Philippines | Police say casino attacker was indebted gambler

The lone suspect behind a deadly attack on a casino and shopping complex in Manila was a heavily indebted Filipino gambling addict, police said yesterday, bolstering their

Smoke from fire kills 36 in Philippine casino attack

MANILA, Philippines — A gunman stormed a crowded Manila casino early today (Friday) and used gasoline to set gambling tables on fire, creating clouds of smoke that swept through the crowds

Flight 128 | Malaysia Airlines jet diverted in Australia over bomb scare

A Malaysia Airlines plane returned to Australia after a mentally ill passenger threatened to detonate a bomb and attempted to enter the cockpit before he was tackled and tied

Philippines | Friendly fire: Airstrike kills 11 soldiers in besieged city

A Philippine bomber plane accidentally killed 11 soldiers and injured seven others, security officials said yesterday, as troops struggled to end a bloody siege by 500 Islamic State group-aligned extremists in a southern

East Timor | Court drops premier’s libel case against media

An East Timor court yesterday dismissed a criminal defamation case brought by the country’s prime minister against two journalists due to lack of evidence. Rights groups and

Australian girl on vacation among 30 killed in Baghdad car bomb blast

The death of an Australian girl in a Baghdad bombing underscored why Australia was fighting Islamic State militants in the Middle East, the Australian foreign minister said yesterday. Zynab Al-Harbiya, 12,

Afghanistan | Bombing in diplomatic area of Kabul kills 90, wounds scores

A massive explosion rocked a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul yesterday morning, killing at least 90 people and wounding as many as 350, an attack that left

Sri Lanka races to rescue flood victims as 500,000 displaced

  Helicopters searched in Sri Lanka yesterday through piles of mud for people still marooned after rain-triggered floods and mudslides inundated villages last Thursday, killing at least 169 people and leaving

Vietnam | Prime Minister says he’s confident of 6.7pct growth goal

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he is confident economic growth this year will meet a goal of 6.7 percent without adding to inflation, despite weak expansion last

Philippines | Army makes gains in southern city under siege 

Philippine forces control most of a southern city where militants linked to the Islamic State group launched a bloody siege nearly a week ago, authorities said yesterday, as the

Indonesia | Police arrest 3 suspected militants after bombings 

Indonesian police said they arrested more suspected militants yesterday following suicide bombings in Jakarta last week that killed three policemen. Central Java Police spokesman Djarod Padakova said a man

Japan public split on idea to cite military in constitution 

Yasuhiro Nakasone makes a speech as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (seated left) listens to him during the annual rally on revising Japan's constitution Poll results released yesterday

Bank Indonesia sees 5.4pct growth this year as too optimistic

Indonesia’s central bank said economic growth of 5.4 percent this year is too optimistic and the nation should aspire for higher credit ratings to catch up with Southeast

Nepal celebrates anniversary of Mount Everest conquest 

Nepal's mountaineering community was celebrating the first conquest of Mount Everest 64 years ago yesterday, as well as this year's climbing season during which hundreds scaled the world's

N. Korean missile launch may be testing rivals, not technology 

North Korea's latest missile test yesterday may have less to do with perfecting its weapons technology than with showing U.S. and South Korean forces in the region that it can

Offbeat | Shark leaps into boat and lands on Australian fisherman

A 73-year-old Australian fisherman said yesterday that he caught a far bigger fish than he hoped for when a 2.7-meter (9-foot) great white shark leapt into his boat, knocking him

The Buzz | Macau: Sonia Chan visits Vietnam aiming for judicial cooperation

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, is currently touring Vietnam, following an invitation from the country’s Ministry of Public Security, a statement from her office said. The

India imposes security lockdown in Kashmir

Government forces enforced a strict curfew in parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir yesterday, a day after the killing of a prominent rebel commander by Indian soldiers sparked massive protests

South Korea confirms fishing crew’s safety after hijack scare 

South Korea said Saturday that it has confirmed the safety of crew members from a fishing vessel that had lost contact in waters off Somalia, prompting Seoul to dispatch

Philippines pounds militants as civilians found shot dead 

Philippine forces found the bodies of what appeared to be eight executed civilians as authorities launched fresh airstrikes yesterday to drive militants linked to the Islamic State group

MACAU DAILY TIMES