DUBAI, April 18 — The United Arab Emirates is still grappling on Thursday with the aftermath of a record-breaking storm this week that brought much of the country to a standstill.

RAMALLAH, April 18 — World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday, renewed calls to provide protection for all hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

MANILA, April 18 — The Philippines' decision to ramp up ties with Japan and the United States is a "sovereign choice", its foreign ministry said on Thursday, urging China to "reflect upon its own actions" in the South China Sea.

TOKYO, April 18 — Toyota Motor has recalled more than 135,000 Prius hybrid cars in Japan and suspended taking new orders for the model due to a problem with rear door handles.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17—The Asean Foundation, with support from Google.org, has recently launched a regional initiative known as the Asean Digital Literacy Programme (Asean DLP), aimed at enhancing digital literacy among various groups in the region.

JAKARTA, April 17 — Apple Inc will look into building a manufacturing facility in Indonesia, its chief executive officer said today after meeting President Joko Widodo, who hoped the tech giant would increase its local content by partnering with domestic firms.

WASHINGTON, April 17 — The United Nations (UN) Security Council is expected to vote soon on Algeria's draft resolution recommending Palestine's admission as a member.

DUBAI, April 17 — Dubai International Airport said on Wednesday it was experiencing significant disruption due to bad weather and was working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

LISBON, April 17 — The Telegram messaging app, one of the most popular social media platforms in Ukraine and Russia, will likely cross one billion active monthly users within a year, its founder said in remarks published on Tuesday.

HONG KONG, April 17 — Morgan Stanley is cutting at least 50 investment banking jobs in the Asia-Pacific region due to a deals slump, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

YANGON, April 17 — 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.

LONDON, April 17 — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Tuesday that escalation in the Middle East was in no one's interest after Britain helped Israel repel a direct aerial attack by Iran on Saturday.

NEW YORK, April 17 — A United Nations Security Council committee considering an application by the Palestinian Authority to become a full UN member "was unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on whether it met the criteria, according to the committee report seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

ISTANBUL, April 16 — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its global economic growth forecast for 2024 upwards to 3.2 per cent, 0.1 percentage point higher than an earlier estimate from January.

HANOI, April 16 — Apple Inc wants to boost its investment in Vietnam, state media quoted the United States (US) tech giant's chief executive officer Tim Cook as saying in Hanoi today.

JAKARTA, April 16 — A search-and-rescue team has found two more bodies in landslides in Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, bringing the death toll to 20, the National Disaster Management Agency said today.

GAZA CITY, April 16 — The Palestinian group Hamas has insisted it will not agree to the release of any hostages without the Israeli army's complete withdrawal from Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes across the enclave.

SYDNEY, April 16 — At least four people were wounded, including a bishop with a global online following, in a knife attack during a service at a church in a suburb of Sydney on Monday, police and witnesses said, triggering clashes between angry residents and police.

WASHINGTON, April 16 — The top US diplomat for East Asia discussed Middle East developments, the South China Sea and Taiwan issues with Chinese counterparts in Beijing, the State Department said on Monday, the latest effort by the two countries to stabilise rocky ties.

JAKARTA, April 15 — The Health Ministry has issued an early warning asking local and foreign tourists to remain alert against dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is on the rise in Bali, reported ANTARA News Agency.