Japanese economy minister Akira Amari quits over bribery claims

Japan's Economy Minister Akira Amari says he is resigning amid corruption allegations. But he denies personally receiving bribes from a construction company, as had been alleged by a Japanese magazine.
28 January 2016, 15:22 PM

Saudi gift to Najib ‘for elections’

The $681m (£479m) deposited in the bank account of Malaysian PM Najib Razak by Saudi Arabia is to help him win the 2013 elections, a Saudi source says.
27 January 2016, 06:02 AM

Boat sinks off Malaysia killing 13 Indonesian migrants

Police are searching for survivors after a boat capsized off the coast of Malaysia, killing at least 13 people, officials say.
26 January 2016, 12:43 PM

North Korea arrests US student for 'hostile act'

North Korea says it has arrested a US student accused of committing a "hostile act" against the state. State news agency KCNA identifies him as University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier.
22 January 2016, 11:11 AM

Tajikistan's battle against beards to 'fight radicalisation'

One of the citizens alleges that he was forcibly shaved by Tajik police.
22 January 2016, 07:50 AM

Arrests shock Bangladeshi community in Singapore

The Bangladeshi community in Singapore has expressed shocked at the news that 27 Bangladeshi nationals who were working there had been arrested for supporting IS, al-Qaeda.
20 January 2016, 13:29 PM

Japan mountain bus crash kills 14

Fourteen people were killed and dozens injured when their bus plunged off a mountain road in Japan on its way to a ski resort, in the country's worst such
15 January 2016, 18:00 PM

Jakarta attackers identified

Police in Indonesia have identified four out of five of the Jakarta attackers, including two previously convicted militants.
15 January 2016, 09:44 AM

Indonesia on security alert as police probe attacks

Indonesian police spokesperson says an alert has been issued throughout the country following Islamist State attack on Jakarta.
15 January 2016, 06:16 AM

Japan mountain bus crash kills 14

A bus taking passengers to a ski resort in central Japan veers off a mountain road, killing 14 people and injuring 27.
15 January 2016, 05:19 AM

Arab Muslim youths say IS, Qaeda distort Islam: Poll

A majority of Arab Muslim youths see the actions of extremists such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam's teachings, according to a new poll.
14 January 2016, 05:50 AM

S Korea, US mull strategic deployment

South Korea said yesterday that further US "strategic assets" might be deployed to the Korean peninsula, following a flyover by a US B-52 bomber in response
11 January 2016, 18:03 PM

China asserts right to flights to S China Sea

Beijing said yesterday it did not need to notify Vietnam about flights to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, after Hanoi complained to a UN aviation body
11 January 2016, 18:01 PM

US, Asian allies vow tough int'l response

The United States and its two main military allies in Asia, South Korea and Japan, pledged a combined push to secure a comprehensive, hard-hitting international response to North Korea's latest nuclear test. The leaders of the three countries, who have long sought to project a united front against the North Korean nuclear threat, spoke by phone a day after Pyongyang's shock announcement that it had tested its first hydrogen bomb.
7 January 2016, 18:24 PM

Eleven killed in China coal mine collapse

Eleven miners were found dead yesterday after a Chinese coal mine caved in, state media reported, the latest fatal industrial accident in the country where work safety standards are poorly enforced.
7 January 2016, 18:15 PM

North Korea’s nuclear tests worry Dhaka

Expressing concern at the recent nuclear tests carried out by the North Korea, Bangladesh urges the country to refrain from any activity which can potentially escalate the situation.
7 January 2016, 13:33 PM

China rejects Vietnam protest over flight test

Beijing has rejected a protest from Vietnam after a Chinese plane landed on a contested reef in the South China Sea, saying the operation took place within Chinese territory.
3 January 2016, 18:00 PM

16 hurt as fire erupts at Dubai skyscraper

A huge fire rips through a luxury Dubai hotel Thursday night, injuring 16 people, just a few hours before the emirate celebrated the new year with a spectacular fireworks display nearby.
1 January 2016, 06:33 AM

Why did China hold a cremation competition?

The first-ever national contest for cremation workers cuts to the heart of Chinese ideas about death, land use and a desire to instill national pride in a stigmatised vocation.
31 December 2015, 06:29 AM

Taiwan, China launch hotline after summit

The first hotline between China and Taiwan was launched yesterday, in a move designed to build ties between the two sides following a historic summit
30 December 2015, 18:00 PM