Southeast Asia

In tropical Malaysia and Singapore, Winter Olympics medals are rarer than snowflakes -- but a dedicated group of athletes are hoping to change that as they make their countries’ debut Games appearances.

Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a travel warning for Turkish citizens planning to travel to the U.S., citing increase in terror attacks, Daily Sabah reported.

The ministry also said Turkish travelers to the country may face arbitrary detentions.

Bali’s palm-fringed Kuta beach has long been a favorite with tourists seeking sun and surf, but nowadays its golden shoreline is disappearing under a mountain of garbage.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed Dec. 26 to get to the truth about a blaze in his home city that killed 37 call center workers.
He said he made the promise during a meeting on Monday night with the families of those killed in a shopping mall fire in the southern city of Davao.

37 people have probably died in a fire in a shopping center in the Philippine city of Davao last night. This was reported by assistant mayor Paolo Douterte, son of the country's president, Rodrigo Duterte, reported the local agencies.

At the Bali International Airport there was no one from the Bulgarian side to assist our compatriots, reported bTV. 

Last week the Agung volcano began to erupt, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled. A large group of Bulgarians remained on the island.

Indonesia's Bali Islander's International Airport remains closed at least until tomorrow morning due to the Agung volcano eruption, the news agencies reported.

From the airport's management announced that there are no volcanic ash on the slopes yet, but observations show that it rises to a height of 7,720 meters and directs to the airport from the south and southwest.

Indonesia raised its warning for Bali's Mount Agung volcano to the top level four alert on Monday, closed the holiday island's airport and told residents around the mountain to immediately evacuate, warning of an "imminent" risk of a larger eruption, reported Reuters. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Myanmar President Htin Kyaw on Nov. 20 that China is willing to keep playing a constructive role over the Rakhine state issue, China's foreign ministry said.

The United States promised “concrete steps” against Cambodia and the European Union raised a threat to vital trade preferences after the main opposition party was banned ahead of elections.