India's Supreme Court is hearing petitions to have every vote cast using electronic voting machines cross-checked against a verifiable paper trail. Opposition parties said there's a need to do this due to how closely the Indian government has become involved in the election commission. Currently, only 2% of all paper slips are matched against votes cast using EVMs. The machines have been used in four national and more than a 100 state elections to date. Neha Poonia reports from New Delhi.

Move aside J-drama and K-drama. In the fight for the world's eyeballs, C-drama is making inroads with a new, minutes-long, vertical format. East Asia Tonight takes a look at these ultra-short, smartphone-friendly content that has taken the Chinese market by storm in recent years.

A series of memorial events were held across South Korea on Tuesday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the country's worst maritime disaster, when hundreds of schoolchildren died after the overloaded Sewol ferry capsized and sank. The disaster and botched rescue efforts dealt a crushing blow to then-president Park Geun-hye, who was eventually impeached in 2017, and the tragedy remains divisive and politically sensitive in South Korea even now. Lim Yun Suk reports.

Micro-dramas have become popular in Asia, but until recently, have yet to win over US audiences. But the platform ReelShort is changing that, quickly becoming one of the most downloaded entertainment apps in the US.

A knife attack that injured at least 4 people at a church in Sydney has been deemed by Australian police to be a terrorist act. A 16-year-old male has been arrested. This is the second mass stabbing attack in three days, after 6 people were killed at a mall in the Bondi area.

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong will take on the role of Senior Minister after stepping down on May 15, says DPM Lawrence Wong. Mr Wong adds that he will only make major changes to the Cabinet after the next GE.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval ratings have dropped following his party’s crushing defeat in the general elections last week. His ruling People Power Party only secured 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, while the main opposition Democratic Party won 175 seats. Reports say he is expected to reshuffle some of his key senior officials this week. CNA’s Lim Yun Suk reports from Seoul.

What can small nations like Singapore do amid rising tensions in the region and the recent escalation in the Middle East? Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong answers the question at a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Apr 15. Read more: https://cna.asia/4aQQJlJ Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

Donald Trump's historic criminal trial is underway in New York. He has been accused of falsifying business records to pay hush money to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump is now the first former United States president to face a criminal trial. CNA's William Denselow reports from outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

South Korea marks the 10th anniversary of its worst maritime disaster today. On April 16, 2014, the Sewol ferry capsized en route from Incheon to Jeju Island. Out of 476 people on board, 304 died, mostly students on a school trip. Its sinking remains fresh in the minds of many in South Korea, which has taken steps to ensure such a tragedy never happens again. CNA's Lim Yun Suk has more.

The housing rental market in Singapore has gone through significant changes over the past few years. How should potential renters prepare themselves before taking the plunge? What red flags should they look out for in their contracts? In this episode of Money Talks, Dr Lee Nai Jia, Head of Real Estate Intelligence, Data and Software Solutions with PropertyGuru Group gives his take. 0:00 Intro 00:24 Finance talk: Bank interest rates; BNPL accreditation 07:55 Why more young Singaporeans can afford to rent 11:30 How much to budget for your monthly rent 14:12 Should I use a property agent? 17:19 HDB or private? 21:35 Reading through your tenancy agreement 27:36 Is rental insurance important? Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

S$40 million has been committed by the Philanthropy Asia Alliance and the first three pioneers of the Community Initiative. It includes the Blue Oceans, Sustainable Land Use and the Holistic & Inclusive Education communities. This was announced at the Philanthropy Asia Summit. Five climate and nature innovators have been selected from 139 submissions from 35 countries. They will each receive up to S$250,000 in funding. Ms Dawn Chan, managing director of investments at Temasek Trust Capital, shared more about a new digital platform, Co-Axis, which aims to match fund donors to promising social projects.

The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises said one in 10 companies in Singapore are ready to consider employees' requests for job sharing. Five years ago, 2% of firms offered such flexible work arrangements. The ASME said take-up is low as it is harder to make such arrangements for roles filled by professionals, managers, executives, and technicians. It added that job sharing is simpler to arrange for labour-intensive tasks.

Singapore and New Zealand are looking to elevate their Enhanced Partnership, as both nations mark 60 years of diplomatic relations next year. The aim is to deepen trade cooperation and enhance supply chain resilience and food security. This was jointly announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon, who is in Singapore on a three-day visit. Mr Luxon also expressed his thanks to Mr Lee for his years of service, recognising the "legacy" that Mr Lee has left for Singapore and the region. Sabrina Ng reports.

More than 470 youths aged 19 and below were arrested for sex crimes last year -- a 30% increase from 2022. As such, the authorities are looking at developing a resource package to train counsellors to recognise early signs of harmful behaviour. To improve care for victims, the police are with partnering students pursuing their Master's in Forensic Psychology at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. Claudia Lim reports.

From now to the 2030s, Singapore will train some 10,000 maritime workers around the world to safely handle ships that use greener fuels. The Maritime Energy Training Facility will begin offering courses from this month, and will be fully ready by 2026. The Singapore Maritime Academy said the facility will also create new job opportunities both on sea and shore. Charlotte Lim reports.

Four Singapore national kayakers are heading to Tokyo for the Olympic qualifiers this week. As they dream of reaching the Paris Games, the local canoeing and kayaking scene is working to nurture the next pool of talents with an academy. CNA’s Sherlyn Seah checks out one of their training sessions. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

New Delhi's chief minister will stay in jail at least till the end of the month. India's Supreme Court has refused to grant an early hearing to a plea filed by Arvind Kejriwal, who is aiming to challenge his detention by the country's financial crimes watchdog. The prominent Indian opposition leader was arrested last month on corruption charges. Mr Kejriwal has challenged the legality of his arrest, alleging that his detention was timed ahead of the elections, and a way to keep him away from campaigning against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Neha Poonia reports.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed Chinese cars in the European market, but said that competition must be fair. He said this means no dumping and overproduction, and ensuring that copyrights are not infringed. He was speaking on the second of his three-day visit to China, with trade tensions between the two sides in focus. Mr Scholz will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing tomorrow. Olivia Siong reports.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has firmly ruled out the possibility of the US gaining access to more Philippine military bases. This, just days after a landmark trilateral summit that saw the US, Japan and the Philippines signalling plans for closer defence cooperation. Meanwhile, Mr Marcos has also shut down calls for the International Criminal Court to investigate the deadly campaign against illegal drugs carried out by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. He said he would not hand over the ex-leader to the world body if it issued a warrant for his arrest.