Tonga’s debt to China hinders rebuild four years on from eruption

Tonga is struggling to improve its infrastructure as it pays off a massive Chinese loan.

Afghan mother seeks justice after Pakistani bombing kills hundreds

The Mar 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials.

South Korea asks Gulf nations for steady energy supply, safety of Korean vessels

Gulf envoys said South Korea is a "top priority" nation and pledged to communicate closely with Seoul to ensure a stable supply of resources, South Korea's finance ministry said in a statement.

Indonesia receives bodies of peacekeepers killed in Lebanon

Indonesia has condemned the attacks as “unacceptable”, calling for a thorough investigation and stronger security guarantees for peacekeeping troops.

Malaysians turn to home farming for self sufficiency, healthy lifestyle

Home farming can be adapted to any living space, including windowsills and balconies.

Asia's EVolution: China's growing electric car pains offer lessons for the region and beyond

As China’s electric cars age, the promise of cheap, clean mobility is colliding with the practical costs of battery degradation and upkeep. CNA unpacks the issue as part of a series examining the forces powering Asia’s electric transition.

Malaysians quietly stockpile staples as energy crisis fuelled by Iran war tests Anwar

Online, Malaysians are trading tips on practical survivalism, such as vacuum-sealing stockpiles of rice.

Four dead after passenger vehicle plunges off road in northern India, ANI reports

The vehicle was carrying 22 passengers, including two children.

Rain, storms kill 121 in Afghanistan and Pakistan in two weeks

Russia evacuates 198 more staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, agencies report

MOSCOW, April 4 - Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom evacuated a further 198 of its staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes off north Indonesia: USGS

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

One coconut seller said the haze is so severe it leaves her nose burning and bloodied.

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.