Asia news

• Bamboo scaffolding may be to blame for spread of Hong Kong tower block fire

  26-11-2025 20:12
  Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is widely by construction workersDeath toll in Hong Kong tower block fire rises to 36 with 279 reported missingA deadly fire in an apartment complex in Hong Kong appears to have spread in part because the buildings were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding, a traditional building material that the authorities have been phasing out for safety reasons.Dozens of people died on Wednesday in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze
  
  Read more

• Indonesia calls in military to help clear forests at rapid pace

  21-12-2025 06:00
  Deforestation under way on 3mn hectares for state-backed food project
  
  Read more

• Chinese stocks cool on weak economic data

  21-12-2025 06:00
  Profit-taking has also brought this year’s steep rally to an end in the last quarter
  
  Read more

• Imran Khan and wife given further jail terms after state gift fraud case

  20-12-2025 11:32 via bbc.com
  Pakistan's former PM, who is already serving time in prison, plans to challenge the verdict.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Australia confronts grief and discord in wake of Bondi Beach massacre

  20-12-2025 03:00
  ‘Lucky country’ seeks to project unity after worst shooting in decades lays bare social tensions
  
  Read more

• Kebabs, biryani and much more: Indian city on Unesco culinary list

  20-12-2025 02:41 via bbc.com
  Lucknow recently joined a select list of global cities recognised for their fine food.
  
  Read more

• Make Korea great again: The right-wing group wooing disenchanted youth

  20-12-2025 01:45 via bbc.com
  Disgraced president Yoon Suk Yeol has become an unlikely poster boy for anti-government sentiment.
  
  Read more

• Roomba rival bets on AI to clean up market for robot vacuum cleaners

  19-12-2025 22:00
  Roborock chief says innovations such as robotic arms and dog excrement recognition are key to survival
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Knife attacker kills three after smoke bombing Taiwan metro

  19-12-2025 21:33 via bbc.com
  The suspect's spree began at Taipei's main metro before he moved to another station nearby.
  
  Read more

• Bangladesh newspaper staff recall 'gasping for air' as offices set ablaze

  19-12-2025 11:54 via bbc.com
  The fresh protests are sparked by the death of one of the leaders of protests that ousted ex-PM Sheikh Hasina.
  
  Read more

• What does TikTok's deal mean for America's users?

  19-12-2025 10:22 via bbc.com
  The BBC's Asia business correspondent says it is still unclear what sort of experience TikTok users in the US will get.
  
  Read more

• EU turns to joint debt for Ukraine after botching Russian asset loan

  19-12-2025 07:00
  Also in this newsletter: Why Brussels’ U-turn on combustion engines won’t halt EVs
  
  Read more

• ‘Matter of survival’: South Korean president urges public health cover for hair loss

  19-12-2025 06:38
  Medical professionals and some in conservative circles feel argument of Lee Jae Myung may be a bit thinSouth Korean president Lee Jae Myung has instructed his government to consider extending public health insurance to cover hair-loss treatments, arguing that baldness has become a “matter of survival” rather than a cosmetic concern for young people.The proposal, which has since faced a backlash from medical professionals and conservative figures, was announced during a policy briefin
  
  Read more

• Sony buys Snoopy

  19-12-2025 06:37
  Japanese entertainment group raises stake in beloved US cartoon as it seeks to build out global franchises
  
  Read more

• India’s bid to rival the Chinese navy

  19-12-2025 05:14
  New Delhi is building up its maritime capability as a counter to Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean
  
  Read more

• TikTok says Chinese owner will retain core US business

  19-12-2025 05:03
  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to invest in new data security joint venture as part of Trump-brokered deal
  
  Read more

• ‘Better off with Taiwan’: Honduras joins other Latin American countries rethinking ties with China

  19-12-2025 04:50
  US pressure, broken promises by China and corruption scandals have halted Taiwan’s slide to diplomatic irrelevance in the regionAfter weeks of technology failures, accusations of fraud and complaints about US President Donald Trump’s interference, the outcome of Honduras’ 30 November election is yet to be called. But there is a clear winner beyond the Central American nation’s borders: Taiwan.Both leading candidates say they will cut diplomatic ties with Beijing and re-es
  
  Read more

• Three arrested for allegedly burning wild elephant in Sri Lanka

  19-12-2025 04:48 via bbc.com
  Police said villagers used flaming torches to drive away the elephant, which later died.
  
  Read more

• Japan raises interest rates to highest level in 30 years

  19-12-2025 04:27
  Bank of Japan implements quarter percentage point rise to 0.75% in progress to normalise monetary policy
  
  Read more

• Australia announces gun buyback scheme in wake of Bondi attack

  19-12-2025 03:30 via bbc.com
  It is the largest scheme since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which prompted massive gun law reform.
  
  Read more

• India’s parliament clears full foreign ownership in insurance

  19-12-2025 02:30
  Also in this newsletter: best of Buzzer Round
  
  Read more

• China boosts AI chip output by upgrading older ASML machines

  19-12-2025 02:15
  Restricted chipmaking tools are being retrofitted to make advanced AI chips, exposing cracks in US-led export controls
  
  Read more

• Dashed dreams and land grabs: The rise of rural protests in China

  19-12-2025 01:48
  Exclusive: Clashes over rural plots are increasing, as people whose big-city plans have evaporated return home to face local governments groaning under huge debtStanding inside the temple armed with buckets of rice, the villagers gaze out at police officers armed with riot shields and sticks, the sound of shouting audible over banging drums.Then the tension erupts. A scuffle breaks out, some villagers throw handfuls of rice at the officers, a traditional custom for dispelling evil, while others
  
  Read more

• TikTok signs deal to create US joint venture

  19-12-2025 01:30
  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will be investors in new unit as part of deal arranged by Trump administration
  
  Read more

• Australian PM announces crackdown on hate speech after Bondi shooting

  19-12-2025 00:54 via bbc.com
  Measures include fresh penalties for 'those who spread hate' as well as new powers to cancel or refuse visas.
  
  Read more

• Cambodia counts the cost of its border war with Thailand

  19-12-2025 00:50 via bbc.com
  Despite a Trump-brokered ceasefire in July, fighting has flared up again between Thailand and Cambodia.
  
  Read more

• 'Matter of survival': The president who wants to help fund hair loss treatment

  19-12-2025 00:02 via bbc.com
  Experts say Lee Jae Myung's bid to insure hair loss treatment is a "strategic gesture targeting young male voters".
  
  Read more

• Violence breaks out in Bangladesh after death of youth protest leader

  18-12-2025 22:55 via bbc.com
  Sharif Osman Hadi was a prominent figure in the movement that ousted former prime minister Sheik Hasina.
  
  Read more

• FirstFT: US approves $11bn arms package for Taiwan

  18-12-2025 22:36
  Also in today’s newsletter: Australia unveils new hate speech legislation, and economists warn of flaws in US inflation report
  
  Read more

• ‘You learn tricks to reduce it’: the smart bins measuring food waste in South Korea

  18-12-2025 15:29
  Digital facilities that track wastage down to the gram have brought about behavioural change among users Min Geum-nan walks towards a metal bin beneath her apartment block in Gangdong district, eastern Seoul carrying a small bag of vegetable peelings. She taps her resident card on the reader, the lid swings open, she empties the contents and scans again and a digital screen flashes: 0.5kg.“You have no choice but to pay attention because you can see exactly what you’re wasting,”
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Asia_News on Twitter!