementia at a meeting of world experts in Japan. Hugo De Jonge likened the growth in this…

Read More Here

Photo story: Voilah! French Festival in Singapore

Photos during a performance titled 'The Bear's Mouth' by French circus group CIE Remue-Menage, at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and that was held on Saturday evening. The…

Read More Here

Inauguration Ceremony of Indonesia President in Jakarta

Indonesian presidential motorcade arrives at the House of Representative building before the inauguration of Indonesia's president Joko Widodo for the second term in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday 20 October…

Read More Here

Indian soldiers, Pakistani civilians among dead in Kashmir clash

India said on Sunday two soldiers and a civilian were killed in cross-border shelling with Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region, while Islamabad said six died on its side, making…

Read More Here

Photo story: Protest against anti-mask law in Hong Kong

Riot police react after a firebomb was thrown at them by protesters during a rally to abolish the anti-mask law in Hong Kong, China, Sunday, 20 October 2019. Hong Kong…

Read More Here

Duchess of Cambridge returns to children’s orphanage in Pakistan after flight was grounded in storm

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge returned to a children's orphanage during their royal tour to Pakistan at her request after their flight was grounded by a storm. The royal…

Read More Here

Police in Hong Kong prepare for unauthorized protest

Hong Kong authorities are beefing up security ahead of an unauthorized rally by pro-democracy protesters. Water-filled plastic security barriers went up around a rail terminal where Sunday’s protest march will…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Royal Tour of Pakistan

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, 17 October 2019. The royal couple is on an official five-day visit…

Read More Here

Philippine president bruised, scratched from motorcycle fall

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte fell off his parked motorcycle on the palace grounds, suffering bruises and scratches, but the minor injuries won’t affect his schedule, his spokesman said Thursday. “While…

Read More Here

Stricter controls on Chinese diplomats in the US

Chinese diplomats in the US will have to notify American authorities before holding any meetings with US officials. Official visits to "educational and research institutions", such as schools and universities,…

Read More Here

Strong Earthquake Damages Buildings in Southern Philippines; Three Persons Reported Dead

A strong, shallow earthquake shook parts of the southern Philippines Wednesday, killing at least three persons and injuring dozens. The U.S. Geological Survey rated the temblor at 6.4 magnitude. It…

Read More Here

Strong 6.7 earthquake in the Philippines

An earthquake of the magnitude 6.7 struck 5 kilometres from Magsaysay in Philippines on Wednesday. A tsunami warning has been issued near Magsaysay in Philippines. The nearest populated areas to…

Read More Here

Foreboding of major announcement as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rides white horse on Paektu Mountain

An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, riding a white horse through the first snow of Paektu Mountain,…

Read More Here

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the North of Pakistan

Britain's Prince William (R), Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit the Chiatibo glacier in the Hindu Kush mountain range in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan,…

Read More Here

Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition kicks off in South Korea

South Korean army's E-737 Peace Eye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and F-16 fighters fly during the opening ceremony of the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX)…

Read More Here

Chaos in Hong Kong as state of the union address disrupted

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was forced to suspended her annual policy address after being heckled in the city's parliament. Opposition lawmakers disrupted the session by shouting and jeering from…

Read More Here

Aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan

Scenes from the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan. According to media reports, at least 40 people died, more than 180 people were injured and at least 16 went missing…

Read More Here