Headlines

US intel doubts China will invade Taiwan in 2027

China may be preparing to take Taiwan, but not through a near-term invasion, as new US intelligence suggests it is prioritizing coercion, pressure and political absorption over outright war. The March report, entitled 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of US Intelligence Community,

Iran war’s terrifying logic means no one can back down

The primary danger in the escalating Iran war is no longer the risk of expansion but a complete collapse of restraint. The conflict has surged past a contained bilateral US-Israel versus Iran exchange and become a wider regional crisis fueled by a dangerous conviction that

China weathering Iran war with minimal damage

Various observers are emphasizing that the US-Israeli war against Iran is either hurting or helping China. Some argue that “China has a lot to lose,” that the war is “unsettling China and its ambitions,” or that “Xi Jinping’s geopolitical chessboard is starting to collapse.”

World’s first quantum battery is well within reach

You’re late for an important appointment. Just as you are leaving your house, you realize your phone is flat. Imagine you could charge it almost instantly by exploiting the strange rules of quantum physics. That’s the promise of quantum batteries. My colleagues and I at CSIRO

Indonesia’s closing window for a demographic dividend

Indonesia is often seen as one of Asia’s great demographic opportunities. With a population of more than 275 million and a still-expanding working-age cohort, it has long been expected to ride the same labour-driven growth wave that powered East Asia’s rise. But that window is

Japan trades its shield for a sword sharpened for China

In the early hours of a quiet morning in March 2026, a tightly guarded military convoy moved through Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan. Its destination was Camp Kengun, a base operated by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The vehicles carried launch units of the upgraded