Cyclone Koji downgraded to storm after crossing Australia’s north-east coast

Koji has “weakened below tropical cyclone intensity”.

Australia's Queensland state braces for Tropical Cyclone Koji

SYDNEY, Jan 11 - Australia's Queensland on Sunday braced for a tropical cyclone to make landfall, with authorities urging residents to prepare for destructive winds and possible flooding in the state's north.

Australia bushfires to burn out of control for weeks, authorities say

SYDNEY, Jan 11 - Australian authorities said on Sunday it would take firefighters weeks to get on top of bushfires in the country's southeast that have razed homes, cut power to thousands of homes and burned swathes of bushland.

Australia bush fires to burn out of control for weeks, authorities say

The blazes have raged through more than 300,000ha of bushland in Victoria.

'Hermès of durian': The luxury fruit cashing in on China's billion-dollar appetite

A former gold mining town in Malaysia has seen its riches turn a new shade of yellow, thanks to this pungent fruit.

How a sporting snub has rolled back India-Bangladesh relations

On its face, the decision to ask Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh’s left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) appears a sporting controversy. But beneath that surface lies a deeper rupture in bilateral relations between

Bangladesh seeks to join international force in Gaza

The truce has not progressed beyond its first phase, and little progress has been made on the next steps.

New law bans China-based IT engineers from Pentagon cloud access

Originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, this article is republished with permission. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a measure that prohibits anyone based in China and other adversarial countries from accessing

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong urges South Korea to investigate drone incidents

Drones were flown from South Korea into North Korea earlier in January.

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong urges South Korea to investigate drone incidents

SEOUL, Jan 11 - North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, urged South Korea to investigate recent drone incidents for detailed explanations, in a statement carried by state media KCNA on Sunday.

South Korea walks a narrow bridge between China and Japan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is spending the first weeks of the new year attempting a feat of diplomatic engineering that would challenge the most experienced leader. He began the year in Beijing, the first official visit by a South Korean president since 2019. In the

Trial balloon: Japan PM Takaichi contemplates Feb. snap election

On the evening of Friday, January 9, the Yomiuri Shimbun issued a news flash for a report saying that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has begun considering dissolving the Diet when the ordinary session opens on 23 January and calling a snap election for the first half of February

Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Talaud Islands

6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Talaud Islands

The Indonesian geophysics agency said the quake does not have the potential to trigger tsunami waves.

Beijing’s long game in a post-Maduro Venezuela

The capture of Nicolás Maduro by American special forces has provided the world with its most jarring image of the new Washington realism. For the Trump administration, the pre-dawn raid in Caracas is a matter of law enforcement and hemispheric security. For Beijing, the event

Rescuers race to find dozens missing in deadly Philippines landfill collapse

The landslide happened when a mountain of rubbish collapsed at a landfill site in the central Philippines.

Greenland's parliament will bring forward meeting to discuss US threats, party leaders say

OSLO, Jan 10 - Greenland's parliament will bring forward a meeting to discuss its response to U.S. threats to take control of the Arctic island, the leaders of the five political parties in the Greenlandic assembly said in a joint statement.

Beware of bears: Japan’s 2025 kanji character reflects worries over attacks on humans

Bears typically enter hibernation from late November, but sightings have persisted even into January.

Man arrested on suspicion of hiding woman’s body in wall of bar he runs in Japan’s Hokkaido

The body was believed to be that of a woman in her 20s who could not be contacted since Dec 31.

Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Grok over sexualised images

The country became the first to deny access to Elon Musk's chatbot, after governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned sexualised ‍content on the app.

20 Air Force officers believed to be involved in ‘yeye’ culture, says RMAF chief

Claims have been circulating on social media alleging that immoral activities occurred in military camps.

China, Russia, Iran start 'BRICS Plus' naval exercises in South African waters

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 10 - China, Russia and Iran began a week of joint naval exercises in South Africa's waters on Saturday in what the host country described as a BRICS Plus operation to \"ensure the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities\".

Indonesia records first death linked to ‘super flu’

From August to December 2025, Indonesia confirmed 62 cases of the super flu across eight provinces.

Death toll in Philippines landfill collapse rises to 4

CEBU CITY, Philippines, Jan 10 - The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippines has risen to four, an official said on Saturday, as rescue efforts continued for dozens who remained missing.

20 Malaysia air force officers face disciplinary action over military camp scandal

The Air Force said preliminary investigations found the officers were directly involved in immoral activity, following viral videos of "yeye" vice culture in military camps.

Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Grok over sexualised images

JAKARTA, Jan 10 - Indonesia temporarily blocked Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on Saturday due to the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool.

Malaysia border agency advises foreign travellers to use NIISe app following autogate crash

Malaysians, motorcyclists and motorists were not affected.

Estate in deadly Hong Kong fire won’t be reused as housing, minister tells broadcaster RTHK

161 people died at Wang Fuk Court in the Nov 26 fire.

Physiotherapy, not surgery, to aid Malaysia’s ex-PM Mahathir as he recovers from fall, says aide

Dr Mahathir fractured his hip after falling at home on Jan 6.

Chinese villagers in Hebei province struggle for heat as gas subsidies fade

Reports that villagers in Hebei were layering up under quilts have peppered Chinese social media.

Death toll climbs after trash site collapse buries dozens in Philippines

About 50 sanitation workers were buried when refuse toppled onto them on Thursday (Jan 8).

Indonesia’s new sex laws could turn bedrooms into ‘Batman traps’ for the unwary: Analysts

The penal code now makes adultery and living together outside marriage criminal offences.

Chinese villagers struggle for heat as gas subsidies fade

In 2017, Beijing mandated that dozens of northern areas wind down the use of coal-fired stoves in favour of electric and natural gas-powered systems, but subsidies to refit stoves have faded.

Philippines’ Mayon Volcano logs 150 rockfalls, 90 pyroclastic currents in 24 hours

The volcano has generated 214 tons of sulfur dioxide since Jan 8.

China sells the world on its duty-free Hainan island, amid a $1.28 trillion trade surplus

Goods imported to Hainan cannot be shipped to other parts of China duty-free.

North Korea accuses South Korea of another drone incursion

South Korea said it had no record of the drone's flight, and that it was "not a model operated by our military".

Malaysia's unemployment rate hits 11-year low amid strengthening ringgit

Malaysia's chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the labour market is expected to remain stable and grow positively in coming months.

‘Racing against time’: Death toll up as search goes on for survivors in Philippine dump site collapse

About 50 sanitation workers were buried when refuse toppled onto them on Jan 8.

Landfill collapse in Philippines: Death toll rises to 3, 35 others still missing

Probe suggests link to a September quake which, combined with rain, could have weakened its foundation.

Bessent says Australia, India invited to G7 meeting on critical minerals

SAVAGE, Minnesota, Jan 9 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Australia and several other countries would join a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies that he is hosting in Washington on Monday to discuss critical minerals.

Is Melaka still worth visiting despite the crowds? Here’s when to go and what to see

Timing has become the new luxury in Malaysia’s heritage city, with one weekday standing out as the jewel.

‘Extreme and dangerous’ weather: Australian bushfires raze homes, cut power to tens of thousands

Three people are missing and temperatures have soared past 40 deg C in a heatwave.

‘Extreme and dangerous weather’: Australian bushfires raze homes, cut power to tens of thousands

Three people are missing and temperatures have soared past 40 deg C in the heatwave.

Australia’s PM Albanese warns of extreme and dangerous weather as bushfires rage in Victoria

Three people are missing and temperatures have soared past 40 deg C in the heatwave.