Japan eyes tougher screening for foreigners to get nationality

The current minimum five-year residency requirement to obtain nationality may be lengthened.

Floods and landslides kill eight in Indonesia

Cyclone seeds, or weather formations that can become tropical cyclones, are behind the extreme weather.

20 rescued from giant Ferris wheel in Osaka after lightning strike

The Ferris wheel is billed as the tallest Ferris wheel in the country.

Asian stocks extend global rally as data boost rate cut hopes

South Korea submits special Bill aimed at cutting US car levies

The submission was a prerequisite for reducing the levy on South Korean vehicles to 15 per cent.

Hong Kong home rents hit record high on strong Chinese demand

The arrival of Chinese immigrants in Hong Kong has increased demand for rental housing.

Japan opposition parties brace for possible early snap election: Report

A snap election could come as soon as January.

Unusual alignment of two climate forces behind record-breaking rain, floods in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is enduring one of its wettest seasons in recent memory, with record floods, consecutive typhoons and widespread displacement testing the region's capacity to adapt.

'Once in 300 years' rain hits Thai city as floods ravage South East Asia

The deadly floods have affected 2 million people, the majority of whom are still cut off from help.

Veteran Malaysian actor Dharma Harun dies at age 69

Dharma Harun, who starred in popular Malay movies in the 80s, was found dead at his home on Tuesday (Nov 25).

China warns it will ‘crush’ foreign efforts to interfere over Taiwan

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of it.

US plan taking shape to shrink China’s shipbuilding lead

The United States’ ability to build vital maritime ships and submarines was pivotal to its rise as a global superpower. However, longstanding complacency has caused the US shipbuilding industry to stagnate, undermining its readiness for today’s pressing security challenges. The

Total of 11 active earthquake fault zones mapped nationwide, says Malaysian minister

He said six active faults were identified in the peninsula.

China warns it will 'crush' foreign efforts to interfere over Taiwan

BEIJING - China warned on Wednesday it would \"crush\" any foreign attempts to interfere over Taiwan, after Japan announced plans to deploy missiles on an island near democratically-governed Taiwan.

Bangladesh slum fire leaves thousands homeless

DHAKA - A massive fire tore through one of Dhaka’s largest slums on Tuesday evening, leaving thousands of people homeless and turning rows of tin-roofed shanties into charred rubble, officials said.

‘Are you ‘open mindeu’?’: When the Hongdae guy meme stops being funny

A Taiwanese YouTuber described being attacked in Hongdae by a group of men she said fit the Hongdae guy stereotype.

American climber among two dead after fall from New Zealand's highest mountain

The two had been connected by a rope when they fell to their deaths from Mount Cook, or Aoraki.

Taiwan's president to propose US$40 billion in extra defence spending

The extra spending would go towards "significant new arms acquisitions from the US, but also vastly enhance Taiwan's asymmetrical capabilities", said President Lai Ching-te.

Son allegedly kills 100-year-old mother amid caregiver fatigue in Tokyo

The 79-year-old man called police to say he was tired of caring for his mother.

Trump says no firm deadline for Ukraine, Russia to reach peace deal

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed away from a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan, saying \"the deadline for me is when it's over.\"

Indonesia plans sustainable aviation fuel production boost amid high costs

Selling used cooking oil has become a side income for residents near Indonesia’s largest refinery, a vital supply link in the nation’s sustainable aviation fuel plans.

New Zealand woman gets life sentence for 'suitcase murders' of her children

Hakyung Lee killed her two kids and hid their bodies in suitcases months after her husband died of cancer.

Democratic senator urges Trump not to resume nuclear weapons tests

WASHINGTON - Democratic U.S. Senator Edward Markey on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump not to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing, saying that doing so could spur rival nuclear powers Russia and China to do the same.

New Zealand woman jailed for life over 'suitcase murders' of her two children

A South Korean-born New Zealand woman was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for murdering her two young children, whose bodies were discovered in suitcases in an abandoned storage locker more than three years ago, New Zealand media reported.

Taiwan’s President Lai says he will propose extra $52b in defence spending

Taiwan has faced calls from Washington to spend more on its own defence.

Taiwan president says he will propose extra $40 billion in defence spending

TAIPEI - Taiwan will introduce a $40 billion supplementary defence budget to underscore its determination to defend itself, with \"significant\" new U.S. arms purchases planned, President Lai Ching-te said in a Washington Post op-ed essay.

Heavy downpour over large parts of Malaysia to continue

Families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres to avoid the floods.

Singtel’s Optus suffers emergency call outage near Melbourne, spokesperson says vandalism to blame

The outage near Melbourne impacted around 14,000 users.

Singtel’s Optus suffers emergency call outage near Melbourne, 2 months after major disruption

The outage near Melbourne impacted around 14,000 users.

Thai military takes charge of flood crisis as heavy rains hobble relief effort

Operations have been focused largely on the southern commercial hub Hat Yai.

India-Taliban rapprochement: realism amid fractured geopolitics

Growing proximity to the Taliban regime marks one of the most dramatic recalibrations of New Delhi’s assertive and innovative foreign policy in recent years. What began in the summer of 2021 as cautious, back-channel humanitarian contact to ensure safe exit of Indians as the

Mother in New Zealand’s ‘suitcase murders’ case sentenced to life in prison

Korea-born Lee Hakyung killed her 2 children in 2018, then stuffed their bodies into suitcases.

Commentary: How China made cities less noisy

Electric vehicles, noise-reducing surfaces and no-honking zones are dampening the din of Beijing, says Eleanor Olcott for Financial Times.

Trump administration tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle

A flurry of recent diplomatic activity has seen two competing peace plans for Ukraine emerge. The first, widely touted as a US plan, was apparently hashed out between Kremlin insider Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Russia point-man. The second,

Israel receives remains of hostage held in Gaza as Cairo hosts follow-up talks

CAIRO - Israel said it had received from the Red Cross on Tuesday the remains of a deceased hostage who had been held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, with the bodies of two still to be located more than six weeks into a fragile ceasefire.

Japan fires back at 'unsubstantiated' Chinese letter to UN

WASHINGTON - Japan has dismissed a Chinese letter to the United Nations accusing Tokyo of threatening armed intervention over Taiwan as \"inconsistent with the facts and unsubstantiated\".

UK to move with EU on Russian frozen assets, Starmer says

LONDON - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday told a Coalition of the Willing meeting that London was \"ready to move\" with the European Union on providing financial support to Ukraine based on the value of \"immobilised\" assets.

Barbs, jibes and spin by Chinese netizens over PM Wong’s remarks on Japan-China spat

From Hong Kong to Shanghai, a mix of online voices are clamouring to denounce Singapore.

ASEAN re‑engagement with Myanmar 'difficult' even after polls, Thai foreign minister says

France and Germany step up pressure on arms firms to resolve fighter impasse

PARIS/BERLIN - France and Germany are ratcheting up pressure on their industrial champions to rescue Europe's next-generation fighter as the 100-billion-euro ($115 billion) project teeters on the brink of collapse, sources close to the matter said.

Jakarta bans cat, dog and bat meat to prevent rabies transmission

Violators could face sanctions, ranging from written warnings to revoking business licences.

Brunei warns of flash floods, landslide risks

Brunei remains under the influence of the North-east Monsoon, which typically lasts until March 2026.

ASEAN re‑engagement with Myanmar ‘difficult’ even after polls, Thai foreign minister says

Myanmar is scheduled to hold a multi-phase general election starting on Dec 28.

What could Maduro offer Trump in potential talks? Oil

HOUSTON - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has the flexibility and the incentive to offer crude oil cargoes, which the country mostly sells to China, as a bargaining chip if Venezuela were to hold negotiations with the United States.

Singapore firms plug into China’s growing market for autonomous vehicles

MooVita inked a deal on driverless buses, while ComfortDelGro will manage robotaxi services.

What the Trump-Xi call reveals about their priorities on Taiwan, Japan and beyond

Clues of their respective agendas lie in what each side has chosen to emphasise - and omit - in their public statements on the call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese supremo Xi Jinping, analysts tell CNA.

Trump’s Ukraine plan: Realism mercifully returns to Washington

The howls of outrage from the foreign policy establishment over President Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan tell you everything you need to know about why such a plan is necessary in the first place. After nearly four years of war, hundreds of thousands of casualties and