JAKARTA, July 19 — The Indonesian authorities are set to block social media applications and online sites including Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp in several days if they fail to register with the country's Ministry of Communications and Informatics, reported Xinhua.

BANGKOK, July 19 — Thailand’s tourism industry hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic is set to generate revenue up to 2.38 trillion baht in 2023.

BANGKOK, July 19 — Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha fended off accusations of corruption and economic mismanagement in a televised session of parliament on Tuesday, as a censure debate got underway seeking to dent his credibility with an election due within 11 months.

TOKYO, July 19 — Over 400,000 people in western Japan have been advised to evacuate amid heavy rains and risks of flooding, reported Sputnik quoting NHK.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Venezuela's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asia, the Middle East and Oceania Capaya Rodriguez González said her country is very keen on joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) to forge a more productive relationship with the regional grouping.

COLOMBO, July 18 — Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency, according to a government notice released late on Sunday, as his administration seeks to quell social unrest and tackle an economic crisis gripping the island nation.

REUTERS, July 18 — Singer Jennifer Lopez and actor Ben Affleck have obtained a license to get married in Las Vegas, a local official said Sunday, after the celebrity couple rekindled a romance almost 20 years after they first got together.

RAMALLAH, July 16 — United States President Joe Biden voiced support for the two-state solution to the entrenched Israeli-Palestinian conflict and vowed to provide US$300 million aid to the Palestinians during a short stay in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday as part of his first diplomatic tour in the Middle East.

SEOUL, July 16 — South Korea's new Covid-19 cases reached a 66-day high at over 41,000 on Saturday amid the spread of a highly contagious new Omicron subvariant.

WASHINGTON, July 16 — The United States House of Representatives voted largely along party lines on Friday to restore federal abortion rights, though it is unlikely the Senate will follow suit, reported Anadolu Agency.

JAKARTA, July 15 — Indonesia plans to bring in new rules on its palm oil export levy and incentives soon to boost exports and empty storage tanks, an official said, the latest attempt to boost shipments after the ending of an export ban in May.

COLOMBO/SINGAPORE, July 15 — Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, a spokesperson for the parliament speaker said, hours after fleeing to Singapore following mass protests over an economic meltdown.

WASHINGTON, July 14 — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to further downgrade its global growth projection later in July, Sputnik reported, quoting IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday.

NUSA DUA, July 14 — Indonesia and India on Thursday underscored a call by emerging nations for more climate change financing, warning that rising energy prices due to the Ukraine war would make it difficult for countries to cut emissions.

WELLINGTON, July 14 — The New Zealand government on Thursday announced free masks and rapid antigen tests as it tries to stem the spread of Covid-19 and relieve pressure on the country's health system which is dealing with an influx of Covid and influenza patients.

REUTERS, July 14 — Netflix Inc said on Wednesday it has selected Microsoft Corp as technology and sales partner for its planned ad-supported subscription offering, as the streaming giant looks to plug slowing subscriber growth by rolling out a cheaper plan.

LONDON, July 14 — Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is due to appear in a London court on Thursday where he is expected to enter a plea to accusations of sex offences dating back almost 20 years.

SINGAPORE, July 14 — Singapore's economy grew 4.8 per cent in the second quarter, missing forecasts, preliminary data showed on Thursday.

ANKARA, July 13 — Annual consumer inflation in the United States (US) rose 9.1 per cent in June, marking the largest 12-month increase since November 1981, the US Department of Labour announced on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, July 13 — Former President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton admitted on Tuesday that he was involved in planning coups in foreign countries, reported Anadolu Agency.