Japan and Vietnam agreed to step up security and defence cooperation Monday, reaching an agreement in principle for Tokyo to export defence equipment and technology to the Southeast Asian nation.
China beefs up laws to handle epidemics, protect whistleblowers
China has passed a new law to improve its handling of disease outbreaks — including protecting whistleblowers — following a cascade of criticism over its coronavirus response and accusations of an early cover-up.
Singapore’s world-first face scan plan sparks privacy fears
Singapore will become the world’s first country to use facial verification in its national ID scheme, but privacy advocates are alarmed by what they say is an intrusive system vulnerable to abuse.
Trump lashes out at ‘stupid’ Republican critics
President Donald Trump lashed out at “stupid” critics from within his own party and called for unity on Sunday after growing Republican criticism and warnings of a “bloodbath” in the November 3 election.
States of play: Key battlegrounds to decide US election
The November 3 US presidential election is boiling down to a handful of key states that will decide the race between Democrat Joe Biden and…
North Korean justice system treats people as ‘less than animals’: HRW
Torture, humiliation and coerced confessions are rampant in North Korea’s pretrial detention system which treats people as worth “less than an animal”, a rights group said Monday in a report on the country’s opaque legal processes.
A practicing Catholic, Biden hopes to peel believers away from Trump
A rosary around his wrist, Joe Biden often speaks of the great comfort his Catholic faith has brought him in overcoming the tragedies that have deeply marked his life.
K-pop superstar, beauty queens break silence on Thai democracy protests
A K-pop superstar, beauty queens and TV personalities are among a growing wave of celebrities backing Thailand’s pro-democracy movement, sending out messages of support to millions of followers on social media.
2.2 million Facebook and Instagram ads rejected ahead of US vote: FB
A total of 2.2 million ads on Facebook and Instagram have been rejected and 120,000 posts withdrawn for attempting to “obstruct voting” in the upcoming US presidential election, Facebook’s vice president Nick Clegg said in an interview published Sunday.
Trump gaffe demotes France’s Macron
President Donald Trump likes to make fun of his rival Joe Biden’s verbal lapses but on Saturday he made his own goof as he took a pot shot at French President Emmanuel Macron and effectively demoted him.
Q&A: Biden leads Trump, but can polls be trusted this year?
Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election four years ago brought into question as never before the reliability of opinion polls. Can they be believed this time around?
Sixty dollar experimental vaccine rolled out in east Chinese city
A $60 double-dose experimental coronavirus vaccine is being made available to some residents in an eastern Chinese city, health officials have said, the first details of a mass rollout for an as-yet unproven vaccine.
Biden calls Trump silence on white supremacists ‘stunning’
Joe Biden on Friday described President Donald Trump’s reluctance to denounce white supremacists as “stunning” in a hard-hitting speech in battleground Michigan with 18 days to go until the election.
US destroyer sails through Taiwan Strait, provoking China
A US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait in what the American military described as a “routine” passage Wednesday, but enraging China, which claims sovereignty over the island and surrounding seas.
The story behind Thailand’s ‘Hunger Games’ protest salute
The three-fingered salute from “The Hunger Games” movies flashed by Thai protesters at the royal motorcade this week has become the primary symbol of resistance in the kingdom in recent years.
Speaker resigns over passports scandal
The speaker of the Cypriot parliament resigned on Thursday after he was secretly filmed allegedly trying to facilitate a passport for a fugitive investor.
Grace: Shorter curfew hours equal more people outside, what about PUVs?
Senator Grace Poe on Thursday weighed in on the proposal to shorten curfew hours during the quarantine period, saying the government should consider if the mass transport system could support the bigger number of people in public spaces.
Pope promises to take more care with virus measures
Crowd-loving Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to do better at keeping his distance from the faithful, after his relaxed attitude to virus restrictions raised eyebrows in recent days.
US destroyer crosses Taiwan Strait, risking Chinese anger
A US battleship crossed the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the US Navy said, risking angering China, which claims sovereignty over the maritime thoroughfare.
Trump’s teen son caught coronavirus, first lady reveals
Donald Trump’s teenage son Barron contracted the coronavirus, First Lady Melania Trump revealed Wednesday in a shocking piece of news underlining how much the Republican president is struggling to divert attention away from the coronavirus pandemic in the final stages of his reelection fight.
Trump blasts Facebook, Twitter for censoring article critical of Biden
US President Donald Trump rebuked Facebook and Twitter Wednesday for blocking links to a New York Post article purporting to expose corrupt dealings by election rival Joe Biden and his son in Ukraine.
US sues author over Melania tell-all
The US Justice Department filed suit Tuesday against a former aide to Melania Trump over her tell-all book on the US first lady.
Thailand declares emergency, bans rallies as protests swell
The Thai government declared a state of emergency banning gatherings of more than four people and outlawing online posts deemed a threat to national security on Thursday in a move to end simmering pro-democracy protests.
PH cases rising: WHO fears coronavirus threatens to reverse progress in TB fight
The novel coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse progress towards eliminating tuberculosis, until now the top infectious disease killer globally, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday.
