Agence France-Presse

Innovation at a Crossroads After Pandemic: UN

In a fresh report, the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) found that research and development spending and other investments that drive innovative activities continued to boom last year despite the still-raging pandemic.

Typhoon Noru Tears across Vietnam, Laos

More than 300,000 people in Vietnam hunkered down in shelters overnight after experts predicted the storm would be one of the biggest to ever hit the country.

Thailand to Legalise Abortion up to 20 Weeks

Terminations of up to 20 weeks would now be permitted, a government statement said Tuesday, adding "the termination will not count as crime". Previously, abortion was punishable by either a fine of up to 10,000 baht ($263) or six months in prison -- or both.

Faith in Hong Kong Press Freedom Sinks to Record Low

Ninety-seven percent of the surveyed journalists said press freedom had gotten "much worse" in the past year, and 93% cited "the government" as the source of suppression

US Asks UN Rights Council to Debate China Rights Abuses

China facing intense scrutiny after former UN report last month cited possible crimes against humanity

Iran Protests Flare for 10th Night as Tensions With West Grow

At least 41 people have been killed in Iran over the past week

Three Chinese Dead After Cambodia Boat Sinking

Kheang Phearom, the spokesman for Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk provincial administration, told AFP rescue teams recovered two more bodies on Saturday, bringing the death toll to three

Taiwan Indicts Nine over Cambodia Human Trafficking Scams

Those indicted in Taiwan include the heads of two human smuggling rings that ran job adverts on social media with promises of "high salaries and easy loans", the Taipei district prosecutors' office said in a statement.

Cambodian Dissident Fights Defamation Claims at French Trial

Rainsy told the court in French that Cambodia was currently a country with "no freedom of expression, where all those who want to tell the truth end up dead, in prison or in exile".

Myanmar's Suu Kyi Sentenced to 3 Years for Electoral Fraud, Source Says

She’s sentenced to ‘three years imprisonment with hard labor’

Cambodian Opposition Figure Faces French Defamation Trial

Dy Vichea has brought a second case against Rainsy over a separate 2019 Facebook post, which will also be heard on Thursday. The judges could take several weeks to deliver a verdict.

Hong Kong Court Orders Search of Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai's Phones

Two phones owned by jailed pro-democracy media owner can be searched on national security grounds and are not protected by journalistic privilege, a senior judge ruled Tuesday

Cambodian Psychiatrist Helping Genocide Survivors Wins 'Asia's Nobel Prize'

He was cited for devoting his life to helping people who suffered under the Khmer Rouge, with a focus on treating "baksbat" -- or "broken courage" -- a syndrome seen in Cambodia that is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Taiwan Says China Drills Deepened International Solidarity

Beijing staged the unprecedented sea and air drills in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Malaysia's Najib Razak: From PM to Prison

Malaysia's highest court on Tuesday upheld Najib's 12-year jail sentence over the theft of cash from state fund 1MDB, slamming shut the door on any further political ambitions the former leader may have held.

LGBTQ Singaporeans Welcome Sex Law Repeal, Decry Marriage Exclusion

Philippine Classrooms Reopen After More Than Two Years

The Philippines is one of the last countries in the world to resume full-time, in-person lessons

Five Arrested in Hong Kong Over Southeast Asia Job Scams

In recent months, victims have reported traveling to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos on false promises of romance or high-paying jobs, and then being detained and forced to work

Dozens of Casino Workers Flee Cambodia by Swimming to Vietnam

About 40 staff with the Golden Phoenix Entertainment Casino in Kandal province -- which neighbours Vietnam -- fought off security guards to escape, leaving one missing after being swept away by the current, Vietnamese state media reported.

UN Rights Chief to Visit Rohingya Camps in Bangladesh

"The high commissioner will also travel to Cox's Bazar where she will be able to visit camps housing Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and meet with refugees, officials and non-governmental organisations," her office said in a statement.