Asia

South Korea to Lift ban on North Korea TV, Newspapers Despite Tensions

Divided along the world's most heavily fortified border since 1948, the two Koreas prohibit their citizens from visiting each other's territory and exchanging phone calls, emails and letters, and they block access to each other's websites and TV stations

Sri Lankan Opposition Meets to Form New Government

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family blamed for policies that have virtually bankrupted the island nation

Hong Kong Braces for Tropical Cyclone Chaba

The warning said Severe Tropical Storm Chaba “will be closest to Hong Kong tonight and tomorrow morning, skirting about 300 kilometers to the southwest of the territory

China A 'Military Threat' to Australia, According to New Poll

Lowy Institute survey reveals Australians’ trust in China is at a record low

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