Northern Australia cleans up after Cyclone Fina

Heavy rain and winds is expected to persist on Nov 23.

Foreign population in 10 Japan prefectures more than doubles in decade

Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu saw the highest rise in foreign residents.

Australia PM says formal deal reached for Turkey to host COP31 climate summit

SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday a formal agreement had been reached for Turkey to host the COP31 climate summit in 2026, confirming a document released at the COP30 summit in Brazil.

Australia PM Albanese says formal deal reached for Turkey to host COP31 climate summit

The deal resolved a lengthy stand-off over hosting of the UN talks.

Commentary: China can’t afford to ignore its army of gig workers

Beijing’s bet on its industrial sector hasn’t quite paid off in terms of job creation and wealth distribution, says Juliana Liu for Bloomberg Opinion.

‘Why didn’t I buy more?’: Soaring gold prices draw crowds of buyers, sellers to KL jewellers

Record gold prices are drawing crowds to jewellers as buyers and sellers seek quick profits.

A harsh winter for gold sellers in China’s largest jewellery market

Business is slow at jewellery wholesale market Shuibei amid soaring gold prices and a lacklustre economy.

France's Macron says peace deal proposal needs to be revisited

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday a peace plan submitted by the U.S. to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was a good basis for work but needed to be revisited, taking the Europeans on board.

Seven arrested in India after police crack $800,000 bank heist

Armed men posing as bank officials robbed a van transporting cash between bank branches in Bengaluru city.

Golden Horse: Chang Chen edges out Singapore’s Richie Koh to win Best Actor

Koh was nominated for playing a drag queen in A Good Child.

PM Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks cloud prospects for new pandas in Japan

The two pandas are due to return to China in February.

European leaders say US peace plan for Ukraine needs work

JOHANNESBURG - European leaders said in a joint statement on Saturday that a 28-point U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine, which has been seeking to repel Russian forces since 2022, was a basis that \"requires additional work\".

Western leaders race to agree response to US peace plan for Ukraine

JOHANNESBURG/KYIV - European and other Western leaders meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit scrambled on Saturday to come up with a coordinated response to U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Ukraine to accept his peace plan with Russia by Thursday.

Hindu mother in Malaysia walks for ‘justice’ in latest plea to bring daughter home

Madam Indira Gandhi's ex-husband vanished with their 11-month-old daughter Prasana after he changed religion in 2009.

Kyrgyzstan authorities detain opposition figures ahead of snap election

BISHKEK - Kyrgyz law enforcement on Saturday carried out a series of arrests, searches and interrogations of opposition figures and journalists as part of what authorities said was a probe into calls for \"mass unrest\" ahead of a snap parliamentary election on Nov 30.

Breaking down the leaked Russia-Ukraine peace framework

The New York Post, which Trump once called his “favorite newspaper”, just published what it claims to be all 28 points of the Russia-Ukraine peace deal framework that Russia and the US have reportedly been working on in secret over the past few weeks. What follows is the text

Fierce clash between Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups sends stray shell into Thailand

The Royal Thai Army said border-protection units are monitoring the situation around the clock.

Russia's Ryabkov says potential Putin-Trump summit is on the agenda

MOSCOW - The possibility of another meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is on the agenda, a senior Russian diplomat has said.

Aftershock rocks Bangladesh as quake death toll rises to 10

The epicentre of the 3.3-magnitude tremor was in Ashulia, just north of the capital Dhaka.

Any Ukraine peace plan must be accepted in Kyiv, says Polish president

WARSAW - Any peace plan for Ukraine must be accepted in Kyiv, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said, after the U.S. signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end its conflict with Russia.

Fresh aftershocks rattle Bangladesh a day after deadly quake

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force member arrested over stabbing in Tokyo’s Akasaka

The suspect, a sergeant first class, is an acquaintance of the woman, according to sources.

Australia’s airlines to ban use and charging of power banks on flights

The ban applies to all international and domestic flights operated by these airlines.

US hidden war on Venezuela shifts from covert to overt

America has slipped into a conflict it refuses to name. The signs aren’t subtle. They aren’t even undeniable. They are simply scattered across headlines, Pentagon statements, satellite images and the unmistakable roar of carrier groups shifting into position. If this isn’t war

Japan’s foreign ministry rebuts China’s assertion of ‘surge in crime’ against Chinese nationals in Japan

The ministry said the number of Chinese nationals murdered stood at 15 in both 2023 and 2024.

China-backed Whoosh rail locks Indonesia in a financial bind

Indonesia’s Jakarta–Bandung high-speed rail, known as Whoosh, was launched as a statement of national ambition—proof that Southeast Asia’s largest economy could adopt cutting-edge transport infrastructure. Yet as operations continue, the project now faces a deeper test: a

Hat Yai issues ‘red-flag’ alert as 595mm of rain triggers flood risk across 103 communities

Those in the area were told to get to higher ground and prepare to evacuate if necessary.

Air China to significantly cut flights between Chinese and Japanese cities from Nov 30

Sichuan Airlines has also decided to cancel all flights between Chengdu and Sapporo from Jan 1 to March 28.

Former South Korean president Yoon indicted on allegations over cover-up of marine’s death

11 former high-ranking officials were also indicted.

Electric train service that will link Johor Bahru to KL to commence operations on Dec 12

The King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, will launch the service in Johor Bahru on Dec 11.

Hong Kong says Singapore minister David Neo apologised for 'idiots' remark

David Neo had said in a social media post that he should have been more respectful.

Seoul mulls over raising retirement age amid demographic crisis

Labour groups support the move, saying it will help to ease elderly poverty, but business groups warn that younger workers will suffer.

Trump’s Gaza ‘mandate’ and the mirage of global legitimacy

The Trump administration is celebrating what the president called “one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations” following the UN Security Council’s endorsement of his Gaza peace plan. With 13 votes in favor and strategic abstentions from Russia and China,

China takes spat with Japan over Taiwan to UN, vows to defend itself

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi committed "a grave violation of international law" and diplomatic norms when she said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo, said a senior Chinese official in a letter to the UN on Nov 21.

Truth on Myanmar finally prevails in US Congress

When the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee convened on November 19 for the hearing “No Exit Strategy: Burma’s Endless Crisis and America’s Limited Options,” the testimony sounded remarkably familiar. To those of us who have been sounding the alarm since the start of the

US, China held maritime security talks in Hawaii, Chinese navy says

BEIJING - The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held \"frank and constructive\" maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.

Central Vietnam death toll rises to 55 from flooding, landslides

Vietnam's disaster agency said 13 people had been reported missing.

Vietnam flooding death toll rises to 55

Takaichi goes big on stimulus as Japan takes fiscal risk

The Takaichi cabinet approved a 21.3 trillion yen (US$136.25 billion) stimulus package on Friday (November 21) that includes a 17.7 trillion yen ($113.21 billion) supplemental budget. The latter will be submitted to the Diet for passage this session. The total amount, including

Malaysia poised to become ASEAN’s second-fastest growing economy in 2025: Reports

Several financial institutions have raised their growth forecasts for Malaysia, with HSBC the latest to lift its 2025 GDP projection from 4.2 per cent to 5 per cent.

Indonesia's biggest Islamic group asks chief to resign over invitation to pro-Israeli speaker

JAKARTA - Indonesia's biggest Islamic organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama, has asked its chief to resign for inviting a U.S. scholar known for his support of Israel during the Gaza war to an internal event in August, according to meeting minutes reviewed by Reuters.

Beloved cat stationmaster in Japan dies

Nitama served as the second cat stationmaster at Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture.

G20 leaders meet in South Africa seeking agreement, despite US boycott

JOHANNESBURG - Leaders of the Group of 20 top economies gathered for a U.S.-boycotted summit in South Africa on Saturday, seeking a deal on a draft declaration drawn up without U.S. input in a surprise move that a senior White House official described as \"shameful\".

India's blind women cricketers chase history at first T20 World Cup

Most players come from underprivileged, rural backgrounds and learned the sport in the last few years.

Turkey and Australia confirm agreement on COP31 split-hosting deal

BELEM, Brazil - Turkey will host the COP31 climate summit in 2026 with Australia leading the negotiation process, a document released at the COP30 summit in Brazil showed on Friday, confirming an earlier announcement that a split hosting arrangement was expected.