Asia | The Daily Star

  • Pak journo detained for Facebook posts

    A Pakistani journalist critical of the government and the army has been detained for five days for having published “anti-state” comments online, his lawyer told AFP yesterday, in a new illustration of shrinking freedoms in Pakistan.

  • Seoul to send vessel to Strait of Hormuz

    South Korea will send a naval destroyer and 300 troops to the Strait of Hormuz, its defence ministry said yesterday, after pressure from its ally the US in the face of tensions between Washington and Tehran.

  • Indian PM Modi bats for neighbours first policy

    “Neighbourhood first” is the main policy of Modi government and improving cross-border connectivity is an important aspect of it, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

  • Asia steps up defences as China virus hits 291 people, kills 6

    Asian countries ramps d up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll from it in China rose to six and the number of cases jumped to almost 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush.

  • China confirms person-to-person spread of new virus

    The Chinese official investigating a pneumonia outbreak stemming from a new coronavirus says the disease can spread from person to person but can be halted with increased vigilance, as authorities on Tuesday confirmed a fourth death.

  • SARS-like virus spreads in China, nearly 140 new cases

    A mysterious SARS-like virus has killed a third person and spread around China -- including to Beijing -- authorities say, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for the Lunar New Year in humanity's biggest migration.

  • 7 killed, 3 missing in Indonesia bridge collapse

    Seven people drowned and three others are missing after a bridge collapsed on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the disaster agency says.

  • Facebook apologizes for vulgar translation of Chinese leader's name

    Facebook Inc blames a technical error for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s name appearing as “Mr Shithole” in posts on its platform when translated into English from Burmese, apologising for any offence caused.

  • China reports 17 new cases of mystery virus

    China reports 17 new cases of the mysterious SARS-like virus, including three in a severe condition, heightening fears ahead of China's Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds of millions of people move around the country.

  • Virus casts shadow over China's biggest festival

    Health authorities are concerned that a virus originating in central China could spread when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel during next week's lunar new year festival, but residents said there were was little anxiety in the city at the epicentre.

  • China, Myanmar ‘stand together’ despite Rohingya backlash

    China and Myanmar ink dozens of mammoth infrastructure and trade deals after a meeting between President Xi Jinping and fallen rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as Beijing doubles down on its support for a government under fire for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims.

  • Experts warn over scale of China virus

    The true scale of the outbreak of a mysterious SARS-like virus in China is likely far bigger than officially reported, scientists have warned, as countries ramp up measures to prevent the disease from spreading.

  • Japan confirms first case of coronavirus infection

    A case of the mystery respiratory infection related to the potentially deadly SARS virus, which first emerged in China, has been confirmed in Japan, authorities said yesterday.

  • ‘One country, two systems’ can continue beyond 2047: HK leader

    The principle that ensures Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unavailable in mainland China can continue beyond its 2047 expiry date as long as the city’s youngsters do not destroy it with “temporary misunderstandings,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said yesterday.

  • Risking lives to rescue horses in Philippine

    The horses were still caked in grey ash as they stepped off the boat, lucky beneficiaries of a risky rescue mission to ground zero of the Philippines' Taal volcano eruption.

  • Five killed as Sudan crushes revolt

    Five people, including two soldiers, were killed as Sudanese troops crushed a rebellion launched by agents of the country’s long-feared security agency against a restructuring plan, officials and medics said yesterday.

  • Japan envoy denounced for comments on Rohingya

    Tokyo-based human rights activists yesterday decried recent remarks by Japan’s ambassador to Yangon, who told local media he did not think the Myanmar military committed genocide on the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country.

  • Broadband, 2G internet partially restored in J&K

    The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday evening allowed mobile Internet in parts of Jammu region and broadband in establishments providing essential services, days after the Supreme Court ordered a review of the curbs imposed in the Union Territory.

  • PORTS, TRAINS, TRADE

    A high-speed rail line to the east, a deep-sea port to the west, and a makeover for commercial heart Yangon -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Myanmar on Friday laden with investment pledges worth billions which could reshape the country. Here are five of the main projects -- and some of the issues plaguing them:

  • No case against Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia

    Malaysia’s solicitor general yesterday ruled out new charges against prime-minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim over allegations that he sexually assaulted a former male aide, saying there was not enough evidence to proceed.

  • BSF troops open fire at ‘drone-like objects’

    Some “drone-like objects” were seen along the Indo-Pak border in Punjab’s Ferozepur, prompting BSF personnel to open fire at them, officials said here yesterday.

  • ‘Need to be frank’

    Malaysia is concerned about India’s new curbs on imports of palm oil after a diplomatic row, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday, but indicated he would continue to speak out against “wrong things” even if it costs his country financially.

  • Pakistan court annuls Musharaff's death sentence

    A Pakistan court annuls the death sentence handed to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, ruling a special court which found him guilty of treason last year was unconstitutional.

  • Rivals rally on final day before votes

    Taiwan’s presidential rivals held massive rallies last night in a final push to convince voters on the eve of a closely watched election that looks set to infuriate China and send ripples far beyond its borders.

  • Grass growing around Mt Everest

    Grasses and shrubs have been found growing in increased numbers around Mount Everest and across the Himalayas as ice in the area continues to melt.

  • 1 Indian woman reports a rape every 15 minutes

    One woman reported a rape every 15 minutes on average in India in 2018, according to government data released on Thursday, underlining its dismal reputation as one of the worst places in the world to be female.

  • ‘Very happy news for us, a huge relief’

    The Supreme Court’s observation that access to internet is a fundamental right has come as happy news for people in the Kashmir Valley yesterday with many expressing the hope that services will be resumed soon.

  • Protest-hit HK sees surge in depression, PTSD: study

    Nearly one in three adults in Hong Kong reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder during months of often violent social unrest in the city, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal yesterday.

  • Top court refuses urgent hearing

    Chief Justice of India S A Bobde yesterday observed that the country is going through difficult times and there is so much violence going on as the Supreme Court refused urgent hearing on a plea seeking to declare the Citizenship Amendment Act as constitutional.

  • ‘I will fight alone’

    “If needed, I will fight alone,” a livid Mamata Banerjee declared yesterday in the West Bengal assembly where she said she will boycott a meeting called by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on January 13 over campus violence and the CAA, exposing the opposition faultlines on the issues.

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