Asia Today

Today's news: Lebanon is set to abolish the death penalty, the first Arab country to do so. UNESCO says the Taliban have excluded 2.4 million girls from education. Thailand has suspended new gun permits. Former Syrian leader Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia.

Today's news: Shipping traffic collapses in Hormuz, as hopes for peace fade. Vietnam is building the largest domestically made anti-submarine frigate. China and India clash over the naming of 27 border sites. A leader of former President Rajapaksa's party is arrested.

Today's news: A man was arrested in Bangkok for shooting a local government official. A raid by Pakistani security forces kills 15 militants. Indonesian authorities seize 1.3 tonnes of ketamine. Taiwan plans to boost military spending by 16 per cent to counter Chinese ambitions.

Today's news: Taiwan will attend the annual gathering of Pacific Island countries. Houthis carry out fresh attacks against pro-government targets in Marib, Yemen, with two dead and 14 wounded. Thailand’s prime minister announces a new crackdown on firearms after deadly shooting on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Today's news: The Indonesian government is set to buy into a high-speed railway line built with Chinese money. In South Korea, 15 mines carried from the North by monsoon rains have been recovered. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are close to signing a defence agreement.

Today's news: In Bangladesh, the home of the former national cricket team captain was hit with Molotov cocktails. Vietnam's leader, Tô Lâm, is preparing for another diplomatic trip. Settler violence is increasing against Palestinians in Taybeh. Conspiracy theories about the recent earthquake are circulating in Japan.

Today's news: Eight South Korean students were arrested after entering a US base. More than a hundred people have died in India since July due to floods. Five people die in a fire on a ferry in Indonesia. Georgia is using AI to provide legal assistance in the Azeri language.

Another attack has been reported in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. President Trump announces new talks with Iran starting today. Heatwave threatens rice, corn, and cotton crops in China.

Today's news: South Korea passes a bill to strip prosecutors of all direct investigative powers. In Singapore, older men are the most likely to commit suicide. Some 20,000 people are still displaced on the Cambodia-Thailand border.

Today’s headlines: Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja among the group swept away by an avalanche on a Pakistani eight-thousander; Costa Rican Grynspan leads in the first Security Council poll on the next UN Secretary-General; Takaichi launches food tax cuts; In China, a major bookshop chain and delivery riders reach an agreement.

Today’s headlines: Indian arms Israel; Japanese residents in the country has fallen below 120 million for the first time. Anwar: 5,000 Rohingya to return to Myanmar. BTS to boycott the Grammys in protest against the ‘Asian pop’ label. Bridge between Russia and North Korea nears completion

Today’s headlines: US and Saudi Arabian air strikes on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq; Tehran rejects Oman’s proposal on the Strait of Hormuz: The Philippines appeals to UN over disputed maritime borders with China; In South Korea, foreign residents account for over 4 per cent of the population.