By Maria Siow When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on September 7 that he would step down after his party was trounced at the parliamentary polls earlier this year, the country was already staring at what could be an era of flux, marked by revolving door leaders who are slaves to approval ratings amid […]
Read MoreBy Rajeev Ahmed The Unspoken Ultimatum The Indian Ocean has emerged as the stage for one of the most consequential strategic rivalries of the 21st century. During the Trump administration, Washington built a highly structured system of pressure against India, one that went beyond traditional diplomacy and moved into the field of coercive statecraft. At […]
Read MoreSuicide has overtaken cancer as the main cause of death among South Koreans in their forties for the first time since records began in 1983, amid growing concerns that the country is facing a mental health crisis. The country recorded 14,872 suicides last year – a 6.3 per cent rise from the previous year and […]
Read MoreThailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be assigned a role overseeing sewer-cleaning crews from Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison, his daughter Paetongtarn said following a visit to the facility. “The prison director said Dad will be assigned to supervise sewer cleaning,” she told reporters outside the prison on Thursday, according to Thai […]
Read MoreBy Biman Mukherji India is preparing to open two major new airports near its capital and financial centre, a move that industry analysts say would help ease severe air traffic congestion and strengthen its position to become a global aviation hub. The inauguration of the airport at Jewar – about 100km (62 miles) from New […]
Read MoreAgence France-Presse India on Thursday signed a US$7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use. The first Tejas jets – meaning “brilliance” in Hindi – were commissioned into the air force in 2016, with the latest commission […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran The release of charges against Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has provided the most detailed public account yet of the killings tied to the former Philippine president’s bloody drug war, but the path to a full trial remains uncertain amid claims of his cognitive decline and his lawyers’ push […]
Read MoreBy Joseph Sipalan Semiconductor manufacturers in Southeast Asia must shift production to the US or face punitive tariffs, Washington’s top trade official warned on Thursday, saying tariffs “are the solution” if trade talks with regional governments fail to deliver results. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer delivered the message in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with […]
Read MoreResty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to send tens of thousands of peacekeepers to conflict zones and said the country could recognise Israel, but only if Palestinian statehood is first acknowledged. The idea of conditional recognition for Israel drew sharp reactions at home, with critics accusing Prabowo of undermining Indonesia’s pro-Palestinian stance, […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran The finger-pointing over violence purportedly initiated by a black-clad group during Sunday’s protests in the Philippines has led to critics accusing officials of trying to divert attention from mounting outrage at corruption-ridden flood control projects. During demonstrations that stretched from Luneta Park in Manila to the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon […]
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