North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from "fever", days after officially confirming its first-ever COVID-19 cases and ordering nationwide lockdowns.The outbreak, which leader Kim Jong-un has said is causing "great upheaval", leaves a country with one of the world's worst healthcare systems on the edge of potential disaster.North Korea has no COVID vaccines, antiviral treatment drugs or mass-testing capacity.While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus bl

Thousands of monks celebrated the birth of Buddha at a junta-organised event in Mandalay on Saturday, highlighting a division in the clergy since last year's coup in Myanmar.Since the coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, more than 1,800 people have died in a brutal military crackdown on dissent, according to a monitoring group.Some monks have joined street protests opposing the power grab, while other religious leaders have defended the military junta.Ahead of Buddha's

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Intense Battles In The East Intense fighting rages in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, where Russia has been concentrating its forces without making significant progress.Ukrainian forces repulsed Russian attempts to cross a river and encircle the city of Severodonetsk, says Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the eastern Luhansk region."There's heavy fighting on the border with Donetsk region, from the side of Popasna,&quot

The United States (US) and European Union (EU) led an international outcry Saturday after Israeli police charged the funeral procession in Jerusalem of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and beat pallbearers who almost dropped her coffin.Thousands of people packed Jerusalem's Old City on Friday for the burial of the veteran Al Jazeera journalist, two days after she was killed in an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank.Television footage showed the pallbearers struggling to s

Leaving a fine mist of disinfectant in their wake, China's hazmat-clad health workers are cleaning homes, roads, parcels and even people – but more than two years into the pandemic, experts say it is a futile measure against COVID-19.China is tied to a zero-COVID strategy, wielding snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines as part of unrelenting efforts to quash virus outbreaks no matter the cost to the economy or freedoms of its people.Among its arsenal of virus controls is d

Myanmar's junta on Friday slammed the United States (US) for snubbing it at a regional summit and meeting with opposition leaders, and instead lauded its ties with "powerful" China.Washington has repeatedly denounced the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government last year, and the US government has imposed sanctions on top figures in Myanmar's military.Myanmar was represented by an empty chair at a summit this week between US President Joe Biden and leaders of th

Philippine presidential runner-up Leni Robredo vowed Friday to focus on "fighting lies" as she urged supporters to accept election results showing the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos had won by a landslide.Robredo was the last obstacle to the Marcos family completing a decades-long climb back to the peak of power in the country they left impoverished when they were ousted in 1986.After narrowly beating Ferdinand Marcos Junior in the 2016 vice presidential race, Robredo, 57,

Since early April protesters had been demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda, his prime minister, quit for leading the country to economic ruin – but this week saw a decisive turning point.First, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, triggering deadly clashes across the country.

Russia faced mounting accusations of war crimes in Ukraine Friday including forcing thousands of people into interrogation camps, as the number of refugees reported to have fled the conflict surpassed six million.The Russian invasion has also led to a seismic policy change by Finland, whose leaders said Thursday the previously neutral nation must apply to join NATO "without delay" – triggering a blunt warning of retaliation from the Kremlin.Throughout the 11-week conflict, Russian f

President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Southeast Asian leaders to Washington with promises to support clean energy and maritime security, hoping to showcase a United States commitment as China makes wide inroads.Top leaders from eight of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) flew to Washington for the two-day summit, which opened with a closed-door White House dinner of thyme poached chicken and vanilla ice cream.The Biden administration, which took office des