Asia

Sri Lanka’s new PM struggles to form unity government

by Amal JAYASINGHE and Sean GLEESON Sri Lanka’s new prime minister struggled Friday to forge a unity government and forestall an imminent economic collapse as opposition lawmakers refused to join his cabinet and demanded fresh elections. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in late Thursday to navigate his country through the worst downturn in its history as an independent nation, with months of shortages and blackouts inflaming public anger. The 73-year-old insists he has enough support to govern […]

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Australian, Japanese PMs send congratulations to Marcos

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday congratulated Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on his presumptive win in the presidential election. In a tweet, Morrison said he hopes the two nations’ relations would continue to flourish under the new Philippine leadership. I congratulate Ferdinand Marcos Jr @bongbongmarcos on being elected President of the Philippines at the national elections on 9 May. Following the 75th anniversary of Australia-Philippines relations last year, we look […]

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North Korea confirms first Covid-19 death in ‘explosive’ outbreak

  by Cat Barton and Claire Lee Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea confirmed its first Covid-19 death on Friday, saying fever was spreading “explosively” nationwide and tens of thousands of people were being isolated after falling sick. The insular country only reported its first Covid cases Thursday, saying it was moving into “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system” after sick patients in the capital Pyongyang tested positive for the Omicron variant. […]

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Biden welcomes ASEAN leaders with energy, security pledges

by Shaun TANDON President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Southeast Asian leaders to Washington, promising support for clean energy and maritime security in the face of a rising China. The Biden administration made the pledge as it opened a two-day summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, part of a campaign to show that the United States still prioritizes Asia despite months of intense focus on repelling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House […]

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North Korea confirms first Covid-19 death in ‘explosive’ outbreak

by Cat Barton and Claire Lee North Korea confirmed its first ever Covid-19 death on Friday, saying fever was spreading “explosively” nationwide and tens of thousands of people were being isolated and treated after falling sick. The nuclear-armed country only reported its first Covid cases Thursday, saying it was moving into “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system” after sick patients in the capital Pyongyang tested positive for Omicron. North Korea has been under a rigid coronavirus blockade […]

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Philippine economy grows in Q1 as Covid rules lifted

The Philippine economy grew stronger than expected in the first quarter, officials said Thursday, as the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the start of the election campaign season ignited consumer spending. Gross domestic product expanded by 8.3 percent, compared with a 3.8 percent contraction in the same period last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. That beat expectations for 6.7 percent growth and “surpassed the pre-pandemic gross domestic product”, President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team said. […]

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Myanmar junta to reopen borders to tourists

Myanmar’s junta will allow tourists to apply for visas after a break of more than two years, state media said Thursday, sparking calls by an activist group for foreign travellers to stay away. The country closed its borders to visitors in March 2020 at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to prevent infections rising. It was further isolated after the army toppled the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February […]

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China’s President Xi congratulates Marcos, says he is confident of ‘stronger’ China-Philippines ties

  (Eagle News) — China’s President Xi Jinping has sent his congratulatory message to the Philippines’ president elect former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr on his election as president, adding to the list of world leaders who recognized the landslide win of the son of the late president Ferdinand Marcos. China and the Philippines are neighbors facing each other across the sea and partners through thick and thin, China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as […]

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US congratulates Philippines’ Marcos

The United States said Wednesday it will seek close security ties with the Philippines under its next president, the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In a phone call, US President Joe Biden congratulated Ferdinand Marcos Jr on his recent election win, the White House said late Wednesday Washington time. “President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine Alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide […]

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North Korea reports first Covid-19 outbreak, declares emergency

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has confirmed its first-ever case of Covid-19 and declared a “severe national emergency”, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing to “eliminate” the virus, state media said Thursday. The impoverished, nuclear-armed country has never admitted to a case of Covid-19, with the government imposing a rigid coronavirus blockade of its borders since the start of the pandemic in 2020. But samples taken from patients sick with fever in the […]

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US seeks ‘close partnership’ with Marcos despite ‘challenges’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will seek close security ties with the Philippines under its next president, the son of late president Ferdinand Marcos, despite “challenges” due to historical baggage, a US official said Wednesday. “There are some historical considerations that probably make this — at least initially — there will be some challenges in the communication,” said Kurt Campbell, the top White House official on Asia. “But obviously (the) Philippines plays […]

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Cardinal, pop star among latest Hong Kong security arrests: sources

An elderly Catholic cardinal critical of Beijing and a Cantonese pop star are among a group of veteran democracy advocates who have been arrested under Hong Kong’s national security law, legal and police sources said Wednesday. Those arrested were all trustees of a now-disbanded fund that helped finance demonstrators detained during massive democracy protests that swept Hong Kong three years ago. Retired cleric Cardinal Joseph Zen and singer Denise Ho were among those detained, a […]

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