LONDON, March 19 - Voters grappling with unprecedented turmoil head to the polls in more than 50 countries this year, with the opportunity to make clear their views on their governments' strategies for wars, tariffs and economic strife.
WASHINGTON, March 19 - President Donald Trump may use a White House meeting with Japan’s prime minister on Thursday to press for help in the war on Iran, placing Sanae Takaichi in an awkward position as Tokyo weighs how much support it can provide.
The mysterious free model, Hunter Alpha, surfaced on the AI gateway platform OpenRouter on March 11.
As conflict in the Middle East drives up global fuel prices, Hong Kong drivers are looking north for relief - but will the savings add up?
On his first visit to Japan as Singapore's prime minister, Mr Wong spoke about the importance of maintaining strong relationships with other countries amid a more complex geopolitical environment.
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 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
PM Sanae Takaichi has maintained that her stance was consistent with longstanding Japanese policy.
TOKYO, March 19 - Japan has not changed its position on how it determines an existential threat, its top government spokesperson said on Friday, rejecting an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies of a \"significant shift\" in its stance on Taiwan.
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
Authorities have rolled out incentives to boost marriages and births, but shifting attitudes and economic pressures among young Chinese pose deeper challenges.
They are accused of importing key precursor chemicals from Vietnam and using them to make the drug.
HELSINKI, March 19 - Heavy social media usage appears to contribute to a drop in wellbeing among young people, especially girls, in some English-speaking countries, the World Happiness Report published on Thursday found.
India’s educational enrolment has surged but jobs, especially good ones, are not keeping pace, a new report finds.
The film will combine live action and computer-generated animation and is in "early development".
A win could usher in a rare period of stability for a country long plagued by political turmoil.
With oil supply disrupted, Beijing's oil reserves and renewable energy push are being put to the test.
Nearly three decades in, Malaysian designer Lee Khoon Hooi has dressed Golden Globes red carpets, built a loyal following across the Middle East – and still picks up his own phone.
Before launching his war on Iran, President Donald Trump said his most important goal was that Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon.” Yet it is not clear what, if anything, his administration has planned for dealing with Iran’s stock of enriched uranium that could be used to
Rising fuel prices due to tensions in the Middle East, along with other factors, could compound an already arduous and risky journey for millions returning to their home towns this Hari Raya season.
Some of China’s most successful global companies have spent years masking their origins to sidestep Western scrutiny. That has changed, says Juliana Liu for Bloomberg Opinion.
Between the end of the Cold War in 1989 and dawn of the New Cold War in the early 2020s, the Korean Peninsula served as the ultimate testing ground for a peaceful international order that ultimately failed to materialize. The “Grand Strategic Triangle” of Washington, Beijing
March 18 - Qatar's state oil giant QatarEnergy said on Wednesday that \"extensive damage\" has been caused after the Ras Laffan Industrial City was subjected to missile attacks, shortly after the country's interior ministry reported a fire resulting from an Iranian attack on
US Senator Jon Ossoff on Wednesday cornered Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over President Donald Trump’s false claims that he launched a war with Iran because it was an “imminent” threat to US national security. During a Senate Select Intelligence Committee
WASHINGTON, March 18 - China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and seeks to control the island without the use of force, the U.S. intelligence community said on Wednesday, striking a measured tone on one of the world's biggest potential flashpoints.
US President Donald Trump has played down the risk of Chinese military action while he is in office.
KABUL/KARACHI, March 18 - Former heroin user Nazar Mohammad said the Kabul rehabilitation centre bombed by Pakistan cured him of his drug addiction two years ago and helped keep him alive. He even stayed on to work there as a live-in carer for the 2,000 patients.
WASHINGTON, March 18 - The White House said on Wednesday that China had agreed to postpone U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, originally scheduled in just two weeks.
TEL AVIV, March 18 - Three private planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv suffered \"severe\" damage after being hit by debris from Iranian missiles that were intercepted by Israeli air defence systems, the Israel Airports Authority said on Wednesday.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has choked LNG shipments to Asia.
As the Middle East war enters its third week, there is no sign from either Iran or the United States and Israel that they will stop the fighting any time soon. It is getting more violent and nasty by the day. The Iranian Islamic regime is fighting for its survival, while the US
Malaysia has been identified as a hub for illegal ship-to-ship transfers of crude oil in recent years.
Escalating clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan are quickly turning the Durand Line dispute into a wider regional security crisis. What began as cross-border strikes and retaliatory operations has devolved into sustained fighting along the frontier, drawing the attention of
GURBULAK, Turkey, March 18 - The Iranian women's soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Both countries will enhance cooperation in trade, digitalisation and technology, defence, green transition and energy, as well as other people exchanges.
US officials said the warship was deployed to the region, without disclosing its destination or mission.
Japan’s quiet deployment of upgraded Type-12 missiles marks a decisive shift from defensive posturing to operational counterstrike capability, with implications for the balance of power in the East China Sea and around Taiwan. This month, multiple media outlets reported that
Marcos said he had ordered the transportation department “to launch free rides all over the Philippines”.
Mr Andrie Yunus was injured in the face, his eye, hands and torso.
JAKARTA, March 18 - Indonesian military authorities said on Wednesday that they have arrested four officers allegedly involved in an acid attack on an activist known for his opposition to the expanded role of the military in civilian life.
Activist Andrie Yunus suffered injuries to his face, an eye, hands and torso after the acid attack last week.
The new insurance scheme for Malaysians commuting to work in Singapore is likely to be ready by Q2 of 2026.
The man reportedly became angry, got a knife and slashed him on the left arm.
The 28-year-old has been found dead.
As China races to adopt AI in everyday life and to boost its economy, it is grappling with how best to regulate it.