Asia Pacific

Published: 20 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online An Indian activist who has been on a hunger strike for 26 days has lost 11kg but insists he remains determined to continue his campaign, saying: “I am still alive.” The prolonged hunger strike has drawn attention to the activist’s demands and raised concerns among supporters and medical professionals about the risks associated with extended fasting....

Published: 20 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online A group of protesters in India who were targeted by police during a demonstration have responded to the crackdown by turning the incident into a wave of online humour and memes. The protesters, who were described by authorities using the term “cockroach”, faced police action during a gathering that drew attention on social media. Rather than...

Published: 20 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online At least 12 workers have died after a tunnel collapsed at a construction site in India, triggering a major emergency response and raising renewed concerns about workplace safety standards in the country’s expanding infrastructure sector. Rescue teams rushed to the site after the collapse, working through difficult conditions to search for trapped workers and recover victims....

Published: 20 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online A campaign encouraging workers in Tokyo to wear shorts during Japan’s increasingly intense summer heat has sparked an unexpected debate over workplace expectations, with some women arguing that the initiative has highlighted unequal beauty standards and what they describe as "leg hair harassment." The campaign, introduced as part of broader efforts to improve comfort during soaring...

Published: 15 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online Japan has taken steps to ease some restrictions surrounding its imperial succession system, but a long-running ban preventing women from becoming emperors remains in place. The decision comes amid growing concerns over the future of the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, which has faced a succession crisis due to the declining number of male heirs eligible...

Published: 15 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online Chinese authorities have detained an American scientist known for researching North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, a move that has intensified diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Washington and raised concerns within the international scientific community. The detention comes amid already strained relations between the United States and China, with disagreements over trade, technology, security and regional influence...

Published: 15 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online China's economy has recorded a sharper-than-expected slowdown, missing the government's official growth target and reinforcing concerns over the country's post-pandemic recovery, weakening domestic demand and mounting global trade pressures. The latest economic figures paint a mixed picture of the world's second-largest economy. While manufacturing and exports continue to provide some support, sluggish consumer spending, persistent problems...

Published: 13 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online The United States and Iran have exchanged military fire in and around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, dramatically raising tensions in one of the world's most important maritime corridors and prompting urgent international calls for restraint. The latest confrontation marks one of the most serious escalations between Washington and Tehran in recent years, fuelling fears...

Published: 13 July 2026 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online A devastating fire at a popular nightlife venue in Bangkok has claimed the lives of at least 27 people and left eight others critically injured, prompting a major emergency response and a government investigation into the cause of one of Thailand's deadliest entertainment venue disasters in recent years. The blaze broke out late at night while...

Published: 11 July 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The death toll from Venezuela's catastrophic twin earthquakes has climbed above 4,000, highlighting the immense humanitarian and reconstruction challenge facing the South American nation. Government officials confirmed on Friday that at least 4,118 people have lost their lives, while nearly 17,000 others have been injured in one of the country's deadliest natural disasters in modern history. Thousands of...