New landmine blast tests Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire

A Thai soldier was seriously injured in the blast.

Bangladesh votes in landmark election after Gen Z revolution

The contest pits two coalitions led by former allies, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat‑e‑Islami.

Australia's opposition leader faces leadership challenge as senior lawmaker quits

SYDNEY, Feb 12 - Australia's opposition leader Sussan Ley is facing a possible leadership challenge less than a year into the role, after a senior figure in her shadow cabinet resigned saying she was not the right person to lead the conservative Liberal Party.

US pays Afghans stranded in Qatar to repatriate, plan labeled 'betrayal'

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 - The U.S. State Department has begun paying Afghans to repatriate as it attempts to close a camp in Qatar where they have been stranded for years, the top State Department official for South and Central Asia told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Sunway's US$2.8b bid for IJM shakes up Malaysia's corporate market, fuelling race debate and potential rival offers

The bid by property conglomerate Sunway for construction giant IJM is also presenting a policy challenge for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has expressed reservations about the proposed takeover in private sessions, his close associates told CNA.

Commentary: They escaped appalling conditions in scam factories. Now, they are living on the streets in Cambodia

Scam groups are continuing to recruit former workers trapped inside the country, say researchers.

Finding Trump-Beijing balance may prove Takaichi’s big challenge

This article originally published by Pacific Forum is republished with permission. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi notched a historic election win last weekend. The first woman to head a party ticket in national elections in Japan led her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to

India, China and the regret of Gyalo Thondup

Gyalo Thondup, who died on February 8, 2026, at 97 at the Indian hill station Kalimpong, carried with him secrets of a vanished era — and a warning for the present one. As the elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama and a principal architect of the Tibetan resistance, Thondup

Signs US-China ties warmer after Trump-Xi call as tech curbs loom

The current United States-China relationship is described by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as “productive” and “in a very comfortable place” after last week’s two-hour phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “The US relationship with

Nobel committee calls on Iran to free Peace Prize laureate Mohammadi

OSLO, Feb 11 - The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Wednesday that it had called on Iran to immediately free activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi from prison.

China charges former AstraZeneca regional head Leon Wang

Wang was detained by authorities in the country more than a year ago in relation to probes into the drugmaker’s business.

UK pledges $205 million to send US weapons to Ukraine

LONDON, Feb 11 - Defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday Britain had committed 150 million pounds ($205 million) to the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative to supply Ukraine with U.S. weapons.

Militants kill five police in attack in northwest Pakistan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Feb 11 - Militants killed five police officers in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, police said, as the South Asian nation grapples with a rising wave of Islamist violence.

Indonesia’s Prabowo to join first meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

The first meeting is scheduled to take place on Feb 19 in Washington.

Thai police arrest gunman after two injured in school siege

The suspect has been detained and all hostages freed after a two-hour standoff at a school in southern Thailand, police said.

Kazakhstan calls March 15 referendum on new constitution

ALMATY, Feb 11 - Kazakhstan on Wednesday announced a March 15 referendum on a new constitution that could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, currently barred from ruling beyond 2029, to remain at the helm of Central Asia's largest economy.

In rebuke of Trump, US House opens the door to votes against tariffs

WASHINGTON — A handful of House Republicans tanked a procedural vote Tuesday night that would have kept intact a ban on congressional action against President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs. Republican Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Kevin Kiley of

China's Xi hails 'fight against corruption' after top general's fall

Russia to fly its tourists out of Cuba and then suspend airline operations due to fuel crisis

MOSCOW, Feb 11 - Two Russian airlines plan to fly Russian tourists out of Cuba in the coming days and then suspend operations until a jet fuel shortage eases, aviation regulator Rosaviatsia said on Wednesday.

Malaysia boy dies, two brothers in critical condition after mother allegedly gave them drugs

The mother gave her sons a liquid form of methadone.

Malaysia’s PM Anwar pushed to suspend, investigate anti-graft chief

Members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition have raised questions about Mr Azam’s assets.

China’s grip slips as Trump squeezes Latin America

Panama’s supreme court invalidated a contract in late January that had allowed Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based firm CK Hutchison, to operate two ports on the Panama canal since 1997. The decision, which ruled that the laws allowing the firm to operate the

Gunman detained after entering southern Thai school, hostages freed, police official says

The suspect entered the school demanding to see a specific teacher and upon not being able to find the person, the suspect shot a school staff member, according to an official.

Indonesia to send up to 4,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza in support of BOP, says official

Indonesia is preparing to deploy up to 4,000 troops to Gaza, a senior official told ST.

Malaysian police appeal for help, information on Singaporean man, 76, missing in Kuala Lumpur

He was last seen at an apartment in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 7.

Teen gunman who fired shots in Thai school detained after wounding teacher, girl

The suspect has a sister at the school, but a motive has yet to be determined.

Emergency call released of boy who swam for hours to save family

Austin Appelbee, 13, swam to get help for his mother and siblings after they were swept out to sea.

No tonics, supplements for 91-year-old South Korean grandma. She wants cosmetic procedures instead

Dermatologists said demand for cosmetic procedures among seniors has increased over the past decade.

FT says Ukraine aims to announce election plan on February 24, source sceptical

Feb 11 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy intends on February 24 to announce plans for a presidential election and a referendum, the Financial Times said on Wednesday, but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters the timetable appeared unrealistic.

Russia says US restrictions on its role in Venezuela's oil business are discrimination

MOSCOW, Feb 11 - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that new U.S. restrictions on the role of Russia and other countries in Venezuela's oil business were blatant discrimination and the Kremlin said it would clarify the matter with Washington.

Autopsies show migrants in shipwreck off Greece died of head injuries, not drowning

ATHENS, Feb 11 - Most of the 15 Afghan migrants who were killed off the Greek island of Chios last week when their dinghy collided with a coast guard vessel died of head injuries, not from drowning, autopsy results seen by Reuters show.

Iran says it won't negotiate over its missile capabilities

DUBAI, Feb 11 - Iran's missile capabilities are its red line and are not a subject to be negotiated, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Wednesday, as Tehran and Washington eye a new round of talks to avert conflict.

Record heat and raging fires ring in 2026 across the Southern Hemisphere

SANTIAGO, Feb 11 - From Argentina to Australia to South Africa, record heat and raging wildfires are rampaging through the Southern Hemisphere at the start of 2026, with scientists predicting that even more extreme temperatures could lie ahead - and possibly another global

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes rare public reference to recent military purges

In a virtual address on Feb 11, Mr Xi said the past year was "unusual and extraordinary".

Lavrov says US restrictions on Russia's role in Venezuela oil business are discrimination

MOSCOW, Feb 11 - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that new U.S. restrictions on the role of Russia and other countries in Venezuela's oil business were blatant discrimination.

Flight crews criticised for long-term, unattended use of Starbucks seats in Seoul

The flight attendants were reportedly from Asiana Airlines, a subsidiary of Korean Air.

Democracy and reforms at stake as Bangladesh gets first ‘real vote’ in national poll in over a decade

After polling day, the fight will shift to who will form the government and if the July Charter becomes law.

ECRL hits the tracks: Malaysia’s new rail system stages preview run, 2027 launch on track

Being built by China, the 665-km line will boost links between KL and Peninsular Malaysia's east coast towns.

Kremlin says Russia will seek clarification from US on Venezuela oil restrictions

MOSCOW, Feb 11 - Russia plans to seek clarification from the United States about new U.S. restrictions on Venezuela's oil business, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

EU Commission to take steps to improve drone detection capabilities

BRUSSELS, Feb 11 - The European Commission will work to improve Europe's drone detection capabilities and propose ensuring registration and identification requirements, the bloc's executive said in a new action plan published Wednesday.

Prosecutor who led opposition crackdown named as new Turkish justice minister

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed as his new Justice Minister Akin Gurlek.

US moves to counter China in Bangladesh, plans to pitch defence alternatives

Australia's first female Liberal leader faces leadership challenge

The shadow defence minister has resigned from the front bench and called for a leadership contest saying the party has "lost its way".

Russia says it won't breach limits of expired nuclear treaty if US does the same

MOSCOW, Feb 11 - Russia will keep observing the missile and warhead limits in the New START nuclear treaty with the United States, which expired last week, as long as Washington continues to do the same, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Canada seeks to be reliable middle power amid ‘rupture’ in global trading order: Trade minister

Maninder Sidhu tells CNA’s Yasmin Jonkers that Canada aims to be a stable trade partner for Asian economies as Ottawa aims to increase non-US exports by C$300 billion (US$222 billion).

Japan hands Philippines radars to keep closer eye on China

MANILA – The government of Japan on Wednesday officially turned over five coastal radar systems to the Philippines in what is seen as a milestone in defense ties amid China’s rising aggression in the South China Sea. The defense articles are under Tokyo’s Official Security

China’s courts grapple with copyright issues in the age of AI-generated art

Chinese courts now expect a higher threshold of human creativity as AI tools become more powerful and easier to use.