Asia

Australia Marks Refugee Week as Campaigners Urge for Better Policy  

Campaigners seek to improve Canberra’s refugee policy, demand for more generous refugee intake 

India to Host ASEAN Foreign Ministers Amid Efforts to Increase Engagement in Indo Pacific

Analysts say India needs to increase economic investments with ASEAN countries to rachet up its influence

Bloomberg News says 'Encouraged' by Reported Bail for Detained China Staffer

A Chinese member of staff at the US news outlet's bureau in Beijing, Fan was detained in December 2020, a few months after Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei was detained on similar charges

Victim of Pandemic, Hong Kong Floating Restaurant Towed Away

The parent company of Jumbo Floating Restaurant couldn't find a new owner and lacked funds to maintain it after months of COVID-19 restrictions

Malaysia Revives Plans to End Mandatory Death Sentences

Rights groups are only cautiously optimistic, having seen similar plans falter 

Satellite Images Suggest New Chinese Carrier Close to Launch

2021 Another Record Year for Meth Seizures in Southeast Asia

In its latest report on the region’s synthetic drug trade, the UNODC says local drug gangs keep adapting, expanding and scaling up

Indonesia Lifts Ban on Cooking Oil Export as Supply Improves

Palm oil prices went up 200% or higher after Indonesia banned the export of cooking oil and its raw materials to reduce local shortages and hold down skyrocketing prices

Cost of Living Pressures Concern Voters as Australia Prepares for General Election

Major Parties Claim Sound Economic Credentials

Australian Musical Charts Family’s Escape from Nazis in Europe

Driftwood documents the journey of renowned sculptor Karl Duldig, inventor wife Slawa Horowitz-Duldig

Major Japan Railway Now Powered Only by Renewable Energy

Tokyu Railways' trains running through Shibuya and other stations were switched to power generated only by solar and other renewable sources starting April 1