News Headlines

Anxiety, loneliness, lack of societal acceptance and limited job opportunities are some challenges faced by returning migrant workers trying to reintegrate back to their home communities. CNA looks at what is being done to help them in the final part of a series on Southeast Asia's migrant workers.

Amid talk of a merger with Indonesian rival GoTo, Grab sends a message about balancing strong growth and sustained profitability, says Momentum Works’ Li Jianggan.

The prime minister said that the contribution reflects Malaysia’s responsibility and solidarity as the 2025 ASEAN chair, adding that he has instructed Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan to lead a humanitarian mission to Myanmar.

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan also announced the government’s contribution of S$150,000 (US$111,850) to support the Singapore Red Cross’ fundraising efforts.

Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar has been further hit by the destruction brought by the massive earthquake, which has killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

During his visit to Japan, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the two countries stood firmly together in the face of "aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese."

Police have launched a probe into the 56-year-old man, suspected of mistakenly starting the country's worst wildfires in history which have killed 30 people and burned more than 48,000ha of forest.

A joint statement was released following a Seoul meeting attended by South Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun, his Japanese counterpart Yoji Muto, and China's Wang Wentao.

The massive earthquake has killed about 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who is in Asia on his first official visit, called Japan a "cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific".

Friday’s (Mar 28) 7.7-magnitude quake has come at a vulnerable moment for the country after four years of military rule and civil war that has crippled infrastructure and displaced millions, humanitarian agencies say.

The contingent will be carrying an array of portable urban search and rescue equipment, as well as life detection devices and fibre-optic scopes.

Meanwhile, ASEAN chair Malaysia has deployed a 10-member team from its national disaster management agency to Myanmar and will send another 40 people on Sunday.

About 80 workers are still unaccounted for after a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed near the Chatuchak weekend market. 

Thousands have been displaced and 28 people died in the fires that broke out last week, with at least 18 designated heritage sites or objects being destroyed or damaged.

A public fundraising appeal will also be launched soon.

The arrest of Mehmet Pehlivan, who represents jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, adds to mounting concerns over Türkiye’s sweeping response to nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar alone, with more than 730 injured. 

“It was pretty bad. The ground, table, lights, everything was wobbling,” a woman who is on a business trip in Thailand told CNA.

About 100 million less people are expected on Indonesia's roads in this annual exodus for the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar, with tremors felt across the region.

A report late last year estimated that about half of people aged 20 and more in Thailand could be casino players, providing a base for the country to potentially become the world's third-largest gambling destination.

The blazes that began in Uiseong have become the biggest single forest fire in South Korea's history, destroying an area equivalent to about two-thirds of the island of Singapore.

Pakistan’s trade with Gulf nations was more than US$19 billion last year, and is central to the country's trade ambitions.

Notwithstanding a marginal increase in organ transplant rates over the past two years, Malaysia must undertake considerable efforts to enhance these numbers, says one expert. 

Manila wants to assert its sovereignty, but it also needs roads, bridges and power plants. Pragmatism, not ideology, is driving development finance decisions, say the Lowy Institute’s Alexandre Dayant and Grace Stanhope.

"Nasi lemak", "otak-otak" and "fish head curry" have also made their way into the dictionary.