Asia News Feeds

The border between Australia’s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday, following an outbreak of the coronavirus in his state.

Rescue workers in Japan on Monday combed through the wreckage of houses shattered by deadly floods and landslides in a desperate search for survivors as the death toll rose and more torrential rain loomed.

The first closure of the border since the pandemic began follows a sharp rise in cases in Melbourne.

The North Korean refugees who have donated 7,000 sets of PPE to care homes in the north of England.

Wooing the public typically involves lots of physical interaction, but this vote’s a little different.

Tipped to be the first female prime minister of Japan, Yuriko Koike has been re-elected for a second term as governor of Tokyo. The former defense minister has been praised for the capital’s response to the pandemic.

Prominent activist Joshua Wong says the measure is “one step away from actual book banning”.

Dozens of people are now confirmed or presumed dead amid floods and landslides triggered by torrential downpours on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. The bad conditions are hampering search and rescue operations.

About 34 people are either confirmed or feared dead — including 14 at a nursing home — after torrential rain in Japan triggered massive floods and mudslides, authorities said Sunday.

At least 16 people have died and a dozen are missing on the island of Kyushu amid devastating rains.

Sri Lankan authorities insist on cremation for coronavirus victims. Some Muslims says its discrimination.

Indian-born Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Asian to sit in the House of Commons.

Radio 1 Newsbeat ask people from South Asian backgrounds about using of skin-lightening products.

The TraceTogether Token is designed to make an app more effective, but worries privacy campaigners.

Heavy rainfall on one of Japan’s main islands, Kyushu, has triggered severe flooding and landslides. More than a dozen people are presumed dead and tens of thousands have been urged to leave their homes.

Nagaland has prohibited the sale, import and trade of dogs to be used for food, in a move celebrated by activists. An estimated 30,000 dogs a year were smuggled and reportedly "beaten to death with wooden clubs."

The 36-year-old was bitten on the leg in waters near Queensland’s popular Fraser Island.

Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have started to disappear from the territory’s libraries, online records show, days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the finance hub.

Animal rights groups say a ban on the sale of dog meat in Nagaland is a milestone.

Bhawarlal Sujani breathed his last at the doorstep of a hospital that had refused to admit him.

Japan had no lockdown, it has an elderly population – so why haven’t more people died from Covid-19?

As Yo! Sushi prepares to reopen some restaurants in England, it has had to adapt its conveyor belt system.

Following a deadly mudslide that left 160 jade miners dead in northern Myanmar, experts say that a lack of enforcement of safety regulations keeps laborers working under hazardous conditions.

Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has denied telling a German newspaper that he "asked the German government to call out injustice" in the city. Wong said "the content of the report is inaccurate."

Staff in Singapore’s hotels are preparing for a very different kind of summer season.

While independent media outlets flounder amid mass revenue losses due to the nationwide lockdown, the Nepalese government has turned its focus to boosting state-run media. Lekhanath Pandey reports from Kathmandu.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation on Thursday to penalize banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement Beijing’s draconian new national security law on Hong Kong, sending it to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature.

He trained in electrical engineering, but Nasim Yousufzai’s life is about metal sculptures and creations.

Law said he fled overseas due to Beijing’s national security law imposed on the city. His announcement came as the local government made one of the most popular slogans of the city’s pro-democracy protests illegal. 

For those already battling infectious diseases in India, their suffering is compounded with the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Tanika Godbole reports from New Delhi.

A Turkish drama has become all the rage as millions are glued to the screen amid the pandemic. The show received widespread criticism for not only its violent, nationalist content, but also for historical inaccuracies.

With the postponed Games due to open on July 23, 2021, many people question whether coronavirus pandemic will have been brought under control. Julian Ryall reports from Tokyo.

A day after the UK said they will open up a path to citizenship for 3 million Hong Kong residents because of a controversial new Chinese security law, Beijing has threatened London with "corresponding measures."

Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit has become the latest exiled government critic to be abducted.

Marvel’s first Islamic superhero will play a leading role in the forthcoming Avengers video game.

Britain has extended Hong Kong residents a broader path to citizenship in response to China’s sweeping new security law for the former UK territory. China warned Britain on Thursday that it would consider retaliating for the move with “commensurate measures”.

New crimes with severe penalties – what the security law brought in by China means in practice.

The public healthcare system in Pakistan is on the brink of collapse as health authorities struggle to cope with an increasing number of coronavirus cases. S. Khan reports from Islamabad.

India’s coronavirus crisis has pushed millions into forced isolation and unemployment. Health experts warn that anxiety, depression and suicide are on the rise and that mental health could be the country’s next crisis.

Officers have arrested 370 protesters in Hong Kong, ten of whom were held for violating China’s new security law. They also fired water cannons and pepper spray at demonstrators.

Hong Kong police made their first arrests under a new national security law imposed by Beijing, detaining protesters on Wednesday for carrying flags and signs calling for Hong Kong’s independence, as Britain accused China of a “clear and serious” breach of their handover agreement.

Pork is China’s favourite meat dish, but will new meat substitutes tempt consumers to give up meat?

False and misleading reports have surged in the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing threats to security, New Delhi has banned dozens of Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser. Many young users of Chinese apps have hailed the government’s decision amid rising tensions with China.

Pro-democracy supporters say the move does not represent most Hong Kong people.

Prime Minister Imran Khan told parliament he had "no doubt" that India was behind a deadly attack on the stock exchange building in Karachi. Four gunmen attacked the building with grenades and left several dead.

A new virus discovered during a study on Chinese pig farms could become a potential "pandemic virus," according to researchers. Antibody tests also revealed that over 10% of pig farmers had already been infected by it.

Pro-democracy figures have described the security law as a "death knell" for Hong Kong. They worry that the law will "utterly change" the lives of millions in a newly created "puppet city" for mainland authorities.

Experts say they are confused at why the coronavirus cases have not declined in the hot summer months in Japan and warn of a "very dangerous" situation when the flu season arrives. Julian Ryall reports from Tokyo.

“The law marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before,” one activist said as he quit.

China passed national security legislation for Hong Kong on Tuesday, setting the stage for the most radical changes to the former British colony’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule almost exactly 23 years ago.

Six months on from the novel coronavirus outbreak, the WHO said Monday it was sending a team to China to work towards finding the source — as it warned the pandemic was far from over.

Indian authorities banned dozens of mostly Chinese apps, including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser, saying they were "prejudicial" to India’s defense, security and public order. The move follows a deadly border clash.

Pakistan has announced it will ground 262 airline pilots whose credentials may have been falsified. A probe into their qualifications claimed that the pilots cheated on their exams or had others sit in their place.

A fresh COVID-19 cluster has forced Chinese authorities to impose a strict lockdown in a province near the capital Beijing. Officials warn the coronavirus outbreak remains "severe and complicated."

Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government. 

India now has more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to government figures released Saturday that showed a record daily leap of 18,500 new infections.

The coronavirus outbreak has not abated in Pakistan, where infections could top one million on current trends. According to the World Health Organization, it is seeing one of the fastest spreads of the virus anywhere in the world. But for now, Pakistani authorities have ruled out imposing a new nationwide lockdown.

The European Union told China on Monday to make good on a promise to open up its economy and warned of “very negative consequences” if Beijing goes ahead with a new security law on Hong Kong that the West says will curtail basic rights.

China will set up a “national security agency” in Hong Kong to oversee a forthcoming new law aimed at cracking down on dissent in the city, state media said on Saturday.

A “sophisticated state-based actor” has been attempting to hack a wide range of Australian organisations for months and had stepped up its efforts recently, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Indian newspapers and Chinese state media are demanding a continuation of dialogue after a bloody incident on the border. From an Indian perspective, however, New Delhi must "wake up" and assess Beijing’s push for power.

Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in aggressive posturing at multiple locations in the Himalayan region. Now, many Indians are calling for a boycott of Chinese products, including social media apps like TikTok.