Myanmar has returned dozens of Rohingya to camps in conflict-wracked Rakhine state, officials said Thursday, after arresting them at sea as they tried to flee what rights groups brand as "apartheid" conditions.A group of 42 Rohingya Muslims - including two children - was detained last Thursday offshore of Bogale in Ayeyarwady region, said local police.The long-persecuted Rohingya are widely regarded as illegal immigrants in Myanmar, refused citizenship and unable to travel freely.On

At least 7,000 health workers worldwide have died after being infected with the coronavirus, including more than 1,300 in Mexico alone, the most for any country, Amnesty International said Thursday."Every health worker has the right to be safe at work, and it is a scandal that so many are paying the ultimate price," said Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at the London-based rights group."Many months into the pandemic, health workers are still dying at horrific

The Khmer Rouge's interrogator-in-chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his alias Duch, died Wednesday in Cambodia's capital at the age of 77. The former teacher ran a notorious prison for the regime, overseeing the deaths of some 15,000 people - a fraction of the estimated two million who died.Here's what we know about the Khmer Rouge.Who Were They? The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 under the leadership of "Brother Number One&

A Thai royal consort who was purged for "disloyalty" after running afoul of the Queen has made a sudden and unexpected comeback, with the king reinstating her titles.Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was stripped of her rank and titles last year just three months after she became the consort, accused on national television of "disloyalty" and "ambition" to match the position of Queen Suthida.She has not been seen in public since October, but that looks set to change.&quot

The Philippines will not follow the United States (US) lead in blacklisting Chinese companies involved in the construction of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea (SCS), the president's spokesman said Tuesday, arguing Manila needed Beijing's investment.Washington last week announced sanctions against 24 Chinese state-owned companies - including subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Co, which is involved in a US$10 billion airport project in Manila.The US ha

Officials in hazmat suits paraded empty coffins through the streets of Jakarta on Tuesday to remind residents that coronavirus cases are still surging in one of Asia's worst-hit nations.A convoy of truck hearses and pallbearers snaked its way through crowded neighbourhoods, with some participants also donning headpieces depicting ghost-like figures known as ‘pocong’."We're hoping this coffin parade will remind people to be more aware of the risk of disobeying health safety rule

Thailand delayed on Monday its US$724 million purchase of two submarines from China, following public outrage over the controversial deal as the kingdom's economy flatlines due to the coronavirus pandemic.Under a 2015 deal, Thailand was one of the first countries to buy Chinese naval hardware and finalised its purchase of three submarines in 2017, with the first one expected to be delivered in 2023.An order for two more for THB22.5 billion (US$723.9 million) was approved earlier this mon

Anchor Dhobie de Guzman has been the face of a popular news show in the northern Philippines for more than a decade.

Global coronavirus infections soared past 25 million on Sunday, as countries around the world further tightened restrictions to try to stop the rampaging pandemic.A million additional cases have been detected globally roughly every four days since mid-July, according to an AFP tally, with India on Sunday setting the record for the highest single-day rise in cases with 78,761.The surge in India, home to 1.3 billion people, came as the government further eased lockdown restrictions over the wee

German police Saturday halted a Berlin march by thousands opposed to coronavirus restrictions in the biggest of several European protests against anti-virus curbs and masks to halt the pandemic.With new COVID-19 cases on the rise, European nations are starting to tighten controls while trying to avoid the major lockdowns imposed earlier this year to contain the outbreak that has killed more than 800,000 worldwide.Across the globe, governments are struggling to revive economies already battere