Religious and world leaders have condemned a series of blasts in Sri Lanka that killed at least 290 people on Sunday, including dozens of foreigners with British, Dutch and American citizens believed to be among them.Japan also confirmed one of its citizens was among those killed by the bombs which ripped through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services.Here is a summary of the reactions:Pope: 'Cruel violence'Pope Francis expressed his sadness over the attacks during his

A series of eight devastating bomb blasts ripped through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka on Sunday, killing at least 207 people, including dozens of foreigners.The apparently coordinated attacks were the deadliest to hit the country in the decade since the end of a bloody civil war that killed up to 100,000 people and evoked painful memories for many Sri Lankans.They also marked a devastating escalation of violence against the country's Christian minorit

Human rights are fundamental to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, or religion. However, due to the diverse cultures and varying political structures in Southeast Asia, tackling human rights issues remains a major hurdle for the region.

A Buddhist monk fishes out a vial of cannabis oil from his robe and puts a drop under his tongue –one of many people flocking to a weed festival in north-eastern Thailand, where excitement is building over a medical marijuana boom.Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise marijuana for medical purposes last year, joining a growing list of governments including Canada, Australia, Israel and more than half the states in the United States (US).The global market is forecast

Except for a few bright spots, press freedom in ASEAN continues to be a foreign concept.Self-censorship, restrictions on media access and outdated and oppressive laws are among the reasons Southeast Asia continues to lag behind their global counterparts in the World Press Freedom Index – with half the countries in the region falling one spot in the 180-country index.This year’s edition of the annual index compiled by France’s Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and published on Thursday shows tha

At the Shu Le County Education Centre, a sprawling three-story complex in China’s far west region of Xinjiang, the dormitories feature bars on windows and doors that only lock from the outside.Inside are hundreds of minority Muslim Uighurs who have no way of leaving without an official escort, even though Chinese officials who took a group of foreign journalists around the “transformation through education” camp this week insisted they were there voluntarily.

Malaysia will revive a US$34 billion Chinese-backed transport and property development that was abandoned in 2017, the prime minister said Friday, adding the project would contribute to Beijing’s global infrastructure drive.The announcement came after the countries agreed this month to resume work on a previously suspended railway project in Malaysia, and is the latest sign of improving ties after a rocky period.The 140-billion-ringgit (US$34 billion) Bandar Malaysia development in Kuala Lump

While vote counting continues for Indonesia’s recently concluded election, reports have come out that incumbent, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo already enjoys a comfortable lead over former general and rival, Prabowo Subianto, at least according to the unofficial results. The official results are only due sometime next month, but a series of so-called "quick counts" by pollsters have shown that Jokowi has managed to garner as much as a 11 percentage points lead over his rival.&nb

Indonesia pulled off a complex yet peaceful election across its vast – and ethnically diverse – island territory this week, cementing its place as a democratic beacon in a sea of authoritarian governments, analysts say.But the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation still faces a spike in militant Islam and myriad other challenges.On Wednesday, the sprawling Southeast Asian archipelago saw as many as 190 million voters cast ballots to elect a new president, parliamentarians and local legi

Indonesia's Joko Widodo said Thursday his re-election as head of the world's third-biggest democracy was all but assured, calling for calm as his firebrand ex-general rival insisted he had in fact won the nation's top job.Widodo, 57, said he had received phone calls from world leaders to congratulate him on his country's biggest-ever election, but added he would await the final results before formally declaring victory.He cited a series of so-called "quick counts&quot