Asia News from WN Network

Lightning strikes make collecting a fungus for traditional Chinese medicine a deadly pursuit 2025-02-05
The Hindu

Caterpillar fungus hunting has led to at least 31 lightning-related deaths and another 58 lightning-related injuries in the past decade ......

photo: AP / Photo/Ng Han Guan

Southeast Asia’s poorest nation says ‘holding off’ Chinese interest in huge gas field 2025-02-05
South China Morning Post

East Timor would prefer to work with Australia and Japan over Chinese firms that have expressed interest in the field, Jose Ramos-Horta said. ......

photo: AP / Lorenio Do Rosario Pereira

Pi Network Introduces 2 Key Updates to Improve KYC Process 2025-02-04
CryptoPotato

Pi Network now allows users to appeal name mismatches and enables minor phone number corrections to assist users in passing KYC verifications. Despite the constant delays and deadline extensions, the project surpassed 100M downloads, with South Korea, India, and other Asian countries emerging as...

photo: Creative Commons

Taiwan Bans Public Agencies From Using China’s DeepSeek 2025-02-04
The Epoch Times

Taiwan has told public agencies not to use the artificial intelligence (AI) service from DeepSeek, joining a...

photo: AP / Photo/Andy Wong

Covid's origins reviewed: Lab leak or natural spillover? 2025-02-04
Khaleejtimes

Whether Covid-19 was unleashed by a laboratory mishap or spilled over from animals remains an enduring, fiercely contested mystery. Here are the leading arguments that fuel both sides of this debate, as AFP reflects on the virus's impact five years after it reshaped the world. Proponents of the...

photo: AP / Ng Han Guan

Japan to boost support for attracting digital nomads 2025-02-04
Xinhua

TOKYO, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Japan Tourism Agency will introduce a program in fiscal 2025 to help municipalities and businesses attract digital nomads, remote workers who...

photo: WN / RTayco

Is India’s regional clout waning over Bangladesh cosying up to China? 2025-02-04
South China Morning Post

Ties between India and Bangladesh have worsened in recent months over New Delhi’s decision to grant shelter to ex-PM Sheikh Hasina . ......

photo: AP / Manish Swarup

Sri Lanka president vows to end island's 'corrupt' image 2025-02-04
Khaleejtimes

His government instead staged a scaled-down military march in keeping with his pledge to pare lavish spending on government officialdom. Sri Lanka's leftist president marked the anniversary of independence from Britain on Tuesday with a pledge to change the impoverished island nation's image as a...

photo: AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

China counters with tariffs on U.S. products. It will also investigate Google 2025-02-04
CTV

China countered President Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports Tuesday, as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures....

photo: AP / Susan Walsh, File

Malaysian parents urged to educate children on vapes as government holds back on ban 2025-02-04
South China Morning Post

Minister says it is up to families to keep their children away from vapes, amid a rise in the number of students caught vaping. ......

photo: Creative Commons / Brownc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en