Online misinformation is leaching out from cheap mobile phones and free Facebook plans used by millions in the Philippines, convincing many to reject vaccinations for polio and other deadly diseases.Childhood immunisation rates have plummeted in the country - from 87 percent in 2014 to 68 percent - resulting in a measles epidemic and the re-emergence of polio last year.A highly politicised campaign that led to the withdrawal of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in 2017 is widely seen as one of the mai

Western views of China have soured sharply amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with record numbers in major developed countries seeing the Asian power unfavourably, a survey showed Tuesday.The 14-nation study by the Pew Research Center found a sharp deterioration of perceptions on China in the United States (US), where President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to pin blame on Beijing for the pandemic.73 percent of Americans see China unfavourably, an increase of nearly 20 percentage points since T

To date, over 35.7 million people worldwide have been infected with COVID-19. While Southeast Asia accounts for less than 10 percent of the total number of cases reported across the globe, some countries in the region have seen a surge in coronavirus cases in the past few weeks.

Relentless gunfire, lynched bodies, frenzied mobs - the horrific violence Krisadang Nutcharut witnessed at Thammasat University more than 40 years ago propelled him into a legal career now spent defending Thailand's young pro-democracy activists.Like many survivors, he regards October 6, 1976, as one of the darkest days in his country's history, when security forces and royalist militias murdered dozens of youngsters in the middle of Bangkok."It wasn't an equal battle - it

Outraged over ongoing discrimination in Myanmar, Myo Min Tun decided to stand as the first openly gay election candidate in a country where same-sex relations are illegal.His decision to enter the political fray came after transgender friends told him how they had suffered police harassment.The officers allegedly forced them to remove their bras and kneel in humiliating positions before touching them inappropriately, Myo Min Tun told the media. "This was a violation of their rig

Cambodia has razed a United States (US)-funded defence facility on its southern coast, the deputy prime minister confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.The Wall Street Journal reported last year on a secret draft deal allowing China to dock warships at the Ream naval base near the kingdom's coastal city of Sihanoukville. But Cambodia - awash in recent years with Chinese inves

Interpol has issued a "red notice" to arrest the fugitive Thai heir to the Red Bull billions for his role in a fatal hit-and-run, police said Sunday. The move by the international police organisation is the latest in the years-long saga surrounding Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya who crashed his Ferrari in 2012, killing a police officer.The charges against Vorayuth, who is the grandson of Red Bull's co-founder, were dropped in July - sparking public outrage from Th

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday opened a Himalayan tunnel that will drastically reduce the time needed to rush troops to the country's remote Chinese border as tensions grow between the Asian neighbours.The tunnel traverses India's northern Himachal Pradesh state and lies on one of two main routes for troops headed to border areas in Ladakh.20 Indian and an unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed in June during a deadly clash in Ladakh, which shares a

Xi Jinping's vow to snuff out emissions by 2060 completes a diplomatic pirouette that moves China to the heart of the global green agenda, wrong-foots the United States (US) and cuddles up to Europe's climate advocates in one nimble step.The Chinese leader last month chose the United Nations (UN) as the stage for his country's unexpected pledge to reach peak coal use by 2030 and go carbon neutral three decades later.The announcement gives China – the world's biggest pollut

Donald Trump's chief of staff said Friday the president was experiencing "mild symptoms" of COVID-19, after the bombshell news of his infection upended the White House race a month before the Republican faces challenger Joe Biden at the polls.The 74-year-old Trump – who has continued to cast doubt on the seriousness of the pandemic, even as the United States (US) death toll topped 200,000 – announced in an overnight tweet that he and First Lady Melania Trump, 50, had tested pos