Malaysia partially lifted on Tuesday a ban on chicken exports that was aimed at fighting domestic shortages but sent prices soaring in neighbouring Singapore, sparking squawks of protest.However, the curbs are only being eased on a small number of chicken types – and not the one most commonly exported to Singapore – meaning the impact could be limited.The halt on exports of 3.6 million chickens a month, which began on 1 June, was the latest protectionist step in Asia as prices of everyday goo

United States (US) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday blasted China's "provocative, destabilising" military activity near Taiwan, as well as Beijing's growing aggression across the wider Asia-Pacific region.Tensions between Washington and Beijing are soaring over democratic, self-ruled Taiwan, which China views as its territory and has vowed to seize one day, by force if necessary.Beijing has conducted dozens of incursions into Taiwan's air defence zone this y

Beijing will "not hesitate to start a war" if Taiwan declares independence, China's defence minister warned his United States (US) counterpart Friday, the latest salvo between the superpowers over the island.The warning from Wei Fenghe came as he held his first face-to-face meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on the side-lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.Beijing views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to one day

Rachel Chong loves chicken rice so much she eats it three times a week."It is number one on my list. It's comfort food [and] it's easily accessible," she says. A standard order at Ah Keat Chicken Rice, a stall where she eats, costs S$4 (US$2.90).For many Singaporeans, a plate of poached or roasted chicken on a bed of fragrant rice is a favourite meal. It's often referred to as the country's national dish.

The only post on Tan Mei Qian's Instagram profile is a picture of her and two friends delivering a letter to Singapore's President.The letter contained a request to spare the life of Datchinamurthy Kataiah, a 36-year-old man who has been languishing on death row for the past seven years.His crime – trafficking 44 grams of heroin, around three tablespoons worth, into Singapore."The media is heavily censored.

A mentally disabled Malaysian man was executed in Singapore on Wednesday, his family said, after losing a long legal battle and despite a storm of international criticism and appeals for clemency.Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for trafficking a small amount of heroin into the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest drugs laws, and handed a death sentence the following year.The plan to hang him sparked widespread criticism due to concerns about his intellectual

Singapore fully reopened its borders to all vaccinated visitors Friday after a two-year coronavirus closure, with arrivals saying it felt "wonderful" to travel again without onerous restrictions.The aviation hub, a key gateway for people arriving in Asia, joins other countries in the region that have recently dropped travel curbs as they shift to living with COVID-19.Previously, only travellers from a handful of places could enter Singapore without quarantining but from Friday all v

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States (US) is forging "strongly" ahead on its growing Asia-Pacific priorities, despite the crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Hosting Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Oval Office, Biden said the world's "rules-based order" faces "unprecedented challenges," but that Washington has not been distracted by the Ukraine war."Even as we address the crisis in Europe, my adm

Singapore will lift restrictions for all vaccinated travellers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday hailing it as a "major milestone" in the aviation hub's efforts to live with COVID-19.The city-state is the latest Asian country to ease travel restrictions in a region that has generally been more reluctant to lift barriers than Europe and North America.A gateway for many travellers arriving in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore had already started quarantine

Seven people died and dozens more were injured when a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Friday, with residents shuttling loved ones to safety as buildings crumbled around them.The quake came just minutes after a less violent tremor, as terrified residents had begun evacuating their houses."We all fled our home (after the first quake)," Yudi Prama Agustino, 36, told AFP.