Like Kim, many have turned to telemedicine in South Korea in recent weeks as access to in-person options has been hit after authorities said they would only provide care to COVID patients aged 60 and above amid record-high Omicron cases and prescribed home care for those with mild symptoms. 

Beijing's drive to curb excessive debt in the real estate sector has embroiled Evergrande, one of the country's largest developers, which has struggled after racking up $300 billion in liabilities. 

The Ministry of Defence in mid-2021 issued a request for information on the cost and potential design of a Southern Patrol Ocean Vessel, reinforced to cope with ice. A business case for ordering the ship had been expected to go before the government in 2022 for approval.

"The latest situation occurred as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and Russia's attempt to shift the issue to Japan-Russia relations is extremely unjustified and absolutely unacceptable," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in parliament.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has led stalled diplomatic efforts to end the chaos unleashed by last year's putsch, which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government and sparked mass protests.

With all votes counted, Ramos-Horta had secured 46.58 percent, more than twice the share of his rival Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres, but still shy of the majority needed to win in one round.

There was no immediate confirmation of the number of casualties, but the disaster prompted an unusually swift public reaction from President Xi Jinping, who said he was "shocked" and ordered an immediate investigation into its cause.

Ambassadors representing European and some Asia-Pacific countries in Indonesia have issued a joint statement saying that Ukrainians have the right to basic freedoms – including the freedom to live in peace and security – that “are under threat in Ukraine” after Russia's invasion of the country.

The jet involved in the accident was a Boeing 737 aircraft and the number of casualties was not immediately known, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rescue was on its way, it said.go  

The Boeing 737 plane crashed in the rural countryside near Wuzhou city, Guangxi region and "caused a mountain fire", CCTV said, citing the provincial emergency management bureau.

Asia's youngest nation held its fifth presidential election since independence from Indonesia in 2002, with resistance figure Ramos-Horta leading with 45.7 percent after 64 percent of the votes had been counted, data from the country's election administration body showed.

Speaking at the inauguration of the SOS Children’s Village in Prey Veng province, Hun Sen said some critics had incorrectly assumed that the postponement was due to the ASEAN chair not wanting to go ahead with the summit.

Higher-than-average temperatures have again caused severe bleaching in parts of the reef, authorities confirmed last week, dashing hopes a cooler La Nina summer could spare corals from another season of heat damage.

The plea by Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi came during meetings with Emirati officials which coincided with a visit by Germany's economy minister, three weeks into the Russian offensive.

Pools and all other sports facilities, including tennis courts, golf courses, and gyms, have been shut since January – and for more than 13 months total since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

China's property firms have struggled in the wake of Beijing's drive to curb excessive debt in the real estate sector, as well as rampant consumer speculation. 

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar since 2017 after a military crackdown that is now the subject of a genocide case at the United Nation's highest court in The Hague.

The country has largely kept COVID at bay since it brought to heel its initial outbreak in 2020 using targeted lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

With more than 33 percent of the vote counted on Sunday afternoon, a day after the nation went to the polls, data from Timor Leste's Technical Secretariat for Election Administration showed Ramos-Horta in the lead with 44.5 percent.

An alliance of opposition parties filed the motion against Khan this month, saying he had lost his parliamentary majority after over a dozen defections from his party, raising the risk of political turmoil in the nuclear-armed South Asian country.

With the coronavirus pandemic disrupting traditional campaigning, candidates and supporters are increasingly turning to social media to reach voters, prompting concerns about online hate speech and disinformation.

The two leaders affirmed that the war in Ukraine must be resolved based on international law, Kishida said at a joint news conference after a meeting in New Delhi, while Modi made no reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine during the press event.

China reported only two COVID deaths for all of 2021, the last of those on Jan. 25.

The video call, the first talks between the two leaders since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, took place amid growing concerns in Washington that Beijing is considering directly assisting Moscow with military equipment to use in the conflict.

Voters lined up outside polling stations at the crack of dawn to choose between a record 16 candidates led by two revolutionary heroes in incumbent Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres and former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta. 

The US senior advisor of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Robert Blake, and US Department of Treasury climate counselor John Morton were in Jakarta for a three-day official visit that ended on Wednesday, outlining the US’ commitment to strengthening climate cooperation with Indonesia.

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington.

China this week sent about 400 healthcare workers to bolster the ranks of Hong Kong's anti-pandemic staff, a move that fuelled questions over the waving of working licenses for foreign doctors and medical accountability.

Yoon, who won an unprecedented tight March 9 election, had promised to abolish the government's gender ministry, a pledge that helped engage young male voters spearheading a backlash against feminism in South Korea.

"M1 Group has been informed that the Myanmar Investment Commission has approved Telenor Group's application for the sale of Telenor Myanmar to Investcom PTE Ltd., an M1 Group affiliate," M1 said in a statement.