By Raissa Robles The Philippines’ maritime dispute with China has spilled into the courts after a top coastguard official filed a cyber libel case against a pro-Beijing influencer over explosive – and, he claims, baseless – allegations that he is a paid asset of the United States. Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for Philippine Coast Guard […]
Read MoreMembers of Parliament in the United Kingdom voted overwhelmingly this week to proscribe the campaign group, Palestine Action, as a terrorist organisation under anti-terrorism laws, putting the group on a par with armed groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). A draft order to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to do this, brought by Home […]
Read MoreBy Sarah Shamim Russia has become the first country to accept the Taliban government in Afghanistan since the group took power in 2021, building on years of quieter engagement and marking a dramatic about-turn from the deep hostilities that marked their ties during the group’s first stint in power. Since the Taliban stormed Kabul in […]
Read MoreBy Biman Mukherji India has signalled its growing maritime and shipbuilding ambitions in the Indo-Pacific with the country’s biggest warship builder, state-run Mazagon Dock, set to acquire a controlling stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders said last week it would buy a 51 per cent stake in Colombo Dockyard for US$52.96 million. […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran The Philippines is adopting a Japan-led strategy to treat the East and South China seas as a unified theatre of operations – a shift that is seen to reflect growing alignment among regional allies in the face of China’s expanding maritime footprint. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the “one-theatre” concept would promote […]
Read MoreBy Sylvia Ma Issuing a stablecoin pegged to the offshore yuan in Hong Kong may be more feasible than in mainland China due to the latter’s capital controls, a central bank adviser has said. The comments from Huang Yiping, also dean of Peking University’s National School of Development, came as worries arise in Beijing’s policy […]
Read MoreFiji is opposed to China setting up a military base in the Pacific Islands, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday, adding that it did not need such a base to project power, as shown by an intercontinental ballistic missile test. Strategically placed between the United States and Asia, the Pacific Islands are a focus […]
Read MoreUS President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States has struck a trade deal with Vietnam, after months of negotiations, that imposes a 20% tariff rate on many imports from the Southeast Asian country. The rate is lower than an initial 46% levy Trump announced in April on goods from Vietnam, largely as […]
Read MoreBy Saulet Tanirbergen AKTAU — Generative artificial intelligence has quickly become a part of our everyday life, replacing traditional search engines for many people. Need a new meal plan? You type into an AI chat-bot. Need help with an essay? ChatGPT is your friend. A lot of attention has been devoted to how the introduction […]
Read MoreBy Mansur Mirovalev In 2001, a man was stabbed to death near a lakeside restaurant in Yekaterinburg, an urban centre in Russia’s Ural Mountains region. With his dying breath, he whispered the names of his alleged killers to the police, local media claimed. The man and his presumed murderers were ethnic Azeris, Turkic-speaking Muslims whose […]
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