Once housing British rulers, heritage buildings in KL draw crowds as living history lessons

Kuala Lumpur is dusting off its grand old buildings and inviting the public back in.

Medical transport plane crashes in India with seven aboard

The aircraft had taken off from Ranchi, Jharkhand, and was flying to Delhi carrying a patient and medical staff.

With three contestants, the globe’s New Great Game is on

In the 19th century, Great Britain and Russia fought for control of the vast territory of Central Asia in a struggle known as the Great Game. Britain wanted to keep Russia away from India, its prime Asia colony, while Russia desired to expand its Tsarist empire southward. A

US meeting Russian and Chinese delegations for nuclear arms control talks, official says

GENEVA, Feb 23 - The U.S. met a Russian delegation in Geneva on Monday and will meet a Chinese delegation on Tuesday for talks about forging a potential multilateral nuclear arms control treaty, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

China warns of retaliation as Trump unveils new tariff plan

China has warned of possible retaliation after US President Donald Trump signaled new Section 301 investigations that could target Chinese strategic industries, including electric‑vehicle (EV) batteries, rare earths and advanced artificial‑intelligence chips. The US Supreme

Trump warns countries that 'play games' with US trade deals will face higher tariffs

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday warned countries against backing away from recently negotiated trade deals with the U.S. after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs, saying that he would hit them with much higher duties under different

Islamic State kills four security personnel in Syria, state news agency says

CAIRO, Feb 23 - Islamic State militants killed four Syrian government security personnel in northern Syria on Monday, the Syrian state news agency reported, in what would be the group's deadliest attack on government forces since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Ukrainian drones hit facility for Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia, Kyiv says

Feb 23 - Ukrainian drones have struck a Russian pumping station serving the key Druzhba oil pipeline set up to supply Moscow's crude to eastern Europe, a Ukrainian security official said on Monday.

Writer Feng Jicai explains the Chinese Lunar New Year

For many Western readers, the Chinese Spring Festival may appear as little more than red lanterns, fireworks and family gatherings. Yet within Chinese culture it is in fact the Chinese New Year — the beginning of a new cycle of time, a cultural river flowing unbroken for

Next round of Ukraine peace talks could be this week, Kyiv says

Feb 23 - Another round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine could be held at end of this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff told Ukrainian media on Monday.

At least 13 civilians killed in Pakistan strikes in Afghanistan, UN says

ISLAMABAD/ KABUL, Feb 23 - At least 13 civilians were killed and seven injured in Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Monday, as cross-border tensions escalated following a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan.

US says China 'massively expanded' nuclear arsenal

What's at stake as ICC judges hear charges against ex-Philippine president Duterte?

Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity during a long and bloody war on drugs in which thousands were killed.

Briton among 19 killed in Nepal bus crash

Nepalese police say the British national was a 24-year-old man.

Australia backs removing Andrew from royal line of succession

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains eighth in line to the throne despite being stripped of his titles.

Ukraine touts recapture of eight settlements in rare battlefield success

KYIV, Feb 23 - Ukraine has regained control of 400 square kilometres of territory, including eight settlements, along a section of the southern frontline since the end of January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.

UK's Reform promises ICE-style deportation agency to halt migrants

LONDON, Feb 23 - Britain's populist Reform UK party unveiled \"radical\" plans on Monday to stop what it called an immigration \"invasion\", promising to create an agency to deport thousands of illegal migrants and to leave human rights treaties if it wins power.

Australian PM backs removing of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from line of royal succession

LONDON, Feb 23 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would back plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession to the British throne, according to a letter shared by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office.

Iraq says Ankara agrees to take back Turkish citizens among ISIS detainees transferred from Syria

Feb 23 - Iraq's foreign minister said on Monday Turkey had agreed to take back Turkish citizens from among thousands of Islamic State detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria when camps and prisons there were shut in recent weeks.

Duterte was 'pivotal' in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

THE HAGUE, Feb 23 - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was \"pivotal\" in the murder of thousands of people during his rule, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday, as they pushed for his trial to go ahead.

‘A check on his power’: Trump weakened but not deterred after tariff ruling, say analysts

The US Supreme Court may have imposed a legal check on Donald Trump’s presidential power, but for global businesses and governments, the era of tariff turbulence is far from over, say experts.

Philippines' Duterte authorised murders, ICC told as hearings open

Nepal bus crash kills 19, including British tourist

K-pop romance scam surge prompts South Korea-Brazil police alliance

In Brazil, the authorities have reported cases involving fake sales of South Korean travel packages.

US ambassador urges Portugal to buy F-35s, join top-tier air forces

LISBON, Feb 23 - The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin's F-35, saying the stealth jet would ensure interoperability with Europe's top-tier air forces.

‘Welcome to China’ greets Philippine officials on trip to disputed South China Sea

The Philippines-held Thitu is the largest and most prized feature in the Spratly archipelago.

Drones disrupt 50 flights at Vietnam’s Danang airport during Lunar New Year

It was not clear who operated the drones or how close they came to aircraft.

'Welcome to CHINA' greets Philippine officials on trip to disputed South China Sea

THITU ISLAND, South China Sea, Feb 23 - As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country's most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers' phones lit up with a roaming alert: \"Welcome to CHINA.\"

No tsunami threat after 7-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia’s Kalimantan

The quake was at a depth of 633km.

Asia braces for Trump’s tariff Plan B and dollar Plan C

TOKYO — Asia has spent the few days since the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s tariffs bracing for what might come next from the most mercantilist White House in 125 years. On Friday, the court ruled against the US president’s claim that the International Emergency

Trump Organization signs deal for first Australian skyscraper

SYDNEY, Feb 23 - The Trump Organization has signed a deal to build its first tower in Australia, in a project worth A$1.5 billion ($1.06 billion) that developers say will become the country’s tallest building.

China building a different AI future than the West

The headlines are predictable by now. The United States restricts chip exports. Chinese labs release competitive models. Pundits declare who is “winning” the artificial intelligence race. The language borrows from sport and war: sprints, breakthroughs and supremacy. It makes

India and US defer trade talks after Supreme Court's tariff ruling

An Indian delegation was expected to travel to Washington this week to finalise the terms of a trade deal.

Malaysia mulls over law to curb premiership to two terms

Malaysia does not currently limit how long a prime minister can serve.

19 killed in Nepal bus crash, including one Briton

The bus was carrying a total of 44 people.

What now for Asia after Trump's tariffs struck down?

After the Supreme Court ruling, Trump said he would impose new levies of 15% on goods entering the US.

Amnesty International decries alleged police killing of boy, 14, in Indonesia’s Maluku

Arianto Tawakal’s family denied allegations that the 14-year-old was involved in illegal street racing when he was struck with a helmet by a police officer while riding his motorcycle.

Malaysia’s PN opposition coalition appoints PAS VP Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as chairman, replacing Muhyiddin

Ahmad Samsuri, 55, popularly known as Dr Sam, has served as the chief minister of Terengganu since 2018. He was the sole nominee for the chairman’s post and voted into the role unanimously.

Kim Jong Un re-appointed leader of North Korea's ruling party

The announcement by the rubber-stamp party congress comes as little surprise given the Kim family's grip since the 1940s.

Australia’s first Trump-branded hotel planned for Gold Coast

The 91-storey tower is expected to become Australia’s tallest.

China’s missile reach forcing US Pacific air power reset

China’s expanding missile and surveillance networks are turning US airbases into high-value targets, forcing the Air Force to abandon its Cold War-era force design and relearn how to fight, survive and sustain combat power in a contested Pacific. That case is laid out most

Why post on Instagram? 4 in 10 South Koreans use it to boast, survey shows

Individuals appear to place a strong emphasis on being self-conscious about others’ opinions.

Court upholds jailing of 12 activists in 'Hong Kong 47' subversion case

HONG KONG, Feb 23 - Hong Kong's Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by 12 pro‑democracy activists and upheld their jail terms on Monday in a national security case that critics say highlights the China-ruled city's crackdown on dissent.

Malaysian cops hunting for motorist who drove recklessly through JB checkpoint

A video on social media shows a car with a Malaysian registration number being chased by auxiliary police.

Welcome to Gaza Inc.

The world is witnessing one of the most unconventional geopolitical experiments of the 21st century. Donald Trump is no longer positioning himself merely as a mediator in the traditional diplomatic mold. Instead, he has effectively appointed himself chief restructuring officer

China assessing US Supreme Court tariff ruling; says ‘fighting is harmful’

BEIJING/HONG KONG/SEOUL, Feb 23 - China is making a \"full assessment\" of the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff ruling and has urged Washington to lift \"unilateral tariff measures\" on its trading partners, warning that fighting between the two countries is \"harmful\".

Reaction to US Supreme Court ruling and Trump's new tariff threat

Feb 23 - U.S. President Donald Trump said he will raise a temporary tariff on U.S. imports from all countries to 15% from 10%, following a Supreme Court decision striking down a large swath of his tariffs. The new levies are grounded in a separate but untested law, known as

S'pore-born tycoon buys auctioned painting by former Indonesia President SBY for US$386,261

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to underprivileged communities and those affected by disasters, said Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the former president’s son. The buyer, Low Tuck Kwong, is one of Indonesia's richest people.

Why Trump is sticking to his tariff guns

In case you haven’t heard, the Supreme Court just ruled many of Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal: [T]he Supreme Court ruled that the unilaterally imposed [tariffs] were illegal…No longer does Trump have a tariff “on/off” switch…Future tariffs will need to be imposed by lengthy,