The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to pursue trust-building measures to advance a fragile ceasefire and establish peace, after rare talks over last year’s deadly fighting between the two neighbours.
Troops remain deployed on both sides of their long-disputed 817km (508-mile) border after battles in July and December when skirmishes quickly escalated into air strikes and heavy exchanges of artillery and rockets.
The Philippines, which is hosting Asean meetings on the island…
Singapore isolates 2 residents linked to MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
Two Singapore residents who were on board the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius are currently being isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where they are being tested for the virus.
“Their test results are pending. One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low,” the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
CDA said it was notified on Monday and Tuesday that the…
Stars could move swiftly to protect image as Taylor lodges AI trademarks
A move by global pop icon Taylor Swift to trademark her voice marks the latest step in celebrity fears over AI manipulation, according to an intellectual property expert.
Bus and oil tanker collide in Indonesia, killing at least 16 people
A passenger bus collided head-on with a fuel tanker truck on a highway on Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people and injuring four others, officials said.
The crash occurred around midday on the Trans-Sumatra Highway in North Musi Rawas regency of South Sumatra province, when an intercity bus carrying at least 20 people struck a tanker truck travelling in the opposite direction, said Mugono, a local disaster management agency official.
Mugono, who uses a single name…
Vietnam, India seek closer ties to hedge against dependence on superpowers
A visit by Vietnam’s leader to India is set to enhance New Delhi’s growing influence with Hanoi while allowing the Southeast Asian country to hedge against China in the event of any escalation in maritime disputes.
Vietnamese President To Lam’s trip underscores concerns from both countries of being “overly dependent” on any superpower, according to political analysts.
Lam arrived in Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day visit, marking his first trip to India since assuming office. The visit coincides…
Finding balance in using AI for workforce management in South Africa
AI is increasingly used in South African workplaces to monitor productivity, generate performance scores and trigger warnings. In high-volume environments, these tools can offer real operational value by improving consistency, reducing inappropriate subjectivity and enabling more data-driven assessments of employee contribution, thus enhancing fairness.
Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers
Japan’s defence minister pledged to deepen military cooperation with the Philippines during a visit Tuesday to Manila, aiming for the “early transfer” of Abukuma-class destroyers to the archipelago nation.
The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years, including the signing of a reciprocal access agreement allowing for the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit came as…
Philippine VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment case heads to plenary vote amid coercion claims
The Philippine House of Representatives has moved Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment closer to a decisive vote, the first step in a week-long process that will test whether allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr have enough support to send the case to a Senate trial.
The House placed the impeachment on its plenary agenda on Tuesday, a day after its justice committee endorsed the case, setting up a possible vote by all lawmakers on whether Duterte-Carpio should stand trial in the…
Viral video of Bangladeshi father saving baby under moving train raises safety concerns
A Bangladeshi man who jumped onto the train tracks to shield his baby with his body as a train ran over them has gained kudos but also criticism from social media users after a video went viral.
The family had been travelling on the Dhaka-bound Titas commuter train at Bhairab Railway Station, according to a report by Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Sun.
When the train, which was delayed by about 1½ hours, pulled into the station at about 3.30pm on Tuesday, the family reportedly failed to get…
Can Malaysia’s Umno reclaim role as pillar of Malay political power with solo election bid?
Malaysia’s Umno is making a heady gamble by planning to strike out on its own, experts say, as the former ruling party looks to rally support from among the country’s Malay-Muslim majority in preparation for national polls that must be called in less than two years from now.
Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Sunday said the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that the party led was “almost certain” of standing alone in the coming general election, after more than three years as a junior partner…