Asia Today

Today's news: Pyongyang, nuclear weapons are needed ‘in combat’, they are not a bargaining chip; Today the release of three more Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the truce in Gaza holds; UNHCR: since September 2023 Islamabad has expelled over 825 thousand Afghan migrants; Kuala Lumpur withdraws controversial regulation with guidelines for Muslims participating in ‘non-Islamic’ events.

Today's news: Ishiba at the White House to relaunch the Japan-US alliance in the Pacific; Materials to start clearing rubble are still not getting into Gaza; The Indian Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time since 2020; Russia wants to lower the age for being indicted for drug dealing to 14.

Today's news: 26,000 Palestinians displaced by Israeli army operations in the West Bank; US Postal Service revokes parcel blockade from China, shipping companies protest over duty chaos; Archdiocese of Mumbai calls for immediate action against fires in Uttan landfill; Tax hike in Kyrgyzstan

Today's news: Philippine House votes overwhelmingly to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte; Delhi to vote on the renewal of the capital's Legislative Assembly; Trade war leads to blocake on goods arriving in the USA from China and Hong Kong; Protests in Yerevan against increased public transport fares.

Today's news: attack on Israeli soldiers in the West Bank after settler attacks and heavy army raids in Jenin. Chinese ecommerce app Shein returns to India but all data must remain in the country. Cambodia prevents British journalist from returning to the country. Japan's food exports boom in 2024 despite Beijing's seafood blockade.

Today's news: 23 buildings blown up by the Israeli army in Jenin; Tax cuts for the middle class in the new budget presented by the Indian government; Popular Taiwanese actress known throughout the East dies at 48 from flu; Coconut shortage: appeal by Malaysian authorities to limit offerings for the Hindu holiday to one nut.

Today's headlines: After the fourth prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, the father of the Israeli woman freed two days ago in a chaotic handover among a crowd of armed men urges Israel’s PM to go through with the agreement. Thaksin Shinawatra is allowed to travel abroad despite being a convicted felon. In the Philippines, 1,500 public schools lack electricity. Archaeological find shows iron was already smelted in Tamil Nadu 5,300 years ago.

Today's news: two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp; Exports to South Korea fall due to fears over US duties; China and Vietnam are responsible for the destruction of large areas of coral reefs in the South China Sea; In Quetta a father killed his daughter because he disapproved of her videos on TikTok.

Today's news: Al Jolani appointed president for Syria transition, constitution suspended; Seventy Rohingya land in Indonesia, while 5,000 Burmese return to the border town Maungdaw; Thailand's tiger population is growing; Japanese authorities ask 1.2 million people to use less water to facilitate a rescue operation.

Today's news: millions of people in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year; The Jordanian Air Force launched a massive airlift (supported by the US) to bring urgent medical supplies to Gaza; Myanmar's military junta started recruiting women: Pasinyan to the Armenian diaspora: ‘Really clarify what happened during the genocide and why’.

Today's news: Pakistan hands down death penalty to four men for sharing blasphemous content online; Israeli fire kills two more people in southern Lebanon, despite truce; In Laos, two women arrested for human trafficking; The cause of the Jeju Air plane crash in Muan in December with 179 fatalities was allegedly (also) a bird strike.

Today's news: South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol indicted for insurrection; The president and a senior executive of Fuji Media, a Japanese company, resign over a sex abuse scandal; Chinese police, with Thai help, arrest a criminal suspected of online trafficking and fraud.