Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday urged an immediate cessation of violence in border areas of Myanmar, expressing concern for the wellbeing of civilians and a necessity to pursue dialogue. "We urge all parties for an immediate cessation of violence and to exercise utmost restra
Dubai, a city in the desert proud of its futuristic gloss, was on Thursday busy clearing its waterclogged roads and drying out flooded homes two days after a record storm saw a year's rain fall in a day. Dubai International Airport, a major travel hub, struggled to clear a backlog of fligh
Iran could review its "nuclear doctrine" following Israeli threats, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Thursday, raising concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme which it has always said was strictly for peaceful purposes. Israel has said it will retaliate agains
Myawaddy, a critical trading post in Myanmar that rebel forces seized from the ruling junta last week, offers a glimpse of dynamics playing out across the Southeast Asian country as its vaunted military reels from battlefield losses. At the border town's outskirts, the site of the most intense fig
The International Monetary Fund urged countries on Wednesday to rein in fiscal spending and rebuild their buffers, but said that could prove difficult in the world’s biggest-ever election year. A record 88 countries, home to more than half of the world’s population, have held or are ho
When an Israeli shell struck Gaza's largest fertility clinic in December, the explosion blasted the lids off five liquid nitrogen tanks stored in a corner of the embryology unit. As the ultra-cold liquid evaporated, the temperature inside the tanks rose, destroying more than 4,000 em
Wu Huazhan’s Chinese television factory used to impose minimum orders to manage production efficiently. Times are now so bleak, it will take any order. Foshan Top Winning Import & Export’s profit margin has dropped to a wafer-thin 0.5 per cent from 2 per cent some 3-4 years ago, accord
Authorities and communities across the United Arab Emirates were clearing debris on Wednesday after a torrential downpour killed at least one person and caused damage to homes and businesses. The UAE witnessed a record rainfall with 254 mm falling in Al Ain on Tuesday in less than 24 hours, accord
Myanmar's detained former leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest, a spokesperson for the military government told media. "Since the weather is extremely hot, it is not only for Aung San Suu Kyi ... For all those, who need necessary precautions, especi
South Korea remembered the 304 people, most of them school children, who died on the Sewol ferry on the 10th anniversary of its sinking on Tuesday, with families calling for a proper apology for the unnecessary deaths of their loved ones. Many parents attended a memorial service in the cit
Indian mills produced 31.09 million metric tonnes of sugar between Oct 1 and April 15, down 0.5 per cent from the previous year due to lower output in the key producing southern state of Karnataka, a leading industry body said on Tuesday. Sugar mills are closing their operations at a higher pace t
Iran will respond to any action against its interests, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday, according to the Iranian Student News Agency, a day after Israel warned it will respond to Tehran's weekend drone and missile attack. "We categorically declare that the smallest action against I
Israelis awaited word on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would respond to Iran's first-ever direct attack as international pressure for restraint grew amid fears of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Netanyahu on Monday summoned his war cabinet for the second time in less than
