SINGAPORE – Teva sandals, aviator glasses, a mullet and a Yamaha C40 guitar – peak 90s energy. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 24 joined the viral “What were you like in the 90s?” trend on Instagram and TikTok, offering a glimpse of his younger days and a notably different hairstyle. He wrote: “Flashback to the 90s – university days, music, NS, that first job. Somehow it all went by so quickly!” The 20-second video was set to American rock band Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit Iris. The trend is part of a wider TikTok and Instagram Reels trend, which…
Author: Asia News Network
BEIJING – A covert investigation by China Central Television has revealed that some live fish sold in aquatic markets may be sedated with illegally used alcohol and unapproved chemicals. In response, market regulators across the country have begun cracking down on practices that harm consumer interests. The findings came after more than two months of undercover reporting by CCTV’s financial news team, which visited aquatic markets, fish producers, and catering businesses across the country. At one aquatic market in Chongqing, CCTV reporters observed that large quantities of live fish transported over long distances arrived in a “dormant” state. The fish…
JAKARTA – Several political parties in the governing coalition and cabinet members have voiced support for a proposal to cut executive and legislative officials’ salaries as part of broader austerity measures to mitigate the economic impact of the ongoing United States-Israeli war on Iran. President Prabowo Subianto floated the pay cut idea in his speech at a plenary cabinet session on March 13, one week before the Idul Fitri holiday, in which he stressed the need for Indonesia to take proactive measures to mitigate growing uncertainty in global energy markets, triggered by the war in the Middle East. He cited…
ISLAMABAD – Question remains whether path to peace will see Islamabad hosting dialogue between the warring parties. With the US-Israel war on Iran in its fourth week, Pakistan has stepped onto the diplomatic stage amid high-stakes wrangling to end the hostilities. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that it wants an end to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. And with the situation fluctuating by the hour, Islamabad has emerged as a potential venue for talks between the two sides. Here’s what we know so far. Rumours abound Since the conflict began on Feb 28, Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership has…
BANGKOK – With the Songkran festival less than three weeks away, on April 13, many Thais would usually have bought advance bus tickets by now to return to their home towns. But amid uncertainty over the supply of fuel in the country, less than half of the bus tickets have been sold, operators told The Straits Times, compared with about 80 per cent in previous years at around the same time before the festival. Some consumers are dragging their feet over buying bus tickets, worried about rising costs. Transport operators are also monitoring the situation. The Thai Transportation Operators Association,…
SEOUL – North Korean workers deployed to Russia are subjected to grueling work shifts, constant surveillance and severe wage deductions, with some left taking home as little as $10 a month, according to a report released Wednesday by a human rights group. The Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance, citing interviews with 21 North Korean laborers at construction sites in Russia, said workers typically labored around 14 hours a day for up to 364 days a year. “I felt like they thought our lives were worth no more than insects,” one 50-year-old worker said in an interview with GRC. The use of…
ISLAMABAD – “The official with knowledge of the details of the proposal, speaking exclusively to Press TV, said Iran will not allow US President Donald Trump to dictate the timing of the war’s end,” the report said. The development came after it emerged that Pakistan had delivered a proposal from the US to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkiye could be venues for discussions to de-escalate the war in the Gulf. According to the report, the official said, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.“ The official also emphasised…
TOKYO – The government will release oil from the national reserve beginning Thursday to help shield the economy from the Middle East conflict, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday. “Maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, is critically important, also from the standpoint of securing stable energy supplies,” Takaichi said during a meeting of Cabinet members on the Middle East crisis at the Prime Minister’s Office. She also stressed that electricity and gas prices would not rise immediately. Takaichi instructed ministers, including Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, to…
ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to host “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the US and Iran. “Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said,…
JAKARTA – Early on March 6, a 61-year-old motorcyclist riding along the busy Jalan Lingkar Timur in Sidoarjo, East Java, fell into a large pothole, was run over by a passing truck and died. Twelve hours later, officials from the city government attended a lavish iftar (breaking fast) event. The Bollywood-themed event at the Graha Unesa convention centre featured elephant sculpture decorations and extravagant costumes. Sidoarjo regional secretary Fenny Apridawati, who organised the iftar, posted a video of the event on her Instagram account. The video – now deleted – drew dozens of angry comments from netizens who saw it…