On 8 February, an armed gunman entered the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima (popularly known as Korat), and began shooting indiscriminately and taking hostages.Sergeant Major Jakrapanth Thomma embarked on a rampage that lasted 18 hours and resulted in the killing of 30 people. The shooter himself was later gunned down as he hid in the seven-storey shopping mall.

A US cruise ship blocked from several Asian ports over concerns that a passenger could have been infected with the new coronavirus docked at a Cambodian pier Thursday, as frustrated holidaymakers expressed hope their ordeal may soon be over.The Westerdam was supposed to be taking its 1,455 passengers on a dream 14-day cruise around east Asia, beginning in Hong Kong on 1 February and disembarking on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan.But the ship was turned away from Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Tai

Elephant parks unvisited, curios at markets unsold as tuk-tuks sit idle: Southeast Asia is facing billions of dollars in losses from a collapse in Chinese tourism since the outbreak of a deadly new coronavirus.From Luang Prabang in northern Laos to Pattaya in Thailand, Hoi An in Vietnam and the Cambodian casino town of Sihanoukville, takings have plummeted as Chinese travellers find themselves subject to a host of restrictions at home and abroad."We haven't had any Chinese for 10 da

Some of the most rapidly ageing countries in the world can be found in Southeast Asia. The population of Singapore over the age of 65 is expected to reach 26.6 percent in 2035, whereas the ageing population in Thailand is expected to reach 22.8 percent.

More than 1,500 dead from the novel coronavirus in China. The first fatality recorded outside Asia and the first case in Africa. Here are the latest developments.More than 1,500 deadThe death toll from China's epidemic jumps to 1,523, with more than 66,000 people now infected from the virus that emerged in central Hubei province in December, before spreading through China and around the world.The number of new cases on Saturday was 2,641, or about half the number of the previous day.

It was supposed to be a whirlwind tour of China for Jiang Lanyi's boyfriend: classical gardens in Suzhou, modern art in Shanghai, ice-skating in central Beijing.Instead, the 24-year-old and her Ukrainian partner have spent more than two weeks holed up in her parents' house in northeast Liaoning province to avoid the new coronavirus.Couples around China settled for a quiet Valentine's Day this year, with COVID-19 intruding as an unwelcome third-wheel in romantic celebrations.The

More than 10,000 people in villages near Vietnam's capital were placed under quarantine Thursday after six cases of the deadly new coronavirus were discovered there, authorities said. In the first mass quarantine outside of China since the virus emerged there in late December, the Son Loi farming region about 40 kilometres from Hanoi will be locked down for 20 days, the health ministry said. Checkpoints have been set up around the six villages that make up Son Loi, repo

Indonesia has said it will not bring home nearly 700 hundred nationals who joined the Islamic State group in the Middle East over security fears, but added it would still consider repatriating young children.The issue sharply divided the world's biggest Muslim majority nation with its president saying this week that he was not in favour of bringing back suspected militants and their families who went to Syria and other countries to fight for the group's now crumbled caliphate.Securi

Boeing issued a stark warning Wednesday about the impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, saying there was "no question" it would hammer the aviation industry and the broader economy.The virus has killed more than 1,100 people and infected tens of thousands in China, and spread to over two dozen other countries in what is now considered a global health emergency.Major airlines have halted flights in and out of China, where a lockdown has been imposed in the worst-affected areas,

On 6 February, the world celebrated International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which aims to raise awareness and to eradicate the practice. Anti-FGM activists and organisations are calling FGM a crime against women and girls. Several countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) have made FGM illegal and it is considered a form of child abuse. Anyone who performs FGM in the UK can face imprisonment for up to 14 years.