Commentary: Sri Lankans want change. They deserve continuity
Whoever wins the Sep 21 election must maintain a degree of policy stability if growth and prosperity are to return to Sri Lanka, says Bloomberg Opinion’s Mihir Sharma.
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Analysis: Xi tempers expectations on economic goals but could act ‘earlier’, more ‘decisively’ in 2025
Recent remarks from Chinese supremo Xi Jinping signal a possible shift in the country’s economic approach, observers say, with the Chinese government possibly preparing for more aggressive measures in 2025.
Unmanned boat acting 'unpredictably' near Yemen port, authorities investigating
DUBAI - The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Friday it has received a report of an incident 45 nautical miles (83 kilometres) south of Yemen's Mokha.
Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning Dissanayake promises change as his popularity soars
COLOMBO - Anura Kumara Dissanayake may lack the political lineage of some of his rivals, but his leftist policies to help the poor and stirring speeches have made him a leading candidate in Sri Lanka's presidential election on Saturday.
Philippine senator won’t rule out possibility that ex-mayor Alice Guo could be a Chinese spy
Guo, who maintains she is a natural-born Philippine citizen, has denied she is a spy.
India warns Maoist rebels to surrender or face ‘all-out’ assault
More than 10,000 people have died in a decades-long insurgency waged by the Naxalite movement.
Pakistan police shoot dead blasphemy suspect
Dr Shah Nawaz is the second blasphemy suspect to be shot dead by police in the space of a week.
First-time asylum seekers in EU drop by 17% in June, Eurostat says
First-time applications from people seeking asylum in European Union countries declined in June, with Syrians, Venezuelans, and Afghans being the primary applicants, a report from the bloc's statistics agency Eurostat showed on Friday.
Police in South Korea nab 3 suspects for selling celebrity deepfake porn
They were distributing pornographic content via chatrooms on the Telegram app.
Zelenskiy says Ukraine 'victory plan' depends on quick decisions by allies
KYIV - Ukraine's \"victory plan\" in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Russia warns West and Ukraine of 'disastrous consequences' if Kyiv moves against Belarus
MOSCOW - Russia warned the West and Ukraine on Friday of \"disastrous consequences\" if Kyiv moved against close Russian ally Belarus, making clear it would intervene to defend a country where it has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.
Taiwan court rules death penalty constitutional but only for most serious crimes
In recent years, the death penalty has rarely been carried out, and violent crime is relatively low.
Hack of Hezbollah devices exposes dark corners of Asia supply chains
Counterfeit products are prevalent, especially in big manufacturing centres like China.
Kimchi threat as heatwave drives up South Korea cabbage prices
Cabbage is a key ingredient of kimchi.
Young Taiwanese turn to near-expired food to beat soaring cost of living
On social media, netizens have a tongue-in-cheek name for these promotion periods, calling them “beggar hour”.
Singapore doubles renewable electricity imports through regional power project, with added supply from Malaysia
Keppel’s electricity importer licence will be extended by another two years to 2026.
Philippines eyes future missile launchers purchase, to retain US Typhon system
MANILA - The Philippines hopes to procure mid-range capability missiles in future and wants to utilise a U.S.-deployed Typhon system for its military training, with no immediate plan for it to be returned, a top security official said on Friday.
Mao Shan Wang durians a Malaysian ‘brand’ till 2034, says minister
It stands alongside Darjeeling tea and champagne as products registered as intellectual property.
Poland arrests former lawyer of late Russian oligarch Berezovsky, radio reports
WARSAW - Polish authorities have arrested the former lawyer of late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky in an investigation related to attacks on Russian opposition figures, Polish radio reported on Friday.
Malaysia dangles 0% tax carrot to draw family offices to Forest City special financial zone, outlines other incentives
The government is also offering lower income tax rates for foreign workers as well as concessionary corporate tax rates to attract international firms.
Russia accuses West of blatant pressure on China over Taiwan, expresses support to Beijing
MOSCOW - Russia said on Friday the West was applying blatant pressure on China over Taiwan and its \"provocative\" actions undermined regional stability and international security.
New dawn for China’s tech billionaires?
According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Pony Ma, co-founder of Tencent Holdings, is once again China’s richest person, now with a net worth of more than A$65 billion (US$44.3 billion), placing him 27th globally. Close behind him in the rankings are bottled water
Schoolboy's killing in China sparks Japanese fears
Stabbing of 10-year-old schoolboy in Shenzhen is the second attack on Japanese nationals this year.
China, Japan reached agreement in August on Fukushima water discharge
BEIJING - China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday, bringing to an end a diplomatic dispute that had rumbled on for over two years.
Premadasa, son of slain Sri Lanka president, now in contest for same role
He entered Parliament in 2000 and later served as Sri Lanka's deputy health minister.
Group linked to Malaysian child sex-abuse cases labelled deviant sect by Perlis
Their followers blindly follow their leaders’ instructions, even when they run contrary to Islamic teachings.
India rejects report on transfer of ammunitions to Ukraine as 'speculative'
A Reuters report claims that Indian-made artillery shells were diverted to Ukraine by some European countries.
China to work towards easing seafood import ban, says Japan PM
TOKYO - China will revisit its ban on marine imports from Japan and work towards resuming imports following an expansion of regulatory monitoring of radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday.
India minister blames dam release for flooding
She accused the authorities in Jharkhand of releasing dam waters that inundated West Bengal.
US should listen to Moscow warnings on Ukraine, RIA cites Russian deputy foreign min saying
MOSCOW - The United States should take into account Moscow's warnings on risks of further escalation around the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Friday.
For Sri Lanka's minority Tamils, election does not offer hope
JAFFNA, Sri Lanka - Scarred by a decades-long civil war and struggling to survive in Sri Lanka's crippled economy, ethnic minority Tamils in the island nation say they have little hope that Saturday's presidential election will improve their lot by much.
Huawei ‘super fans’ annoyed at lack of supply as $3,600 tri-fold Mate XT phone hits China stores
Pre-orders for the Mate XT have surpassed 6.5 million, with prices in the black market going above $27,000.
‘Hidden threats’: Indonesia's Bandung earthquake triggered by unmapped fault, say experts
The magnitude-5 earthquake, which left one dead and over 80 injured, damaged hundreds of houses with a loss of 385 billion rupiah and displaced more than 700 people.
New Zealand PM Luxon expects citizen exodus to slow as economy revives
He said it is critical to ensure New Zealanders feel safe in their homes.
Philippines’ China-centric casinos seen deeply tied to global crime syndicates
The online casinos may also be linked to spying and elections manipulation, a senator says.
China’s ‘beautiful governor’ jailed over affairs with 58 subordinates, corruption
Zhong Yang is also accused of accepting nearly 60 million yuan in bribes.
How Netanyahu keeps his job
After several tumultuous weeks in Israel, mass demonstrations increasingly depict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as directly responsible for the fate of the hostages still held by Hamas. Despite mounting internal and international pressure to negotiate a deal with Hamas for
Biden, Quad leaders to talk maritime security as China tensions grow
They will talk about a new security initiative meant to tell China that its “maritime bullying” is unacceptable.
Taiwan says it did not make Hezbollah pager parts
The pagers that exploded had labels pointing to a Taiwanese firm - but it denied making the devices.
Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains decouple while moving in first such incident
There were over 300 passengers on the affected trains. Some bullet train services were suspended for five hours.
All optics, no substance for the Quad?
This weekend, the four leaders of the Quad will once again convene, this time in US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. The summit will double as a send-off for two of the leaders – it will be one of Kishida Fumio’s last acts as Japan’s prime minister, while