Asia Today

Today's news: official Riyadh delegation in the West Bank, an Israeli minister visits Saudi Arabia for the first time. Evergrande president under police control. A suicide attempt and the wounding of a protester during protests in Bangalore over a water dispute. Pyongyang ready to reopen borders to foreigners, closed since first phase of Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese holding company presents project to pump and distribute drinking water from the Kyrgyz-Uzbek basin.

Today's news: further tragedy in the escape of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabach, at least 20 dead in the explosion of a fuel depot. 20 years later, there is still no compensation for the Iraqi victims of torture in US prisons, including Abu Grahib. North Korean athletes refuse photos with South Korean rivals at Asian Games. Manila removes in a "special operation" the floating barrier positioned by Beijing in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

Today's news: Riyadh sets18-year jail term for high school student for tweets supporting political prisoners; At least 1400 migrant workers enter China every day from Myanmar through the Muse trade hub; Turkish, along with Arabic and Kurdish, is the third official language in Kirkuk; The Indian judiciary confiscates the property of a Sikh separatist leader; Taiwan wants to produce two new submarines by 2027 and equip subsequent ones with missiles; Seoul against the alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Today's headlines: Assad in Beijing collects support for Syrian reconstruction from Xi Jinping; India-China clash over visas for three female athletes from Arunachal Pradesh at the Asian Games; South Korean opposition leader facing arrest warrant breaks hunger strike; In Mariupol so many Russian soldiers hospitalised, there is no more room for civilians in hospitals.

Today's headlines: clashes continue in Manipur, 10 injured yesterday; In Laos, the debt trap with China may be bigger than imagined; Dust and volcanic gases in the Philippines cause school closures; In South Korea, video game champions might get exemption from military service; Still no agreement for Nagorno-Karabakh after the capitulation of Armenian militias under fire from Azerbaijani army; African countries abandon the rouble for the Chinese yuan in purchases from Russia.

Today's news: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in China for the first time since 2004. Australia rejected 50,000 visa applications from Afghanistan. In Thailand concern over the uncontrolled spread of plankton. Indonesia jailed a woman for uttering an Islamic phrase before eating pork. In India inflation went down but farmers lost out.

Today's headlines: Monsoons hike vegetable costs in Malaysia; Two environmental activists released in the Philippines; India is proposing a bill to reserve some seats in Parliament for women; Saudi Arabia, the talks with the Houthi representatives for peace in Yemen were positive; In Russia, the Chinese yuan is increasingly used; Moldova is implementing a "war mobility" project.

Today's headlines: prisoner exchange between the US and Iran; Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra could be granted parole at the end of February; Indonesia reassesses plans to relocate its citizens for Chinese industries; Beijing asks consulates in Hong Kong to share information on personnel; In South Korea, free therapy for teachers.

Today's headlines: ChatGPT lands in Protestant churches in South Korea; Japanese municipalities are in favour of more foreign labour; A woman accused of kidnapping and trafficking children is sentenced to death in China; India beats Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup cricket final; The Mufti of Uzbekistan speaks out against the burqa.

Today's news: Afghan Taliban have arrested 18 members of an NGO. Japan has a record number of centenarians, 73.74 per 100,000 people. Five Indonesians in six prefer democracy to strongman rule. Not seen for weeks, China’s Defence minister is thought to be under investigation for corruption. Ignoring warnings, hundreds of devout Jews, many with young children, are on pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman. Turkey and Russia resume talks over building a natural gas hub in Turkey.

Today's headlines: Emirates, maxi seizure of 13 tonnes of Captagon worth over a billion dollars; A 10-year-old boy in Hong Kong arrested for armed robbery, luxury watches worth nearly 650,000 euros in the loot; Tharman Shanmugaratnam sworn in as Singapore's ninth president; Border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened, but tension remains between the parties; Lavrov: 'Russia and China withdraw from UN sanctions on Pyongyang over nuclear programme'.

Today's headlines: Devastating fire destroys hundreds of stalls in Dhaka market; Kerala closes schools, offices and stops public transport to counter the spread of the Nipah virus; Hong Kong police indict 38-year-old for importing children's books praising 2019 protests; Netanyahu clashes over Palestinian prisoners: Ben Gvir 'freezes' support for government; Indonesia's first high-speed train operating in October, linking Jakarta to Bandung.