76 m. ago Where is Malaysia’s Pamela Ling? Few clues 5 months after kidnap drama

Five months after she was snatched from a car in broad daylight in Malaysia, little is known about the disappearance of Pamela Ling, with a “chilling” lack of clarity in the case sparking calls for a wider investigation. Ling, 42, was kidnapped on April 9 by three people believed to have impersonated police, forcing her into their vehicle after stopping her private hire car on the highway not far from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters. The victim was on her way to the...

Events

3 h. ago Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Call With People's Republic of China Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun

Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Call With People's Republic of China Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun  U.S. Embassy in Singapore (.gov)

Events

3 h. ago South Korea’s Lee calls US raid ‘bewildering’, says saga could hit investment

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Thursday that a massive US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site could have a “significant impact” on future direct investment. The raid, which saw hundreds of South Korean workers chained and handcuffed, was “bewildering” he said, adding it “could have a significant impact on future investment decisions, particularly when evaluating the feasibility of direct operations in the US”. Last week’s raid at a Hyundai Motor project site in...

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3 h. ago South Korea’s Lee says ‘bewildering’ Hyundai raid could hit US investment

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Thursday that a massive US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site was “bewildering” and could have a chilling effect on future investment. Seoul is expecting hundreds of workers detained during last week’s raid in the US state of Georgia to be released from detention on Thursday and flown back home. President Lee blamed the raid on “cultural differences”, saying that in South Korea, minor visa infractions by American nationals were not...

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3 h. ago South Koreans to leave US without handcuffs after arrest causes ‘great pain’

Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a surprise raid in Georgia last week will be allowed to fly home on Thursday after the two countries’ top diplomats met in Washington and agreed to resolve a dispute that has roiled bilateral ties. President Donald Trump agreed to South Korean demands that the workers not be handcuffed, and the US will consider creating a new visa category to prevent future problems, according to Yonhap News. It said 330 people, almost all of them South Korean, will...

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5 h. ago China eyes C919 jet breakthrough as Malaysian airline in talks to buy aircraft

Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia has shown strong interest in acquiring the Chinese C919 passenger jet, its executive said, as part of its strategy to tap into Southeast Asia’s 700 million-strong population and capitalise on growing China-Asean business ties. “We’re in active discussions to buy the C919,” Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A – an investment holding company of AirAsia – told the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on Wednesday. “We’re the first foreign airline to be working with...

Politics

5 h. ago AirAsia eyes deal for C919 passenger jet, in bid to tap China

Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia has shown strong interest in acquiring the Chinese C919 passenger jet, its executive said, as part of its strategy to tap into Southeast Asia’s 700 million-strong population and capitalise on growing China-Asean business ties. “We’re in active discussions to buy the C919,” Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A – an investment holding company of AirAsia – told the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on Wednesday. “We’re the first foreign airline to be working with...

Politics

8 h. ago China’s Victory Day parade heralds new vision but old wounds linger

Eighty years on, the Global South’s pursuit of a just world order remains overshadowed by the unresolved legacies of the second world war. At China’s Victory Day parade last week, President Xi Jinping warned that the world stands at a crossroads – between peace and war. He urged nations to learn from history to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe that engulfed the world eight decades ago. In the lead-up to the commemoration, concerns intensified over Japan’s perceived lack of genuine remorse for...

Politics

8 h. ago Why Asia still hasn’t emerged from the shadows of World War II

Eighty years on, the Global South’s pursuit of a just world order remains overshadowed by the unresolved legacies of the second world war. At China’s Victory Day parade last week, President Xi Jinping warned that the world stands at a crossroads – between peace and war. He urged nations to learn from history to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe that engulfed the world eight decades ago. In the lead-up to the commemoration, concerns intensified over Japan’s perceived lack of genuine remorse for...

Events

8 h. ago A war with China could drown US forces in drone swarms if it doesn't gear up for the fight, new report warns

A war with China could drown US forces in drone swarms if it doesn't gear up for the fight, new report warns  Business Insider

Events

13 h. ago China says it will create nature reserve on disputed Scarborough Shoal

China says it will create nature reserve on disputed Scarborough Shoal  Radio Free Asia

Politics

14 h. ago Bali floods kill 9, affect 600, disrupts travel in Indonesian tourist hotspot

Floods on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali have killed at least nine this week and affected 600 people, blocking off major roads in the capital and disrupting a busy travel destination, officials said on Wednesday. Continuous heavy rains between Tuesday evening and Wednesday caused the floods and killed five people in Bali’s capital, Denpasar, Abdul Muhari, the spokesman of the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement. Four more people were killed in the regions of Jembrana,...

Events

14 h. ago 9 killed as Israel hits Yemen’s Houthis a day after it targeted Hamas in Qatar

Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province of al-Jawf on Wednesday, with the Houthi health ministry saying it killed nine people and wounded 118 others in an initial toll. The strikes are the latest in a series of attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi militants in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza. A large plume of grey smoke billowed above Sanaa as the sound of the attacks echoed across the city, controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis for more...

Events

14 h. ago Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts

Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts  The Bureau | Sam Cooper

Politics

15 h. ago 10 South Korean soldiers injured in unexpected explosion during military drill

At least 10 soldiers were injured in an explosion during a live-fire simulation drill at a South Korean military base on Wednesday, the defence ministry in Seoul said. The explosion happened at a military base in the northern border city of Paju, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement, where an artillery unit was conducting a drill simulating live-fire procedures but without real ammunition. “At approximately 3.24pm on Wednesday, a mock training round designed to simulate artillery fire and...

Events

16 h. ago Chinese EV maker Nio eyes US$1.1 billion in proceeds from share placement

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio plans to raise more than US$1 billion in fresh funds with a share sale to enhance its development and replenish capital amid a price war. In a statement on Wednesday, the Shanghai-based carmaker said 181.8 million new shares would be issued, which would be allocated between its American depositary shares (ADS) and its ordinary stock. Nio is listed in the US, Hong Kong and Singapore. Investors can subscribe to the ADS, to be traded on the New York Stock...

Economics

16 h. ago Nepal’s Gen Z accuse people with political agendas for chaos in capital

Kathmandu awoke to a drizzle on Wednesday, but it could not wash away the smouldering wreckage left by unprecedented arson and looting a day earlier that followed anti-corruption protests in Nepal’s capital. Fires consumed public institutions, historic buildings and private businesses – including the Supreme Court, the Singha Durbar government complex, the Kantipur media house and a luxury hotel – as what began as Gen Z-led peaceful protests spiralled into attacks that observers fear may be part...

Politics

17 h. ago Chinese electronics brands flock to Europe amid Trump’s trade war

Chinese consumer electronics makers, from power bank manufacturers to robot cleaner vendors, are showing unprecedented enthusiasm for Europe amid trade uncertainties stemming from US President Donald Trump’s policies, according to business representatives at IFA Berlin, the world’s oldest tech trade fair. Exhibitors from China took centre stage during the five-day event, which wrapped up on Tuesday. Nearly 700 Chinese exhibitors were present, more than double the 300 from last...

Politics

17 h. ago Miss Philippines Earth blasts flood corruption, says crown not worth her silence

The newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth’s sharp-tongued posts about her country’s deepening flood control corruption scandal have earned her both praise and warnings that she could lose her crown. Joy Barcoma has become an unexpected commentator on the growing political controversy, weighing in with biting humour and fierce advocacy that has won her a legion of new fans who refer to her as “my queen”. Some have urged Barcoma to stay silent to preserve her shot at the international title, but...

Events

17 h. ago Lions kill zookeeper at Thai safari park after he steps out of car

A zookeeper was killed in a lion attack in Thailand, officials said on Wednesday, raising questions over safety and the legitimacy of the safari park’s lion ownership. The mauling happened at Safari World Bangkok, which calls itself one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos and offers lion and tiger feeding trips for around 1,200 baht (US$37) per person. “The deceased is a zoo staff member who usually fed the lions,” said Sadudee Punpugdee, wildlife protection director of the Department of National...

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