TOKYO, April 12 — Japan’s population fell 595,000 from a year earlier to a total of 124,352,000 as of October 1, declining for the 13th consecutive year, government data showed Friday, as reported by Kyodo news agency.

GAZA, April 12 — At least 25 civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Gaza Strip Friday.

LONDON, April 12 — Social media giant Meta has been urged to reverse the lowering of the minimum age to use WhatsApp.

TOKYO, April 12 — Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.5 per cent to a record low in the fiscal year through March 2023, government data showed on Friday, helped by reduced emissions in the industrial and service sectors.

TOKYO, April 12 — Oil prices rose in early trade on Friday on heightened tensions in the Middle East, where Iran has promised to retaliate for a suspected Israeli air strike on its embassy in Syria, which could risk disruptions to supply from the oil-producing region.

WASHINGTON, April 12 — O.J.

SINGAPORE, April 12 — Singapore’s central bank left its monetary policy unchanged today, in line with expectations, as authorities looked for signs inflation in the city-state was moderating before they consider loosening settings.

BEIJING, April 11 — China has banned the senior executives of two United States (US) defence companies from entering the country and froze their property in response to their arms sales to Taiwan, said its Foreign Ministry today.

CAIRO, April 11 — Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip yesterday, as confirmed by the group and Haniyeh's family.

SEOUL, April 11 — South Korea's liberal opposition parties scored a landslide victory in the Parliamentary election yesterday, dealing a resounding blow to President Yoon Suk-yeol and his conservative party but falling just short of a supermajority.

MANILA, April 11 — Developing Asia's growth this year is expected to be slightly stronger than previously forecast as healthy domestic demand in many economies offsets the property-driven slowdown in China, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said today.

MANILA — The upcoming trilateral summit between the United States (US), Philippines, and Japan will include an agreement to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

HANOI, April 11 — Vietnam has ordered Netflix Inc to stop advertising and distributing its games in the country before April 25 as the United States streaming platform has not yet been granted a license for games services, its broadcasting authority said today.

BANGKOK, April 11 — Thailand's prosecutors have pushed back until next month a hearing that will decide whether to indict former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on charges of insulting the monarchy as the investigation into the case has not been completed.

SEOUL, April 10 — South Korea's opposition bloc, including the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was expected to sweep over 200 seats in today's Parliamentary elections, in what would be a crushing defeat for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and President Yoon Suk-yeol.

BANGKOK, April 10 — Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin extended Hari Raya Aidilfitri wishes to all Muslims today.

HONG KONG, April 10 — A fire broke out in a densely populated residential building in Hong Kong's bustling Kowloon district today, killing five people and injuring 35 others, said the city's hospital authority and fire services.

SEOUL, April 10 — South Koreans voted to elect a new Parliament today in a bitterly fought race seen by some analysts as a referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose popularity has suffered amid a cost-of-living crisis and a spate of political scandals.

SINGAPORE, April 10 — Singaporean authority registered 9,783 e-commerce scam cases in 2023, more than doubling the 4,762 cases in 2022, according to a report issued by the Home Affairs Ministry today, reported Xinhua.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 — Muslims in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri tomorrow.