The Islamic State group's self-proclaimed "caliphate" may have collapsed in the Middle East but Asia provides fertile territory for a resurrection, analysts say, as last month's bloody Easter Sunday suicide attacks in Sri Lanka have shown.Factors including poverty, discrimination, radicalisation via social media, weak governance, and poor gathering and sharing of intelligence mean the region is vulnerable to attacks by extremists operating under the IS (Islamic State) bann

A balding man with a backpack slung over his right shoulder walks across a crowded airport concourse, stopping to look up at the departure board to find his flight to Macau.As he stands in front of an automatic check in machine, he is grabbed from behind and something is put over his face. The incident lasts just over two seconds.The blurry CCTV footage from airport cameras makes it impossible to see exactly what is happening.

Thailand's Queen Suthida, the former deputy head of the royal bodyguard, made her first official public appearance Thursday at the side of Rama X, just days before his coronation. The palace announced late Wednesday that King Maha Vajiralongkorn had married his long-time consort, Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya, and made her his Queen.On Thursday she was seen kneeling alongside the king as they paid their respects to statues of previous Chakri dynasty monarchs in Bangkok'

In baby-blue caps and yellow scout scarves, an army of royal volunteers is sprucing up Thailand before this weekend's coronation – a projection of unity and loyalty to the unassailable crown in a divided kingdom that remains locked in political crisis. The "Jit Arsa" programme – or Spirit Volunteers – has billowed out across Thailand since it was founded in 2017 by Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn ahead of the cremation of his late father Bhumibol Adulyadej.From planting

Bentleys and BMW convertibles roll up to the "Venetian Casino" in Mongla on the Myanmar-China border, a melting pot of sex, drugs and gambling on a frontier that has also become a "supermarket" for illegally traded wildlife.This area of Myanmar is largely self-governed – lying within the country's borders but playing by its own rules, nestled in the eastern range of mountains and cut off from the rest of the country.Instead, the region looks to China. The yua

The billionaire leader of the newest and most dynamic force in Thai politics says he is "prepared" for jail as legal cases besiege his youth-focused party just weeks after it scooped up millions of votes in a general election.Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the charismatic political newcomer whose radical agenda of social and economic reform captured millennial hearts and rattled the ruling junta, appeared at the Election Commission Tuesday to explain a disputed share transfer.It is

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang region during talks with Chinese leaders and stressed that China must fully respect human rights, his spokesman said Monday.Guterres faced calls to speak out on human rights during his visit to Beijing where he attended a summit on Saturday of China's prized Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and held talks with President Xi Jinping.The UN chief delivered a three-point message that s

Indonesia has accused the Vietnamese coastguard of ramming one of its vessels to block the interception of a boat fishing illegally, as a senior minister announced a return to sinking foreign trawlers.The clash in the South China Sea at the weekend saw Jakarta summon Vietnam's ambassador on Monday, after the navy detained a dozen Vietnamese fishermen."The actions taken by the Vietnamese coast guard ship endangered the lives of officers from both countries and is not in accordance wi

The Malaysian government’s decision to revisit the US$34 billion Bandar Malaysia project earlier this month after a two-year stall is the latest infrastructure project to be renegotiated or revived with an eye on appeasing China.The newly-elected Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) ruling coalition embarked on a series of cost-cutting measures after coming to power last May, suspending a series of Chinese-financed projects as it sought to improve the government’s finances and reduce r

One of Joko Widodo’s top political opponents said he’s open to working with the Indonesia president following a disputed election this month, raising hopes for a peaceful outcome.Sandiaga Uno, the vice-presidential pick of challenger Prabowo Subianto, said in an interview he would put national interest first no matter what the outcome of the 17 April election.Prabowo has refused to accept unofficial quick counts that show Widodo, known as Jokowi, has won a second term in office.