Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The U.S. government has returned about $156 million to Malaysia in recovered assets linked to scandal-hit state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported.

The recovered funds were being returned following the U.S. Justice Department's approval of a remission petition submitted by the Malaysian government, Bernama reported late on Thursday, citing a statement from the U.S. embassy in... (continue reading...)

By Ankur Banerjee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell on Friday as investors pondered the outlook for U.S. rates after the Federal Reserve tempered its rate-cut views even as inflation came in softer than expected, while the yen was shaky before the Bank of Japan's policy meeting.

The dollar was hovering near a one-month high on the back of the hawkish tone from the Fed this week, while political uncertainty in Europe kept the... (continue reading...)

SEOUL (Reuters) -Senior officials of South Korea and the United States held an emergency phone call over a possible impending visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Friday.

South Korea's vice foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, in the phone call with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, said that Putin's visit should not result in deeper military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation... (continue reading...)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Thursday it destroyed two Houthi patrol boats, one uncrewed surface vessel and one drone over the Red Sea.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who control most areas of Yemen, launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, adding there was no damage or injuries from those missiles.

... (continue reading...)

(Fixes typo in headline, no change to text)

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The New Zealand government said on Friday it would reform the country's "outdated and complicated" firearm laws which have been in place for more than 40 years.

New Zealand's previous government tightened firearm laws after a gunman killed 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch 2019 in the country's worst peace-time mass shooting. While gun... (continue reading...)