If you’re seeking tough love, you won’t find it with Mr Ranjit Singh.  The 59-year-old counsellor at the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) under the Institute...

Japan's defence ministry said on Sunday (Sep 12) that a submarine believed to be from China was spotted in waters near its southern islands, as...

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition has stated that it is “inclined to accept” an offer by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to carry...

Dozens of local community politicians in Hong Kong swore a newly required loyalty oath to China on Friday after hundreds of their colleagues quit in...

Thailand plans to reopen Bangkok to fully vaccinated visitors in October, officials said Friday (Sep 10), as the kingdom seeks to salvage a tourism industry...

Taiwan said on Friday (Sep 10) typhoon Chanthu could make landfall this weekend, bringing strong winds and pouring rain in what would be the first...

The daily life of unaccompanied Afghan refugee children in Qatar is punctuated by recurring questions, "where are we going?" and "can I have some chips".About...

North Korea put tractors and fire engines on show rather than the more usual tanks and missiles at a parade in Pyongyang early on Thursday...

When thousands of Afghans hoping to escape the incoming Taliban regime were cut off from Kabul airport last month, many started searching for alternative ways...

Foreign countries greeted the makeup of the new government in Afghanistan with caution and dismay on Wednesday after the Taliban appointed hardline veteran figures to...

Japan's government said on Thursday (Sep 9) it plans to extend emergency COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and other regions in a bid to curb infections...

Hong Kong police on Wednesday (Sep 8) arrested the vice-chairwoman of a pro-democracy group that organises the annual Jun 4 rally to commemorate those who...

Japan should strive for a new form of capitalism to reduce income disparity that has worsened under the COVID-19 pandemic, says former foreign minister Fumio...

A fire tore through an overcrowded block in a jail in Indonesia's Banten province in the early hours of Wednesday (Sep 8), killing at least...

 The Taliban drew from its inner high echelons to fill top posts in Afghanistan's new government on Tuesday (Sep 7), including an associate of the...

In glass-paneled conference rooms, members of the Shanghai-based esports team Rogue Warriors tap away at their phones as they train from 11am till late, occasionally...

South Korea has test-fired a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a report said on Tuesday (Sep 7), as it seeks to build up its forces...

Hundreds of medical facilities in Afghanistan are at risk of imminent closure because the Western donors who finance them are barred from dealing with the...

Travellers arriving in Hong Kong from China will no longer need to quarantine, Hong Kong’s top official said on Tuesday (Sep 7), easing curbs imposed...

Japanese voters strongly support Taro Kono, minister in charge of fighting COVID-19, becoming the next prime minister, a second opinion poll said on Monday (Sep...

For two months, carpenter Tun Nye hasn’t been able to send any money home to his parents in Myanmar to help them care for his...

Hong Kong media group Next Digital announced on Sunday (Sep 5) that it aimed to go into liquidation and its board of directors had resigned...

The Taliban on Sunday (Sep 5) pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in Afghanistan in a meeting with the United...

Afghan female filmmakers who fled the Taliban begged the world to not forget the Afghan people and to support its artists, warning on Saturday (Sep...

Japan will issue online COVID-19 vaccination certificates from December, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday (Sep 5).The government plans to issue the certificates - which...

Taliban and opposition forces battled on Saturday (Sep 4) to control the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last Afghan province holding out against the...

Ariana Afghan Airlines resumed some flights in Afghanistan between Kabul and three major provincial cities on Saturday (Sep 4), the carrier said, after a technical...

At least 50,000 Afghans are expected to be admitted into the United States following the fall of Kabul as part of an “enduring commitment" to...

Philippine Airlines said Saturday it was filing for bankruptcy in the United States to slash $2 billion in debt as it tries to survive an...

The sound of a metal spatula against a wok was a familiar greeting to visitors at a small eatery on Samran Rat road. Aromatic smoke, sometimes...

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and five Cabinet ministers comfortably survived a vote of no-confidence in parliament on Saturday (Sep 4) as activists planned more...

China expanded a crackdown on its entertainment industry on Thursday (Sep 2), telling broadcasters to bar artists with "incorrect political positions" and effeminate styles from...

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has warned the United States that political tensions between Beijing and Washington could undermine efforts by the world's top two...

The Indonesian Navy says it has seized a Panamanian-flagged tanker in the waters off Riau islands after the foreign vessel was found to be carrying...

Taiwan received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines on Thursday (Sep 2), a delivery organised by two tech giants and a charity because of...

Chinese pupils returned to school Wednesday with new textbooks peppered with "Xi Jinping thought", as the Communist Party aims to extend his personality cult to...

Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers face tough economic and security challenges as they step back into power in a country that is vastly different from the...

China's new data security law takes effect from Wednesday (Sep 1), the latest effort to tighten oversight of the country's mammoth tech sector.The broadly worded...

President Joe Biden on Tuesday (Aug 31) mounted a fierce defence of his exit from Afghanistan as the "best decision for America", the day after...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with young people who had "volunteered" to work in "difficult and challenging" sectors and praised them, the country's...

The United States will continue its "relentless efforts" to help people leave Afghanistan if they choose to, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday...

Every Saturday, Zhang Xinsheng travels two hours for a movie date with friends, navigating Beijing's confusing subway system with his white cane and a speaking...

The US military has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end a brutal 20-year war - one that started and ended with the hardline Taliban...

Taliban forces sealed off Kabul's airport on Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation, as the U.S. and its allies wound down a chaotic airlift...

Malaysia is seeking help from foreign security agencies to confirm media reports that two of its nationals have been arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan...

Japan's Okinawa region suspended the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday (Aug 29) after another contamination was spotted, the local government said.It comes a...

US forces are in the final phase of leaving Kabul, ending two decades of involvement in Afghanistan, and just over 1,000 civilians at the airport...

India on Saturday (Aug 28) reported 46,759 new coronavirus infections, the most in nearly two months, as cases surged in the southern state of Kerala...

China's defense ministry protested Saturday the passage of a U.S. Navy warship and Coast Guard cutter through the waters between China and Taiwan, a self-governing...

U.N. human rights investigators have asked North Korea to clarify whether it has ordered troops to shoot on sight any trespassers who cross its northern...

US forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee new Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on Friday (Aug 27) after an Islamic...

South Korea reported 20 COVID-19 deaths for Wednesday (Aug 25), the highest daily count this year, as the number of severe cases more than doubled...

Taiwan's government said BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccines are available earlier than expected and it is striving to obtain them in competition with other countries.Reuters reported...

Afghans on Thursday hurried to escape Taliban rule, but Western officials said the group had made assurances that some evacuations would be permitted after next...

As desperate Afghans crowd Kabul airport trying to get on any evacuation flights to flee the Taliban, officials have warned of another jihadist threat: The...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared he will run for vice president next year to continue his "crusade" against drugs and insurgents -- a move critics...

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday (Aug 25) again charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours, the second time in two days she...

Japan is set to expand a state of emergency to eight more prefectures, taking the total to 21, the minister in charge of coronavirus countermeasures...

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris accused Beijing on Tuesday of intimidation in hotly disputed waters as she sought to rally Asian allies against China and...

The coronavirus pandemic may have pushed as many as 80 million people in developing Asia into extreme poverty last year, threatening to derail progress on...

Thailand will receive 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine this year, a government spokesperson said on Monday (Aug 23), as the Southeast Asian...

The United States will stand with its allies and partners, as China continues to "coerce" and "intimidate" as part of its claims to the South...

North Korea has developed its own polymerase chain reaction (PCR) equipment to conduct COVID-19 tests, state media said on Monday (Aug 23), as the country...

After two decades out of power, the Taliban are swiftly moving to stamp their authority on Afghanistan using every tool at their disposal - including...

Vietnamese soldiers were deployed on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on Monday (Aug 23) to help enforce a lockdown in the country's business...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 22) congratulated Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob on becoming Malaysia's ninth prime minister, as he invited his newly...

Britain would have to turn to Russia and China to exercise a "moderating influence" over the Taliban, despite a mistrust between the UK and those...

Myanmar's military government has arrested two more local journalists, the army-owned television reported on Saturday (Aug 21), in the latest in a sweeping crackdown on...

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris' tour of southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies...

Reports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the Taliban mounted Friday, fueling fears that they will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed...

Several NATO countries pressed on Friday (Aug 20) for evacuations from Kabul to continue beyond the current US deadline of Aug 31 because so many...

Located about an hour's drive from Beijing's city centre, in the west of the Chinese capital, sits what used to be one of China's largest...

Ma Mingliang rarely encountered wild elephants while growing up in southwestern China, after centuries of hunting and deforestation nearly eradicated them. Today, the 42-year-old village...

Ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said on Wednesday (Aug 18) he supports talks between the Taliban and top former officials, and denied allegations that he...

A senior Taliban leader has said that the role of women in Afghanistan, including their right to work and education and how they should dress,...

Malaysian lawmakers who are backing Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the next prime minister began their meetings with the king on Thursday (Aug 19), according...

All Jetstar Asia employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the carrier announced on Wednesday (Aug 18). These employees must be fully vaccinated by...

Afghan women and girls who have won freedoms they could not have dreamt of under the last Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago are...

The Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday (Aug 17) they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework...

The Malaysian king said on Wednesday (Aug 18) that the next prime minister should table a confidence motion in the parliament as soon as possible,...

China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.Beijing has...

China carried out assault drills near Taiwan on Tuesday (Aug 17) with warships and fighter jets exercising off the southwest and southeast of the island,...

Mr Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as Malaysia’s eighth prime minister on Monday (Aug 16). He is the shortest-serving prime minister in the country’s history, having occupied...

Victorious Taliban fighters patrolled Kabul on Monday (Aug 16) after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's...

America’s top general said the United States could now face a rise in terrorist threats from a Taliban-run Afghanistan. That warning comes as intelligence agencies...

Malaysia's Cabinet has submitted its resignation to the king, said a government minister on Monday (Aug 16).Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin wrote...

Afghanistan’s warlords vowed to defend their strongholds from the Taliban and crush the insurgents. But, like the government’s forces, they too gave up with surprising...

The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as US-led forces departed and Western...

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled his country on Sunday, pledging to hand over power to an interim government as Taliban militants surged into Kabul, taking...

A Malaysian serviceman shot dead three fellow air force personnel at a military base at Kota Samarahan on Friday (Aug 13) before killing himself, police...

For Anna, the Walking Street of Pattaya is more than just a famous red-light district. It was her workplace for the past 12 years.It was...

China reported 30 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Friday (Aug 13), down for the fourth consecutive day, offering fresh signs that a month-long outbreak...

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Friday (Aug 13) that he is seeking bipartisan support to pass an upcoming confidence motion in parliament.In a...

A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the Philippines on Thursday (Aug 12), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, as initial warnings about the risk...

Condemnation of quotas for women, vilification of a short-haired Olympic gold medallist, and calls to abolish the gender ministry itself: A backlash against feminism is...

A Panamanian-registered ship ran aground in a northern Japanese harbour and was leaking oil, but there were no injuries among the 21 crew and the...

Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said on Thursday (Aug 12) that he will not hesitate to dissolve the state legislature if assemblymen continued to engage in...

China will transfer more than US$6 million to Myanmar's government to fund 21 development projects, Myanmar's foreign ministry said, in a sign of cooperation resuming...

South Korea reported more than 2,200 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Aug 10), a record since the pandemic began last January, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol...

Johor Bahru mayor Adib Azhari Daud has been remanded for three days to assist in investigations over alleged corruption when he was serving at Iskandar...

China insisted on Tuesday (Aug 10) it was implementing its climate commitments, while signalling no new policies following a UN report warning much more urgent...

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called Seoul authorities "treacherous" Tuesday over the South's joint military exercises with the United States,...

A protracted war in neighbouring Afghanistan is Pakistan’s “nightmare scenario", the country’s national security adviser said Monday.Moeed Yusuf also slammed relentless blaming of Islamabad for...

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday (Aug 10) she supports the implementation of a mainland Chinese law in the former British colony to...

A prolonged civil war in Afghanistan is more likely than a rapid Taliban takeover as the United States' full military withdrawal nears, Washington's former ambassador...

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has fired a manager who allegedly sexually assaulted a female employee and will establish policies to prevent sexual...

South Korea begins opening COVID-19 vaccine reservations for all adults over 18 for the first time on Monday (Aug 9) as it scrambles to stave...

As heart-stopping images of fires and floods dominate news cycles worldwide, the UN's climate science panel will unveil on Monday (Aug 9) its much-anticipated projections...

Two provincial capitals have fallen to the Taliban within 24 hours, local officials confirmed to The National.Government-aligned forces retreated from Sheberghan in Jowzjan province in...

Japan will douse its more than year-old Olympic flame on Sunday (Aug 8), closing out a Tokyo Games that were upended by the pandemic and...

Lebanese group Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Saturday that the investigator of the Beirut port blast was politically biased.On Thursday, Beirut...

The United States on Saturday (Aug 7) condemned a thwarted plot to attack Myanmar's UN ambassador in New York, saying it fits a "disturbing pattern"...

The Taliban shot dead the head of the Afghan government's media information centre on Friday, near a mosque in the capital Kabul.Insurgents assassinated of Dawa...

Britain has advised its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately due to the "worsening security situation".Taliban insurgents seized a provincial capital on Friday amid intensified fighting...

US prosecutors said on Friday (Aug 6) they had charged two Myanmar citizens in a plot to attack the country's UN ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun,...

The man alleged to have wounded 10 people in a knife attack on a Tokyo commuter train late on Friday (Aug 6) told police he...

Pakistan's national security adviser said on Wednesday that Afghanistan's government and the Taliban must both compromise and reach a peace settlement as the insurgents make...

Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations, denounced by his country's military rulers, said on Wednesday that an apparent threat had been made against him and...

Japan on Thursday (Aug 5) proposed expanding emergency restrictions to eight more prefectures to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases, a cabinet minister said, as...

The Sultan of Johor on Wednesday (Aug 4) expressed disappointment over the state’s low vaccination rate, saying the situation “is now getting worse with the...

The gender disparity in India's COVID-19 immunisation drive has narrowed, government data showed on Wednesday (Aug 4), as pregnant women are now allowed to get...

China’s special envoy for climate change has defended the country’s plans for emissions reduction, while providing a preview of a soon-to-be-released strategic report on how...

Japan's health minister on Wednesday signalled the government may consider rolling back a controversial new policy asking COVID-19 patients with less serious symptoms isolate at...

Vice President Kamala Harris will focus on defending international rules in the South China Sea, strengthening US leadership in the region and expanding cooperation on...

Millions of people were confined to their homes in China on Monday (Aug 2) as the country tried to contain its largest coronavirus outbreak in...

In the year since making an unprecedented, taboo-breaking speech openly calling for discussion on the role of Thailand's powerful king, human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa...

South Korea has detected its first two cases of the new Delta Plus COVID-19 variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on...

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on Monday (Aug 2) that the current restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 will be extended...

Top Indian and Chinese army commanders met on Saturday (Jul 31) after a gap of three months to discuss the expeditious disengagement of thousands of...

The mastermind behind a 2019 attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops has been killed in a shootout with security forces, Indian police in Kashmir...

A Thai hospital morgue overwhelmed by COVID-19 deaths has begun storing bodies in refrigerated containers, resorting to a measure it last took in a devastating...

As COVID-19 cases surge in Thailand, some Buddhist monks are donning personal protective equipment over their distinctive robes, delivering oxygen cylinders, taking nasal samples to...

Sri Lanka announced Friday (Jul 30) it was ending its work-from-home option for civil servants, ordering all 1.2 million back to the office from Monday...

A reactor at a nuclear plant in southern China has been shut down because it is damaged, the operator said on Friday (Jul 30), but...

Eleven COVID-19 cases were detected on Thursday (Jul 29) at a special sitting of Malaysia's Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament. Ten of these cases...

China's worst COVID-19 outbreak in months has spread to two more parts of the country, health authorities said on Saturday (Jul 21), including a sprawling...

The defence lawyer for the first person charged under Hong Kong's national security law argued on Thursday (Jul 29) at a final mitigation session before...

China's new ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, on Wednesday (Jul 28) wished the US victory against COVID-19 and said great potential awaited bilateral...

Cambodia is set to launch a lockdown in eight provinces bordering Thailand from midnight on Thursday (Jul 29), in a bid to prevent the spread...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his government on Wednesday (Jul 28) to open the coronavirus vaccination campaign to anyone who wants a shot as his...

South Korea's military has recorded its biggest cluster of COVID-19 infections to date, with more than 80 per cent of personnel aboard a destroyer on...

Thailand reported on Monday (Jul 19) 11,784 new COVID-19 cases, the fourth consecutive day of record infections, as the country struggles to tackle its worst...

At least 23 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India's...

As COVID-19 surges in the Indonesian capital, volunteers like Badie Uzzaman are pitching in to help, delivering food to people who have tested positive but...

Vietnam put its entire southern region in a two-week lockdown starting midnight on Sunday (Jul 18), as confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 3,000 for the third...

Indonesia is evaluating whether to end COVID-19 restrictions on movement as planned or extend them, as the country battles with a surge of new infections...

Thailand on Sunday (Jul 18) announced an expansion of coronavirus restrictions that include travel curbs, mall closures and a night-time curfew to three more provinces...

Thai youth activists vowed to stage a protest on Sunday (Jul 18) to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, despite a nationwide ban...

The enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in many parts of Selangor will end as scheduled on Friday (Jul 16). In a press statement on Friday (Jul...

Hong Kong's national security police on Friday (Jul 16) raided buildings at the city's top university after its student leaders paid tribute to a man...