MOSCOW: Kazakhstan on Wednesday urged the US and Europe to help secure the transport of oil following drone attacks on tankers heading to a Black Sea terminal on the Russian coast which handles one percent of global supply. Unidentified drones struck at least two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Tuesday, including one chartered […]
Read MoreBy Jeoffrey Maitem An advocacy group representing Filipino victims of wartime sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers will renew its decades-old demand for a formal state apology and reparations as Japan’s foreign minister visits the Philippines this week. The group, Lila Pilipina (League of Filipino Grandmothers), said it plans to press its appeal during the visit […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong When prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, he shook his head in disbelief and let out a contemptuous laugh – a moment that encapsulated his defiant posture throughout nine months of hearings. Yoon stands accused of being the “ringleader” of an insurrection stemming from his failed […]
Read MoreChief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday (13 January) reaffirmed his government’s commitment to hold the general election and the referendum as scheduled on 12 February, no matter who says what. “No matter who says what, the election will be held on 12 February—not a day before, not a day after,” the Chief Adviser said, […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong The summit between South Korea and Japan has exposed a growing divergence in how the two neighbours are responding to a more volatile regional order, as supply chains harden into strategic tools and great-power rivalry sharpens, analysts have said. During a meeting in Nara, the hometown and electoral district of Japanese Prime […]
Read MoreBy Junaid Kathju India plans to lift long-standing restrictions on Chinese companies bidding for government contracts, a move officials say is aimed at easing shortages and project delays as relations with Beijing show tentative signs of stabilising. The proposal, first reported by Reuters, would roll back curbs, imposed after the two countries’ deadly 2020 border […]
Read MoreTaiwan prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for the chief executive officer of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, alleging he was involved in illegal business and recruitment activities in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Shilin District Prosecutors Office said in a document it had indicted two Taiwanese citizens for helping OnePlus CEO Pete Lau illegally operate a business and […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung […]
Read MoreBy Zhao Ziwen in Hong Kong and Vanessa Cai in Shanghai As the US considers taking military action over a crackdown on unrest in Iran, there has been no official response from either the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or Brics. Iran is a member of the two Beijing-backed forums for the Global South, and analysts said […]
Read MoreBy Biman Mukherji German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first visit to Asia has raised India’s hopes for a long-awaited trade pact with the European Union as Berlin pushes for deeper engagement with South Asia amid heightened global tensions. Merz began his two-day visit to India on Monday by paying homage to India’s founding father Mahatma Gandhi […]
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