Too hot to work, too poor to stop: How insurance protects India’s informal workers during heatwaves

Curry chee cheong fun was never common in Johor Bahru but it is now. Why?

Chee cheong fun is not native to JB. How does it land from KL and Ipoh?

Three Pakistani police officers killed in car bombing, more casualties feared

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan May 9 - A car bombing at a police post killed at least three officers in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and was followed by an ambush on police personnel rushing to the scene to provide backup, security officials said.

Putin says he thinks the Ukraine conflict is coming to an end

MOSCOW, May 9 - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he thought the Ukraine conflict was coming to an end.

Qatari LNG tanker sailing towards Hormuz Strait, shipping data shows

May 9 - Qatari LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat was sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after departing Qatar's Ras Laffan en route to Port Qasim in Pakistan, according to LSEG shipping data.

2 Singaporeans die in Johor car crash: Reports

Kota Tinggi district police said the accident involved a Ferrari driven by a 34-year-old man, with a 33-year-old woman as the front passenger.

Japanese council votes to remove unconscious mayor

Kikuo Hatakeyama, 72, has served as the mayor of Hachirogata in north-east Japan since 2008, but fell ill in February.

Indonesia detains over 300 foreigners in gambling crackdown

Some 275 people face charges of gambling and money laundering, a police official said.

‘I could only stand and watch’: Indonesian guide recalls trying to save S’poreans on Mount Dukono

Mr Reza Selang tried saving the climbers, but a boulder pinned them, and he was forced to leave them behind.

‘I could only stand and watch’: Indonesian guide recalls failed rescue of Singapore hikers in exclusive Straits Times interview

Mr Reza tried saving the climbers, but a boulder pinned them. He was forced to leave them behind, a decision that deeply haunts him.

Australia’s far-right party wins first Lower House seat

The result is in line with a surge of electoral support for far-right populist parties globally.

Australia's far-right party wins first lower house seat

SYDNEY, May 9 - Australian far-right populist party Pauline Hanson's One Nation won its first seat in the country's House of Representatives in a byelection on Saturday, a preliminary vote count showed.

Kremlin says peace in Ukraine is still a very long way off

MOSCOW, May 9 - The Kremlin on Saturday said that the United States was in a hurry to clinch a peace deal to end the Ukraine war but that getting to any sort of agreement was a very long way off because the issues were so complicated.

Thailand orders crackdown on unruly tourists

Thailand’s Interior Ministry warned that those who break the law could be deported immediately.

Punch, the lonely monkey who drew crowds to a Japan zoo, growing up well amid limelight

Since first hitting the headlines, Punch has slowly integrated into his troop and made friends.

TikTok parent ByteDance plans tiered subscriptions for AI chatbot Doubao

Doubao had 345 million monthly active users in March 2026.

Rescuers find body of first confirmed fatality from Mount Dukono eruption; believed to be Indonesian national

Two Singaporean hikers remain missing despite their locations having been identified.

Top Sri Lankan Buddhist monk arrested over alleged sex abuse

Pallegama Hemarathana was arrested at a private hospital where he had sought treatment.

Thai police probe weapons cache at Chinese man’s home

Local police said they were “investigating security implications”.

US, Iran no closer to ending war as Tehran's response awaited

WASHINGTON/CAIRO, May 9 - A state of relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after days of sporadic flare-ups, as the United States waited for Iran's response to its latest proposals to end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks.

Thai police probe military-grade weapons cache at foreign man's home

Local police are "investigating security implications" after assault rifles, explosives, grenades and anti-personnel mines were found at the man's home, near the beach resort of Pattaya.

ASEAN discussions on regional fuel stockpile in very early stage, says PM Wong

ASEAN already has a rice stockpile with China, Japan and Korea. The question is whether the region could pursue something similar for energy, says Singapore’s prime minister.

Mount Dukono eruption: Key facts about one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes

The local authorities in April had imposed a climbing ban after increased volcanic activity.

China trade beats forecasts in April despite Middle East war

While the US-Israel war on Iran has produced new risks for China's economy, its trade has so far appeared to be weathering the disruptions.

How Pakistan became the world’s most useful middle power

As geopolitical competition intensifies across multiple regions, countries capable of maintaining working relationships with rival powers are becoming increasingly valuable. While global attention remains centered on major-power rivalry, another category of states is quietly

When the world’s greatest power can’t win

For three decades after the Cold War, Washington operated under a dangerous assumption: that military supremacy could indefinitely compensate for diplomatic exhaustion. The United States possessed the world’s most advanced armed forces, unmatched naval reach, and a financial

North Korea to deploy new artillery along border with South

Deployment of the "new-type 155-millimetre self-propelled gun-howitzer" would potentially place Seoul within striking range.

Nuclear holocaust threat just another day in Trump World

As he struggles to force Iran’s capitulation, US President Donald Trump issued what seemed to be yet another threat to commit an act of mass destruction against the country through nuclear warfare. When negotiations have faltered in recent weeks, Trump has on multiple occasions

Post-pax world needs a post-Cartesian mind

Ravi Kant’s recent Asia Times essay argues that the next world order will not be built like the old ones. Pax Britannica rested on sea lanes and finance. Pax Americana rested on markets, media and military reach. But the next global order, Kant suggests, will be organized

No Malaysians on board hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship

Dr Dzulkefly said the infection should not be taken lightly, as its complications can potentially be fatal.

US, EU and China profoundly split on AI intimacy

Globally, hundreds of millions of users now interact regularly with AI companions. The World Health Organization has declared loneliness a global health threat. AI companions offer an immediate, if unproven, response. In 2014, Microsoft launched Xiaoice in China, an AI

Sri Lanka arrests more than 260 foreigners over cyberscams

Authorities have arrested hundreds of foreign nationals in recent months as Sri Lanka intensifies a sweeping crackdown on suspected cyber scam operations.

Philippines ex-president Duterte taps new lawyer for ICC trial

Duterte plans to hire a replacement counsel, whose name was redacted in the document.

ASEAN’s energy ambitions are a test of its unity

Amid the deepening energy crisis, leaders are urging the grouping to step up energy resilience.

North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin

Kim Jong Un also reportedly pledged North Korea's continued commitment to a bilateral pact, signed in 2024, that includes a mutual defence provision.

Indonesia identifies location of two Singaporean hikers at Mount Dukono but eruptions hamper rescue

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency says the hikers’ locations were identified on Friday (May 8), but rescue efforts have been hampered by extreme terrain and heightened volcanic activity.

US concerned that further delays in Taiwan defence spending are ‘concession’ to China

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said while he appreciated the funding, this was only the first step.

US concerned by Taiwan defence delay 'concession' to China

TAIPEI, May 9 - Further delays to Taiwan military spending are a \"concession\" to China, the U.S. State Department said, as Taipei's defence ministry detailed the impact of projects excluded from a package passed by the opposition-controlled parliament.

Search resumes for 3 hikers, including 2 Singaporeans, amid hopes they may still be alive

Search teams resumed efforts on May 9 to find three missing hikers, including two Singaporeans, stranded on Mount Dukono.

Rescuers locate body of Indonesian hiker, probable site of missing S'poreans on Mount Dukono

The body of the female Indonesian hiker was found 600m from the crater.

From trusted aide to biggest rival: Suvendu Adhikari becomes West Bengal chief minister

A former ally of Mamata Banerjee, the BJP leader will be West Bengal’s next chief minister.

Vietnam adds hundreds of hectares in South China Sea island-building effort

It is also constructing specialised infrastructure in the Spratly archipelago, said a US think-tank.

Vietnam adds hundreds of acres in South China Sea island-building

WASHINGTON, May 8 - Vietnam has expanded its island building in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly archipelago in the past year, adding 534 acres (216.1 hectares) of land, and has also begun to construct specialized infrastructure there, a U.S. think tank reported.

Even in Japan, robots are far from being full‑fledged caregivers

The robot pauses at the edge of the room as an engineer checks its sensors. Then, with a soft mechanical hum, this humanoid machine begins to move. It lifts a mannequin from a bed, slowly and carefully. The engineers hold their breath. I am in a robotics lab in Tokyo, Japan, as

US imposes sanctions on 10 individuals, companies for aiding Iran's weapons sector

WASHINGTON, May 8 - The U.S. Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, for aiding efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran's Shahed drones.