How will China respond to latest West Africa coup as economic footprint expands?

By Jevans Nyabiage Just days after Chinese ambassador Yang Renhuo met Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo to donate airport security inspection equipment, the West African nation was hit by a military coup that ousted Embalo. The November 26 coup marked yet another military takeover along Africa’s “coup belt”, adding Guinea-Bissau to nations like Mali, Burkina […]

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Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

By Maria Siow Washington’s latest national security blueprint may be one of its most consequential in years, yet it barely mentions Southeast Asia. Analysts say that absence speaks volumes, signalling a narrowing of American priorities that risks turning the region into a “bargaining chip” in the US-China rivalry. The National Security Strategy published by the […]

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Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns

By Julian Ryall The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time […]

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Is plunder complaint against Philippine VP Sara Duterte an attempt to blunt her 2028 bid?

By Raissa Robles A plunder complaint filed against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reopened scrutiny of her use of “confidential funds” and opened a new legal front in a political stand-off that could shape the early dynamics of the 2028 presidential race. A highly placed source, who told This Week in Asia about the complaint […]

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Why has reference to Taiwan attending Rimpac been removed from US defence bill?

By Lawrence Chung in Taipei A proposal to invite Taiwan to next year’s US-led Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercises has been removed from defence policy legislation progressing through Congress, raising concerns in Taipei that Washington’s political calculus may be shifting. Some analysts have warned that the removal of language approved by the US […]

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Israel army says struck three Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it targeted three members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon on Sunday. “Since this morning (Sunday), the IDF (military) has struck three Hezbollah terrorists in several areas in southern Lebanon. The terrorists took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure,” the military said in a statement. “Their […]

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Cambodia-Thailand border clashes enter second week

BANTEAY MEANCHEY: Renewed border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand entered a second week Sunday after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed to halt the deadly fighting. The conflict, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, has displaced around 800,000 people, officials said. “I have […]

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India rolls out strictest anti-pollution curbs as toxic smog engulfs Delhi

NEW DELHI: India’s capital choked under a thick blanket of smog on Sunday, with the government imposing anti-pollution curbs after monitoring stations in some areas recorded extremely hazardous air quality. Home to 30 million people, Delhi has not recorded a single “clean air” day in 2025, with Air Quality Index readings hitting high above the […]

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