Asia Today

Today's headlines: joint Philippine, Japanese and US coast guard exercise in the South China Sea to counter Beijing;First North Korean military reconnaissance satellite completed; Burmese junta arrests a rapper and sentences a video-maker to 10 years; China launches the first civilian astronaut into space; Riyadh in stand-off with Moscow over oil prices; Asad Gulzoda Bukhoroi, Tajiki poet and intellectual, has died.

Today's headlines: in 2023, solar investment will exceed oil spending for the first time, driven by China; PM Modi inaugurates new parliament, opposition boycotts: South Korean court issues arrest warrant for passenger who opened door in flight; Over 9,000 Russian teenagers will attend patriotic-military camps in summer, modern variant of Soviet 'Pioneers'.

Today's headlines: Famous hip-hop singer arrested in Myanmar; Papua rebels threaten to kill New Zealand pilot in their hostage; Man who opened an emergency door on a plane in Korea arrested; At least 13 killed and eight injured in floods in Afghanistan; Iran and Belgium have made a prisoner exchange; Beijing prefers a Turkmen gas pipeline to Russian projects.

Today's headlines: Congo's president is in China to review mining agreements; Vietnamese 'Salt Bae' arrested and sentenced to over five years in prison; In Manipur, requests for gun permits rise after ethnic violence; A video game about killing Syrian refugees at the border now available in Turkey.

Today's headlines: private paediatric clinics close in Seoul; In India, opposition parties against the inauguration of the new parliament wanted by Modi; In Nepal at least 30 people accused of passing off citizens as Bhutanese refugees; Malaysia and Swatch at loggerheads over Pride watches; Iran develops missiles and underground nuclear power plants; More and more Russians take up the study of Chinese.

Today's Headlines: Delhi and Canberra sign pact on migration; In two years 380 new animal and plant species discovered in the Mekong; In Marawi, compensation for residents involved in 2017 fighting begins; In Afghanistan, a US programme that helped war victims closes down.

Today's headlines: Pakistan protests against Indian summit in Kashmir; Singapore's farm production down 20%; Japan may soon have a new law on permanent residences of foreigners; Tajikistan repatriates women and children, relatives of former Isis fighters, from Syria.

Today's Headlines: Beijing has banned some American mircochips; The vote count is underway in East Timor after the parliamentary elections, Xanana Gusmao's CNRT party in the lead; In Thailand, employment at its lowest in three years; Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Arab woman astronaut; The Armenian Patriarchate responds to President Pašinyan's criticism.

Today's news: Hong Kong police want to install surveillance cameras in schools and universities. India's defence production grew by 12 per cent. North Korea is set to launch a new spy satellite, a "step forward" in military science. Turkey is pressing to add "Islamophobia" in a UNESCO resolution on discrimination. Cambodian opposition leader slams upcoming elections as a "sham", calls on democratic countries not to recognise their legitimacy.

Today's headlines: Tehran executes three more men linked to the pro-Mahsa Amini protests; Thai authorities released after 50 days a 15-year-old girl arrested for insulting the monarchy; The rise of the Afghan Taliban fuelled child labour; North Korean soldiers beat to death a young boy who had tried to steal petrol from a military truck; New tensions between Hanoi, Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.

Today's headlines: Raisi and Putin oversee the signing of an agreement for a made-in-Tehran rail line; Record Nepalese climber reaches Everest summit for 27th time. April record number of tourists in Japan in post-Covid era. Cautious optimism of UN special envoy on Yemen peace talks. Azerbaijani environmentalist raises alarm over drying Caspian Sea.

Today's headlines: Malaysia government drops appeal on use of the word "Allah" for non-Muslims sparking ire of Islamic extremist movements; World Bank warning, Jordan increasingly at risk of poverty; Pakistani court released on bail Christian widow accused of blasphemy; Sugar prices continue to rise due to Delhi's export cuts; New Taipei mayor (likely) opposition presidential candidate.