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A male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang landed on Sunday, days after China’s leader said he would dispatch “envoys of friendship” to the United States.

Tokyo on Monday rebuked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after he voiced opposition over the weekend to Japan’s drive for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, claiming the country was on a “path of militarisation”. Lavrov’s comments came as the security council, tasked with safeguarding peace, is facing calls for reform amid accusations it failed to prevent recent conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, due largely to the veto power of its five permanent members:...

Singaporean Najwa Alhabshi remembers spending her teenage years poring over literary classics such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and George Orwell’s 1984. The books introduced her to ideologies, philosophies and the American dream while expanding her vocabulary. But as work commitments grew, the pages of her books started yellowing. Finding time to read became harder, and her smartphone screen eventually took over. “I think I just fell out of reading,” the 35-year-old tutor said....

Six Singaporeans, including journalist Kirsten Han and Phua Chu Kang actors Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin, were charged on Monday with taking part in public assemblies. The assemblies were held in prohibited areas, with one held outside the State Courts in support of abolishing the death penalty, as well as candlelight vigils held outside Changi Prison for death row inmates. The six charged are Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 38, Ten Leu Jiun Jeanne-Marie, 56, Howe Wen Khong Rocky, 31, Kirsten Han,...

In the latest milestone for China’s heavy-duty gas turbine manufacturers, Shanghai Electric has secured a turnkey contract to supply equipment to a power plant in Malaysia, giving it a foothold in a market dominated by established foreign suppliers amid a global supply crunch. The state-owned conglomerate, based in the Chinese financial centre, hailed the deal reached earlier this month as evidence of the competitiveness of its integrated solutions and its capacity to design and manufacture...

The Victorian heroine has long been celebrated in China for her independence and insistence on equality.

Malaysia is pushing to take durian, whose powerful smell delights its lovers and repels its haters, beyond its roadside stalls and family orchards to convince fans of the spiky fruit that its varieties are worth seeking out. Devotees savour durians like wine. For Malaysian ones, the taste of their rich and creamy flesh varies widely across types. Some are prized for their sweet custard and fruity notes, others for a hint of bitterness, an alcohol tinge, or even a peanut butter...

At least two people had been killed and 14 remained missing after an avalanche at Nepal’s Himlung peak, an official said on Monday, as rescuers resumed their search. The avalanche swept through the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,400-foot) peak near the Chinese border early on Sunday, burying tents under deep snow. “Two bodies were found as rescuers worked until 6pm last night,” said Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association. “The search continues for 14...

Malaysian police were set to begin questioning 10 former Negeri Sembilan state officials on Monday over a disputed bid to remove the state’s long-time ruler. It comes a week after Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir dismissed the 10 ex-members of the executive council, which serves as the state’s cabinet, for breaching their oaths of allegiance by backing his removal. Negeri Sembilan, south of Kuala Lumpur, has been locked in a months-long struggle over its throne that helped bring down the previous...

Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on Monday aged 100. Her family confirmed her death after she was admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose decades-long feud with Mahathir defined modern Malaysia’s politics, said on Monday that Siti Hasmah would be granted a state funeral. “The nation will always remember her maternal presence and cherish...

City Developments (CDL), the Singapore property group controlled by one of the country’s wealthiest families, said it wants to invest S$5 billion (US$3.9 billion) in Singapore, China and Japan by 2029 as part of measures to regain investor confidence after a feud within the clan. The firm also aims to sell S$6 billion of assets within the same period either via outright divestments or seeding suitable assets into managed vehicles, according to an exchange filing on Monday. It wants to set up a...

A proposal to upgrade meals for foreigners awaiting deportation at Incheon International Airport has divided immigration officials, with frontline officers raising safety concerns and some questioning whether better food is appropriate for those ordered to leave South Korea for violating the law. According to immigration authorities on Sunday, the Incheon Airport Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice is considering providing in-flight meal boxes to foreign nationals awaiting...