International investigators on Wednesday charged three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder over the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the first people to face justice over the tragedy five years ago in which 298 people were killed.The trial of the four men with military and intelligence links will start in the Netherlands in March next year, although they are likely to be tried in absentia as neither Russia nor Ukraine extradites their nationals.Moscow slammed the "absolut

The United Nations (UN) has warned it will pare back aid to thousands of Rohingya Muslims left destitute as Myanmar's government closes camps in Rakhine state, over fears its continued support "risks entrenching segregation".Aid agencies are facing an increasingly sharp dilemma in the region as they balance relief for desperate communities with leverage over the government.The majority of Myanmar's Rohingya were driven into Bangladesh by a 2017 army crackdown, but around 4

President Donald Trump launched his 2020 reelection campaign Tuesday, whipping up a crowd of at least 20,000 with a nationalist boast about the United States (US) economy being the "envy" of the world and warning that opposition Democrats want to "destroy" the country.Promising the packed arena in Orlando, Florida an "earthquake at the ballot box," Trump said: "We did it once and we're going to do it again – and this time we're go

The sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the disputed South China Sea was "just a collision", the Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday as he moved to soothe anger over the crash.The typically brash Duterte urged calm in his first public comments about the June 9 incident, which has fed into outrage over China's expansive claims to the resource-rich waterway.Critics have voiced anger over the Chinese trawler's failure to rescue the 22

Ultra-nationalist monks in Myanmar accepted a cash donation from the military on Monday while condemning Aung San Suu Kyi and her government for allowing Rohingya Muslims to enter the country "illegally".Hundreds of monks swathed in saffron and maroon robes filed early morning into a Yangon monastery for the annual meeting of the Buddha Dhamma Parahita Foundation.The group was known as Ma Ba Tha until a ban by the government and religious authorities in 2017 aimed at curbing its inf

Hong Kong stocks rallied Monday, leading most Asian markets higher after last week's losses, with investors cheering a decision by the city to suspend plans to push through a controversial extradition law.Investors are also moving cautiously ahead of two huge market-moving events: the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week with its plans for interest rates in focus, and the G20 summit next week where Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping are due to hold trade talks.Investors returne

Thailand’s economy may be in for far more turbulence than anticipated after the March elections. Social unrest has risen and consumer confidence has sagged since the poll, which this month saw parliament return junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha to power. Critics have denounced the election as rigged in favour of the pro-military camp, and foreign investors are holding back.

Top executives in Hong Kong have warned they will have "no reason to stay" if the city's freedoms are damaged by a proposed bill allowing extradition to mainland China.In a trend that could be damning for the international finance hub, some businesses say they would consider moving if the controversial bill – which has provoked a huge backlash in the city – is passed. "Hong Kong is a jewel," the French boss of an investment company said on the condition of an

Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the Gulf of Oman, bumping up oil prices and further raising regional tensions triggered by a bitter United States (US)-Iran standoff.The strikes on Thursday follow last month's sabotage attacks on four ships off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Washington blamed on Tehran.Amid rising fears of a conflict, here is what we know:What happened?In the early daylight hours of Thursday, two vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards

Myanmar and Lao PDR look to be the biggest winners of an ASEAN plan to boost connectivity with a series of infrastructure projects.The regional bloc unveiled a list of 19 projects in the Initial Rolling Priority Pipeline of Potential ASEAN Infrastructure Projects (Initial Pipeline) on Monday, one of the initiatives under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.The 19 projects in seven countries cover transport, energy, and information and communication technology, sectors which will contri