TAOYUAN, Jan 18 — The head of Taiwan's delegation to next week's inauguration of Donald Trump as United States (US) president said he was going there to extend the island's "highest blessings" to the US.

TOKYO, Jan 18 — More than 5,400 people died in Japan over the past 30 years due to severe stress and exhaustion caused by evacuation following earthquakes and other natural disasters, Kyodo News reported.

BEIJING, Jan 18 — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing is ready to work with Hanoi to build a community with a shared future of strategic significance, China's official Xinhua news agency reported today.

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 — TikTok warned that it will go dark in the United States (US) on Sunday unless President Joe Biden's administration provides assurances to companies like Apple and Google that it will not face enforcement actions when a ban takes effect.

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the global economy to grow by 3.3 per cent both in 2025 and 2026, lagging behind the 2000-2019 average of 3.7 per cent, according to the latest World Economic Outlook report published on Friday.

JAKARTA, Jan 17 — Indonesia has welcomed a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that supports the archipelago nation in its dispute over "palm oil discrimination" by the European Union (EU), government ministers said today, reported Xinhua.

LANGKAWI, Jan 17 — The ongoing Myanmar crisis and tensions in the South China Sea will feature in the discussions at the Asean Foreign Ministers' (AMM) Retreat here at the weekend, according to Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin.

BRUSSELS, Jan 17 — The European Commission said it is stepping up its investigation into whether Elon Musk's social media network X (formerly Twitter) breached EU rules on content moderation with requests for information and an order for it to retain relevant documents.

ISTANBUL, Jan 17 — A Pakistani court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to jail time on Friday over a graft case related to the Al Qadir University Trust, Anadolu Agency reported.

Seoul, Jan 17 — Investigators found bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air jet that crashed in South Korea last month, killing 179 people, a person familiar with the probe told Reuters today.

BEIJING, Jan 17 — China's economy ended 2024 on better footing than expected helped by a flurry of stimulus measures, although the threat of a new trade war with the United States and weak domestic demand could hurt confidence in a broader recovery this year.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 17 — Two months away from what she says is her 120th birthday, Deolira Gliceria Pedro da Silva, a great-grandmother from the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is rushing to be recognized as the world’s oldest living person by the Guinness World Records.

NEW YORK, Jan 17 — Chinese social media app RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, gained nearly three million US users in one day earlier this week as a flood of self-proclaimed ‘TikTok Refugees’ joined, according to new data from analytics firm Similarweb.

BEIJING, Jan 17 — China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday called on Southeast Asian countries to take strong measures to crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud, urging the "relevant" nations to shoulder their responsibilities.

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 — United States (US) President Joe Biden said an oligarchy is forming in the US that threatens democracy, issuing the bleak warning on Wednesday in his final Oval Office speech as he prepares to hand over power to Donald Trump next week.

MANILA, Jan 16 — The Philippines and China agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their disagreements in the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said today, as heated rows persist over vessels deployed around disputed features.

BANGKOK, Jan 16 — The Thai government has expressed interest in collaborating with Malaysia on digital governance to enhance the quality of life for its citizens.

DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Jan 16 — The Gaza Strip suffered from Israel's intensified strikes hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said, as mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce's start on Sunday.

MOSCOW, Jan 16 — United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump is considering using an executive order to prevent the TikTok app from being banned in the United States (US), citing people familiar with the matter, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

SHANGHAI, Jan 16 — Users of the Chinese social media app RedNote welcomed “TikTok refugees” from the United States with selfies and messages yesterday, as Beijing said it encourages stronger cultural ties with other countries in response to the sudden influx.