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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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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UNHCR welcomes China’s USD 2.5 million support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the People’s Republic of China’s USD 2.5 million contribution to provide liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to meet the cooking needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The contribution from the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund will enable UNHCR to supply cleaner cooking energy to approximately 458,000 refugees, or 94,000 […]

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Dhaka summons Indian envoy over ‘anti-election activities’ by fugitive political figures

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (14 December) summoned the Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to convey Bangladesh’s concerns over what it described as anti-election activities involving fugitive political figures currently staying in India. According to a press release issued by the ministry, Bangladesh expressed serious concern over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s continued public […]

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China’s Wang Yi seeks deeper oil and gas ties with UAE on Middle East tour

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his United Arab Emirates counterpart on Friday, pledging deeper cooperation in investment, oil and gas, and infrastructure with the Gulf country, China’s foreign ministry said on Saturday. Wang, on a three-nation tour of the Middle East that began on Friday, held talks with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah […]

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Philippines says fishermen injured in China Coast Guard encounter

MANILA: Three Filipino fishermen were injured when China Coast Guard vessels sprayed their boats with water cannons and cut their anchor lines in a disputed area of the South China Sea, Philippine authorities said Saturday. Beijing said Friday it had taken “necessary control measures,” involved about 20 Philippine fishing boats near the flashpoint Sabina Shoal, […]

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Colombia’s ELN guerrillas place communities in lockdown citing Trump ‘intervention’ threats

BOGOTA: Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group ordered civilians in areas under its control on Friday to stay home for three days as it carries out military exercises in response to “intervention” threats from US President Donald Trump. The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia […]

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