Asia

Thousands protested against police across Bangladesh on Monday, a day after at least four people died when officers fired on a crowd in one of the country’s deadliest religious riots to date. Some 20,000 Muslims called for the execution of a young Hindu man on Bhola island Sunday for writing Facebook messages that allegedly defamed […]

A decision to impose a 100 percent tax on bills at restaurants that serve shisha has ignited criticism on social media in Saudi Arabia, where the water pipes are a popular pastime. The furore has also been fuelled by confusion over how the tax is applied. In the meantime, some restaurants have stopped offering shisha, […]

At least four people were killed and nearly 50 injured Sunday after police fired on thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims protesting a Facebook post by a Hindu who allegedly defamed the Prophet Mohammed, officials said. Mob attacks over Facebook posts perceived to be blasphemous have emerged as a major headache for security forces in Bangladesh, where […]

China on Sunday said it aims to become a “great power” in the online world and took a swipe at Washington on trade, kicking off its annual conference promoting the Communist Party’s controlled and censored version of the internet. US-China rivalry is increasingly playing out in the digital sphere, as Beijing pursues dominance in next-generation […]

by Yan ZHAO / Xinqi SU Large crowds of Hong Kongers defied a police ban and held an illegal march on Sunday, their numbers swollen by anger over the recent stabbing and beating of two pro-democracy protesters. Authorities had forbidden the march in Tsim Sha Tsui, a densely packed shopping district filled with luxury boutiques […]

While millions have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, a Norwegian politician -Guri Melby, a member of Norway’s parliament for the liberal party — has nominated the “people of Hong Kong” for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, a risky move that is expected to draw ire from China’s political hierarchy. In an interview published by […]

A man who inadvertently triggered Hong Kong’s huge protests after he murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan has agreed to return to the island to face justice, a clergyman who has visited him in prison said on Friday. Chan Tong-kai, 20, is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend during a holiday the […]

by Patrick Lee A scene in the film “Abominable” featuring a map with Beijing’s disputed South China Sea claims sparked a growing regional backlash Friday, with Malaysia cutting the segment just days after Vietnam pulled the movie entirely. The animated film about a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home shows a chart […]

by Dene-Hern Chen The charismatic frontman of Thailand’s anti-military parliamentary bloc appeared in court Friday accused of breaching election rules by holding media shares, a case which could see him barred from politics and jailed for up to 10 years. Billionaire, 40, has rattled the kingdom’s arch-royalist establishment since seizing the political limelight with his […]

by Jerome TAYLOR / Jasmine LEUNG Pro-democracy lawmakers were dragged out of Hong Kong’s legislature by security guards on Thursday after they heckled the city’s pro-Beijing leader for a second day running, the latest outburst of political rancour in the strife-torn city. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has faced an outpouring of anger from her opponents […]

by Jerome TAYLOR / Jasmine LEUNG Hong Kong’s embattled leader abandoned a State of the Union-style speech on Wednesday after she was heckled by rowdy opposition lawmakers during chaotic scenes inside the city’s legislature. The speech by chief executive Carrie Lam was billed as an attempt to win hearts and minds after four months of […]

New pictures of Kim Jong Un riding a white horse through a winter landscape to the summit of Mount Paektu, a sacred peak for North Koreans, have fuelled speculation that the young leader may be set for a major policy announcement. The images released by the official KCNA news agency were accompanied by a gushing […]

Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday hit back at a US senator who said the city is becoming a police state, a day after a massive rally called on Washington to punish Beijing over sliding freedoms in the international hub. The territory has been battered by more than four months of pro-democracy protests — and increasingly […]

by Fiachra GIBBONS Once upon a time in children’s television land frogs were kissed but princesses only ever married princes. Now Prince Charming might just as easily ride off into the sunset with another man, as happens in the hit new Hulu cartoon series, “The Bravest Knight”, while the Disney Channel has just had its […]

A heart-broken pedicab driver could not take it anymore and killed a rival who was dating his lover, a woman whose husband lives in Kalimantan. 38-year-old, Budiono fell in love with Puji who has no children from her legal husband, but Puji was also dating Antok Aman who is 14-years younger than her. Antok’s full name […]