Asian News

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

When Ms Esther Duflo was six years old, she read a comic book that said the city of Kolkata was so miserably crowded that each person had only 10 sq ft to live in. She imagined a checkerboard with each person confined to a 3 sq ft space. When she visited the city years later, she saw patches of grass and empty pavements, not the misery she had expected.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

More than a decade after transforming a salt pan and wastewater pond into an eco-city of autonomous buses and green buildings, Singapore and China are now turning their second joint venture into a zero-waste city.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

TOKYO • Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan have brought a more relaxed touch to one of the world's oldest monarchies, chatting in English with foreign visitors, laughing with children and even playing with dogs.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam yesterday announced measures aimed at easing the city's housing shortage, as she fights to restore confidence in her administration and address widespread discontent amid a waning economy and more than four months of mostly violent anti-government protests.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

The jailing of a stepfather on Tuesday in a heart-rending case of child abuse has forced Japan to take a deep look at how it treats children.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

China threatened unspecified "strong countermeasures" if the United States Congress enacts legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters, in a sign of the deepening strain between the world's two largest economies as they attempt to seal a trade deal.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

MANILA • A strong and shallow 6.4-magnitude quake hit the southern Philippines yesterday evening, the United States Geological Survey said, sending hundreds rushing out of a shopping mall where local television said an elderly man was injured.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

Heckling lawmakers prevented beleaguered Chief Executive Carrie Lam from delivering her policy address in Hong Kong's legislative chamber yesterday.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

HONG KONG • China caught traders off guard with a surprise injection into the financial system via loans to banks, ahead of data tomorrow that is expected to show a further slowdown in the domestic economy.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

HONG KONG • A prominent Hong Kong activist and convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), which has organised many of the city's large peaceful protests, was assaulted yesterday evening, the group's spokesman said.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

President Joko Widodo, who was re-elected in April with a majority vote, has received the backing of his defeated rival Prabowo Subianto, who stressed this week that Indonesia needs to be united to face difficult times ahead, amid rising global economic challenges.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

JAKARTA • Former Jakarta deputy governor and Indonesia's losing vice-presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno has announced his return to the Gerindra Party with a tongue-in-cheek video.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

Malaysia's plan to lower the minimum price at which foreigners are eligible to buy homes is meant to tackle the property glut, but analysts warn it could create a property bubble instead.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

PETALING JAYA • Human rights organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has called for Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim to resign, after the university lodged a police report against a student who staged a solo protest at a convocation ceremony.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam devoted most of her annual policy address yesterday to easing the housing crisis in a bid to break the political impasse that has led to mostly violent protests in the past 19 weeks.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

South Korea has reiterated hopes for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit the southern port city of Busan as an observer for a special summit involving all 10 Asean nations, just as a 40-day countdown to the event was launched.

October 17, 2019 5:00 AM

SEOUL • Aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are convinced he is planning "a great operation", the state media said yesterday, in a report that included lavish descriptions and images of the leader riding a white horse up the country's most sacred mountain.

US country singer Kacey Musgraves is already known for pushing boundaries, musical or otherwise. She has spoken out in favour of gun control and called on fans to “hold your politicians accountable”, going against the grain of her genre. Her lyrics mention same-sex romance, and she has been known to sport kitschy, over-the-top outfits on the red carpet.But some critics say the six-time Grammy Award winner went too far last week during a concert in Dallas, where she wore only the top part of an…

Photographs show Jimmy Sham of the Civil Human Rights Front lying in the street, covered in blood.

Authorities from the United States and South Korea on Wednesday announced the arrest of 337 suspects in 38 countries, following an investigation on a giant child pornography website run from South Korea on the dark net.With the rise of cryptocurrency and encrypted online content, the crime is proliferating at a furious pace.The bust was revealed on Wednesday as the US unsealed an indictment against Son Jong-woo, 23, who prosecutors say operated a Darknet market that accepted bitcoin and…