Surfer attacked by shark in fourth attack in New South Wales in 48 hours

Authorities are warning people to stay out of the Australian state's waterways after recent rainfall.

AI will reshape work and improve living standards in India, says Salesforce India CEO

Speaking to CNA, Arundhati Bhattacharya stressed that AI adoption must be approached carefully, with proper guardrails to ensure it is used appropriately.

'Content to die': Afghanistan's hunger crisis worsened by winter, aid cuts

KABUL, Jan 20 - In the dull glow of a single bulb lighting their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Samiullah and his wife Bibi Rehana sit down to dry bread and tea, their only meal of the day, accompanied by their five children and three-month-old grandchild.

Penang International Airport e-gate to be fully launched in February

Foreign passport holders are still required to use manned counters for the time being.

Syria says 120 Islamic State detainees escaped prison; Kurdish website said 1,500 escaped

CAIRO, Jan 20 - Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, said around 1,500 Islamic

North Korea's Kim sacks senior official, slams 'incompetence'

China’s population falls for fourth year amid economic woes

China’s population declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, extending a downturn that has coincided with weaker economic conditions and falling birth rates. The continued contraction comes as job prospects remain uncertain for many young people and marriage rates stay

North Korea’s Kim sacks vice-premier, slams ‘incompetence’

Mr Yang Sung Ho was “unfit to be entrusted with heavy duties”, Mr Kim said.

Sydney beaches stay closed after three shark attacks in two days

Two of the victims are children, with a 12-year-old boy fighting for his life.

Sydney beaches close after three shark attacks in two days

SYDNEY, Jan 20 - Beaches in the north of Sydney remained closed on Tuesday after a shark bit a man in his 20s, the city's third shark attack in two days.

'Not rocket science': Why Malaysia groups are again pushing to ban asbestos in construction work

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals resistant to fire and water, and is commonly found in older buildings and homes including in Malaysia. But it is also known to cause cancer.

Commentary: Are China’s ‘youth retirement homes’ a fad or an emerging industry?

Youth retirement homes in China and, more recently, Malaysia, provide insights into the predicaments faced by young people in the two countries, says an academic.

Commentary: Why India has a private investment problem

Despite blistering growth numbers, India's future feels uncertain with private investment being persistently low, says Mihir Sharma for Bloomberg Opinion.

Vietnam leader To Lam seeks China-style powers at party conclave

Mr Lam will remain the party’s top leader, according to sources, but he is seeking the presidency as well.

China’s top trade negotiator He Lifeng slated to meet global CEOs in Davos

Mr Trump’s trade truce with China has opened the door for world leaders and CEOs to boost ties with the country.

Turkey's Kurdish party says Syria deal leaves Ankara 'no excuses' on peace process

ANKARA, Jan 19 - Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party said on Monday that the Turkish government had no more \"excuses\" to delay a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) now that a landmark integration deal was achieved in neighbouring Syria.

Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on Chinese-run restaurant in Afghanistan

The explosion tore through a restaurant in a commercial neighbourhood, killing a Chinese national and six Afghans.

Rising smoke, locked exits: How Karachi mall inferno trapped victims

KARACHI, Jan 19 - When smoke began seeping from ducts at the sprawling Gul Plaza shopping complex in Karachi late on Saturday, those inside thought a small fire had broken out in a corner of the mall.

At least seven killed in Kabul hotel blast

KABUL, Jan 19 - An explosion tore through a hotel in a heavily guarded part of central Kabul on Monday, killing seven people and injuring several others, authorities in the Afghan capital said.

Indonesia President Prabowo nominates nephew as central bank deputy governor

Prabowo's nephew Thomas Djiwandono, currently a deputy finance minister, is one of three nominees whose names have been submitted to parliament, presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi told reporters.

Dog in Malaysia freed after hours with head stuck in tyre rim

The dog is believed to have had its head stuck inside a tyre rim while chasing rats or sniffing around.

China’s record surplus makes a mockery of Trump’s tariffs

The numbers are in, and they paint a picture that defies the conventional wisdom of Washington’s trade hawks. In 2025, China’s trade surplus surged to a record high of US$1.2 trillion. In December alone, the surplus reached $114 billion, driven by a higher-than-expected 6.6%

Weak domestic demand continues to blight China’s economy as growth slows in Q4

The nation's GDP growth of 5 per cent for 2025 meets its official target but this is expected to slow in 2026.

Singapore holds keys to deterring a China-Taiwan war

No other foreign nation maintains a larger military presence in Taiwan than Singapore. Approximately 3,000 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel are rotationally stationed on the island each year under Project Starlight, a bilateral defense agreement signed in 1975 between the

Several killed in hotel blast in Kabul, officials say

KABUL, Jan 19 - Several people were killed or injured in a blast at a hotel in a heavily guarded part of central Kabul on Monday, officials said.

Over 400 Indonesians ‘released’ by Cambodian scam networks: Ambassador

Between Jan 1 and 18, 440 Indonesians came to the embassy in Phnom Penh, said the ambassador.

Indonesia’s chairing of UN human rights council for first time: Milestone or empty symbol?

Critics say there is nothing to celebrate, given the country's worsening human rights record.

Greenland crisis is Asia’s crisis, too

Asia should pay close attention to what markets are signaling on the Greenland crisis. Distance offers no protection in a global system where trade, capital and confidence remain tightly interlinked. Moves this week across asset classes show investors are treating this episode

Impeachment bid against Marcos unlikely to succeed but could still hurt him, say analysts

The Philippine President faces an impeachment complaint over Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC arrest, as well as alleged corruption.

Malaysia king to MPs: National interests over state rights, anti-corruption fight continues

In a wide-ranging speech as he opened the fifth session of the 15th Parliament, the king alluded to topics that have generated controversy in recent months and slammed corruption in the military and public service.

BHP refused permission to appeal UK judgment over 2015 Brazil dam collapse

LONDON, Jan 19 - BHP was on Monday refused permission to appeal against a ruling that it is liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil, in a London lawsuit potentially worth tens of billions of pounds.

Over 400 Indonesians 'released' by Cambodian scam networks: Ambassador

Hundreds of foreign nationals have left suspected scam compounds across Cambodia this month amid a crackdown following the arrest of accused scam boss Chen Zhi.

Kremlin says Trump would go down in world history if US took Greenland

MOSCOW, Jan 19 - The Kremlin said on Monday that it was hard to disagree with experts who said that U.S. President Donald Trump would go down in the history of the United States and the world if he took control of Greenland.

Kurdish autonomy falls, redrawing Syria’s geopolitical map

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed umbrella group dominated by armed Syrian Kurds from the YPG and linked to the PKK which Turkey designates a terrorist organization, rapidly collapsed over the weekend due to the coordinated defection of their Arab tribal junior

TikTok bans politicians from paying for ads before Thai vote

TikTok will partner with fact-checking organisations to validate political claims.

Japan PM Takaichi to dissolve parliament Friday and call national election

TOKYO, Jan 19 - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she will dissolve parliament Friday and call a national election to seek voter backing for increased spending and a new security strategy expected to accelerate Japan's defence build up.

What a post-US world order might look like

Ibn Khaldun, the 14th-century giant of political philosophy, argued that every great power passes through a natural civilizational cycle lasting five generations—roughly 125 years—before decline becomes unmistakable. If we place the United States within this framework, its

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi will dissolve Parliament on Jan 23, with election on Feb 8

Her Cabinet is riding high in the polls despite her party’s flagging popularity.

Tablets with no internet connection, no phones at Vietnam’s Communist Party congress: Sources

Delegates will also have to stay in designated accommodation as part of tighter security for the event.

No phones, pre-set tablets for delegates at Vietnam's Communist Party congress

HANOI, Jan 19 - Delegates at Vietnam's Communist Party congress that started on Monday were given Samsung tablet computers without an internet connection, had no access to the mobile phone network and will have to stay in designated accommodation, two people briefed on the

Trump’s Greenland bid heralds new era of economic coercion

When Donald Trump announced that beginning February 1, 2026, eight of America’s closest allies would face a blanket 10% tariff on all goods entering the United States, the shock was not merely economic. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the

Woman arrested in South Korea after allegedly stabbing man she met via dating app

The woman allegedly stabbed a man in his 40s multiple times with a knife.

Dozens missing after massive Karachi mall fire, 19 killed

The fire started late on Jan 17 in Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops.

Dozens missing after massive Karachi mall fire, 14 killed

KARACHI, Jan 19 - Pakistani firefighters began searching the smouldering remains of a sprawling Karachi shopping mall on Monday for more than 60 people still missing after a massive fire that killed at least 14 people.

Malaysia’s Bersatu, PAS open to UMNO’s 'grand collaboration' pitch but question its role in unity government

Bersatu said it will only consider the proposal once full details are provided, while PAS said the collaboration “will only confuse the people” if UMNO continues to support the Pakatan Harapan-led government.

Knife-wielding woman nabbed after chasing people on Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road to get psychiatric help

In an earlier incident in December 2025, the woman allegedly threatened passengers on a public bus with a knife before she was restrained and removed from the bus.

President of Kazakhstan to join Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace,' spokesperson says

ASTANA, Jan 19 - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will join the \"Board of Peace\" proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after accepting an invitation to do so and wants to contribute to bringing about a stable Middle East peace, his spokesperson said on Monday.

Kazakhstan says Trump invited Tokayev to join the Gaza 'Board of Peace', Tengri news outlet reports

MOSCOW, Jan 19 - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been invited to join the Gaza \"Board of Peace\" proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Tokayev has agreed, the Tengri news outlet on Monday quoted the Kazakh president's press secretary as saying.

China's birth rate hits record low as population continues to shrink

Beijing has been trying hard to encourage more young people to marry and have children.

Australian gold miner Perseus confirms second fatality in Ivory Coast mine accident

Jan 19 - Australia's Perseus Mining said on Monday that a second employee of a contractor firm passed away in a hospital, days after an accident near the gold producer's Bagoe mine in Cote d'Ivoire.