Asia

An Indonesian former government minister has been named as a suspect in a corruption probe and accused of pocketing more than $800,000 of public money, a week after resigning his post.

Israeli fighters jets struck the Islamic University in Gaza City on Wednesday, an AFP correspondent and an official with the Hamas-linked institution said.

Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip Monday and cut off the water supply as it kept bombing targets in the Palestinian enclave in response to the Hamas surprise assault it has likened to the 9/11 attacks.

Families of death row convicts urged the Singapore government Monday to impose a moratorium on capital punishment to allow for an independent review of the controversial use of executions in the city-state.

Rescue workers were digging Monday for families still trapped in the rubble of their ruined homes, two days after a series of earthquakes that killed more than 2,000 people in rural western Afghanistan.

On Sunday authorities reported that 200 mm (almost eight inches) of rain had fallen in the previous 24 hours in Bago region northeast of commercial hub Yangon a record for October.

Xi Jinping said Monday that China-US ties would impact the "destiny of mankind", as the Chinese leader met with a delegation of American senators in Beijing, according to an agency video pool.

If the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine escalates further, setting off a chain reaction, Nigeria, yet to recover from the economic crisis that followed the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, may have to deal with another energy crisis that may force the government...

Indonesia, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, said on Sunday it was deeply concerned about the escalation of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and called for the violence to end. "Indonesia is deeply concerned with the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel. Indonesia urges the immediate end of violence to avoid further human…

Hong Kong issued its third-highest storm warning signal -- prompting the closure of some transport services and schools -- on Sunday as Typhoon Koinu skirted the financial hub, bringing rains and powerful gusts. Koinu comes just a month after the financial hub was lashed by Typhoon Saola, which triggered Hong Kong's highest "T10" storm alert.…

An American mountaineer and her Nepali guide were killed in an avalanche on Mount Shishapangma in Tibet, southwest China, tour companies told AFP on Sunday, with two still missing and one seriously injured. Mount Shishapangma, one of the highest mountains in the world, peaks at 8,027 metres (26,335 feet) above sea level and is entirely…

Israeli forces battled holdout Hamas fighters and pounded targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a "long and difficult" war after the Palestinian militants launched a massive surprise attack. Gun fights raged Sunday in towns and on highways as the Israeli army deployed tens of thousands of forces…