Headlines

New Zealand public servants walk off job over pay offer

WELLINGTON, Sept 9 - Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants walked off the job for several hours on Wednesday, adding to pressure on a government confronting a weak urban economy and middle-income households strained by high living costs ahead of an election in about two

Asia

When weddings become battlefields, the laws of war begin to fail

On September 1, a US airstrike hit a family compound in Kuhestak, southern Iran, as women and children gathered for a wedding celebration. At least five people were killed and dozens more injured. Associated Press reporters who visited the town documented extensive damage and

Asia

How Asia is redefining what BRICS really means

Washington will watch this week’s BRICS summit through the lens of China, Russia and de-dollarization — and miss the more consequential story: Asian priorities on development, technology, energy and connectivity are quietly reshaping what BRICS has become. India has long argued

Asia

Kang Kon destroyer flexes North Korea’s blue-water ambitions

North Korea’s commissioning of the Kang Kon signals that its naval modernization is moving beyond fleet renewal toward a broader effort to reshape deterrence and strategic competition in Northeast Asian waters. On September 6, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un commissioned the

Asia

America undependable? That’s not the problem

Last week I was in England at a symposium with many Europeans and others from around the world. The main takeaway? Nonstop gratuitous insults of Donald Trump, America, and Americans – underpinned by complaints that America is “undependable” and “unpredictable” and can no

Asia

The Ukraine negotiations and Ukraine’s future

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner wound up their visit to Kyiv on September 6 after visiting Moscow the day prior. The US special diplomatic duo met with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, respectively. Both offered solutions that the Russians seemed to like, and the

Asia

Asia’s Strait of Hormuz oil cushion is running out

Asia’s long resilience to turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz is wearing thin. After months of burning through reserves and shielding consumers from the worst of it, the region’s oil importers are running out of room — and a shock that once looked containable is now poised to bite

Asia