BANGKOK - THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday said his government would use development aid rather than aggressive security measures to tackle an escalating insurgency in the country's Muslim south.
BANGKOK - THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday urged the country not to panic about swine flu, after the number of cases grew ninefold in four days and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub.
Health authorities reported that confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus soared to 150 on Sunday, compared with just 16 on Wednesday, including a number of foreigners.
MANILA - A MAGNITUDE 6.3 earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said, but local officials said no damage or casualties were expected.
The quake was centred 99 miles (159 km) east south east of General Santos and had a depth of 47 miles, the USGS said.
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA has offered to help Indonesia curb forest fires blamed for the choking haze that shrouds the region each year, media reports said on Sunday, as air quality fell in the country.
In the dry season, Indonesian farmers burn forests to clear land for agriculture, causing a smoky haze that spreads across the region, affecting tourism and increasing health problems.
