NAYPIDAW, August 1 — Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be pardoned for five of the numerous offences for which she was jailed for a total of 33 years, state media reported today.

NARATHIWAT, July 30 — A massive explosion that occurred at a warehouse for fireworks and pyrotechnics in southern Thailand's Narathiwat province on Saturday (July 29) killed nine people and injured 117 others.

TOKYO, July 28 — Japan welcomed a thaw in relations with South Korea in its annual defence paper on Friday but otherwise offered a gloomy assessment of the threat of China's territorial ambitions, its security partnership with Russia, and a belligerent North Korea.

DUBLIN, July 27 — Sinead O'Connor, the Irish singer known for her stirring voice, 1990 chart-topping hit Nothing Compares 2 U and outspoken views, has died at the age of 56, Irish media quoted her family as saying on Wednesday.

Phnom Penh, July 26 — Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday he will step down and hand over power to his son next month, ending a near four-decade reign that has in recent years overseen an erosion of democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

SYDNEY, July 26 — An Australian court ordered Facebook owner Meta Platforms to pay fines totalling A$20 million (RM61.58 million) for collecting user data through a smartphone application advertised as a way to protect privacy without disclosing its actions.

BANGKOK, July 26 — Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been in self-exile for 15 years, plans to return to Thailand on August 10.

TOKYO, July 26 — Japan's population continues to shrink at a record pace, with the number of Japanese falling to 122.4 million, 801,000 fewer than a year earlier.

NAYPYITAW, July 26 — Myanmar's military government may move ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest in the capital, Naypyitaw, two media outlets reported on Wednesday.

TANGERANG, July 26 — Shell and Chevron's agreements to sell stakes in major Indonesian gas projects to Pertamina, Petronas, and Eni will unleash development at the fields, enabling the country to boost its flagging output, the buyers said.

BANGKOK, July 25 — The speaker of Thailand’s Parliament today postponed a vote for the next prime minister by the two houses of the legislature, media reported, as a political deadlock drags on more than two months after a May general election.

BANGKOK, July 24 — Thailand's Office of the Ombudsman has petitioned the Constitutional Court to postpone Thursday’s (July 27) vote for a new prime minister until it rules on the legality of the Parliament vote to deny the renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

JAKARTA, July 24 — Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn has offered his congratulations to Cambodian election officials for the smooth election day on Sunday.

PHNOM PENH, July 24 — Cambodia's ruling party said on Monday it had won the majority of parliamentary seats in a weekend election, as critics including the United States slammed the poll as 'neither free nor fair'.

JAKARTA, July 24 — Indonesian authorities recovered the bodies of 15 passengers and were searching for another 19 people missing after a small ferry capsized during a short 20-minute journey near Sulawesi island, the national search and rescue agency said on Monday.

PHNOM PENH, July 23 — Polls opened in a one-sided election in Cambodia on Sunday that is certain to prolong the ruling party's dominance of politics, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world's longest-serving premiers.

JAKARTA, July 23 — A group of seven Malaysian tourists were reported safe after the boat they were on sank in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, on Saturday (July 22).

KABUL, July 21 — For the last eight years, Marzia Reyazee has supported her family with the earnings from her female-only beauty salon in Afghanistan, a business she spent more than US$18,000 (RM82,107) setting up.

MANILA, July 21 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said today his government will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into the thousands of killings committed during his predecessor’s “war on drugs”.

SYDNEY, July 21 — Australia today launched a “national well-being” dashboard of indicators to measure progress on issues like health, education and the environment, one that it hopes will lead to a better balance between economic and social objectives.