Taiwan says it has assurances over LNG supplies from 'major' country

"This shows that Taiwan has in fact earned considerable goodwill internationally through the long-term trust it has built over the years," said Economy Minister Kung Ming-hsin.

India-flagged LPG tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz

Taiwan says it has assurances over LNG supplies from ‘major’ country

A new contract with the US will see 1.2 million tonnes of LNG supplied annually.

Chiang Mai chokes under severe haze as pollution levels in Northern Thailand soar

Pon Doikam, a coconut seller in Chiang Mai, told AFP the haze is so severe it leaves her nose burning and bloodied. Across northern Thailand, even longtime residents say the pollution is exceptionally bad, with dangerous levels of fine particles linked to serious disease.

AI is rewiring the world’s most prolific film industry

The number of moviegoers fell to 832 million in 2025 from 1.03 billion in 2019.

Thai contractors warn of wave of abandoned projects amid rising costs of raw materials, fuel

Operators are forced to choose between halting work entirely or continuing at a loss.

South Korean TV under fire over profanity glitch in AI subtitles for Artemis II

The AI-generated subtitles misinterpreted “pitch” as an English expletive.

PM2.5 levels in Chiang Mai reach ‘extremely dangerous’ levels; visibility plummets

Seasonal haze and air pollution continue to pose serious public health risks in northern Thailand.

Man arrested after allegedly starting fire in Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing

Police officers extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported.

Police arrest two in investigation into Australian fugitive Freeman

He went on the run after he shot and killed two officers who had come to search his rural home in Victoria.

For generations, Vietnam made its most beloved condiment the same way. The craft lives on

Only 20 of Phu Quoc's 100 traditional producers from a decade ago remain active.

RTS Link on track for Jan 2027 launch despite global energy pressures, says Malaysia transport minister

Speaking to local media during a site visit on Friday (Apr 3), Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link is now in the system installation phase, which involves limited fuel costs and is unlikely to be affected by the global energy

Salarymen, specialists, startups and the AI future of work

In the medium to long term, AI may replace all human jobs (or maybe not). But in the short term, AI doesn’t seem to be doing this yet. Employment rates for prime-age workers in the US are hovering near all-time highs: A recent survey of corporate CFOs found “little evidence of

Downed planes spell new peril for Trump as Tehran hunts missing US pilot

WASHINGTON/CAIRO, April 4 - Iran's forces were hunting on Saturday for a missing U.S. pilot from one of two warplanes downed over Iran and the Gulf, officials from both sides said, while two airmen were rescued.

China cranks South China Sea buildup while Iran consumes US

China’s renewed land reclamation at Antelope Reef comes as the ongoing US-Israel-Iran War draws significant US military assets into the Middle East, raising questions over whether shifting US force posture is opening strategic space in the South China Sea. This month, The Wall

Iran executes two linked to opposition group, media say

April 4 - Iran on Saturday executed two men it said were convicted of links to an opposition group, the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran, and of carrying out armed attacks, domestic media reported.

Indonesia slams ‘unacceptable’ peacekeeper casualties in Lebanon

The bodies of the three other fallen peacekeepers were repatriated to Jakarta.

Sri Lanka struggles to avert economic collapse over Mideast war

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has rationed fuel, raised its price by a third and increased electricity costs by up to 40 percent since the war in the Middle East began.

Malaysia’s former MCA president Ling Liong Sik dies at 82

Dr Ling served as Transport Minister from 1986 to 2003.

Sri Lanka struggles to avert economic collapse over Middle East war

Panic buying of fuel in Sri Lanka has brought back memories of 2022, when the economy tanked.

Trump lit the Mideast fire – now he wants the world to put it out

There is a peculiar logic at work in the Trump administration’s approach to the Iran war — one that would be almost admirable in its audacity if it were not so catastrophically dangerous. Having spent the better part of a decade methodically dismantling every diplomatic

Free cancer screening, health checks to benefit 10,000 people in Hanoi

Participants will receive comprehensive health checks through a streamlined one-stop process.

Singapore artist Joshua Chiang brings a decade of Cambodian stories to life

In 2024, he and his wife relocated to Siem Reap province, where they opened CamCam By Joshua Chiang.

Malaysian experts call for dedicated court to handle road crash cases amid rise in accidents

The challenge with road accident cases is the sheer volume of cases, an expert said.

Afghanistan hit by magnitude 5.9 earthquake, eight killed

The people died as a result of a house collapsing in Kabul following the earthquake, Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority said.

Bangladesh: ‘Hasina question’ haunts and nettles new PM Rahman

The letter landed within Dhaka’s already charged political atmosphere. Writing from abroad, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made her first formal appeal to Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), seeking to overturn the death sentence against her on the grounds

Museum dedicated to founder of Sanrio, best known for Hello Kitty, opens in Japan

The museum showcases the life of Sanrio’s Honorary Chairman Shintaro Tsuji.

South Korea suitcase murder reveals pattern of family abuse

Investigators said the suspect prevented his wife from reporting the crime.

Stick to Easter travel, Australians told, though hundreds of petrol stations dry

The nation has 39 days' worth of petrol, said energy minister Bowen.

How Bombay went from a fort city to a bustling metropolis

A new exhibition charts Bombay's passage through the centuries via paintings, photographs and prints.

Commentary: Can China grow from within?

There is now only one engine capable of sustaining growth at the scale Beijing requires, says economics professor and author Keyu Jin.

Defenses not ‘annihilated,’ Iran reportedly downs two US planes

Two days after President Donald Trump declared that Iran was “no longer a threat” and that its air defense had been “annihilated,” Iranian forces reportedly struck down two US jets on Friday. Citing an Israeli official and a second source with knowledge of the situation, Axios

Fuel shock bites in China, but no panic yet

China’s top economic planner has stepped in to soften the blow of surging oil prices through an emergency provision.

Unanswered questions remain after Australia's most wanted fugitive killed in standoff

Double-murderer Dezi Freeman evaded capture for seven months in the bush but police believe he had help.

Eight dead after earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Afghanistan

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on April 3.

Japan PM Takaichi plans Australia visit to discuss rare earths, Nikkei reports

Japan and Western governments want to diversify away from a supply chain largely dominated by China.

Israel strikes Beirut, US warns Iran may hit Lebanese universities

BEIRUT, April 3 - Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes on Friday that the military said had targeted militant \"infrastructure\" in Lebanon's capital, as the U.S. warned that Iran may target universities in the country as the Middle East war rages.

AI’s fluency in other languages hides Western worldview

A friend in Indonesia recently told me about a conversation he had with ChatGPT. He had typed a question in Bahasa Indonesia about how to handle a difficult family dispute. The chatbot responded fluently, in perfect Indonesian, with advice about communication strategies and

Japanese, French and Omani vessels cross the Strait of Hormuz

TOKYO/OSLO, April 3 - Three Omani-operated tankers, a French-owned container ship and a Japanese-owned gas carrier have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since Thursday, shipping data showed, reflecting Iran's policy to allow passage for vessels it deems friendly.

Italy's Meloni visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE amid Gulf tensions, energy worries

ROME, April 3 - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday for a previously unannounced trip that will also include meetings in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a government official said.

US removes Russian national Mikhail Zadornov from sanctions list

WASHINGTON, April 3 - The United States on Friday removed sanctions against Mikhail Zadornov, a prominent Russian banker and former finance minister, according to the U.S. Treasury Department website.

$1.5 trillion Pentagon budget would explode US debt by $7 trillion

The budget document that President Donald Trump’s White House is set to release Friday calls for $1.5 trillion in military spending for the coming fiscal year, an unprecedented sum that—if approved by Congress—would add nearly $7 trillion to the US national debt over the next

Pakistan announces free public transport as energy crisis bites

The move follows street protests prompted by a late-night decision to raise petrol and diesel prices.

Kazakhstan releases endangered saker falcons in Saudi-backed restoration drive

ALTYN-EMEL NATIONAL PARK, Kazakhstan, April 3 - With a loud thwack of their wings, the falcons took flight, quickly soaring high above the rocky desert landscape of Altyn-Emel National Park in southeastern Kazakhstan.

Japan aims to ease arms export rules, allow lethal weapons sales

Defence equipment would be divided into the categories of “weapons” and “non-weapons”.

Iran leaders join crowds on Tehran's streets to project control in wartime

DUBAI, April 3 - After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran's leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control - with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic

Taiwan opposition leader’s China trip is fraught with risk

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), plans to visit mainland China from April 7-12. Cross-Strait dialogue is crucial for managing tensions, which have risen sharply over the past decade, and the KMT has long played an important role in

Liberation Day tariffs celebrated a year out by Trump, few others

WASHINGTON — One year after President Donald Trump announced his now-illegal “Liberation Day” tariffs, he marked the anniversary by signing executive orders adjusting duties on pharmaceuticals and metals as Democratic critics slammed economic fallout from Trump’s trade

French-owned CMA CGM container ship passes Strait of Hormuz, data shows

PARIS, April 3 - A container ship belonging to French shipping group CMA CGM has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, MarineTraffic vessel tracking data shows, in a sign that Iran may not consider France a hostile nation.