Australian developer says ‘toxic’ Trump hotel plan scrapped

The developer said the project was scrapped because the Trump brand was “toxic to Australians”.

India PM Modi cuts size of his motorcade to save fuel, source says

Modi was known to have about a dozen vehicles in his motorcade before the reduction.

Japan 'robot wolves' in high demand to scare off bears

The “Monster Wolf” is an animatronic scarecrow with flashing red eyes that howls and growls to scare away wild animals.

Taiwan ruling party nominates lawmaker sanctioned by China for Taipei mayor

He will face current Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an from Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang.

Duterte v Marcos: Inside the impeachment shaking Philippine politics

Ms Sara Duterte was accused of plotting the assassination of Mr Marcos Jr.

From health emergency to financial trouble: Measles’ unseen toll on Bangladesh’s poor

For poor households, the health emergency quickly turns into financial trouble.

Hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue cases spike in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City

HFMD cases in the city surged in April, with 5,243 inpatient and outpatient cases recorded.

MSCI stock deletions put Indonesia’s reform credibility on trial

When a private index provider understands a country’s governance gaps better than its own regulators do, something structurally significant has already occurred. Indonesia confronted that reality on May 13, when MSCI announced removing 18 stocks and adding none. The Financial

Seoul to roll out agricultural product subsidy for pregnant women, including foreigners

Starting on July 1, the subsidy will be provided to 29,200 women.

Iran war to cast a shadow on BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Delhi

NEW DELHI, May 13 - The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is set to cast a shadow over a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping that kicks off in New Delhi on Thursday, testing the bloc's ability to reach a unified position and produce a joint statement.

Trump and Xi: a path to US-China rivalry without war

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week may ease tensions at the margins of the US-China rivalry. But it will not change a central fact: neither side can escape the rivalry, and neither side can decisively win it. The biggest challenge for Trump and Chinese

Air India to suspend several international flights from June as Middle East crisis fuels oil shock

Reports suggest that nearly 100 daily flights have been reduced overall.

South Korea weighs phased Hormuz role after US talks, minister says

SEOUL, May 13 - South Korea is reviewing a phased contribution to efforts to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said on Wednesday, signaling support steps short of military participation.

Philippine senator seeks military support to block ICC arrest over Duterte drug war

Ronald dela Rosa is accused of the crime against humanity of murder.

Albanese takes a gamble on Australia’s housing obsession by cutting investor tax breaks

SYDNEY, May 13 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s move to wind back tax breaks for property investors has been welcomed by would-be homebuyers but criticised by investors, in what could be the defining policy of his second term as electoral power shifts to younger

Poor planning fuels Bangladesh contraceptive crisis

Government clinics across the country of 170 million people are running out of basic contraceptives.

South Asia can’t afford a US-China blowup — or a Trump-Xi deal

As US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping convene in Beijing this week (May 14–15, 2026), the world’s two largest economies are attempting—once again—to stabilize a relationship strained to breaking point by punitive tariffs and an emerging technological

US Treasury's Bessent, China's He wrap up S. Korea talks ahead of Trump-Xi summit

INCHEON, South Korea, May 13 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng concluded three hours of talks on Wednesday in South Korea aimed at laying the groundwork for this week's Beijing summit of the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies.

Nvidia CEO joins Trump's mission to 'open up' China

BEIJING/SEOUL, May 13 - U.S. President Donald Trump picked up Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Alaska en route to a high-stakes Beijing summit with China's Xi Jinping, while his top trade negotiator Scott Bessent began preparatory talks with Chinese officials in South Korea.

US-China Summit: No big, fat hugs - Trump, Xi will have a summit of careful smiles

A banquet in Beijing does not alter US-China rivalry but both leaders could sell modest outcomes as wins, says analyst

A film, a farewell and unfinished cases: What Azam Baki leaves behind at Malaysia’s anti-graft agency

Malaysia's anti-graft chief Azam Baki retires amid controversy, with public trust in MACC at an all-time low.

Asia is quietly and quickly buying up America

For 50 years, the direction of cross-border capital between Asia and the United States was largely one-way, with American firms acquiring Asian assets, US capital funding Asian growth and US consumers absorbing Asian production. The pattern was so durable that few stopped to

Chinese hacker suspect extradited to South Korea over $32m theft targeting BTS’ Jungkook and others

The man is accused of hacking into multiple websites to get potential victims' personal information.

Fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low seeks Trump pardon for 1MDB case: Reports

The request was filed in recent weeks, said a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter, and if granted would remove United States criminal charges against him.

Four killed, 19 injured in Indonesia’s North Sumatra bus accident

The police said they were searching for both drivers, who are suspected of fleeing after the crash.

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, China warns on US arms sales to Taiwan

BEIJING/TAIPEI, May 13 - China reiterated its strong opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Wednesday, calling on Washington to honour its commitments ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's arrival for a summit in Beijing.

Indonesian tech consultant gets four years in prison in Chromebook graft case

Prosecutors previously argued that he played a central role in the alleged graft scheme.

Malaysia’s seniors face a loneliness crisis as population ages

News reports also said Malaysia was projected to become an “aged nation” by 2048.

JB eateries cautious about raising prices amid Middle East crisis

Stringent security checks at Woodlands Checkpoint and Johor Causeway have also impacted eateries.

US Treasury's Bessent arrives in South Korea for trade talks with China's He ahead of leaders’ summit

INCHEON, South Korea, May 13 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in South Korea on Wednesday to hold trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of a summit later this week between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in Beijing.

South Korea weighs phased role in Hormuz mission after US talks, Defence Minister says

He said forms of phased support could include expressions of political support and personnel dispatches.

Air India crisis deepens ahead of final Ahmedabad crash report

Air India faces a leadership vacuum and mounting financial losses as it struggles to recover from the crash.

A decade on, Trump returns to a stronger and more assertive China

Beijing is arguably the most powerful competitor the US has confronted in its history, one analyst says.

Trump-Xi summit to weigh US energy sales amid Hormuz crisis

Energy partnership will be one of the key items on the agenda when United States President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, with Washington seeking Beijing’s commitment to resume regular purchases of American oil and gas. US

Iran is set to dominate Trump-Xi summit. What else is at stake, and who has the upper hand?

Analysts say expectations for any meaningful reset in Sino-US ties remain tempered - and that the real test will be whether the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump in Beijing produces durable mechanisms.

Australia has some of the world's costliest homes. Will scrapping tax breaks help?

The government hopes reforms will help young people enter the market, while critics say it will stifle supply.

Kyrgyzstan charges ousted ex-security boss with coup plot, lawyer says

BISHKEK, May 12 - Kyrgyzstan authorities have charged eight people, including powerful ex-security chief Kamchybek Tashiev, with plotting to seize power from President Sadyr Japarov, who has consolidated power in the historically volatile central Asian country.

China and US agree on opposing Hormuz tolls, State Department says

WASHINGTON, May 12 - Senior U.S. and Chinese officials agree that no country can be allowed to exact shipping tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department told Reuters on Tuesday, in a sign that the two countries are trying to find common ground on efforts to pressure

Saudi Arabia launched covert attacks on Iran as regional war widened - sources

RIYADH/DUBAI, May 12 - Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.

Iraq, Pakistan strike energy deals with Iran as Tehran flexes Hormuz control

LONDON/BAGHDAD, May 12 - Both Iraq and Pakistan have cut deals with Iran to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter, in a demonstration of Tehran's ability to control energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Perspective: Be wary of China twisting Trump’s words during summit with Xi Jinping

Beijing has misrepresented statements made by visiting dignitaries to imply support for its repressive policies.

US prosecutors charge Singapore ship operator, key employee in deadly crash that collapsed Baltimore's Key Bridge

The Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Mar 26, 2024, killing six construction workers who had been filling potholes.

Trump’s visit to Beijing: a great opportunity for China?

I have been arguing since 2014 that China is planned to establish its own version of the Monroe Doctrine. The argument was based primarily on the Chinese claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea (SCS) and the ongoing militarization of these waters. Other commentators have

At Temple of Heaven summit, Trump and Xi will seek a good harvest

BEIJING, May 12 - Chinese emperors once prayed for bumper crops under the blue-tiled, triple-eaved roof of Beijing's Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, in sacred rites affirming their mandate to rule.

Third Everest death takes Nepal's May toll of Himalayan climbers to five

KATHMANDU, May 12 - A Nepali Sherpa guide fell into a crevasse and died on Mount Everest for the third death in two weeks on the world’s highest mountain, as climbers are undeterred by travel disruptions from the Middle East conflict, officials said on Tuesday.

Duterte's drug war enforcer urges Philippine president to block ICC arrest

Trump says Cuba is seeking help, will hold talks

WASHINGTON, May 12 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Cuba was asking for help and \"we are going to talk,\" without providing any more detail.