Asia

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been deleted from Chinese versions of the popular Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) mobile game, the title’s China distributor has said, as the fallout builds over his criticism of the country’s treatment of its Uighur minority. US-listed Chinese internet company NetEase said it removed Ozil from the game due to his […]

by Qian Ye Liu Yantao and six co-workers start toiling on a frozen river in northeast China before dawn, using hand tools and machines to carve large ice blocks for an annual winter sculpture festival. Liu and his team are among more than 100 people who work on the Songhua River to harvest the 170,000 […]

Indonesia’s supreme court has increased the jail term for a Polish man convicted over links to separatist guerrillas in restive Papua, raising the sentence to seven years from five, his lawyer said Wednesday. Jakub Fabian Skrzypski was arrested in August last year, accused of making contact with outlawed rebels in the country’s easternmost territory and […]

Thai police are hunting a convicted serial killer in connection with another murder months after he was released for good behaviour, authorities said Tuesday. Somkid Pumpuang was sentenced to life in 2005 for the killing of five women believed to be involved in the sex and nightlife industry, leading the media to dub him Thailand’s […]

Muslim-majority Indonesia will deploy nearly 200,000 security personnel nationwide ahead of Christmas to guard against potential terror attacks, police said Tuesday. The Southeast Asian archipelago of 260 million has significant numbers of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who have been targeted by radical Islamist groups. On Tuesday, authorities said some 192,000 police and military personnel would […]

A Pakistan court Tuesday sentenced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in absentia to death for treason, state media reported, an unprecedented move in a country where the armed forces are often considered immune from prosecution. “Special Court Islamabad has awarded death sentence to former President Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case,” Radio Pakistan tweeted. […]

by Nina LARSON Women may have to wait more than two centuries for equality at work, according to a report on Tuesday showing gender inequality growing in workplaces worldwide despite increasing demands for equal treatment. While women appear to be gradually closing the gender gap in areas such as politics, health and education, workplace inequality […]

Indonesia has filed a World Trade Organization lawsuit against the European Union over plans to phase out palm oil-based biofuel for cars, the trade ministry said. The action could escalate a trade dispute between Indonesia — the world’s top palm oil producer – and the EU, which plans to end its use of biofuels by […]

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa said Monday she would not be silenced as she launched her defence against a libel charge that press advocates call an attempt to curb her news site’s critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte. Her site Rappler has written extensively and often critically on Duterte’s policies, including his deadly drugs war that […]

by Aishwarya Kumar with Jalees Andrabi in Guwahati and Sailendra Sil in Kolkata Fresh protests rocked India Monday as anger grew over new citizenship legislation slammed as anti-Muslim, with six people dead in the northeast and up to 100 reported injured in New Delhi. The law fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from three neighbouring countries, […]

China on Monday called the expulsion of diplomats from the US a “mistake” following reports that Washington quietly expelled two embassy officials in September after they drove onto a sensitive military base in Virginia. The incident is the latest spat between the world’s two biggest economies and comes days after they announced a truce in […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping told beleaguered Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday that she had Beijing’s “unwavering support” after another huge pro-democracy rally earlier this month and her government’s thrashing at recent local elections. The city has been upended by six months of massive pro-democracy protests that have seen violent battles between police and […]

by Agnes Anya Anwar bin Sholeh had something to cheer when he showed up at a Jakarta training centre to practice pencak silat — the Indonesian martial art was added to UNESCO’s prestigious heritage list. “It’s an honour that pencak silat has been recognised internationally,” the 38-year-old, who has been practising the art since elementary […]

by Jalees ANDRABI / Anup SHARMA / with Sailendra Sil in Kolkata The death toll from violent protests in northeast India against a contentious citizenship law has risen to six, officials said Sunday, as authorities maintained internet bans and curfews to quell unrest. Tension remained high at the epicentre of the unrest in Assam state’s […]

Manila—San Miguel Corporation, a company known worldwide for its beer, is risking it all by building an airport worth S$20 billion, reported to be the second biggest airport in the world. However, Nikkei Asian Review reports that there are skeptics who doubt the profitability of such an endeavor, which is spearheaded by none other than […]