A billionaire Thai opposition figure accused of defaming the country's monarchy has vowed to keep campaigning for reform, despite facing what he dubbed a "politically motivated" lawsuit.Those convicted under Thailand's strict royal defamation laws can face up to 15 years in jail per charge, and earlier this week a former civil servant was sentenced to more than 43 years for sharing audio clips deemed defamatory to the monarchy. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the f

"People Supremacy, Life Supremacy" reads the sign at a Wuhan exhibition, where visitors are greeted by a paean to China's triumph over the pandemic and the agility of its communist leadership in a crisis. Saturday marks one year since the start of a 76-day lockdown of Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus was first detected before sweeping across the world and killing more than two million people.With China's official death toll from the virus unde

Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States (US) Wednesday with an upbeat call to end the nation's deep schisms as he immediately erased a slew of Donald Trump's most divisive policies.Standing on the steps of the US Capitol that was ransacked by pro-Trump mobs exactly two weeks earlier, Biden was sworn in moments after Kamala Harris took the oath as America's first woman vice president."Democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and at this hour, my friends,

A year has passed and the world is still at war with the coronavirus pandemic. However, towards the end of 2020 – on 10 November to be exact – an announcement by Pfizer regarding its coronavirus vaccine raised hopes of an end to the worst pandemic in a century. Today, a number of vaccines have been approved for emergency use in various countries.Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic is “far from over,” said Tedros Adhnom, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

An emotional President-elect Joe Biden flew to Washington Tuesday on the eve of his inauguration, as his predecessor Donald Trump - who will snub Biden's swearing-in - for the first time wished success to the new administration.Tears rolled down Biden's cheeks at a farewell ceremony in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he paid tribute to his late son and rising politician Beau, before catching a plane to the capital."I only have one regret, that he's not here,&qu

A Thai woman accused of insulting the royal family was jailed Tuesday for more than 43 years, a legal rights group said, the harshest punishment ever handed out under the country’s strict lese majeste laws.The verdict comes as Thailand ramps up its use of the controversial legislation against democracy protesters, whose demands include reforms to the ultra-powerful monarchy.Ostensibly meant to shield the royal family from defamation, insults or threats, section 112 of the penal code is routin

China and the World Health Organization (WHO) could have acted faster to avert catastrophe during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, a panel of independent experts has concluded.The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said its evaluation of the start of the crisis in China "suggests that there was potential for early signs to have been acted on more rapidly".Containment measures should have been implemented immediately in all countries where transmiss

According to think tank, the Institute for Human Rights and Business, across Southeast Asia, an estimated 10 million migrant workers live and work in major destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Malaysia is home to around two million documented migrant workers, comprising about 15 percent of the country’s total workforce. In neighbouring Singapore where its population is over five million, roughly one million people are in the foreign work force.

Students piled bamboo canes and stationery in front of Thailand's Ministry of Education and splashed crimson paint on it to protest corporal punishment, one of several protests that took place across the capital on Saturday.

China will donate one million doses of its Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to Cambodia, the kingdom's strongman premier Hun Sen has said, thanking "friend" Beijing for its generosity. Cambodia has long been a staunch ally of Beijing, receiving billions of dollars in soft loans and investment from China.While many countries reacted early in the pandemic by closing its borders to Chinese travellers, Hun Sen refused, and even travelled to Beijing to meet with leader Xi Jinpin