Central Asia’s Strategic Balancing: Russia, China, and the West in Competition

More than three decades after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the five Central Asian states-Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan-have emerged as pivotal actors in a renewed geopolitical contest. Rather than functioning as passive objects of external influence, these states increasingly demonstrate agency in shaping their international relations. Their foreign policies are guided by […]

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by Masum Billah

Israeli president urges global community to give Trump’s peace plan a chance

DAVOS: Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the international community on Thursday to “give the peace plan a chance,” saying the emerging proposal for Gaza could pave the way for stability, reconstruction, and renewed regional diplomacy. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Herzog said the plan had the potential to deliver a historic “Marshall […]

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by Masum Billah

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

By Biman Mukherji India and the European Union are stepping up a long-delayed push for a free-trade agreement as New Delhi prepares to host the bloc’s top leaders later this month, with both sides signalling urgency amid mounting pressure from US tariffs and a shifting global order. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in […]

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by Masum Billah

Campaigning starts for Bangladesh’s first national election after Hasina’s ouster

DHAKA: Campaigning began Thursday for Bangladesh’s first national elections since the 2024 uprising that ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The major political parties held campaign rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere ahead of Feb. 12 election, which is seen as the most consequential in Bangladesh’s history as it follows Hasina’s ouster and is […]

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by Masum Billah

Philippine President Marcos hit with impeachment complaint

MANILA: Members of Philippine civil society groups filed an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Thursday, accusing him of systematically bilking taxpayers out of billions of dollars for bogus flood control projects. Rage over so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been building for months in the archipelago country of 116 million, where entire towns […]

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by Masum Billah

Indonesia’s Prabowo pitches stability at Davos amid rising global tensions

By Maria Siow Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has used his Davos debut to drive home a message to global investors that his country intends to stamp out corruption and “greedanomics”, while positioning itself as a rare pocket of stability in an unsettled world economy. Speaking during a special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) […]

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by Masum Billah

Will ‘one-man model’ work for Vietnam as To Lam looks set to consolidate power?

By Maria Siow Vietnam’s Communist Party five-yearly congress is set to consolidate more power for General Secretary To Lam, whom observers say has behaved like he “expects a mandate”. But term and age limits on the leadership are expected to remain, they add, leaving Lam as just a “first among equals” when the conclave concludes […]

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by Masum Billah

Joining Board of Peace reflects Saudi commitment to ending conflict in Gaza, says Prince Faisal

DAVOS: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, signed the founding charter of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” on Thursday. The decision to participate reflected the Kingdom’s support for efforts to bring lasting peace to Gaza, he said. Saudi Arabia was one of eight Arab and Islamic nations that announced on Wednesday […]

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by Masum Billah

Why China is playing the long game in Iran despite Trump’s fresh threats

By Cao Jiaxuan in Beijing Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it all in a phone call to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, last week. With Tehran in turmoil and Washington threatening to intervene, Wang was holding Beijing’s long-standing line. “[China] opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one’s own […]

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by Masum Billah

Japan’s exports to US fall as tariffs bite

Japan’s exports to the United States dropped 11.1% in December and slipped more than four% last year, official figures showed Thursday, as tariffs bite. In 2025, Japan’s exports to the United States fell 4.1%, contributing to a 12.6% decline in Tokyo’s trade surplus with Washington to 7.5 trillion yen ($47 billion), finance ministry data showed. […]

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by Masum Billah

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