38°C days could be new normal by 2050: The hot reality Bangkok faces

Experts say the Thai capital must act now or face a much hotter future, with projections of up to 120 extreme heat days a year by 2050.

Commentary: Beijing intensifies diplomatic isolation of Taiwan’s president

Denying airspace transit is a new tactic – and its effectiveness may encourage China to use it again, says an academic.

Satellite imagery reveals increased activity at North Korean nuclear complex

Steam plumes and construction at Yongbyon suggest Kim Jong Un is making good on his five-year nuclear buildup plan.

Fuel shock hits Philippine truckers as basic goods price hikes loom

A report warned that the current oil shock could evolve into a broader food shock for ASEAN countries.

Three ways South Korea can buy alliance insurance

The case for South Korea hedging its relationship with the United States may have become harder to dismiss. Washington’s trade policies and the economic consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran have raised the cost of close alignment at the same time they have weakened

US conditions for paying U.N. dues include China curbs -report

April 28 - The United States has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China's influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday.

Indian billionaire's son offers to save Escobar's hippos

Anant Ambani - son of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani - says he can take care of the animals roaming free since the drug lord's death.

UK summons Iranian ambassador over embassy's 'unacceptable' comments on social media

LONDON, April 28 - Britain said on Tuesday the Iranian ambassador to London had been summoned over what the government described as the Iranian embassy's \"unacceptable and inflammatory\" comments on social media.

North Korea's Kim praises soldiers who committed suicide to evade capture in Ukraine

SEOUL, April 29 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised soldiers who committed suicide while fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, confirming an extreme battle policy.

US envoy says Belarus may free more prisoners in next month

WARSAW, April 28 - U.S. special envoy John Coale said on Tuesday he expects to secure the release of additional prisoners from Belarus within the next month, adding that further sanctions relief for Minsk could be possible if that happens.

Under Trump, record numbers say personal finances getting worse

Just over a year after President Donald Trump promised the US was entering a “golden age,” Americans are expressing unprecedented pessimism about the state of the economy. Gallup on Tuesday released a poll showing that 55% of Americans say their personal finances are getting

Hidden Chinese history of Australia’s gold rush is going global

Taiwanese pop music superstar Jay Chou, known in Mandarin as Zhou Jielun (周杰倫), has put Australia’s Sovereign Hill on the map. A nationally renowned tourist attraction in Golden Point, a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Sovereign Hill is an open-air museum that depicts the first

Mali military leader Goita meets Russian ambassador after attacks, office says

BAMAKO, April 28 - The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goita, met on Tuesday with the Russian ambassador, according to a social media post from his office, his first public appearance since insurgents carried out simultaneous attacks on Saturday.

Pro-Kurdish party criticises Turkey's 'hesitant' steps toward PKK peace

ANKARA, April 28 - Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party issued one of its strongest criticisms yet of the government's handling of a fragile peace process, highlighting on Tuesday a growing stand-off between Ankara and Kurdish militants over next steps to end a decades-long conflict.

Iran’s Guards seize wartime power, blunting Supreme Leader's role

DUBAI, April 28 - Two months into a war with the U.S. and Israel, Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power — an abrupt break with the past that may be hardening Tehran’s stance as it weighs renewed talks with Washington.

Monk ends barefoot Sri Lanka trek with a dog and plea for peace

The week-long trek was 210km long.

Italy's parliament backs donation of aircraft carrier to Indonesia

ROME, April 28 - Italy's parliament on Tuesday backed a government plan to donate an ageing aircraft carrier to Indonesia, a move the administration said would strengthen relations with an ally while avoiding the costly dismantling of an obsolete asset.

Measles cases in Japan rise past 360 so far in 2026, with many reported in Tokyo

By prefecture, Tokyo was at the top with 153 cases.

Trump says Iran wants US to open Hormuz Strait as soon as possible

WASHINGTON, April 28 - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran has said it was in a state of collapse and wants the United States to open the Strait of Hormuz while it sorts out its leadership.

Iran and US allowed Russian superyacht to cross Strait of Hormuz, source says

April 28 - A superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov was able to transit the blockaded Strait of Hormuz after undergoing maintenance in Dubai because neither Iran nor the United States objected, a source close to Mordashov said on Tuesday.

Entitled or self-centred? Unpacking the AirAsia passenger outburst

In 2024 alone, over 50,000 reports of unruly passenger behaviour were made by 60 airline operators.

Canadian PM invited to attend European Political Community summit in May

April 28 - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been invited to attend next month's summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Armenia, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Tuesday, adding that this marked the first time that a non-European country was

Britain challenges court decision that Palestine Action ban was unlawful

LONDON, April 28 - Britain on Tuesday sought to uphold a ban on pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, which it has designated a terrorist organisation, after a court ruling that the move unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression.

Ulu Tiram attack: Attacker’s father, brother jailed 30 years

The court ordered all sentences to run concurrently from the date of their arrest, May 17, 2024.

Russia's FSB says archaeologist Butyagin released by Poland in prisoner swap, TASS reports

MOSCOW, April 28 - Russia's Federal Security Service said on Tuesday that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin had been released by Poland as part of a prisoner swap, state news agency TASS reported.

Negeri Sembilan crisis signals end is nigh for Anwar’s unity government

The PM may now be forced to bring forward the general election, when it is due only by early 2028.

Cambodian senator denies links to scam centres after US sanctions

Mr Kok An runs a business called Crown Resorts, which owns casinos and other buildings in Cambodia.

Snap Insight: Indonesia in need of rail safety overhaul after fatal train crash

Experts urge separate tracks for long-distance and commuter trains, among other measures, in the wake of Monday’s (Apr 27) train collision that killed 15 people and injured dozens.

Belarus releases Polish-Belarusian journalist as part of prisoner exchange

WARSAW, April 28 - Belarus has released Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, as the two countries conducted a prisoner exchange at their border.

Thailand considers charging citizens $40 for overseas trips to fund domestic travel subsidy scheme

A minister said the funds would boost domestic tourism and curb capital outflows from overseas tourism.

Singapore’s AI neutrality is cracking under US-China pressure

Singapore built its edge on something rare: neutrality that actually worked. Capital moved in, companies set up and deals got done without politics getting in the way. From where I sit, that predictability has always been “The Product.” Yet, it seems that pressure on that model

Gulf leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss response to Iranian strikes

April 28 - Saudi Arabia will host an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah on Tuesday, the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago.

BYD's quarterly profit slides fastest in six years as China sales falter

BYD's first-quarter net profit dropped 55.4 per cent from a year earlier to 4.1 billion yuan.

Swiss court discontinues Karimova trial

ZURICH, April 28 - Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court has discontinued a money laundering trial against Gulnara Karimova, a daughter of Uzbekistan's former president, on the grounds that she is not allowed to leave her country in time.

Climbers open Everest route past dangerous ice block

A sea of tents to host more than 1,000 people has built up at the foot of Everest.

Indian billionaire Ambani’s son offers home for hippos which have wreaked havoc on Colombian rivers

Experts have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the proposed zoo's massive animal intake.

Ukraine says Israeli buying of 'stolen' grain from Russia not 'legitimate'

April 28 - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Israel's purchase of grain from occupied Ukrainian territory \"stolen\" by Russia \"cannot be legitimate business\" and that Kyiv was readying sanctions against those attempting to profit from it.

US Supreme Court hears claims Cisco aided Chinese human rights abuses

April 28 - The U.S. Supreme Court confronted a case on Tuesday with broad implications for human rights litigation in American courts, a long-running lawsuit brought by members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement who have accused Cisco Systems of facilitating religious

Taiwan eyes receiving Okinawa island patients in disasters

A Taiwanese official said there was strong demand for inter-island patient transfers in places like Ishigaki.

Japan Airlines trials humanoid robots as ground handlers

These robots may in future help clean cabins and operate ground support equipment.

Philippines not concerned Iran war will distract US from region, top defence official says

Manila and Beijing have been locked in a series of maritime confrontations in the South China Sea.

Bangladesh starts fuelling its first nuclear power station

Indian billionaire's son offers home for Escobar's hippos

Anant Ambani, the son of tycoon Mukesh Ambani, said he had put in a formal request to the Colombian government to stay a decision to kill the animals.

Fuel shortage in crisis-hit Myanmar deepens daily hardship, raises food security concerns

Motorists are forced to queue up to six hours for fuel or pay more on the black market, while farmers lack fuel to operate machinery and harvest crops.

South Korea appeals court hikes ex-first lady's graft sentence

The Seoul High Court found Kim Keon Hee guilty of manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealer, which it ruled a "collusive ... trading act constituting market manipulation".

South Korea appeals court sentences ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee to 4 years in jail

The former first lady has been detained in jail since August.

South Korea appeals court sentences Ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee to 4 years in jail

SEOUL, April 28 - South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in prison for stock manipulation and bribery, after an appeals court increased her earlier sentence.

EU’s top diplomat calls on South-east Asian countries to seek alternatives to Russian oil

The EU approved a fresh round of sanctions on Russia in April, tightening restrictions on oil trade.

‘We hardly make any profit’: Fuel price surge from Iran war squeezes Philippine fisherfolk

Rising oil prices are cutting into incomes for more than 2 million people across the country’s fishing sector, as costs climb and catches fall.