Asia

Malaysia is planning an even larger recovery budget than it did for this year, with a 6 per cent deficit projected for 2022 set to lift its coronavirus-ravaged economy by between 5.5 per cent and 6.5 per cent. At more than RM332 billion…

The Philippine government said on Friday (Oct 29) it will postpone elections key to ending decades of sectarian bloodshed in a troubled Muslim region, with the pandemic and a stalling peace process blamed for the delay. The vote was a…

Malaysia said on Friday (Oct 29) it would proceed with the procurement of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children, following a United States expert panel's recommendation for the shot to be authorised for those aged…

China will not take the lead in recognising Afghanistan's Taliban government and will only do so in a concerted move with Pakistan, Russia and Iran, an expert familiar with China's foreign policy considerations told Reuters on Tuesday (Oct…

All recovered Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong now have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a designated facility after being discharged from hospital. The new rule, which took effect on Wednesday (Oct 27), was part of tightened…

Health risk from cancer-causing substances in some ingredients used in biscuits is low, Malaysia's Health Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah said. Monitoring of biscuit products by the health ministry's food safety and…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday (Oct 26) urged the greater inclusion of Taiwan in UN institutions, in the latest US bid to step up support to the island amid rising tensions with China. In a statement marking 50 years…

Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has denied a charge of incitement to cause public alarm, media reported on Tuesday (Oct 26), in her first court testimony since a February coup plunged the country into chaos and ended a decade of…

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (Oct 26) denounced the military coup and "horrific violence" in Myanmar at a summit with Asean leaders, the White House said. Addressing the virtual summit, Biden "expressed grave concerns about the…

Drought stalks the parched fields around the remote Afghan district of Bala Murghab, where climate change is proving a deadlier foe than the country's recent conflicts. As the world watched the Taliban wage a stunning…