SINGAPORE – The launch of the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble will be deferred for two weeks, with the new launch date to be announced at a later date, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Saturday (Nov 21). In a Facebook post, Mr Ong said that he and Hong Kong secretary Edward Yau had […]
KABUL (REUTERS) – Several rockets hit residential areas in the early rush hour in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday (Nov 21), killing at least eight civilians and wounding 31, police officials said. The explosions, close to the diplomatic enclave, sent warning sirens blaring from embassies and it comes two days before a major donor […]
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (REUTERS) – India on Saturday (Nov 21) summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat over what New Delhi said was a foiled attack this week in the frontier territory of Jammu and Kashmir by a Pakistan-based militant group, a charge the neighbouring country denied. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the killing […]
PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says his resignation as prime minister on Feb 24, had nothing to do with Pakatan Harapan wanting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take over, but was because he had lost the trust of his party. The former premier also said that after his resignation, he […]
JAKARTA (REUTERS) – Indonesia has secured a 550 million euro loan from Germany’s state bank KfW to fund its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, Jakarta’s embassy in Berlin said. The proceeds would be used to upgrade hospitals and procure medical equipments, among other things, the embassy said in a Facebook post this week. The government […]
SINGAPORE – Civil rights activist Jolovan Wham, 40, will be charged in court on Monday (Nov 23) with two offences under the Public Order Act. Wham, who is the former executive director of migrant worker advocacy group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), had staged a protest on the steps of the former State Courts […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea’s third wave of Covid-19 continued on Saturday (Nov 21) after medical groups called for stricter social-distancing curbs and the government warned of tougher measures if infections are not quickly contained. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 386 new daily coronavirus cases as of Friday midnight, bringing total infections […]
KUALA LUMPUR • A virtual summit of Asia-Pacific leaders started yesterday with US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in attendance to discuss the coronavirus crisis and global economic recovery, amid lingering trade differences. The pair joined a meeting of the leaders of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) grouping hosted virtually […]
SEOUL – The silence is deafening in Pyongyang after Mr Joe Biden’s victory in the United States presidential election. Perhaps, not surprisingly, as political watchers are already speculating about a shift in US policy towards North Korea – towards tighter sanctions and less personal diplomacy. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full […]
Ties between the United States and Asia are set to improve under US President-elect Joe Biden, ushering in a period of greater predictability and stability for the region, according to Singapore’s veteran diplomats Tommy Koh and Chan Heng Chee. They were speaking at ST’s webinar, Geopolitical Reset 2021, part of a series that aims to […]