BANGKOK — Thailand's return to economic growth of about three per cent is "definitely possible" within three years if it can tackle some of its structural issues, a deputy central bank governor said on Wednesday (Oct 14), signalling alignment with the government's stance.The Bank of Thailand's monetary policy will remain accommodative for now and the policy rate, currently at 1.00 per cent, […]

SEOUL — North Korea said it had tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday (Oct 14) to verify its navy's mission capabilities and the reliability of its war deterrent, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.Pyongyang has pushed ahead with trying to develop modern missile submarines, as well as ballistic and cruise missile developments, test-launching them […]

The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers discussed the state of bilateral co-operation as well as the crises in Ukraine and Iran during an Asia security meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (Oct 14).Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping reaffirmed their strategic alliance at a regional summit last August and both praised prospects for closer […]

DILI/JAKARTA — East Timor shut its schools for three days in response to intensifying smoke and haze from Indonesia's wildfires.The East Timor government said in a statement that it was suspending face-to-face learning activities for three days starting from Oct 15 "due to contamination by pollutant particles from wildfires in neighbouring regions or countries".East Timor did not identify […]

RIYADH/DUBAI — Yemen's Houthis vowed on Wednesday (Oct 14) to press on with attacks on airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, a day after a strike that sources said caused extensive damage to the headquarters of oil giant Saudi Aramco.The Houthis said the threatened locations were legitimate targets and described their attacks as retaliation for Saudi strikes on Yemen — […]

A woman in India narrowly avoided a fatal collision by clinging to the bumper of a truck headed towards her while her scooter was crushed underneath its wheels.The near-miss reportedly occurred on Oct 7 along a two-way street in the western state of Maharashtra as the woman was riding a scooter.A video shows the sand-laden truck emerging from a side street, speeding as it turns into the two-way […]

A tiny white cat dressed in a miniature Gojek jacket has captured hearts online after appearing in an Instagram (IG) video filmed in Bali.The video, uploaded on Tuesday (Oct 13) by mindset and confidence coach Chloe Lawless, had garnered more than 111,000 views by Wednesday evening.Perched on the back of a motorbike in its tiny green jacket, the feline earned the playful nickname of Bali's […]

HANOI — Vietnam and the US have nearly completed negotiations covering a trade deal, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc said on Wednesday (Oct 14) at an event in Hanoi, though US officials appeared more cautious.Export-reliant Vietnam has been in talks for more than a year with the US, its main foreign market, to avoid punitive tariffs. Trump administration officials have […]

BANGKOK — Asian countries must remind themselves about what happened during the region's financial crisis in the late 1990s and guard against a recurrence of such shocks, the head of the Philippine central bank said on Wednesday (Oct 14).Before the Asian financial crisis started in 1997, regional economies saw huge capital inflows that prompted the World Bank to describe it as the "East […]

BEIJING/TAIPEI — Taiwan must "bear the consequences" of its Coast Guard using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near an atoll in the South China Sea, a Chinese government spokesperson said on Wednesday (Oct 14), as Taipei reported a rise in military activities.A Taiwan Coast Guard ship this month fired its water cannon, saying the boat failed to respond to warnings to move away […]