An American warship sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the United States (US) Navy has said, challenging Beijing's claims on the resource-rich waterway and prompting a warning from the Chinese military.The Thursday operation came a day after China fired ballistic missiles into the sea as part of ongoing live-fire exercises, inflaming already high tensions between Washington and Beijing.The US regularly conducts "freedom of navigation operations" in

Relatives of missing Thai activists pleaded Thursday for a long-stalled bill criminalising political disappearances to be made into law, as calls for accountability grow louder from a burgeoning youth-led pro-democracy movement.Thailand has seen weeks of near-daily protests by students demanding an overhaul of the military-aligned government and reforms to the monarchy - long a taboo subject in the kingdom.One of the catalysts for the movement was the disappearance in June of Wanchalearm Sats

A lockdown in Myanmar's conflict-stricken Rakhine was expanded late Wednesday to the entire state, halting the movement of more than three million people as the number of coronavirus cases steadily climbs.More than 100 new infections were confirmed across Myanmar in 36 hours - the largest jump so far - bringing the total to 580, with most new cases in the northwestern state.Rakhine is one of the poorest states in the country, with substandard healthcare facilities and a lack of access to

Two female suicide attackers who carried out a double bombing in the southern Philippines were the widows of militants who had worked for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group, the army chief said Wednesday.The pair blew themselves up in a coordinated attack on Jolo island in Muslim-majority Sulu province on Monday, killing or wounding scores of security forces and civilians in the country's deadliest attack this year.The death toll from the blasts has risen to 15 with 74 wounded, th

Almost a million Rohingya refugees stuck in Bangladesh marked three years since escaping from Myanmar on Tuesday, with coronavirus forcing them to hold a day-long "silent protest" inside their flimsy, leaky huts.An August 2017 military operation that has triggered genocide charges at the United Nation's (UN) top court drove 750,000 Rohingya out of Myanmar's Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh, to join 200,000 who fled earlier.Three years later, and with no work or d

Facebook said Tuesday it would file a legal challenge against a Thai government order to take down a group where pro-democracy activists held discussions about the monarchy, a taboo subject in the country.A growing tide of youth-led protests has swept Thailand in recent weeks - buoyed by anger against what many regard as an illegitimate, military-aligned government and an overly powerful royal family.The private Facebook group, called "Royalist Marketplace", was created in April and

At least 14 people were killed and 75 wounded - including members of the security forces and civilians - in twin bombings Monday involving a suicide attacker on a southern Philippine island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants, officials said.The apparently coordinated attacks happened in Jolo in Muslim-majority Sulu, where government-backed security forces have long been fighting the Abu Sayyaf group.Seven soldiers, a police officer, and six civilians were killed in the two bombings, t

Malaysian police insisted Monday there was no indication a French-Irish teenager was kidnapped from a jungle resort, as an inquest began into the girl's death following her disappearance while on holiday.The body of Nora Quoirin, a 15-year-old with learning difficulties, was discovered unclothed last year after a massive hunt through the rainforest but authorities said there was no sign of foul play.However, her parents - who believe there was a criminal element to her death, as they say

The sentencing of an Australian white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand - and live-streamed the massacre - was set to begin amid tight security in a Christchurch court on Monday.The court building - where Brenton Tarrant will hear statements from 66 survivors - was sealed off with large orange barriers as armed police stood guard.Sniffer dogs checked lines of court staff and media queueing at security points on a grey, rainy morning in the South Island city.&nbsp

Rohingya in Myanmar's conflict-wracked Rakhine state expressed fears Sunday of a coronavirus outbreak reaching their overcrowded camps, after a spate of infections sent the state capital into lockdown.Nearly 130,000 Rohingya Muslims live in what Amnesty International describes as "apartheid" conditions in camps around Sittwe.The city has recorded 48 cases in the past week, making up more than 10 percent of the about 400 cases so far registered in Myanmar."We are extremely