Young, aspirational and poor Vietnamese are risking their lives to travel to Europe, taking on large debts to join well-worn trafficking routes in the hope of a better future thousands of miles from their rural homes.

Myanmar’s army sunk several boats carrying dozens of soldiers and police officers taken hostage by rebels in the restive western Rakhine state, the Arakan Army says, adding that many had died.

Many of the 200 Bangladeshi workers forcibly who were sent back from Saudi Arabia have said they were deported despite having legal documents.

Beijing is drawing up a plan to remove Hong Kong’s beleaguered Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the Financial Times reported yesterday, after nearly five months of pro-democracy unrest.

China has invited a Taliban delegation to attend an “intra-Afghan” conference in Beijing, a militant spokesman said yesterday, after a prospective deal between the United States and the insurgents collapsed last month.

Food insecurity in North Korea is at “an alarming level,” with nearly half the population of 11 million people undernourished, the United Nations independent investigator on human rights in the country said on Tuesday.

China’s foreign minister has denounced months of pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong as “violence pure and simple”, accusing foreign forces and the international media of fuelling the political crisis.

The United States and South Korea must produce new solutions for the current standoff on the Korean Peninsula, a senior North Korean military official said yesterday, warning that hostile policies towards Pyongyang would lead to serious consequences.

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader and the city’s police chief apologised yesterday as they visited a mosque that was struck with blue dye from a water cannon during the latest bout of violent protests.

India yesterday slammed Pakistan for unilaterally stopping postal mail service between the two nations, saying the move was in contravention of international norms.

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his 34-year-old consort of all titles for “disloyalty” and apparent “ambition” to match the Queen’s position, a royal command issued late Monday said, less than three months after she was bestowed with the honour.

Hong Kong police yesterday fired water cannon and tear gas as crowds held an illegal march, with hard-core protesters throwing petrol bombs and trashing businesses, capping a week of anger after the recent stabbing and beating of two pro-democracy protesters.

Gambia will be taking Myanmar to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to face charges of genocide against its Rohingya minority, says Gambia's Attorney General and Minister for Justice Abubacarr Marie Tambadou.

Hundreds gathered in Lebanon yesterday for a third day of protests against tax increases and alleged official corruption after the security forces made dozens of arrests.

Bangladesh has conveyed the United Nations that Myanmar must guarantee the human rights of Rohingyas and take confidence building measures to create the conducive environment for their return to their place of origin in Rakhine State.

At least 62 people are killed by a blast inside an Afghan mosque during Friday prayers, according to officials, a day after the United Nations said violence in the country had reached "unacceptable" levels.

China yesterday slammed as “groundless” a US decision to order Chinese diplomats to notify the State Department before meeting with local officials, in the latest spat to strain bilateral relations.

High-resolution satellite images show that the construction of China’s first full-sized aircraft carrier is progressing steadily alongside expansive infrastructure work that analysts say suggests the ship will be the first of several large vessels produced at the site.

Japan plans to postpone a major imperial parade celebrating the new emperor’s ascension to the throne because of a devastating typhoon

New pictures of Kim Jong Un riding a white horse through a winter landscape to the summit of Mount Paektu, a sacred peak for North Koreans, have fuelled speculation that the young leader may be set for a major policy announcement.