SINGAPORE – Move over, Moo Deng, because 2026 looks to be the year of Japanese baby macaque Punch and his stuffed orang utan from Ikea. The seven-month-old male monkey – who was abandoned by his mother soon after birth at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo – and his soft toy became a global sensation over the weekend, thanks to clips of Punch seeking comfort in his plushie, even as he struggled to integrate with the rest of his monkey community.And now, the 36cm Djungelskog orang utan plushie beloved by Punch – which retails for $19.90 – is sold out at the…
Author: Asia News Network
ISLAMABAD – In a post on the social media platform X, he said, “Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately and effectively, silencing the Taliban aggression.” He said that any further provocation would be responded to “immediately and severely”. He said Pakistan would “continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity”. The development comes after Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan over the weekend, with an official saying that “more than 80” terrorists had been killed in the air strikes. The strikes were the most extensive military engagement between the two…
JAKARTA – Most cities and regencies in Indonesia are failing to enforce single-use plastic restrictions, a situation worsened by inadequate monitoring systems and budgets needed to meet the national target of phasing out the use of plastics by 2030, a new report has found. The report, published in late January by nonprofit Dietplastik Indonesia, formerly known as Diet Kantong Plastik (Plastic Bag Diet) movement, analyzed 101 regulations restricting throwaway plastics, such as shopping bags, food containers, cups and bottles, that were issued in 27 out of 38 provinces across the country. Most regulations take the form of city- or regency-level…
THE HAGUE – The so-called “Kill List,” or a record of names tagged as drug personalities paraded by Rodrigo Duterte during his presidency, led to a spate of killings of narco-politicians and crime suspects, including children and the poor, the prosecution told the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday. On the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing, Edward Jeremy, trial lawyer for the prosecution, cited the “PRRD List,” also known in media reports as the “Kill List,” to establish that Duterte was criminally responsible for the murder and attempted murder of 59 individuals. The number comprises the 14…
SEOUL – South Korean investors holding a stake in Tesla — the most widely owned US stock in the country — could face a 22 percent capital gains tax if Elon Musk proceeds with a potential merger between Tesla and SpaceX. Speculation has intensified after SpaceX merged with artificial intelligence startup xAI earlier this month, fueling talk that Musk may integrate the combined entity with Tesla to accelerate his AI ambitions. For Korean shareholders, however, the issue is not strategy, but taxation. If Tesla and SpaceX merge under a newly established holding company, existing Tesla shares would likely be exchanged…
SEOUL – The Trump administration’s decision to launch a Section 301 investigation — following a US court ruling that invalidated its reciprocal tariff policy — is once again putting South Korea’s digital regulations under scrutiny. In Seoul, the move has raised concerns that policies affecting US technology firms could face renewed trade pressure from Washington. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said Friday it would initiate Section 301 investigations into major trading partners over what it described as discriminatory treatment of US companies and digital goods and services. Under Section 301, Washington can impose tariffs or other trade…
SEOUL – South Korea and Brazil have agreed to strengthen cooperation to crack down on scams in which perpetrators impersonate Koreans or spread false information about K-pop performances and travel programs. Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-seong of the Korea National Police Agency signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with Andrei Passos Rodrigues, director-general of the Brazil Federal Police, to expand joint prevention and investigative cooperation between the two countries’ police authorities. The agreement marks the first formal cooperation framework between the police agencies of the two countries. During talks held before the signing ceremony, the two sides discussed so-called…
KUALA LUMPUR – Half an hour after the Sultan Abdul Samad Building opposite Independence Square opened at 9am on a recent weekend, visitors were already filming TikTok clips beneath its scalloped arches and queueing outside its cafes. For the first time in years, the public could walk through the 19th century building – which once housed colonial administration offices and later Malaysia’s courts – not for hearings, but to explore. Storyboard artist Muhammad Sina Rosle, 21, who moved to Kuala Lumpur from Perak three months ago, admitted he knew nothing about the building before visiting it on Feb 14. “This…
DHAKA – The Daily Star and Dismislab, a fact-checking organisation, analysed 3,064 Facebook posts circulating before, during, and after the attacks and found that the assaults on the two media outlets last December were anything but sudden. Rather, the threats had been building in plain sight on social media for hours, days and even months. However, this is not just a story about the attacks themselves. This is a story about a predictable chain of events in which online incitement escalated into real‑world violence, as monitoring systems, harmful‑content moderation, and violence‑prevention protocols failed to activate in time. On the night…
BEIJING – China has urged the United States to rescind its unilateral tariff measures imposed on trading partners, and said it would keep a close eye on any “alternative measures” adopted by Washington to sustain hefty duties, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday. While China remains committed to working with the US for mutual benefit and the stability of the global economy, officials and analysts said that Beijing will take firm countermeasures should Washington take any action that infringes upon its interests. Their comments came after the US Supreme Court scrambled the trade landscape on Friday by striking down…