Indian activist ends fast but youth protesters still seek minister’s ouster

The activist said he broke his fast at the urging of scores of members of Parliament.

Trump to impose forced labor duties on Friday as temporary 10% US tariffs expire

July 23 - The Trump administration on Friday will impose new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners, including the European Union, over allegations of lax enforcement of forced labor bans, just as a temporary 10% global tariff expires, senior administration officials

Beyond Seoul: Can China become Asia’s next medical aesthetics hub?

China is emerging as an alternative to South Korea for cosmetic procedures, with overseas patients drawn by natural-looking results, experienced doctors and competitive prices - though industry observers say it is still early days.

Chinese chip stocks dive as overvaluation defies Beijing’s rescue

Shares of Chinese chip makers tumbled on Thursday after state fund support that had briefly steadied broader tech stocks earlier in the week failed to hold back a sector that analysts say has long been overvalued. Among the hardest hit, Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor plunged

From jump ropes to film cameras, Indonesians reconnect through analogue hobbies

Traditional games and other analogue hobbies such as film photography are helping Indonesians reconnect offline.

India activist ends hunger strike after 26 days

Sonam Wangchuk, a supporter of youth-led protesters demanding education reforms, says he wants to avert "possible violence".

Trump says Xi will visit US on September 24

WASHINGTON, July 23 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will discuss artificial intelligence with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits the United States on September 24.

Merchant ship hijacked off Yemen now held by Somali pirates, residents say

GAROWE, Somalia, July 23 - A merchant ship hijacked in Yemeni waters in the Gulf of Aden last week is now being held by Somali pirates, two residents of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region told Reuters on Thursday.

Bangladesh president, backed by ousted PM Hasina, to resign on Friday, say sources

NEW DELHI, July 23 - Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, a former ally of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, will resign on Friday, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, days after Hasina said she was returning home from exile to surrender.

How Abhijeet Dipke became the face of India's first Gen Z protest movement

NEW DELHI, July 23 - They were just six words posted on X in a moment of frustration:

US FBI director Patel returns looted Papuan artefacts to Prabowo

The Indonesian government has been working to repatriate artefacts stolen from the archipelago.

Landslide death toll rises to 11 in southwest China, 50 still missing

The death toll from a landslide in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing has risen to 11, Chinese state media reported.

Iran flew IRGC commanders, missile gear to Yemen's Houthis, sources say

July 23 - Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources, in a move that suggests Tehran is seeking to strengthen the ability of its Houthi allies to

From trade hubs to attractions: China’s wholesale markets are becoming tourist hot spots

This trend comes against the backdrop of Beijing’s broader push to stimulate flagging domestic consumption.

Singapore seeks to avoid becoming collateral damage from US tariffs: Vivian Balakrishnan

He also said tariff uncertainty reinforces the need for ASEAN to deepen economic integration and enhance its resilience.

Sweden declares mining national security interest to counter dependence on China

STOCKHOLM, July 23 - Sweden's government declared mining of critical metals and rare earth minerals a national security interest on Thursday, saying a new mining strategy was needed to counter the dependence on China.

Myanmar leaders’ return to ASEAN meetings ‘still far off’: Grouping’s envoy

ASEAN barred Myanmar’s leadership from its top meetings after a military coup in 2021.

Congo's Ebola deaths top 1,000 as violence and shortages hamper medics

July 23 - Ebola has now killed more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, official figures show, as medics struggle to contain an outbreak amid militant violence, attacks on clinics and widespread shortages.

Yen, won flashing a currency risk markets haven’t priced

The instinct among global investors watching this Middle East crisis is simple. Oil goes up, the Fed delays cuts, the dollar strengthens, and everyone adjusts their U.S. exposure accordingly. What’s being missed is a very different, and arguably more dangerous, dynamic playing

China resumes issuing robotaxi licences after long freeze

The resumption is occurring gradually in some cities after the completion of an industrywide review.

South Korea woman acquitted of murdering newborn after hospital delivery

The woman, who had wanted to end her pregnancy at 36 weeks, gave birth to a baby who doctors later killed.

Pakistan's US funding push after Iran war role draws skepticism from economists

KARACHI, July 23 - Pakistan's push to convert some of its diplomatic goodwill with the Trump administration into economic support has drawn skepticism from economists, who say fresh financing will do little to address the reforms that Islamabad has long avoided.

Hasina’s return from India would imperil Bangladesh’s sovereignty

To say Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left office in disgrace would be an understatement by any political measure. Ousted following the student-led uprising of August 2024, she fled the country after months of deadly protests and years of increasingly

South Korea shifting to ‘peace first’ North Korea policy, retains denuclearisation goal

AirBorneo eyes ASEAN expansion after Singapore-Sarawak route launch

The Sarawak state-owned carrier says flights between Singapore and Kuching are already about 80 per cent booked for next year's Chinese New Year period after tickets went on sale on Jul 13.

Floods in northeast India kill at least 41

Sri Lanka warns of drought, floods from El Nino

Malaysia asks UN agency to temporarily cease registration of refugees

This would enable the government to implement its own refugee registration programme.

Rubio says US committed to helping end Ukraine war after meeting Lavrov

MANILA, July 23 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the United States remains prepared to play a \"constructive role\" in helping bring an end to the war in Ukraine, following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of an ASEAN

Thailand works on $920m EV plan to replace 80,000 commercial transport vehicles

Thailand is South-east Asia’s largest automotive production hub, but domestic vehicle sales slumped in 2024.

Shipowners halt vessel calls for farm exports at Ukraine's Black Sea ports, minister says

July 23 - Shipowners have temporarily suspended vessel arrivals at Ukraine's Black Sea ports for agricultural exports after a recent surge in Russian attacks on ports and merchant shipping, the country's agriculture minister said.

Xi Jinping warns of ‘new historical injustice’ in AI. What does he mean - and can it be prevented?

The warning by China’s president draws on a long-standing domestic narrative about the costs of falling behind in previous technological revolutions, say analysts.

Leopard barges into liquor store in India, mauls worker in terrifying video

A clerk trapped the big cat inside the store after it attacked three people in a Rajasthan town.

Heavy rain and flooding kill 82 across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Flooding has also caused widespread damage to farmland, infrastructure and public facilities.

What is the mosquito-borne disease Sri Lanka is using drones to fight?

Dengue has killed 56 people and infected more than 77,000 in the South Asian nation this year.

Modi vows punishment for exam leaks fuelling India protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in question paper leaks.

Modi vows punishment for exam fraud fuelling India protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in question paper leaks.

Five security personnel killed in attack in Thailand's south

BANGKOK, July 23 - Five Thai security personnel were killed and six civilians, including two young children, injured in an attack in Thailand's restive deep south, the military said on Thursday.

Iraq emerging as an accidental Iran war winner

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is on something of a diplomatic roll at the moment. Having concluded a weeklong visit to the United States on July 19, 2026, during which he charmed President Donald Trump, al-Zaidi is now expected to head to Tehran to do the same with Iran’s

The real reasons behind Zelensky’s unpopular military purge

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently made the controversial decision to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov, his minister of defense. Fedorov, admired both by Ukrainian troops and Western allies, was at the forefront of Ukraine’s increasing technological innovations in the war

Five soldiers killed in bomb attack in Thailand’s restive south

Six civilians were also wounded in the July 22 evening attack in Narathiwat.

Hundreds hospitalised in Japan heatwave 'disaster'

The Tokyo Fire Department said 453 people were taken to hospital on Wednesday as Japan swelters under a heatwave.

China says it drove away Philippine vessels in fresh South China Sea incident

BEIJING, July 23 - China said on Thursday it tracked and drove away two Philippine vessels it accused of having \"intruded into\" waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal despite warnings, the week's second incident in the South China Sea to involve both nations.

China fires water cannon on Philippine ship at Scarborough Shoal, Manila says

It was the second incident this week involving both nations in the South China Sea.

Tokyo reports most heat-related hospitalisations since 2010, with one dead

The Tokyo Fire Department said 453 people were taken to hospital on July 22.

Death toll in Indian tunnel blast rises to 22

Authorities had warned that the survival chances of those trapped were slim.