Hong Kong tower fire toll rises to 128, more arrests made

UN warns on voter surveillance ahead of Myanmar election

GENEVA - The U.N. human rights office voiced concern on Friday that the Myanmar junta was pressuring people into voting in an election next month and that electronic voting machines and AI surveillance could help authorities to identify opponents.

UN fears mass-electronic surveillance during Myanmar vote

Concerns were raised around the possible tracking of who people are voting for.

'Just silence': Families mourn elderly loved ones after Hong Kong inferno

More than a third of the inhabitants of Wang Fuk Court, the subsidised housing complex that went ablaze, were over the age of 65.

China’s BYD recalls 88,981 plug-in hybrids over battery safety hazard

In extreme cases, they will not be able to drive in pure electric mode.

Sabah election: Warring parties lock horns on corruption and ties with federal government as campaigning ends

Leaders of key parties contesting the crucial state polls made a last-ditch pitch to more than 1.7 million eligible voters on Friday (Nov 28), a day before polling.

Swedish pension funds criticised over Myanmar junta links

Hong Kong anti-corruption watchdog arrests 8 over deadly fire

The group includes consultants, scaffolding subcontractors and a middleman of the estate’s renovation project.

‘Just silence’: Families mourn elderly loved ones after Hong Kong inferno

The blaze tore through seven high-rise blocks at the estate, which had almost 2,000 units.

Durian, pineapple compete to be Malaysia’s national fruit

Some argue that the thorny fruit deserves national recognition.

Japan high court rules same-sex marriage ban constitutional

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a unified decision in 2026 at the earliest.

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire on the edge of a breakdown

An already troubled ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is looking shakier than ever. Since the truce was announced on November 27, 2024, there have been more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations inside Lebanese territory, according to the latest report from

AI, providence and a future with fewer children

AI may be somehow providential. In about 150 years, the world’s population went from 800 million to 8 billion but the feat is unlikely to be repeated in the next 150 years. That is, the world won’t be home to 80 billion people in 2170. All data show that birth rates are

Britain says talks to join EU defence fund have broken down

LONDON/BRUSSELS - Britain said on Friday that talks to join the European Union's defence fund SAFE had broken down, in a major setback to a much-vaunted post-Brexit reset of relations aimed at strengthening the continent's defence.

China’s nuclear restraint rhetoric belied by rapidfire buildup

China’s new arms-control white paper offers a revealing snapshot of how Beijing pairs declaratory restraint with a rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal to shape its strategic narrative with the US. The document, published this month reaffirms China’s “no-first-use” (NFU) pledge

Malaysia detains former senior aide to PM in bribery probe

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's anti-graft agency on Friday detained a former senior aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for further investigation amid bribery allegations.

Anwar's former aide, businessman arrested by Malaysian anti-corruption agency ahead of Sabah state polls

Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin - who resigned as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s senior political secretary on Nov 25 - and Albert Tei were detained separately on Friday.

Philippine’s detained ex-leader Duterte loses appeal

The International Criminal Court ruled that Duterte must remain detained.

ICC rejects release for Philippines ex-president Duterte

Romanian defence minister resigns after admitting lying in his resume

BUCHAREST - Romanian Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu resigned on Friday after admitting he had lied about his studies in his resume, saying he did not want his personal \"mistakes\" to distract from the vital work of keeping the country safe from Russia.

ICC rejects plea to free Philippine ex-leader Duterte

THE HAGUE - The International Criminal Court ruled on Friday that the Philippines' 80-year-old former President Rodrigo Duterte must remain detained despite a defence appeal for his release on grounds of age and declining health.

Putin to discuss 'privileged partnership' with Modi on India visit next week

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss all aspects of their countries' \"privileged strategic partnership\" when Putin visits New Delhi next week, the Kremlin said.

Death toll from southern Thailand floods rises to 145

More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas, the government said.

Human washing machine goes on sale in Japan

Local media reported that the retail price will be $450,000.

St Vincent opposition New Democratic Party claims election win

KINGSTOWN - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' opposition New Democratic Party declared victory in Thursday's election, its leader Godwin Friday said on social media, though official results had not yet been released by early Friday.

Kremlin says Russia will discuss US-Ukraine peace ideas next week

MOSCOW - Russia has received what the U.S. and Kyiv have called an \"updated and refined peace framework\" to end the war in Ukraine and will discuss it next week, the Kremlin confirmed on Friday.

128 people known to have died in Hong Kong fire as eight more arrests made

Authorities say 89 bodies are unidentified and 79 people remain injured after Wednesday's blaze.

Critical industries, critical risks in ASEAN supply chains

ASEAN is attempting to secure a foothold in the global semiconductor and electric-vehicle battery industries. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have each announced concrete industrial commitments that signal an ambition to move deeper into high-value manufacturing. These efforts

Taiwan’s message to China: We are not alone

The island’s diplomatic space may be shrinking but it wants to engage the world on its own terms

Philippines’ Marcos seeks Singapore, Malaysia help over lawmaker-turned-fugitive’s jet, helicopters

The lawmaker is at the centre of a massive corruption scandal involving billions worth of “ghost projects”.

‘We’ve lost everything’: How floods devastated one of Thailand’s largest cities

At least 145 people have died in floods that have swept nine southern provinces.

'We’ve lost everything': How floods devastated one of Thailand's largest cities

HAT YAI, Thailand - When Jantarakarn Kaewjan went to bed in Thailand's southern city of Hat Yai last Friday, three days of heavy rains had only caused some waterlogging in the street outside her apartment building.

KLIA aerotrain undergoes nightly checks to fix persistent system faults, but will it be enough?

The frequent faults plaguing the train risk undermining Malaysia’s target of welcoming 47 million visitors in 2026.

Storm Senyar set to hit 10 locations in Malaysia

Perak, Selangor and Pahang are expected to be the worst-hit before Senyar moves to the east coast.

Storm Senyar: Selangor police on high alert with 1 death, 49 fallen trees reported

The storm is expected to bring heavier rainfall on the evening of Nov 28.

Taiwan congratulates opposition for election win in ally Saint Vincent

TAIPEI - Taiwan's ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has congratulated the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) for winning the election in the Caribbean country, one of Taipei's last remaining formal diplomatic allies.

Scores killed as floods sweep several Asian nations

At least 80 people have died in Indonesia with another 56 dead in Sri Lanka in a week of extreme weather.

China's top diplomat to visit Russia for security talks

Thai police apologise for AI-modified flood relief image

The image, which had a star-shaped Gemini watermark, was created using Google’s AI software.

Indonesian town buries its dead in mass grave as flood toll rises

BATANG TORU, Indonesia - Families gathered at a health centre in the Indonesian town of Batang Toru on Friday, desperate for news about missing loved ones, as locals dug a mass grave to bury seven unclaimed victims of the cyclonic rains that have battered the country's

Ukraine anti-graft officers search home of Zelenskiy's chief of staff

KYIV - Anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine said they conducted searches linked to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff and top peace negotiator Andriy Yermak on Friday.

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades followed a year of unanswered safety complaints

Residents’ concerns over the possibility that a fire could break out were apparently brushed aside.

Deadly bear attacks in Japan prompt new products from insurers

According to government data, a total of 197 people have been attacked and there have been 20,792 sightings.

Key suspect arrested in kidnap-murder of South Korean college student in Cambodia: Report

On Aug 8, the student was found dead in the trunk of a truck near a suspected criminal compound.

China says armed attack on Tajik-Afghan border kills three of its nationals

BEIJING - An armed attack killed three Chinese citizens in Tajikistan on the Central Asian nation's border with Afghanistan, China's embassy in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe said on Friday.

A familiar quiet: Prabowo and the return of managed dissent

One year after his inauguration, President Prabowo Subianto faces accusations that his administration is gradually eroding civil liberties — from arresting activists and suppressing demonstrations to putting pressure on media outlets. This is done not through open prohibitions

Malaysian PM’s former aide, whistleblower nabbed by anti-corruption agency

Three individuals were nabbed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.