How Thailand’s gas bet is driving up costs - and pollution
Thailand’s dependence on gas is coming under renewed scrutiny as rising costs and global disruptions expose economic and environmental risks embedded in its power system.
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Lights, camera, algorithm: China’s AI microdramas go viral - but spark copyright fears
While massively popular among young Chinese social media users, AI microdramas are fuelling concerns that the technology is eroding copyright - and potentially livelihoods.
Escaped wolf forces school closure in South Korea
The male wolf had escaped from a zoo at a theme park in Daejeon.
Chinese researcher's death after questioning in US prompts anger in Beijing
The semiconductor researcher was found dead after “hostile questioning” by US law enforcement.
China taps telecom executive as senior colonel for reserve force
Senior colonel is the highest officer rank in China's Reserve Force.
Key Indian state polls begin in test for Modi's party
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to expand into regions where it has struggled to gain a foothold.
What disappearing Farm Fresh milk on Malaysian shelves says about the fuel crisis
From milk to shampoo, a plastic squeeze has sent ripples across Malaysia.
Military service draws men in Thailand as sluggish economy squeezes job prospects
Voluntary enlistment in the South-east Asian nation has climbed steadily over the past five years.
US senator urges Taiwan Parliament to pass stalled defence spending plan
The Senator called for Taiwan to pass stalled special defence budget.
North Korea holds three days of weapons testing: KCNA
The systems tested included ballistic missiles, cluster bombs and a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
JB food guide: Authentic 'fire station' nasi padang – plus, curry chicken along a popular 'cafe alley'
In this Makan Kakis series, Mediacorp GOLD 905’s Denise Tan joins writer and JB resident David Ngiau on a food trail from Larkin to Taman Melodies for authentic Minang flavours and a spot of cafe-hopping.
NASA’s lunar success sharpens focus on China’s 2030 crewed landing goal
A major hurdle for Beijing will be proving a new lunar mission architecture within the next four years.
NASA's lunar success sharpens focus on China's 2030 crewed landing goal
BEIJING, April 9 - As NASA's record-breaking Artemis mission bolsters the U.S. path back to the moon, China's bid to land astronauts there by 2030 is taking on greater geopolitical significance and putting pressure on Beijing to meet or beat its timetable.
North Korea tests military assets including ballistic missile, KCNA reports
SEOUL, April 9 - North Korea conducted tests of various military technologies between Monday and Wednesday including the cluster-bomb warhead of a tactical ballistic missile and an electromagnetic weapon system, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
Greek PM says tolls for ships to cross Hormuz would be unacceptable, a risk to freedom of navigation
ATHENS, April 8 - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday it would be unacceptable for ships to have to pay a fee to cross the Strait of Hormuz as Iran has suggested, and such a move would set a dangerous precedent for freedom of navigation.
He's Australia's most decorated soldier. Now he's at the centre of a historic war crimes case
Ben Roberts-Smith's case is not only unprecedented for Australia but "extraordinary" for the globe too, scholars say.
Iran blocks Hormuz as Israeli bombing kills hundreds in Lebanon
Iran said Wednesday that it is blocking shipping through the Strait of Hormuz over Israel’s escalating bombardment of Lebanon, actions that are threatening to unravel the tenuous ceasefire agreed to less than a day ago. Fars, an Iranian state media outlet, reported that
US did not agree that ceasefire would cover Lebanon, Vance says
BUDAPEST, April 8 - Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Tehran's negotiators thought the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreed to on Tuesday included Lebanon, but the U.S. had in fact not agreed to that.
Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia a new regional power block?
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced that a two-week ceasefire had been agreed between the US and Iran in the early hours of April 8. Delegates from both sides are expected to attend further talks in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Friday. This comes less
US military says it's ready to resume Iran fighting if diplomacy fails
WASHINGTON, April 8 - The top U.S. general said on Wednesday U.S. troops stood ready to resume fighting if Tehran failed to strike a negotiated settlement as the Trump administration sought to portray the war as a decisive victory against Iran.
The United States’ new missile gap
In 1958 Senator John F. Kennedy, getting ready for his upcoming presidential campaign, said the United States faced a serious and dangerous missile gap. “The Soviet Union is rapidly building up a missile striking force that endangers our power to retaliate – and thus our
'Talks were almost dead': Pakistan's last-ditch effort to secure Iran war truce
ISLAMABAD/TEL AVIV, April 8 - Mediation efforts to halt the war in Iran were hours from collapse when Pakistan mounted an overnight diplomatic push to secure a temporary ceasefire and bring Washington and Tehran into direct negotiations, four Pakistani sources told Reuters.
Panama asks China for respect after ship detentions tied to ports ruling
ASUNCION, April 8 - Panama's top diplomat on Wednesday said a rise in inspections and detentions of Panama-flagged vessels in China stemmed from a Panama court ruling against Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison and asked China to respect its sovereign affairs.
IMF, World Bank and UN food agency say war is increasing food prices, insecurity
WASHINGTON, April 8 - The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the U.N. World Food Programme warned on Wednesday that sharp increases in oil, natural gas and fertilizer prices triggered by the war in the Middle East will inevitably cause rising food prices and food
Japan’s combat role in Philippines war games signals shift in regional strategy
Expanded ‘Balikatan’ combat drills are a sign of deeper South China Sea defense coordination, experts say.
Explainer-US-Iran ceasefire: what we know
WASHINGTON, April 8 - Here is what we know following Tuesday evening's dramatic reversal by U.S. President Donald Trump of his threats to attack Iran's civilian infrastructure.
Middle East ceasefire may have made Iran stronger
Ceasefires are often presented as moments of relief – pauses in violence that open the door to diplomacy. But sometimes they reveal something more consequential: who has actually gained from the war. The emerging ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran may be one of those
Bangladesh seeks more fuel from India as neighbours repair ties
DHAKA/NEW DELHI, April 8 - Bangladesh on Wednesday sought to increase fuel purchases from India, as foreign minister Khalilur Rahman made the new government's first ministerial visit to New Delhi, a further sign that strained relations between the two countries may be easing.
Trump announces 50% tariffs on nations supplying Iran with weapons
WASHINGTON, April 8 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that imports from countries supplying Iran with military weapons will face immediate 50% tariffs with no exemptions, announcing the threatened duty in a social media post just hours after agreeing to a two-week
Tourists warned after moon jellyfish found on Phuket beach
Officials urged visitors not to panic, but said direct contact should be avoided for safety reasons.
Is BTS losing its K-pop identity as it aims for a bigger world stage?
It boils down to a single, loaded question: Is BTS straying from K-pop in trying to woo the world?
UN says its envoy is in Iran to support 'durable' end to conflict
WASHINGTON, April 8 - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's personal envoy has arrived in Iran as part of a regional tour aimed at backing \"a comprehensive and durable resolution\" to the Iran war, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Iran to approach peace talks with US with caution, Iranian ambassador to UN says
GENEVA, April 8 - Iran will approach peace talks with the U.S. with far more caution than in previous negotiations due to a big gap in trust, and the war will affect the future legal regime of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said on Wednesday.
Hegseth claims decisive US military victory over Iran
April 8 - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the United States has had a decisive military victory over Iran and that Tehran's missile program has been functionally destroyed.
Turkish intelligence played a role securing U.S.-Iran ceasefire, media says
ANKARA, April 8 - Turkey’s intelligence agency played a key role in diplomatic efforts leading to a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, Turkish media reported on Wednesday, citing security sources.
Explainer-What the US, Iran, Israel and Pakistan have said about the ceasefire
April 8 - The United States, Israel and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, reached with Pakistani mediation, and U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to hold talks on Friday to discuss a long-term settlement.
Man fined $400 for entering hippo Moo Deng’s pen: Thai zoo
Footage of the incident shows a man inside the enclosure and recording Moo Deng with a tablet.
Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to avoid escalation: China
Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants responsible for cross-border attacks.
Vance hits out at 'scandalous' Zelenskiy comments about Hungary's Orban
BUDAPEST, April 8 - U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that Ukraine's president had made \"scandalous\" comments about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as he echoed Budapest's accusations that Kyiv was using energy supplies to try to influence elections there.
A war Trump couldn’t win and a peace he can’t afford to lose
President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a Pakistani proposal for a two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran brings a sigh of relief to the international community. Just hours before, many had been alarmed by Trump’s threats to bomb Iran back to “the stone age” and destroy its
Norwegian Nobel Committee condemns Russia's treatment of rights group Memorial
OSLO, April 8 - The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Wednesday it was condemning \"Russia's attempt to criminalise Memorial\" and to designate the human rights group, a co-recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, as an extremist organisation.
Man fined after breaking into viral hippo Moo Deng's enclosure
The director of the Thai zoo where Moo Deng lives said security would be upped after the incident.
Bombs, poetry and paradise: Why Trump can’t erase Iran
The parties to the Iran war have agreed to a ceasefire. Thus, Donald Trump loses, for now, an opportunity to bomb Iran back to the Stone Age. He must also postpone the destruction of the mausoleum of the incomparable Ferdowsi, the national poet who a thousand years ago wrote