BANGKOK (AFP) – Laos is set to open a US$6 billion (S$8 billion) Chinese-built railway on Friday (Dec 3), with debt concerns balanced against hopes it could boost the reclusive nation’s struggling economy. The 414km route took five years to construct under China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Analysts have acknowledged the potential economic boost, […]

NEW DELHI – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be in India for the annual summit between the two countries early next week, at a time when the bilateral relationship has deepened amid mutual concerns, which include developments in Afghanistan. Mr Putin, who has rarely travelled out of Russia for such occasions during the pandemic, will arrive […]

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said Thursday (Dec 2) that the country’s RM50 billion (S$16.15 billion) East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), aimed at connecting ports on both sides of the peninsula, is back on track despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. He insisted that there would be no further changes even in the […]

SINGAPORE – Two imported Covid-19 cases have preliminarily tested positive for the Omicron variant on Thursday (Dec 2), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. Both cases were isolated upon arrival in Singapore on Wednesday, and had not interacted in the community. “There is currently no evidence of any community transmission from these cases,” said MOH […]

BANGKOK – All options are on the table when it comes to applying pressure, including by increasing sanctions, on the military junta in Myanmar to stop acts of violence against the people as well as their detention, a senior United States diplomat said on Thursday (Dec 2). “All options are on the table, and I […]

BEIJING (AFP, REUTERS) – China on Thursday (Dec 2) hit back at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for politicising sport after the organisation said it would suspend events in the country over concerns for Chinese player Peng Shuai’s safety. “We are firmly opposed to acts politicising sport,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a […]

BANGKOK – Events over the past weeks provided a glimpse into Asean’s default position on who gets to represent troubled Myanmar in the regional bloc. While Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will not be invited to leaders’ summits, his ministers get to participate in lower-level meetings conducted by the bloc. Asean’s insistence on having a […]

TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Countries complaining about the United States Summit for Democracy need to double down on democracy themselves so maybe next time they will get an invite, too, Taiwan’s digital minister said on Thursday (Dec 2), responding to China’s opposition to her attendance. Ms Audrey Tang, along with Taipei’s de facto ambassador in Washington […]

JAKARTA (AFP) – Russia and a number of South-east Asian countries kicked off their first ever joint naval exercise along the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, on Wednesday (Dec 1), Indonesia’s navy said. The drills come at a time of growing tensions in the Pacific, particularly around the South […]

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s multi-billion-dollar state-led 5G rollout plan, which is facing a stiff pushback from domestic mobile telecommunications companies, is drawing more heat over the government’s proposed deployment of the potentially lucrative cloud services platform. Domestic telcos, incensed over being denied the rights to own the spectrum under the proposed fifth-generation wireless roll-out, are […]