INCREASING DEFENCE BUDGET Japan on Friday said it will hike defence spending by more than a quarter next year including US$1.6 billion to buy US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles that will be part of its biggest military build-up since World War II. The 26.3 per cent increase to a record 6.82Continue Reading
SEOUL: South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch was made on Friday (Dec 23) but gave no further details like what type of weapon North Korea fired and how far it flew. The launchContinue Reading
KATHMANDU, Nepal: French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, responsible for multiple murders of young foreigners in the 1970s across Asia, was freed on Friday (Dec 23) after spending almost 20 years in a Nepali jail. Sobhraj, 78, whose life was chronicled in the successful series “The Serpent”, was driven out ofContinue Reading
Nicknamed the “bikini killer”, Charles Sobhraj was eventually linked to more than 20 murders.Continue Reading
Prayut had been widely expected to leave his Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which leads the ruling coalition. PPRP has announced its leader and acting deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan will be the party’s candidate in the election. Prayut and Prawit both served in Thailand’s military and their political fortunes have beenContinue Reading
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian states of Selangor and Sarawak are the latest to be hit by flash floods, with five relief centres opened across the two states as of Friday (Dec 23). In Selangor, the Secretariat for the State Disaster Management Committee said that two flood relief centres were openedContinue Reading
BANGKOK: Thailand saw 10.9 million arrivals between January and Dec 20 this year, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasor told an online briefing on Friday (Dec 23). “The top markets were Malaysia, India and Laos,” he said, adding that arrivals could exceed 11.5 million arrivals for the full year.Continue Reading
According to data from cybersecurity company Surfshark, India ranks sixth globally in terms of digital attacks.Continue Reading
Hong Kong has no shortage of tech entrepreneurs with ideas, but investors are slow to put money into projects.Continue Reading
The eastern city of Hangzhou on Thursday urged citizens to place medicine orders “rationally” based on their needs. “Do not blindly hoard medicines … Leave them to the people who really need them,” read a notice from the city’s market supervisory administration. One expert told AFP the bottleneck in suppliesContinue Reading