Asia Today

Today's headlines: Turnout in Hong Kong's “patriots only” elections just 31.9%; Japan withdraws from plans to build a nuclear power plant in Vietnam; Twenty-five people die in a nightclub fire in Goa; The Gulf Centre for Human Rights denounces the forced disappearance of human rights activist Talib al-Saedi in Oman; Kyrgyzstan runs for a seat on the UN Security Council.

Today's news: One of the world's most wanted tiger organ traffickers was arrested in India. Evidence links Hong Kong fire to contractors' poor safety record. Myanmar voters abroad are casting early ballots in the country’s sham elections. Saudi Arabia and its Arab partners reject Israel's proposal to open the Rafah crossing in one direction only.

Today's headlines: Israel's 2026 budget includes record spending on arms and defence (while it continues to bomb Lebanon); The weather emergency continues in Sri Lanka, with more rain forecast; Taipei temporarily blocks access to a Chinese app for online fraud; In India, airports are in chaos and over 1,200 flights have been cancelled due to the grounding of the national airline IndiGo; Kazakhstan passes a law punishing women who wear the niqab.

Today's headlines: The hostage’s body returned by Islamic Jihad is that of Thai migrant Suthisak Rintalak, found north of Gaza; Beijing is deploying its most impressive naval force in East Asia; Delhi reverses its decision to make it compulsory to install a state-provided application on smartphones in the country; The new round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan ends without agreement.

Today's headlines: Kuala Lumpur announces the resumption of the search for flight MH370 on 30 December; Islamabad and Beijing have begun their annual joint military exercises; UN: opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar reaches record levels, up 17% on 2024; Tokyo focuses on generative artificial intelligence; According to Bangkok, devastating floods have paralysed the domestic high-tech market.

Today's headlines: Hong Kong leader orders creation of independent committee to investigate causes of fire. Delhi imposes “state” app on smartphones for users' “cyber security”. Over 60% of companies in Japan run by people over 80 have no successor. South Korean President Lee wants to reopen channels of communication with Pyongyang.

Today's headlines: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's allies defeated in local elections in Sabah; Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia remains in hospital in “very critical” condition; In South Korea, the trial for corruption against the leader of the Unification Church begins; Israeli Prime Minister requests presidential pardon for corruption cases, over 70,000 victims in Gaza; Death toll from bad weather in Southeast Asia rises to over 600.

Today's headlines: thousands of Syrians take to the streets to celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that ousted Assad; Chinese car manufacturer BYD recalls nearly 90,000 vehicles due to battery problems; The ICC rules that former Philippine President Duterte must remain in prison; Hong Kong mourns the victims of the fire; Bangladeshi workers arrested in Singapore for drugs. Japanese court rules ban on same-sex marriage constitutional.

Today's headlines: Floods continue to cause damage in Southeast Asia, and now Sri Lanka is also preparing for the arrival of Cyclone Ditwah; In Malaysia, the state of Sabah, the poorest in the country, is preparing for local elections; Hong Kong authorities have ended rescue operations, with 200 people still missing; Participants in an anti-Chinese demonstration arrested in Kazakhstan.

Today's headlines: South Korea has recorded its highest birth rate in 18 years. Pakistan has criticised a ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya attended by Indian Prime Minister Modi. A gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan has been hit. In the Chinese city of Kunming, a train hit a group of railway workers. Russia's industrial development is lower than before the pandemic.

Today's headlines: Taiwan has proposed a defence budget of $40 billion; Pakistan has denied attacking Afghanistan; Monsoon rains affect 2 million people in Thailand; Jakarta has abolished the consumption of dog meat. Belarus has pardoned 31 Ukrainian citizens.

Today's headlines: India and France to collaborate on missile production; Trump called the Japanese Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping but made no reference to Taiwan on social media; The United States wants to remove temporary protection for Burmese nationals, arguing that the country is now safe again following the elections.