Foreign tech workers to get easier visa screening in South Korea

Applicants will be assessed based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria.

India's capital announces permanent anti-pollution curbs for toxic winter months

NEW DELHI, July 2 - The government of India's national capital territory of Delhi has announced a spate of measures to curb air pollution during winter, months ahead of the annual season when the city often becomes the world's most polluted.

Elephant that served as Indonesian park guardian to prevent human-animal conflict found dead

During his life, Indro played an important role in mitigating conflicts between wild elephants and humans.

Japanese women MPs get just two more toilets

A spokeswoman said that plans to add more stalls on other floors were also under consideration.

No political negotiations between Malaysia’s PAS and Barisan, says Perikatan chairman

The party had said the move was aimed at preventing Perikatan votes from going to Pakatan Harapan.

US House committee says South Korea discriminated against Coupang

SEOUL, July 2 - South Korean authorities have consistently discriminated against U.S.-based Coupang, a campaign that escalated with numerous investigations after a data breach at the e-commerce firm last year, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said in an interim report.

Japan’s gray-zone resilience runs through civilian industry

This article first appeared on Pacific Forum and is republished with permission. Read the original here. KDDI’s cable-laying and repair capacity, Japan’s intervention in the Makino Milling Machine acquisition, and the Daikin–Shin-Etsu–Hitachi–Tokyo Eco Recycle rare-earth magnet

Papal envoy presides over first Vietnam beatification rite

The presence of an envoy of Pope Leo highlights the warming ties between Vietnam and the Vatican.

South Korean shops turn to robots, self-service to escape labour woes

Owners of such stores cite difficulties in finding suitable staff and rising wage costs as reasons for adopting the model.

The universe isn’t as uniform as we thought

Modern cosmology rests on a simple assumption: if we look on large enough scales, matter should be distributed evenly, with no preferred direction within the cosmos. This is known as the cosmological principle. Now, as new telescopes both on Earth and in space, such as the Dark

Europe’s Gulf drift has run out of road

On June 29, France thought it had found its way back into the Strait of Hormuz. Hours after French President Emmanuel Macron and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said agreed in Paris to clear the strait’s mines and guarantee “free and unconditional” passage, Tehran killed the

Super Micro says two Taiwan staff detained in probe involving its AI servers

TAIPEI, July 2 - Super Micro said on Wednesday that two workers at its Taiwan unit had been detained pending a court hearing and two others released on bail after being questioned by Taiwanese prosecutors investigating the alleged illegal export of advanced AI servers

India tells WhatsApp to halt username roll-out, justify feature or face action

India’s IT ministry said the feature could materially increase online fraud and phishing, among other crimes.

Japan rallies tech-giant alliance to build sovereign AI

Japan is throwing its industrial weight behind a homegrown challenger to US and Chinese dominance in artificial intelligence. The government announced this week it will fund Noetra, a new consortium of SoftBank Corp., Sony, NEC and Honda, to build a national AI foundation model

Russian frustration rises as fuel crisis bites

July 2 - In Russia's grain belt, farmers fret they will not be able to harvest their crops as a fuel crisis sparked by Ukraine's drone attacks on oil refineries and depots disrupts daily life.

Vietnam, Philippines raised to World Bank’s upper-middle-income status

All five major South-east Asian economies, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, are in the same tier and above.

Australia seeks to rein in defence spending blowouts, delays

Canberra in April announced it would raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2033 from about 2%.

Bear spray goes off in Japan post office, five hospitalised

A plane breached Beijing’s tightly controlled airspace and crashed. Why couldn’t it be stopped?

As the low-altitude sector grows in China and elsewhere, safety systems must keep pace, say experts.

China’s EV fleet is world’s most underestimated AI asset

History has a habit of concealing its most consequential turning points inside the mundane. The invention of the shipping container did not announce itself as a revolution in global trade. The rise of the mobile phone was initially dismissed as an expensive novelty for

South Korean school baseball team suspended over ‘Tank Day’ chants

The chants evoked the deadly 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Gwangju.

Searching for Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital of confusion

Experts describe the capital Naypyitaw as purpose-built to guard its closed-ranks rulers’ secrets.

Asian shares fall as chipmakers drag; US jobs data looms

The plunge in Asia follows a Wall Street selloff in semiconductor shares overnight.

Taiwan needs a ‘hornet’s nest’ of drones to deter conflict, US diplomat says

He says drones represent a “game-changing opportunity” to enhance the island's security.

Taiwan needs a 'hornet's nest' of drones to deter conflict, US diplomat says

TAICHUNG, Taiwan, July 2 - Taiwan needs a \"hornet's nest\" of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top U.S. diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.

Estimated 350,000 people in Japan have used cocaine: Study

Thai PM Anutin orders urgent drug crackdown meeting after Australia-linked smuggling cases

The authorities fear the cases could damage Thailand’s image as it seeks be a regional aviation hub.

South Korean fashion retailer Musinsa ramps up Asia store push ahead of IPO

The push comes as South Korean consumer culture continues to surge globally.

Did this AI anti-drug video make drugs look appealing?

Hong Kong’s Correctional Services Department removed an AI-generated K-pop video, after facing backlash that it made substances look too appealing.

The South Korean mine at the centre of America’s tungsten push

It could potentially supply roughly 40 per cent of global tungsten demand outside China.

Lawsuit shows it’s past time for Samsung and SK Hynix to speak up

For a quarter of a century, consumer technology was the most dependable disinflationary force in the world economy. Each year, the device in the hand did more and cost less, and that quiet subtraction flattered every inflation print on earth. That era is over. This is slowly

Jokowi may have retired, but his ambitions remain big

Even so, analysts say it remains to be seen whether former Indonesian president Joko Widodo still wields enough influence to help build the long-term political careers of his family members.

Commentary: Indian sailors’ deaths in US strike reopen old wounds and deepen new grievances

After a US military strike killed three Indians on a commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz, India fears that its concerns are becoming easy to overlook, says think tank researcher Rahul Jaybhay.

EU to provide 200 million euros to boost South Caucasus connectivity, von der Leyen says

BAKU, July 1 - The European Union will provide up to €200 million ($228 million) in grant funding to boost transport, energy and digital links across the South Caucasus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a visit to Baku on Wednesday.

China urges US to handle Taiwan issue ‘with utmost caution’

Wang Yi said the US and China should work to build a "constructive, strategically stable relationship".

China urges US to handle Taiwan issue 'with utmost caution'

BEIJING, July 1 - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the U.S. to handle matters related to Taiwan with \"the utmost caution\", during a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Wang's ministry said on Wednesday.

Body stitched, organs missing: Family seeks probe into Indian seafarer’s death in Venezuela

The man’s family says there was no official explanation from the Venezuelan authorities.

Quarantine facilities on standby as Nepal battles rising cases of bird flu

No human infections have been reported, officials said.

The logical case for admitting Bangladesh into ASEAN

For decades, Bangladesh’s foreign policy operated on a predictable, singular axis. Under the sixteen-year tenure of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dhaka’s strategic and economic relations were deeply tethered to New Delhi. A flurry of bilateral agreements spanning digital

Communist Party of China marks 105 years with greater stress on ideology and loyalty

A years-long anti-graft drive has intensified as the Communist Party seeks to instil greater discipline among members.

Pakistan community holds funerals for 14 children killed in roof collapse

Residents said they had suspected the building housing the tutoring centre was rundown.

CPEC gave Balochistan roads and power. CPEC 2.0 must deliver jobs

In 2015, Balochistan had power outages lasting 16 to 18 hours daily, according to provincial records at the time, roads that petered out into gravel tracks, and a port at Gwadar that saw fewer than 20 ships dock in an entire year. A decade of investment under the China-Pakistan

Hanoi tanker driver jailed 20 years for dragging teenage girl to her death

The offender said he feared a compensation claim would be made against him if the girl survived.

Philippine school shooting shines light on global online extremist network targeting children

Experts say the recent shooting reveals how online predators groom Filipino children into violence.

Chinese firm sells hyper-real, ‘always loyal’ humanoid robots

The company has already had more than 13,300 pre-orders, with deliveries due to start in September.

China ethnic unity law comes into force despite overseas criticism

The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups.

Johor resident who works in Singapore starts grassroots squad to tackle rubbish problem

He rallied fellow Malaysians and began cleaning up neglected areas in Johor.

New China-EU trade mechanism puts talks over tariffs

The official launch of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism represents one of the most significant developments in China-Europe economic relations in recent years, underscoring a shared determination to manage an increasingly complex commercial relationship

US and Iran enter technical talks to secure peace deal, restart shipping

DOHA/DUBAI, July 1 - The U.S. and Iran held technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.