Asia

An ethnic rebel group in Myanmar’s mountainous north claimed to have shot down a military helicopter, and at least one parcel bomb went off in another part of the country, as fighting intensified following the coup.

At least 26 people died and several were missing after an overcrowded speedboat collided with a sand-laden bulk carrier and sank on Bangladesh’s giant Padma River on Monday, police said.

Last weekend, 44% of Nepal’s Covid tests came back positive, according to government figures quoted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as it warned of an impending crisis.

A Hong Kong court has sentenced Joshua Wong and three other activists to between four and 10 months in prison for participating in an unauthorized rally last year to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Many of those who have fled to the jungles are members of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Now they want to know how to defend themselves from Myanmar’s military, which continues to shoot people dead in the streets

The shipping container raised suspicions as soon as it arrived in remote northwestern Laos last July.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has been awarded a prestigious leadership prize, in a move that could infuriate Beijing, and following reports of attempted interference by Ottawa.

The Philippine foreign minister on Monday demanded in an expletive-laced Twitter message that China’s vessels get out of disputed waters, the latest exchange in a war of words with Beijing over the South China Sea.

A Chinese man crossed the highly-militarized Taiwan Strait in a small rubber dinghy Saturday in search of “freedom and democracy,” Taiwanese police said.

Myanmar security forces opened fire on some of the biggest protests against military rule in days on Sunday killing eight people, media reported, three months after a coup plunged the country into crisis.

Read CNN’s Narendra Modi Fast Facts and learn more about India’s prime minister.

North Korea warned the United States it will face a “crisis beyond control in the near future” and accused South Korea of carrying out an “intolerable provocation” against Pyongyang in a series of statements released Sunday, comments that could set the stage for a showdown between the three countries.

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary since Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, was killed by US special-operations forces, Seal Team 6, inside his high-walled compound in the Pakistani military college city of Abbottabad.

Almost half of Myanmar’s population could be forced into poverty by the end of the year as the country teeters on the brink of economic collapse caused by the double shock of a bloody military coup and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new United Nations report.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that a prominent politician should keep his cabinet post, thwarting opposition moves to disqualify him over news reports he was jailed in Australia for drug trafficking in the 1990s.

Taiwan commissioned into service a new coast guard flagship Thursday to help counter China’s “gray zone” war tactics against the island.

BANGKOK: A flash mob of mostly young people in Myanmar’s biggest city staged a brief protest march on Thursday (May 6) against military rule, the latest in a series of actions aimed at reducing the chances of a deadly response by the authorities. In the five-minute protest in Yangon, about 70 …

NEW DELHI: India’s badminton team has been forced to withdraw from the Malaysian Open due to a travel ban, potentially impacting the players’ hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Thursday (May 6) that the team had pulled out due to the travel ban …

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to arrest anyone not wearing a mask properly, including below the nose, as the country battles to contain surging COVID-19 infections. Duterte issued the directive after a meeting with his COVID-19 task force – where everyone except …

TOKYO: A remote Japanese fishing town has sparked debate after spending coronavirus relief funds on a giant squid statue that cost nearly US$250,000 in a controversial bid to boost post-pandemic tourism. The huge pink monument with its tentacles outstretched was unveiled in March by the coastal …

Liberal democracies can, and should, develop their own bilateral and multilateral exchanges with Taiwan, even while pushing for its inclusion in the WHO and other U.N. bodies.

MUMBAI: About 230 million Indians fell into poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year with young people and women the hardest hit, and the current second wave threatens to make matters even worse, a new study has said. India’s stringent months-long lockdown from last March put about 100 …

Niu Tengyu’s mother says he seems unable to move two of the fingers on his right hand following a complaint about torture in detention.

Mongolia has received vaccines not only from neighbors China and Russia, but from India and COVAX as well.

At a time of stalemate, the Suga administration seems unwilling to take the initiative.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will repatriate its citizens from the northern and western regions of India amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in India. Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Thursday (May 6) said the repatriation mission will use a specially chartered aircraft from Malaysia …

Kim Oh-soo, the nominee for prosecutor general, is a strong supporter of President Moon’s controversial prosecution reform plan.

BENGALURU: When an Indian children’s rights group tracked down two boys aged 6 and 8 after it was told that their parents were both severely ill with COVID-19 and unable to care for them, the children had not eaten for days. The case, reported by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) group which …

JAKARTA: Three Chinese vessels, one with a manned submersible capable of descending to 10,000m, have arrived in Indonesian waters to help retrieve a submarine that sank and broke apart last month, killing 53 people on board, an official said on Thursday (May 6). Indonesian navy officials and …

MEDAN: The death toll from a landslide at a hydroelectric dam project on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has risen to 10, an official said Thursday (May 6), as authorities called off a week-long search for victims. A landslide triggered by heavy rains struck the Chinese-backed Batang Toru hydropower …

KUALA LUMPUR: Othlan Jalil, 34 was getting the charcoal fire up to roast his first batch of syrup-glazed chicken wings. There were two more days to go before he would shut for Hari Raya this year. “I had hoped that we could last all the way until the eve of Hari Raya (on May 12). There’s not …

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday (May 6) became the latest of India’s neighbours to seal its borders with the South Asian giant as it battles a record COVID-19 surge. Bangladesh and Nepal have also banned flights and sought to close their borders with India, where a huge rise in numbers in the past …

India’s cricket chief Sourav Ganguly has defended the attempt to hold the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the country’s COVID-19 emergency, insisting it was not a mistake.

Although completely eliminating passwords may be impossible, a passwordless approach could be the answer to many authentication and security challenges Passwordless authentication also increases workplace productivity as employees no longer need to spend time inputting and changing passwords World Password Day has got us thinking – simple authentication methods are inherently vulnerable to cyber attacks…. Read more » The post Is passwordless authentication actually the way to go? appeared first on TechHQ.

The internet offers Pakistan a path for sustainable economic growth. Government “security” policies must not get in its way.

The fastest way to completely revolutionize your organization’s cybersecurity is to ensure that every person in the business uses a unique and difficult-to-guess password for every account they access on the internet. That needs to be the case for both personal and work accounts. If it doesn’t happen, the business is in trouble. That’s because… Read more » The post Review – Deploy Bitwarden password manager, then educate users appeared first on TechHQ.

The force is intended as a prelude to the eventual establishment of a Federal Union Army to battle the military junta.

Encouraging Americans to live, study and work abroad will contribute to making the United States a more open, tolerant, and inclusive society.

NEW DELHI: India saw record new jumps in COVID-19 cases and deaths on Thursday (May 6), dashing tentative hopes that the catastrophic recent surge was easing. Health ministry numbers showed 3,980 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the national total to 230,168, and 412,262 new cases, bringing …

BEIJING: The resumption of student visa applications at United States missions in China got off to an acrimonious start this week when netizens took exception to an American embassy social media post they interpreted as likening Chinese students to dogs. Former US president Donald Trump, whose …

The seven members of the Blitzers have trained hard for three years – enduring gym sessions, singing lessons and up to 10 hours of dance practice at a time – for their shot at stardom.

A Hong Kong court has sentenced Joshua Wong and three other activists to between four and 10 months in prison for participating in an unauthorized rally last year to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

BEIJING: China’s state economic planner said on Thursday (May 6) that it has “indefinitely” suspended all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, the latest setback for their strained relations. “Recently, some Australian Commonwealth government officials launched a …

HONG KONG: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong will face another 10 months in jail for participating in an unauthorised assembly on Jun 4, 2020, to commemorate the 1989 crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. It was the first time the vigil was banned in the global financial …

Given the protest movement’s reliance on social media, the military junta has begun executing random smartphone spot checks.

Supporters say the People’s Defense Force is the first step toward forming an alliance with ethnic rebel group.

Australia’s competition regulator on Thursday (May 6) said that it would block a pricing, code-sharing and scheduling deal between Qantas and Japan Airlines because it would likely mean higher fares for passengers.

A preview of how the Philippine Marine Corps will operate in the current and future security environment.

In recent years, the environmental group Mother Nature has become a major irritant for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday (May 5) that it is following the trajectory of a Chinese rocket expected to make an uncontrolled entry into the atmosphere this weekend, with the risk of crashing down in an inhabited area.

Laos says it will prosecute two female “super spreaders” who hit nightspots with Thai friends.

NEW YORK: More than 200 global organisations urged the UN Security Council on Wednesday (May 5) to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, saying the time for statements has passed and immediate action is needed to help protect peaceful protesters against military rule and other opponents of the junta …

The five, two of whom were convicted in absentia, received 18-20 months in prison and hefty fines.

The motion fell short of labeling the situation ‘genocide,’ as other Western nations have in recent months.

Myanmar’s security forces moved in and the street lamps went black. In house after house, people shut off their lights. Darkness swallowed the block.

What the glittering top line economic growth figures out of China do not show is the millions of Chinese still living in poverty and this is an important driver of China’s political strategy, says an economics professor.

The hardships of the pandemic seem to have triggered a surge in some forms of labour organising, says an economist.

The pair had worked to raise awareness of the socially and politically explosive issue of land grabs in the country of 95 million people.

 US President Joe Biden is expected to announce his strategy toward China soon, and calls are growing for him to make a clear public commitment to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of Chinese aggression.

At the bottom of the contested waters lies a supply of the rare earth minerals crucial to China’s tech ambitions.

The Taliban warned journalists to stop giving “one-sided news in support of Afghanistan’s intelligence” service or “face the consequences.”

Largely forced out of their traditional fishing grounds, Filipino fishermen have claimed a decline of as much as 80 percent in their catch since the Chinese took control of certain parts of the South China Sea.

Rescue workers dressed in protection gear hoist a gleaming coffin to a temple’s crematorium – a fast-tracked process that is a departure from Thailand’s tradition of days-long funerals as the kingdom grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak.

An interview with Gary Bauer, commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

LONDON: The Group of Seven meeting in London was hit by a COVID-19 scare on Wednesday when India’s foreign minister and his entire team said they were self-isolating after two delegation members tested positive. Britain is hosting the three-day foreign ministers’ meeting – the first such G7 event …

LONDON: The United States, South Korea and Japan pledged Wednesday to cooperate on North Korea as their top diplomats met in London, coming together despite renewed tensions between the Asian nations. Joined by aides, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat in the centre of a U-shaped table with …

As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan begins, some suspect Washington is looking for nearby basing options.

The move comes as pastors across the country are detained in the wake of stricter curbs on religious groups.

It is easy to advocate an outright ban on “supersoldiers.” But augmentation has been around in one form or other for a long time – in life and war alike.

HANOI: Vietnam has extended the quarantine period for anyone arriving in the country to three weeks, authorities said Wednesday (May 5), following a fresh community COVID-19 outbreak. The nation has so far kept case numbers low – recording just over 3,000 cases and 35 deaths – thanks to strict …

Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai had been in jail for nearly a year under the Public Safety Act.

The United States’ China policy will continue to zig and zag in the future.

A month after being brutally beaten, Bazarov was released from the hospital and swiftly charged for insulting his old school in an October 2020 TikTok video.

Once again, the Moon administration is making bold climate pledges on the international stage, while undermining these goals at home.

GENEVA: WHO experts have voiced “very low confidence” in data provided by Chinese state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on its COVID-19 vaccine regarding the risk of serious side-effects in some patients, but overall confidence in its ability to prevent the disease, a document seen by Reuters shows. A …

The Soteria Institute is lobbying Canadian MPs to speed up applications ahead of a possible travel ban in Hong Kong.

About one in four women in the world’s most populous country are said to have endured domestic abuse. The programme Undercover Asia speaks to victims, experts and an ex-abuser about the deep-seated problem.

It’s a step in the right direction, but there are still substantial hurdles – both logistical and political – for Chinese students to come to the U.S.

Going door-to-door in a Manila suburb, Philippines health workers administered COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday to those unable to visit clinics due to illness or old age as part of efforts to protect more vulnerable groups in the area.

While the BJP’s defeat in the West Bengal elections hardly marks a referendum against Modi, rising middle class anger could indeed reverse his fortunes.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Wednesday (May 5) that Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru are among the places under a movement control order (MCO) from May 7 to May 20, as the government retightened restrictions amid soaring COVID-19 cases. This comes after the …

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday (May 5) pledged billions of dollars to boost its flagging vaccine programme as the country’s new COVID-19 cases rose by 382,315, the 14th straight day of more than 300,000 cases. With vaccines among the main weapons in the fight against the pandemic, pharma giant …

Thai court says key official can stay despite drug case

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s economy shrank for the fourth consecutive quarter in January-March, data showed Wednesday (May 5), as the country’s leaders struggle to overcome a recession wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The 0.74 per cent on-year contraction was a big improvement on the 2.19 per cent in …

GENEVA: Nepal is being overwhelmed by a COVID-19 surge as India’s outbreak spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday (May 5). “We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe …

When it comes to building a mature security awareness program, money isn’t always the biggest challenge. All too often the real problem is time; in that there is never enough of it. While this has certainly been the case for many of us over the past year, it is especially true for defenders working in… Read more » The post The building blocks to a mature security awareness program appeared first on TechHQ.

JAKARTA: Train stations and airports in Jakarta were packed with travellers making a last-ditch effort to leave the capital city, with the government set to impose another ban on Thursday (May 6) on the annual exodus to other provinces marking the end of Ramadan.  The government fears that …

Putting the power in your hand, Geodis’ IT and practical logistics solution helps companies achieve omnichannel retail at low cost. The post Why GEODIS’s e-Logistics solution represents a new choice for retailers today  appeared first on TechHQ.

Cricket authorities in Australia and New Zealand rushed to evacuate star players from Covid-hit India on Wednesday, after the lucrative Indian Premier League was abandoned.

GENEVA: India accounted for 46 per cent of the new COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide last week and one in four deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday (May 5). The surge of the coronavirus in India, including of a highly infectious new variant first identified there, has seen …

PETALING JAYA: Veterans of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) have announced their plan to form a new political party and contest in the country’s next general election. MAF Veterans Association president Sharuddin Omar said the veterans were in the midst of forming a party named Parti Kemakmuran …

Volkswagen won’t settle for off-the-shelf computing power with its self-driving cars, instead, will design its own high-performance chips VW did not plan to build semiconductors, but wanted to own patents if possible VW has been forced to cut overall production by at least 100,000 vehicles this year, due to the global chips shortage Much like… Read more » The post VW designing chips for its AVs to fight global shortage appeared first on TechHQ.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s parliament unanimously declared on Wednesday (May 5) that severe human rights abuses were taking place against Uyghur people in China’s Xinjiang region, spurring the Chinese embassy to decry the move as interference in internal affairs. All parties discussed and supported …

SEOUL: One dose of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer was 86.6 per cent effective in preventing infections among people aged 60 and older, real world data released by South Korea showed on Wednesday (May 5). Data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) showed the …

The uneasy region seems set for another cycle of military crackdowns and separatist counter-attacks.

YANGON: Five people killed in an explosion in Myanmar this week, including an ousted lawmaker, had been building a bomb, media controlled by the military junta said on Wednesday (May 5). Since the military seized power and ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb …

SINGAPORE: Singapore is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on Wednesday (May 5), as community cases in Singapore spike ahead of the launch of a travel bubble with Hong Kong. “The vast majority of the community cases in Singapore are linked. We must …

TAITUNG COUNTY: Before heading into Taiwan’s mountains with his homemade rifle, indigenous hunter Tama Talum often chants prayers and makes offerings of rice wine and betel nut to the spirits. Talum, 62, was one of the hundreds from his Bunun tribe taking part last week in Mala Hodaigian, an …

The world’s oldest person, a 118-year-old Japanese woman, has decided not to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics over COVID-19 fears, an official at her nursing home said on Wednesday (May 5).

The ban on travellers from India by Australia had added “anxiety” for its cricketers after the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) suspension, Australia vice captain Pat Cummins said, as players isolated in the coronavirus-ravaged nation on Wednesday (May 5).

WASHINGTON: The United States policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday (May 4) appeared to reject calls for the US to make a clear statement of its willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, saying there were “significant downsides” to such an approach. Kurt Campbell …

The Japanese government is considering an extension of the state of emergency for Tokyo and other major urban areas that was scheduled to end on May 11, the Yomiuri Newspaper said on Wednesday.

TAIPEI: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is planning to build several more chipmaking factories in the US state of Arizona beyond the one currently planned, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, announced in May 2020 that …

As Western nations impose sanctions on China over its treatment of the Uyghurs, Beijing is reaching out to the Muslim world for support.

KUALA LUMPUR: The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized a shipment of 3.97 million nitrile disposable gloves from Malaysia’s Top Glove estimated to be worth US$518,000, on indications they were made by forced labour, it said on Wednesday (May 5). CBP on Mar 29 issued a forced labour …

Months of protests, violent military crackdowns, and striking doctors create transmission risks.

The country’s political and economic troubles are being shadowed by a looming public health crisis.

The firm cited a “worsening of economic and business environment outlook and a deteriorating security and human rights situation.”

Laos extends its lockdown and prepares more makeshift hospitals.

Pyongyang threatens retaliation against the “dirty human scum” that send balloons carrying anti-regime propaganda.

A diver or a robot must place a hook to lift wreckage of the KRI Nanggala-402 from the seafloor.

US intelligence agencies are warning that any gains in women’s rights in Afghanistan made in the last two decades will be at risk after US troops withdraw later this year.

Ethnic civilians are arming themselves against the junta throughout the country.

Can Thi Theu and her son Trinh Ba Tu had posted articles about the deadly land-rights clash last year at Dong Tam commune, and had tried to raise awareness of the incident with foreign embassies and other international groups.

The European Commission said on Tuesday (May 4) that efforts to win approval for the EU’s massive investment deal with China were effectively “suspended” given the soured diplomatic relations between both sides after tit-for-tat sanctions.

Firsthand glimpses of how dam construction changed the river over the course of eight years.

China’s top priority is addressing the crisis within the United Nations itself, the topic of a high-level meeting later this week.

While pledging hundreds of millions of doses, Russia has only delivered a fraction. It’s turning to Chinese companies to help pick up the pace.

YANGON: Myanmar’s junta-controlled media announced a ban on satellite television receivers on Tuesday (May 4), saying outside broadcasts threatened national security and threatening to jail anyone caught violating the measure. With mobile Internet access largely cut off in a bid to quell anti …

Power consolidation and the institutional transformations of Turkmenistan’s assembly bodies.

NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 caseload topped 20 million on Tuesday (May 4) as the relentless surge finally forced the suspension of the nation’s lucrative cricket competition involving some of the sport’s biggest global stars. The South Asian nation’s plight was in stark contrast to Europe and the …

NEW DELHI: Britain and India on Tuesday (May 4) signed an accord on migration and mobility, an Indian foreign ministry official said, as they look to deepen economic, cultural and other ties following the UK’s departure from the European Union. The pact will provide enhanced employment …

NEW DELHI: Eight Asiatic lions at an Indian zoo have contracted the coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday (May 4), adding that there was no evidence that animals could transmit the disease to humans. Zoo authorities in the southern state of Hyderabad shared samples with a government research …

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter account was “permanently suspended” Tuesday for violating policies on hateful conduct and abusive behaviour, the social media giant said.

Since the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, Afghan casualties — both military and civilian — have soared. That bodes ill for the future.

What the peace process and U.S. withdrawal means for Beijing.

Observers of China’s economy need to become more sophisticated in their understanding Beijing’s evolving and competing policy priorities as growth targets fall out of favor.

After an activist launched leaflets to the North last week, Pyongyang immediately responded with harsh warnings.

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia on Tuesday (May 4) ordered journalists to stop reporting from blockaded COVID-19 “red zones” and from chasing ambulances as the country battles against a record surge in infections. The country has seen COVID-19 cases surge since February, when an outbreak was first detected …

For the past seven years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has privileged optics over substance. That strategy has now spectacularly failed.

The world cannot build a resilient and inclusive global health system while excluding Taiwan from participating.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has announced that morning Aidilfitri prayers and Hari Raya visiting will be allowed with restrictions and health protocols in place.  Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday (May 4), Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said for areas …

Banerjee, a gritty street fighter, could very well emerge as leader of a unified opposition, complicating the BJP’s calculations for the 2024 general elections.

JAKARTA: Despite obvious signs that a powerful cyclone was brewing, life carried on as usual in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara last month.  Aside from grounding ships and airplanes from travelling in the rough weather, hardly any preparation was made.  Locals said that they were …

Thousands of Shiite Muslim devotees ?- many not wearing masks — gathered in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore for a religious procession on Tuesday, fanning fears about the spread of the coronavirus after similar crowds were blamed in neighbouring India for its own surge.

Britain and India will begin formal free trade deal talks later this year, the UK government said Tuesday, after they agreed an initial package to boost bilateral trade and investment.

BEIJING: China urged the Philippines on Tuesday (May 4) to observe “basic etiquette” and eschew megaphone diplomacy after the Southeast Asian nation’s foreign minister used an expletive-laced Twitter message to demand that China’s vessels leave disputed waters. The comments by Teodoro Locsin …

Facebook said Thursday it would expand its climate information hub and direct its users to experts to debunk myths and hoaxes in a ramped-up effort to fight misinformation. The social media giant said it has added a section to its climate hub that features “facts that debunk common climate myths.” Users might find, for example, information… Read more » The post Facebook will expand climate hub in battle against misinformation appeared first on TechHQ.

The fact that so many require medical care in India’s second COVID-19 wave is a symptom of longstanding structural deficiencies, says a doctor.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s richest Twenty20 cricket tournament, was suspended on Tuesday (May 4) and its players sent home as India battles a massive surge in coronavirus cases. The move, which follows growing controversy over the competition, comes a day after two …

SEOUL: The chairman of one of South Korea’s biggest dairy companies has resigned over a scandal in which his company was accused of deliberately spreading misinformation that its yogurt helps prevent coronavirus infections. While stepping down as the company’s head, Hong Won-sik and other members …

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, here’s what you’ll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese navy ships have arrived off Bali to help haul up a submarine that sank last month killing 53 crew, the Indonesian Navy said Tuesday as it geared up for a deep-sea salvage operation.

Investment in infrastructure is vital if Vietnam is to remain on the path to eventual high-income status.

Goldman Sachs has reportedly been working closely with Silicon Valley firm QC Ware on this for several years. Some of the most complex calculations in financial markets could start using quantum computing within five years, considerably earlier than expected. Both parties have been studying how quantum computers can be tapped for the Monte Carlo algorithm… Read more » The post Financial markets could be using quantum computing within 5 years appeared first on TechHQ.

The remainder of the coronavirus-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) could be played in Mumbai following bubble breaches in Delhi and Ahmedabad, local media reports said on Tuesday (May 4).

Sipping bubble tea and dressed in their holiday finest, millions of Chinese travellers flocked to domestic tourist attractions over the Labour Day long holiday with COVID-19 fears already a distant memory.

The Myanmar junta has charged a Japanese journalist under a “fake news” law, a report said on Tuesday (May 4), in the latest blow to press freedom since the military seized power.

A recent spate of community transmissions is likely to delay the country’s planned resumption of international tourism.

Australia’s prime minister fended off accusations of racism and having blood on his hands on Tuesday (May 4), as he retreated from a threat to jail Australians trying to escape COVID-19-wracked India.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday (May 4) that the government was working on “fake news” legislation to tackle “misinformation, hatred and lies”, as worries grow over media freedoms in the global financial hub. Under Beijing’s directions, Hong Kong has cracked down on …

YANGON: Blasts from at least one parcel bomb in Myanmar have killed five people, including an ousted lawmaker and three police officers who had joined a civil disobedience movement opposing military rule, local media reported on Tuesday (May 3). Since the elected government led by Nobel laureate …

SEOUL: A South Korean publisher’s defiant move to release the memoirs of the North’s founder Kim Il Sung has triggered a heated debate over Seoul’s decades-old ban on Pyongyang’s propaganda under national security laws. Critics of the measure say Southerners are politically mature enough to judge …

MUMBAI: Her exam revision done, schoolgirl Swadha Prasad gets on with her real work: Finding life-saving oxygen, drugs and hospital beds for COVID-19 patients as India reels from a brutal second wave of infections. As their government struggles to tackle the pandemic, young Indians have stepped …

The recent killing of an Indonesian brigadier general heralds an intensification of the conflict in eastern Indonesia.

The counterattack came after days of Myanmar military air strikes against Kachin Independence Army positions.

Pfizer said on Monday (May 3) it told the Indian government that there was no concern over the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine, as the country insists on small local trials for foreign shots despite a record surge in infections and shortage of doses.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday (May 3) asked North Korea to embrace diplomacy as he briefed allies on a new US strategy that stresses low-key progress rather than Donald Trump’s pageantry.

Several factors point to a growth story that could make Southeast Asian Tech the darling of Wall Street, says INSEAD Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, Jason Davis.

Rolling out of vaccines to developing countries, Beijing has framed itself as a solution to the pandemic rather than the origin of the coronavirus, says an international studies professor.

China’s rise has come with increased outreach to the diaspora in Southeast Asia – and at times increased headaches for ethnic Chinese.

Last week’s violence was some of the worst the border has seen, with more than 40 killed. 

Insights from Gedaliah Afterman.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has asked the Philippines to respect what it calls Chinese sovereignty in the disputed waters.

Former Australian cricketer Michael Slater slammed his government on Monday for threatening to jail anyone who breaks its India travel ban, telling the prime minister he had “blood on your hands”.

So far, there have been no major changes in Biden’s China policy, but there’s still hope for a stabilized relationship.

Revisiting “Winter Pasture,” an early chronicle of the hardships endured by a Xinjiang-based minority group.

Ardern’s unusually targeted comments against China followed growing diplomatic discontent with Wellington’s stance.

PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered an end to a blanket lockdown in Phnom Penh, even as Cambodia reported a record 841 new coronavirus cases on Monday (May 3).  The Southeast Asian nation has recorded one of the world’s smallest COVID-19 caseloads, but infections have climbed from about …

The Indian diplomatic corps is being increasingly used for partisan purposes.

Military officials in Russia and Central Asia agree to unite efforts as they prepare for a worsening of the situation in Afghanistan. 

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte received his first dose of Sinopharm’s vaccine against COVID-19 on Monday to encourage reluctant Filipinos to get inoculated and help stop the spread of the virus, his closest aide said.

As the White House unveiled its new policy toward the North, Pyongyang denounced the policy for reflecting the “outdated” perspective of the Cold War.

Health authorities believe the virus found its way back into the community after a soldier providing security at a quarantine facility became infected.

For many, the arrest and conviction of Hong Kong’s “father of democracy” signal a cataclysmic shift in the city’s political climate.

BEIJING: Electric vehicle maker Tesla, facing scrutiny in China over safety and customer service complaints, is boosting its engagement with mainland regulators and beefing up its government relations team, industry sources said. Tesla’s change of strategy leading to more behind-the-scenes …

The rise of COVID-19 cases coupled with health missteps in the war-torn country spread fear of a tragedy amid a raging war.

China’s rust belt is a case study in how local conditions and priorities can clash with grand plans for economic integration.

JAKARTA: Indonesia has recorded its first cases of a highly infectious COVID-19 variant first detected in India, the health minister said on Monday (May 3), as authorities implored people not to travel to their hometowns for the end of the Muslim fasting month. Indonesia, which has been trying to …

TAIPEI: Taiwan became the latest place to ban arrivals from coronavirus-stricken India on Monday (May 3), as it moves to prevent new infections, with more nations reporting cases of a variant first identified in the subcontinent. The variant, B1617, has reached at least 17 countries, from Britain …

MUMBAI: India’s tally of COVID-19 infections rose on Monday (May 3) to just short of 20 million, propelled by a 12th straight day of more than 300,000 new cases, as scientists predicted the pandemic could peak in the next couple of days. Total infections since the start of the pandemic have …

MELBOURNE: A leading Myanmar swimmer has called for an international boycott of his country’s Olympic committee, branding it a “puppet” of the southeast Asian nation’s military rulers. Australia-based Win Htet Oo said he had given up his dream of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the …

SEOUL: North Korea has notified authorities that its team plans to skip next month’s World Cup qualifiers hosted by South Korea due to COVID-19 fears, the South’s football association said on Monday (May 3). North Korea’s football association (PRKFA) sent a letter on Friday to the Asian Football …

hampions were eligible for Tokyo.

Hong Kong’s economy jumped back into growth in the first quarter of the year, official figures showed on Monday (May 3), ending the city’s most pronounced period of recession in its modern history.

The global chip shortage is squeezing sales at Apple, BMW, and Ford Motor – with a return to normalcy not expected until next year Experts reckon that the second quarter is going to be worse for automakers than Q1 2021 The gap between ordering a chip, and getting the chip is growing wider The situation… Read more » The post The dearth of chips globally hits Apple, BMW & Ford appeared first on TechHQ.

A leading Myanmar ethnic rebel army said that it had shot down a military helicopter on Monday (May 3), a day after a renewed junta crackdown on anti-coup protests left at least five civilians dead.

MANILA: The Philippines’ top diplomat unambiguously told Beijing where to go on Monday (May 3), as the government insisted that Chinese vessels were still illegally lingering in the disputed South China Sea. “China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see… O… GET THE F*** OUT,” …

SEOUL: South Korean officials fuelled hope on Monday (May 3) for the arrival of 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by mid-May to prop up an inoculation campaign that is flagging as supplies dwindle, hit by shipment delays. Nearly 3.4 million of the population of 52 million had received their …

DHAKA: At least 26 people were killed when a speedboat packed with passengers collided with a vessel transporting sand on Monday (May 3) in the latest maritime disaster to hit Bangladesh. Police said the speedboat carrying about three dozen passengers from the town of Mawa rammed into the other …

Australia on Monday said a Chinese company’s controversial 99-year-lease on Darwin Port is under review and could be scrapped, opening a new point of friction in relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Taiwan’s defence minister on Monday (May 3) said that authorities were investigating whether a man from mainland China had managed to cross the Taiwan Strait in a rubber dinghy in a bid to seek political sanctuary.

Massive state elections rallies and religious festivals are likely to bring the disease home for many living in rural India.

After the COVID-19 lockdown confined the public to their homes for months on end, shops are now starting to fully reopen – albeit to significantly decreased footfall and a slump in sales, with many beauty brands being amongst those suffering. Despite this, the demand for beauty products is certainly not going anywhere; Google Trends reveals,… Read more » The post Is ‘virtual try on’ the AR alternative to in-store cosmetics tests? appeared first on TechHQ.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has closed land crossings with Iran and Afghanistan for travellers and slashed international flights as the government warned of a “critical” few weeks ahead in the battle against COVID-19.  The border restrictions were announced Sunday (May 2) as the country prepared to mark …

While deploying violence in the streets, the generals have been unrelenting in their attacks on the country’s journalists.

Meanwhile, health experts say the massive electoral rallies have fueled India’s terrifying COVID-19 outbreak.

TOKYO: Finance ministers and central bank governors from China, Japan and South Korea on Monday (May 3) vowed “targeted” measures for those countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and committed to foster fiscal and financial stability. In a joint statement issued after a virtual meeting …

BANGKOK: Thailand on Monday (May 3) reported a new daily record of 31 coronavirus deaths, the health ministry said, as the country grapples with a third wave of infections. After managing to largely control the virus for around a year through shutdowns and strict border controls, Thailand has …

As sanctions are reimposed, the country’s old business elite is slowly clawing back the ground lost during a decade of reform.

The plan is a prelude to an eventual reopening of crossborder travel, but a full resumption will be some time off.

Despite holding Australian citizenship, expatriates have been all but abandoned by their government.

Vietnam’s independent journalists are under siege, and there is little cause for optimism.

Once one of the world’s most powerful travel documents, the might of the United States passport has been diminished during the pandemic. With US Covid-19 cases now past the 32.4 million mark, some nations continue to view vacationers warily even as more Americans get vaccinated.

While relations have soured, pop culture exchanges are going strong – in both directions.

Beijing appears to have given up its incremental strategy in favor of more sizable power grabs.

Taiwan, under pressure to alleviate a global chip shortage, is fighting a drought at home and recruitment of its engineers by Chinese competitors.

Hoang Thi Ha, Ja Ian Chong, and Evan A. Laksmana discuss ASEAN’s regional role amid the Myanmar crisis and China-U.S. tensions.

The launch of the first piece of China’s space station is a big step toward achieving a long-standing goal.

Sri Lanka’s struggle to balance been China and India has a strong economic dimension.

By all available evidence, the Taliban remain a group of militants whose primary driver is the imposition of their extremist ideology.

The United States tested 67 nuclear weapons from 1946 to 1958 in what is now the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

How China localizes its propaganda via disinformation outlets in the Czech Republic.

We cannot save the “pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known” without spurring China — and ourselves — to action.

If his claim is confirmed, Park Sang-hak would be the first known person to violate a new law banning people from sending leaflets to North Korea.

Japan has been pushing for Quad efforts to match its own vaccine diplomacy: more inclusive, less strategic.

The increasing inseparability of offline and online rights abuses is manifestly clear in India.

There’s been much talk of uniting tech-leading democracies to compete against China. What would that mean in practice?

A massive wave of COVID-19 cases in India caused a dire need for medical oxygen equipment. Here are some ways you can help.

Announcement is a reversal from earlier plans to deploy weapons on aging missile submarines first.

The RateLinx platforms give supply chain companies the data insights they need to mine and make use of real-time data in all aspects of operations: review The post RateLinx Drives Efficiencies and Savings with Data-Driven Logistics appeared first on TechHQ.

A conversation with the trade unionist Wim Conklin.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has used the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to arm himself with emergency powers and silence dissenting voices.

Manila asserted its right to conduct military drills in the South China Sea, but President Duterte continues to approach the issue with caution.

The CCP’s pervasive surveillance apparatus is a sign not of strength, but of fragility.

The move came as Prime Minister Prayut assumed sweeping new powers to fight the current outbreak of COVID-19.

The upcoming “global deployment” is intended to reinforce the U.K.’s tilt toward the Indo-Pacific region.

Deterring Chinese coercion will take a concerted effort across the economic, political, and military fronts.

The ASEAN summit’s failings demonstrate that standard diplomatic protocols are insufficient to deal with the Myanmar leadership. 

The tragedy underway in India proves that the United States must leverage its full industrial and scientific capacity until the entire world is vaccinated.

“With the return of the Taliban, society will be transformed and ruined… Women will be sent into hiding.”

China tries to keep Germany a bright spot in its European relations, as an end to Angela Merkel’s lengthy tenure looms.

Reportedly one Kyrgyz man has been killed in the clashes over a long-unsettled border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

What makes China’s shifting strategy on Xinjiang information management unique is that in addition to traditional approach to censorship, there seems to be a shift to fill the censored silence with noise.

Pakistan Democratic Movement leader Fazlur Rehman’s potshot at the army shows the opposition remains emboldened.

Small drones, used unpredictably, could conceivably force defenders to adopt a wearying posture of constant readiness and uncertainty.

Even if it wanted to, could the Taliban ever really cut ties with and oppose al-Qaida?

The country expects to complete construction of its space station, called Tiangong, next year.

Recent developments coming out of Seoul have presented opportunities for Tokyo to explore means of cooperation.

The boycott movement marks a blurred line between genuine anger and manufactured outrage.

The island nation of Sri Lanka is now open to tourists from all countries.

Singapore’s national carrier is hoping to become the world’s first airline to get all of its crew members vaccinated against Covid-19.

China has revealed a prototype for a new high-speed Maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds of 620 kilometers (385 miles) per hour.

The world has been inching toward fully autonomous cars for years. In China, one company just got even closer to making it a reality.

Shanghai residents passing through the city’s eastern Huangpu district in October might have stumbled upon an unusual sight: a “walking” building.

A local entrepreneur in the Japanese tourist destination of Nara has developed an alternative to plastic shopping bags, to protect the town’s sacred deer.

Having endured a bloody civil war from 1983 until 2009, Sri Lanka is now at peace and developing rapidly. That’s good news for the country as a whole, but the island nation’s leopards are under threat.

Nearly a decade after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, researchers have discovered that wildlife is thriving in the areas evacuated by humans, despite radiological contamination.