Asia

A Malaysian man on Thursday won a landmark court challenge against an Islamic ban on sex “against the order of nature”, raising hopes for greater acceptance of gay rights in the mostly Muslim country.The Muslim man in his 30s – whose name has been withheld by his lawyer to protect…

The Chinese government has denied forcing US diplomats stationed in the country to take anal swab tests for Covid 19.After US media reports suggested some American envoys had been made to undergo the procedure as the result of an administrative error, China’s foreign ministry spokesman said no such tests had…

A fisherman was left reeling after reportedly catching a baby shark with an eerily human-like face.Abdullah Nuren, 48, claims he and his brother accidentally caught a pregnant female shark in their trawler net while fishing in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province over the weekend.And if that wasn’t enough of a…

To ensure only “patriots” are running the government, Hong Kong, the government has announced electoral changes to make local officials pledge allegiance to the Chinese government.The district councillors or local politicians who would fail the loyalty test will face disqualification and a five-year ban on running for re-election. The Chinese cabinet…

Japan’s Ministry of Health has said it will give 44,200,000 yen (£295,590) to the families of anyone who dies as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine.Families can also receive money to cover funeral costs up to 209,000 yen (£1,400).The ministry has offered the compensation for a long time – and…

A Christian husband and wife in Pakistan who are facing execution for sending “blasphemous” texts must be released immediately, Amnesty International has said amid a worrying rise in blasphemy accusations in the country.The human rights group said Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel have been imprisoned since 2013 and were convicted…

The incident of a North Korean man, who reportedly defected to South Korea after crossing the heavily guarded border and roamed around unchecked for hours, has sparked outrage in Seoul. The incident took place last week when the man crossed over to South Korea after swimming for several kilometres, a…

The Philippines health ministry said on Wednesday it will investigate the illegal use of unauthorised Covid-19 vaccines after a presidential advisor admitted to receiving shots of a Sinopharm vaccine smuggled into the country.Ramon Tulfo, a celebrity radio and television host and special envoy to China, revealed in his newspaper column on 20…

India has renamed the world’s largest cricket stadium after its prime minister Narendra Modi, as the arena hosted its first international match since its capacity was doubled to 110,000 seats.The arena, in Mr Modi’s home state of Gujarat, was previously named after India’s first deputy prime minster Sardar Patel, a…

In a landmark ruling, a Beijing divorce court ordered a man to pay his wife for the household work that she did for five years of their marriage.The woman will receive 50,000 yuan (£5,460) for five years of unpaid labour. The case is believed to be the first in the…