Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began a second term Monday after the coalition which has ruled for 56 years held on to power in elections branded as fraudulent by a bitter opposition.

Japan, China and South Korea agreed Monday to cooperate in the fight against cross-border air pollution, despite strained relations between the neighbors because of territorial disputes.

Growth in China's services sector slowed sharply in April to its lowest point since August 2011, a private sector survey showed on Monday -- fresh evidence of rising risks to a revival in the world's No. 2 economy.

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee returned to Taiwan early Monday to give encouragement to the local film industry.

Tens of thousands of hard-line Islamists demanding a new blasphemy law blocked major highways Sunday to cut off the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka from the rest of the country, police said. Chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greatest!") and "One point, One demand: Atheists must be hanged," activists of Hefajat-e-Islam marched down at least six highways, halting traffic between Dhaka and other cities and towns.

The United States was not given any warning before air strikes in Syria against what Western and Israeli officials say were weapons headed for Hezbollah militants, a U.S. intelligence official said on Sunday.

A stretch limousine carrying nine women caught fire while crossing a bridge over the San Francisco Bay on Saturday night, killing five of the passengers and injuring four others, police said on Sunday.

Recent openings of constituency service offices for opposition lawmakers with close ties to Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) are giving rise to rumors that the former opposition party chairwoman is seeking a firmer grasp on the Taipei and New Taipei electoral districts.

Malaysia's ruling coalition took an early lead in results for national elections Sunday after a record number of voters cast ballots, with some choosing to extend the coalition's 56-year rule and others pressing for an unprecedented victory by an opposition that pledges cleaner government.

Israeli warplanes struck areas in and around the Syrian capital Sunday, setting off a series of explosions as they targeted a shipment of highly accurate, Iranian-made guided missiles believed to be bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, officials and activists said.

The European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) is expected to bring up the problem of insufficient land being faced by Taipei European School (TES) with President Ma Ying-jeou.

Malaysian politicians made a final campaign push as an independent survey showed Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition running neck and neck with the opposition alliance ahead of Sunday's general election.