When Takanori Kuzuoka began climbing the criminal career ladder, he didn't fancy joining Japan's old-school yakuza, with their tattoos, rigid hierarchy and codes of honour.

PHNOM PENH Dec 23 (AFP) - Cambodia's defence ministry has asked Thailand to hold bilateral talks in the neutral venue of Kuala Lumpur, according to a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, with the countries set to negotiate truce terms after two weeks of dead

JAKARTA Dec 23 (AFP) - Indonesia has finalised details of a tariff deal with the United States, a senior minister said, with the leaders of both countries' expected to sign it next month.

PALM BEACH Dec 23 (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a new class of heavily armed warships that will be named after himself -- an honor usually reserved for leaders who have left office.

YANGON Dec 23 (AFP) - Myanmar's junta is set to preside over voting starting Sunday, touting heavily restricted polls as a return to democracy five years after it ousted the last elected government, triggering civil war.

WASHINGTON Dec 22 (AFP) - In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.

HONG KONG Dec 22 (AFP) - Asian markets rallied Monday and gold hit a record high as the latest round of US data boosted hopes for more interest rate cuts, while worries over AI spending also subsided.

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Dec (AFP) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to meet Monday in Malaysia for crisis talks aimed at halting deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which pressed on despite regional and international diplomacy.

MUMBAI 22 Dec (AFP) - From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars' "obnoxious" demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry's finances, insiders say.

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Dec – Crewstone International Sdn Bhd, a licensed and regulated private equity and private credit manager, announced today an additional RM10 million commitment to Zen Vision Group Sdn Bhd, structured as part of a broader, multi-tranche investment programme curren

GAZA CITY Nov 30 (AFP) - The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Saturday said more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted more than two years ago.

BEIJING Nov 30 (AFP) - China's factory activity shrank for an eighth straight month in November, official data showed Sunday, suggesting the world's second-largest economy remains subdued despite a trade truce with the United States.