Malaysia moves Anwar’s National Day speech indoors as haze spikes
SCMP

Malaysia moves Anwar’s National Day speech indoors as haze spikes

Choking haze has forced Malaysia to move its leader’s annual National Day speech to an indoor venue from a public square, the communications ministry has said, underscoring the severity of cross-border pollution from severe wildfires in the region. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, due to address the country on August 30 on the eve of Independence Day celebrations, will speak from a convention centre ...

Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: death toll rises to 469, police say; debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again
The Guardian

Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: death toll rises to 469, police say; debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again

The catastrophic flash flood has left 1,300 missing, with hundreds of tourists unaccounted for as rescuers race to find survivorsNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedNepal-Tibet flash flood: what we know so far on day threeVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Nepal police have said that the death toll from Wednesday’...

In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism
The Guardian

In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism

Confusion and politics aside, Australia can’t pretend to be removed from the world – and the millions of people in need of sanctuaryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMessy politics aside, this much is clear: Australia is being cruelly parsimonious in resettling people, at a moment when it is of greatest global need.There are more people in the world requiring protection ri...

US judge blocks rule implementing Trump plan to curb mail-in ballots

US judge blocks rule implementing Trump plan to curb mail-in ballots

SCMP

A US federal judge on Thursday blocked the US Postal Service from implementing core parts of a new rule it adopted at President Donald Trump’s direction that would tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections. US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued a temporary restraining order ‌at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups after th...

Australia news live: Antarctic staff to withdraw from Macquarie Island amid bird flu risk; Virgin’s profit rises despite US-Iran war

Australia news live: Antarctic staff to withdraw from Macquarie Island amid bird flu risk; Virgin’s profit rises despite US-Iran war

The Guardian

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGreens say Australia needs to ‘step up and really commit’ to aiding rebuilding in NepalDavid Shoebridge, the Greens’ spokesperson on foreign affairs, told RN Breakfast earlier the Australian commitment of $5m for affected communities in Nepal “won’t come close to touching the sides” of the calamity.I think Australia...

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

SCMP

Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme in the current financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under ...

Japan to double security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Japan to double security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

SCMP

Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme this financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under the progra...

Australia news live: Greens say Labor immigration policy has ‘no principle’; two arrested after shot allegedly fired at Queensland police helicopter

Australia news live: Greens say Labor immigration policy has ‘no principle’; two arrested after shot allegedly fired at Queensland police helicopter

The Guardian

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGreens say Australia needs to ‘step up and really commit’ to aiding rebuilding in NepalDavid Shoebridge, the Greens’ spokesperson on foreign affairs, told RN Breakfast earlier the Australian commitment of $5m for affected communities in Nepal “won’t come close to touching the sides” of the calamity.I think Australia...

Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again; rescuers race to find survivors

Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again; rescuers race to find survivors

The Guardian

The catastrophic flash flood has killed at least 389 people and left more than 1,300 missing, with hundreds of tourists unaccounted forNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China...

Federal judge again halts Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting in midterms

Federal judge again halts Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting in midterms

The Guardian

President’s directive stalls for a second time about a week before the first postal ballots are due to be sent outA federal judge on Thursday halted – at least for the moment – attempts to implement Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting.The president’s directive stalled for a second time about a week before the first mail ballots are due to be sent out for the rapidly approaching mi...

Warning of fresh danger from rising lake water in Nepal – as it happened

Warning of fresh danger from rising lake water in Nepal – as it happened

The Guardian

This live blog has now closed – but our coverage continues at a new blog hereEyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning when her group encountered the flood about 4km from Gyirong port.“Trees and electricity poles had already been knocked down, and the flood water was bearin...

‘We just want them to return’: relatives of Australians missing in Nepal floods wait anxiously for news of loved ones

‘We just want them to return’: relatives of Australians missing in Nepal floods wait anxiously for news of loved ones

The Guardian

Family of two Sydney boys and their parents, who are among 39 Australians identified as missing after flash flooding, ‘worried, but hopeful’The family of two Sydney boys who went missing with their parents in flash flooding in Nepal say they remain hopeful they will be found safe.Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, her husband, Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, and their two sons Ashwin, 14 and Aarush, 11, w...

Canadian prime minister and New York lawmaker denounce Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America – as it happened

Canadian prime minister and New York lawmaker denounce Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America – as it happened

The Guardian

This live blog is now closed.Sign up for the Breaking News US emailOn Wednesday, Trump officially signed a proclamation on Wednesday that suspends higher tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef imports for 90 days. This comes after backlash to the proposal – designed to lower grocery costs for Americans in the run-up to the November midterms. Several Republicans – in states with sizable ca...

Why Filipino migrants are rethinking their futures in Japan

Why Filipino migrants are rethinking their futures in Japan

SCMP

When Japan’s embassy in the Philippines extended applications for healthcare jobs on April 15, the pitch was straightforward: 50 positions for nurses and 300 for care workers in Japan, a three- to four-year placement, free Japanese-language lessons in both countries and a daily allowance during training. On social media, the post’s attractive terms drew widespread interest from Filipinos – a remin...

Xi’s crusade against corruption has gone well beyond economic crime

Xi’s crusade against corruption has gone well beyond economic crime

SCMP

The South China Morning Post has launched a major data project diving into President Xi Jinping’s signature anti-graft campaign. In the fourth part of an accompanying series, Yuanyue Dang and William Zheng delve into the broader reach of the campaign. While economic crimes are often seen as the target of President Xi Jinping’s crusade against corruption, the campaign has become much wider. Thirtee...

Thirty years of advancing equal opportunity

Thirty years of advancing equal opportunity

SCMP

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Thirty years after Hong Kong established a statutory body to combat discrimination, equal opportunity has become increasingly embedded in laws, workplaces and community.  As the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) marks its 30th anniversary this year, its record offers much to reflect on, but the work is far from finished...

White House construction cited in Trump helicopter close call with airliner

White House construction cited in Trump helicopter close call with airliner

SCMP

Construction work at the White House was a factor in the US presidential helicopter passing too close to a passenger plane in the skies over Washington earlier this month, investigators said Thursday. The close pass happened on August 4 after President Donald Trump took off on Marine One from a temporary site on the Ellipse, outside the grounds of the White House, during the construction of a perm...