Nepal votes in key post-uprising polls

Votes open Thursday (Mar 4) for a new parliament in Nepal, as young leaders challenge older politicians following anti-corruption protests.

‘Ungrateful’ Indonesian influencer’s video puts scrutiny on public scholarship holders

The controversial video has sparked debate on whether government scholarship holders overseas should return home to "contribute".

Much of Iran’s navy has been neutralized

There is an old joke. Why does the Italian Navy have glass bottomed boats? Answer: So they can see the previous Italian Navy. It is looking like the joke can be redirected, although it will be some time before Iran has glass bottomed boats. Here a situation report: IRIS Dana

Trump weighing US role in Iran after conflict, White House says

WASHINGTON, March 4 - President Donald Trump is discussing with his advisors what role the U.S could have in Iran after the military campaign while U.S. intelligence is monitoring reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's slain supreme leader, has emerged as a

Netherlands summons Iranian ambassador over attacks

AMSTERDAM, March 4 - The Netherlands summoned the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday over the Iranian attacks on Gulf countries and the wider region, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on Wednesday.

Iranian government making case for demise with indiscriminate attacks, EU's Kallas says

WARSAW, March 4 - Iran's government is making a strong case for its demise by indiscriminately attacking its neighbours, EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters on Wednesday.

New Zealand deploys two defence planes to the Middle East in preparation for evacuations

DUBAI, March 4 - The New Zealand government said on Wednesday that it would send two Defence Force C-130J Hercules aircraft to the Middle East in case they were needed for evacuating New Zealanders from the region.

China kicks off key political meetings in Beijing under shadow of war in Iran

A key deliverable is China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which will outline the country's development goals until 2030.

US says Iran firing fewer missiles, US strikes to expand inland

WASHINGTON, March 4 - Iran is firing fewer missiles than it did at the start of the war on Saturday, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, as he argued Iran's military capabilities were greatly diminished as the United States expands its strikes inside Iran.

US says kills Iranian leader of Trump assassination plot

WASHINGTON, March 4 - The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it killed an Iranian official who headed a unit behind an alleged assassination plot against President Donald Trump.

US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, killing 87 and expanding war zone

A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said 32 people had been rescued.

US carried out strike on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka coast, officials say

WASHINGTON, March 4 - The U.S. military carried out a strike that sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast and triggered a rescue for dozens of Iranian sailors by Sri Lanka's navy, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

Partner of UK MP arrested on suspicion of spying for China, BBC told

The Met Police suspect three men of assisting Chinese intelligence services in the UK.

Hungary foreign minister hopes Russia will free two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war during talks

BUDAPEST, March 4 - Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday that he hopes two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war will be freed by Russia during his talks in Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later.

Chinese Communist Party elder Song Ping dies aged 109

BEIJING, March 4 - Chinese Communist Party elder and the longest-lived member of the elite Politburo Standing Committee, Song Ping, died on Wednesday at the age of 109, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Britain needs to keep a cool head over Middle East, UK PM Starmer says

LONDON, March 4 - Britain needs to keep a cool head over the conflict in the Middle East to address the public's concerns about escalation, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday.

Turkey says NATO defences destroyed missile from Iran headed toward its airspace

ANKARA, March 4 - NATO air and missile defence systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace after passing Syria and Iraq, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

Two men go on trial in London accused of spying for Hong Kong and China

LONDON, March 4 - Two men went on trial in London on Wednesday accused by British prosecutors of carrying out hostile surveillance on well-known pro-democracy dissidents for Hong Kong and, ultimately, China.

Philippines apprehends Filipinos suspected of spying for China

One of the accused was a Defence Ministry staff who said he wrote opinion stories in exchange for pay.

Heavy shelling, explosions spark fear along Pakistan-Afghanistan border

LAL PUR, Afghanistan/PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 4 - Several people living along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan said they were considering fleeing their homes as heavy shelling and explosions marked a seventh day of fighting between troops from both sides on Wednesday.

ASEAN calls Middle East escalation ‘regrettable’, urges ceasefire after US-Israel strike on Iran

South-east Asian governments are warning of risks to regional stability and its citizens abroad.

Thai poll body certifies election results, clearing path for new Parliament

A new coalition government led by Bhumjaithai is expected to begin working in April.

Philippines apprehends Filipino nationals suspected of spying for China

MANILA, March 4 - The Philippine government said on Wednesday it had apprehended some of its citizens on suspicion of spying for China in a \"serious national security matter\" that underscores the need for stricter laws against espionage and foreign interference.

Two senior Communist Party officials absent at top Chinese political event

Zhang Youxia, China’s highest-ranking general, was not among the party’s 23-member politburo at the opening of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

South Korea jails doctors for killing baby delivered at 36 weeks

The two doctors had placed the baby in a freezer to end its life.

China Inc’s projects in Iran face uncertainty after US-Israeli strikes

One of Iran’s closest allies, China kept silent about the business and trade impact of the attacks.

Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura struck again by unknown projectile, four sources say

RIYADH, March 4 - Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura, which houses its largest domestic refinery and a key crude export terminal, was struck again on Wednesday by an unknown projectile, four sources said, two days after a source said a drone attack on the complex shut the refinery.

Uncertainty faces China Inc's projects in Iran after US–Israeli strikes

BEIJING, March 4 - Weeks before U.S.–Israeli strikes in Iran, wide swathes of state-backed Chinese companies were eyeing projects in areas from energy and heavy industry to trade promotion, data showed, spotlighting the risks the war presents for business in China.

Two senior Communist Party officials absent from top Chinese political event

BEIJING, March 4 - Two senior Chinese officials were absent on Wednesday from the ranks of China's highest tier of power at the opening of the country's two largest political events of the year, with top Communist Party cadres ensnared in a wave of purges.

Discussions with Board of Peace 'on hold' due to Iran war, Indonesia says

JAKARTA, March 4 - Indonesia's foreign minister said talks on U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza \"Board of Peace,\" of which the Southeast Asian nation is a key troop-contributing member, were on hold due to the Middle East war.

Russia says US attacked Iran on false pretext, condemns call for Iranians to seize power

MOSCOW, March 4 - Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of using an imaginary threat from Iran as a pretext to overthrow its constitutional order, and said Washington's calls for Iranians to seize power from their leaders were cynical and inhumane.

Russia blames Ukrainian drones for attack on LNG ship in Mediterranean

MOSCOW, March 4 - Russia's transport ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian naval drones of attacking a Russian liquefied natural gas carrier, the Arctic Metagaz, which caught fire in the Mediterranean a day earlier.

Modi’s silence on Iran lost India’s voice in the Middle East

The US-Israel attack on Iran has redrawn the Middle East’s map, and India has already managed to lose. For decades, New Delhi cultivated a “reputation” for its so-called “strategic autonomy”, maintaining parallel relationships with Israel, Iran and the Gulf emirs and sheikhs

South Africa offers to mediate in Middle East conflict if asked

JOHANNESBURG, March 4 - South Africa is willing to play a mediating role in the Middle East conflict if asked, President Cyril Ramaphosa told local media on the sidelines of an energy conference in Cape Town.

Philippine lawmakers advance impeachment of Vice President Duterte

Khamenei’s killing is neocolonialism’s final gambit

In 1953, the US and the UK staged a coup in Iran that deposed Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, the first democratically elected leader of a major Muslim country. The intervention, staged to regain control over Iranian oil, was a milestone in the transition from colonialism to

Sri Lanka rescues 32 sailors from sunk Iranian warship

The authorities did not say what caused the Iranian warship to sink.

Canada PM Carney says Iran conflict a failure of the international order

SYDNEY/TORONTO, March 4 - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday the ongoing conflict in the Middle East was a \"failure\" of the international order, and the United States had not consulted its allies before striking Iran.

'China's solution': Beijing touts Xi's governance plan amid global turmoil while raising concern over Iran

Global conflicts over the past year have pushed the world towards a watershed moment, a spokesperson for China’s National People’s Congress said ahead of its annual meeting to be held from Mar 5 to 12.

US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, at least 87 dead

"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Amid pushback on Indonesia’s BOP role and Iran conflict, Prabowo attempts balancing act

Jakarta hopes to be a diplomatic player while ensuring the Middle East crisis does not spill over into domestic instability.

Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rattled by downfalls of Venezuela’s Maduro and Iran’s Khamenei?

Experts said the lesson for Kim may be less about fear than survival.

Former Malaysian minister Rafizi's ex-aide a 'wanted' man to assist in probe over US$270 million government deal

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said that it was tracking down Chai Jin Shern, also known as James Chai, and had appealed to the public to provide any information on his whereabouts.

Iranian warship sinks off Sri Lanka, bodies recovered at sea

GALLE, Sri Lanka, March 4 - An Iranian warship has sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka, with the Sri Lankan authorities saying on Wednesday they had rescued 32 people who were on board and recovered several bodies from the sea.

North Korea unveils rare statue of leader Kim Jong Un

State-run TV broadcast images of the sculpture depicting him smiling with his right hand tucked in his coat pocket.

Philippine lawmakers advance impeachment of Vice-President Duterte

If convicted, Ms Duterte would be removed from office and disqualified from holding any future government position.

Ahmad Samsuri’s PN chairman role does not make him opposition coalition’s prime ministerial pick: Muhyiddin

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin also said he will oppose all efforts for his former Bersatu deputy, Hamzah Zainudin, to rejoin Perikatan Nasional (PN) under a new party.

Why Iran isn’t attacking America’s bases in Turkey

Iran has attacked US bases in the Gulf States on the pretext that they were used to some extent by the US in its joint campaign with Israel against Iran. By that standard, however, it’s notable that Iran hasn’t attacked the two US bases in Turkey, namely its airbase in Incirlik