Didi’s headquarters in Beijing. The delisting, the cybersecurity investigation and lack of immediate relisting plans could deal a heavy blow to the firm’s value and even undermine investor confidence in Chinese stocks. Photo: Reuters

This Week's News Spotlight:

Myanmar junta says it will free 1,600 prisoners in new year amnesty - CNA | Tropical Storm Megi: Landslides and floods kill 167 in Philippines - BBC | Lazada moves to new regional HQ amid moves to grow tech ecosystem in the region - ST | Thailand's Democrat Party deputy leader accused of sexual assault; quits party posts - ST | In latest gaming crackdown, China bans livestreaming of unauthorised titles - CNA | Chinese truckers left stranded for days at highway exit by hardline COVID-19 curbs - CNA

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Myanmar junta says it will free 1,600 prisoners in new year amnesty - CNA

Protesters in Myanmar hit with tear gas at a March 2021 demonstration in the northwestern town of Kale against the junta. (Photo: AFP/File/STR)

Myanmar's junta will release more than 1,600 prisoners from jails across the country on Sunday (Apr 17) to mark the Buddhist new year, it said, without specifying whether those being pardoned were protesters or common criminals.

The country has been in turmoil since the military's ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's government last year, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown.

It remains unclear whether anti-junta protesters or journalists jailed covering the coup will be among those freed.

Myanmar typically grants an annual amnesty to thousands of prisoners to mark its traditional Buddhist New Year holiday, which in previous years have been joyous affairs with city-wide water fights.

But this year, with the military continuing its bloody crackdown on dissent, the streets in many major cities have been silent as people protest junta rule.

Tropical Storm Megi: Landslides and floods kill 167 in Philippines - BBC

A mudslide buried residents and wiped out homes in a village near Baybay city (Photo: As You Wish Photography)

At least 167 people died in landslides and floods after Tropical Storm Megi devastated the Philippines last Sunday. A further 110 people are missing and 1.9 million have been adversely affected, the national disaster agency says.

Villages around Baybay city in the central Leyte province were badly hit, with hillside avalanches and overflowing rivers. In one village, Pilar, about 80% of the houses were washed out to sea. Many people fled their homes to shelters or higher ground when the storm, known locally as Agaton, hit the archipelago with winds of up to 65km/h (40mph).

Scientists say human-caused climate change has led to a greater intensity and power in tropical storms. The Philippines has experienced some of its most deadly storms since 2006. It's been ranked as one of the nations most vulnerable to climate disasters due to its geography.

Lazada moves to new regional HQ amid moves to grow tech ecosystem in the region - ST

The Lazada One regional headquarters at Bras Basah Road. (ST Photo: Gavin Foo)

E-commerce platform Lazada officially opened its new regional headquarters in the central Bras Basah district on Monday (April 11), from which it will spearhead its growth in South-east Asia.

This will be Lazada's fourth office in Singapore.

The company also announced it is setting up the Lazada Foundation to provide scholarships and education opportunities for women and youth in the digital economy.

Lazada was founded in 2012 and is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in South-east Asia. It was acquired by Alibaba in 2016.

The e-commerce giant has a presence in six countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thailand's Democrat Party deputy leader accused of sexual assault; quits party posts - ST

Four women have filed complaints against Prinn Panitchpakdi and police are seeking an arrest warrant for him. (Photo: PRINN PANITCHPAKDI/FACEBOOK)

Thailand's Democrat Party has found itself mired in a sex scandal with its deputy leader, who quit all his party posts this week, facing three counts of sexual assault charges.

Four women have filed complaints against Prinn Panitchpakdi and police are seeking an arrest warrant for him, said Police Major General Trairong Piwpan, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

The scandal involving the 44-year-old prominent politician erupted after an 18-year-old student alleged that he had sexually harassed her at a rooftop bar in Bangkok on Monday (April 11), according to local media reports.

In latest gaming crackdown, China bans livestreaming of unauthorised titles - CNA

A man plays an online game at an Internet cafe in Beijing, China on Aug 31, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Florence Lo)

China said on Friday (Apr 15) the livestreaming of unauthorised video games was banned, signalling stricter enforcement of rules as part of its broad crackdown on the gaming industry aimed at purging content the government does not approve of.

The National Radio and Television Administration said platforms of all kinds must not livestream games that are not approved by related authorities.

In particular, the livestreaming of overseas games or competitions should not be carried out without approval, it said, adding that livestreamers should resist "abnormal aesthetics" and harmful celebrity fan culture.

Last year, China introduced new rules that limit the amount of time under-18s can spend on video games to three hours a week, a move it said was necessary to combat gaming addiction.

Chinese truckers left stranded for days at highway exit by hardline COVID-19 curbs - CNA

A worker in a protective suit walks at an entrance to a tunnel leading to the Pudong area, after restrictions on highway traffic amid the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China on Mar 28, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Aly Song)

Earlier this month Chinese truck driver Dong Zhigang finished a job in the coastal city of Nantong and began what should have been a four-hour journey north to his home village in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. On Friday (Apr 15), nine sticky days in his cab later, he still had not made it home.

Like many Chinese truckers, Dong, 30, had fallen victim to some of the country's recent hardline anti-coronavirus measures and disruption as local authorities scramble to maintain China's zero-COVID policy.

He got as far as a highway exit leading to his village before he was told by officials that to enter he would need to do 14 days of centralised quarantine costing at least 1,100 yuan per day followed by a further seven days of home quarantine.

Hundreds of toll stations at exits from highways and highway service stations have been shut across the country this month, official data has shown.