BANGKOK -- For the first time in 45 years, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations did not turn up for the bloc's annual summit in late October. The meeting convened online due to the pandemic but Myanmar's absence was marked simply by a banner stating the country's name.

HAMBURG, Germany -- Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn was spotted in Germany for the first time since October 2020, a visit that comes amid yearlong protests in the kingdom by younger citizens demanding monarchy reform.

BANGKOK -- Much fanfare greeted a Chinese plan to connect Southeast Asia through more than 3,000 km of high-speed rail when it arrived in Thailand in 2017. But on the ground near one of its many pieces, the project has so little visibility that a train station attendant struggled to find it.

LONDON -- The final days of negotiations at the United Nations COP26 climate conference in Glasgow brought a surprise, as the U.S. and China unveiled a joint declaration Wednesday pledging to cooperate on combating climate change.

TOKYO -- The general election last month shattered an old rule of thumb in Japanese politics, that foreign policy does little to sway the outcome.

NEW YORK -- U.S.-based Apollo Global Management will launch asset management and insurance services in Japan with an eye on its huge retirement market, Nikkei has learned.

JAKARTA -- Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed on an air corridor for vaccinated travelers, the latest move by Southeast Asian nations to resurrect the tourism industry, their top leaders said on Wednesday.

BENGALURU -- Paytm's initial public offering, India's largest ever, received a relatively tepid response, at least compared with a recent run of massively oversubscribed offerings by Indian startups Zomato, Nykaa and PolicyBazaar, reflecting apprehensions over a lofty valuation despite a potentially long road to profitability.

HAMBURG, Germany -- Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn was spotted in Germany for the first time since October 2020, a visit that comes amid yearlong protests in the kingdom by younger citizens demanding monarchy reform.

HONG KONG -- Tencent Holdings reported its slowest revenue growth as a public company as Chinese regulatory pressures took a toll on both gaming and advertising revenues.