Leaderless, social media-savvy and inspired by Hong Kong's young activists, Thailand's budding pro-democracy movement is intent on overhauling the government, rewriting the constitution and even taking on a law that shields the monarchy.The kingdom has seen a decades-long spin-cycle of coups and violent street protests led by well-funded veterans for or against the establishment.But the new generation of demonstrators says its fight is very different, as they stage near-daily protes

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will be a guinea pig for a controversial Russian coronavirus vaccine, his spokesman said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian nation emerged as a frontrunner for overseas clinical trials.Moscow says it has developed the world's first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the virus and is in the final stage of tests involving 2,000 people.However, Western scientists have previously raised concerns about the speed of development of R

China is trying to turn democratic Taiwan into another Hong Kong, the island's foreign minister warned Tuesday as he met with a senior US official making a historic diplomatic trip.A crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong has gathered pace since China imposed a sweeping security law on the financial hub in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested.That has caused alarm in Taiwan, a self-ruled island of 23 million people that Beijing claims as its own territory and

A United States (US) cabinet member heaped praise on Taiwan's democracy and its success in battling the coronavirus as he met the island's leader on Monday during a historic visit that China has slammed as a threat to peace.Health Secretary Alex Azar is in Taipei for a three-day visit billed as the highest-level visit from the US since it switched diplomatic recognition from the island to China in 1979.His trip comes as relations between the United States and China are in tumult, wi

Young Thai protesters listened in rapt attention on Monday night as a pro-democracy activist called for open discussion of the unassailable monarchy's role in the kingdom, at a rally in Bangkok that drew thousands. The massive demonstration comes after weeks of near-daily student-led protests denouncing Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha's military-aligned administration. The student-led movement has repeatedly demanded a rewrite to a 2017 constitution, the parliament'

A ban by President Donald Trump's administration on Chinese mobile apps such as TikTok and WeChat risks fragmenting an already fragile global internet and creating an American version of China's "Great Firewall."Fears about the global internet ecosystem intensified this week with Trump's executive orders banning the popular video app TikTok and Chinese social network WeChat, following a United States (US) government directive to prohibit the use of other "untrust

A flash mob of hundreds took to Bangkok's streets Saturday to protest against the arrest of two pro-democracy activists – the latest outburst of anger in a movement increasingly vocal in its demand for reforms in Thailand.The kingdom has seen near-daily rallies in recent weeks with mainly young protesters denouncing the government of former military leader Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.Two protest leaders were arrested Friday evening on eight charges, including sedition and breaking c

Malaysia's ex-finance minister, now a key opposition figure, was charged with corruption Friday over a US$1.5 billion construction project, the latest government critic to be targeted since a scandal-plagued party returned to power.Lim Guan Eng is the highest-profile figure yet to face a criminal probe in a sweeping crackdown on dissent launched by the new administration, and says the case against him is politically motivated.A crowd of journalists and supporters, including fellow MPs, w

The United States (US) has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.Here are some key facts about the platforms:What Is WeChat?WeChat, known as "weixin" or micro-message in Chinese, belongs to tech giant Tencent and has grown to become ubiquitous in daily life across China since its 2011 launch.It has more than a billion monthly users and is a "super app" used for everything from

Coronavirus cases worldwide passed 19 million Thursday, as European nations imposed new travel restrictions and containment measures with fears growing over a second wave of infections.The global figure, compiled by AFP from official sources at 2300 GMT, was driven by surges in Latin America and India - and a new milestone in Africa as the continent hit one million cases.Global deaths from the pandemic have topped 700,000, and Europe remains the hardest-hit region worldwide with more than 200