Chinese visitors to Japan drop again as tensions keep simmering

The impact has rippled through Japan’s retail sector, with duty-free sales falling.

Japan tourist arrivals in January mark first year-on-year fall in four years

Malaysia announces 30% fare discount for electric train service on all routes during Ramadan

The discount will be available starting Feb 18.

South Korea’s death penalty in spotlight as prosecutors seek execution for ex-leader Yoon

The country has not carried out capital punishment in almost three decades, despite its courts continuing to hand down death sentences.

Bangladesh PM names Cabinet after election win

The 50-member Cabinet announced in a gazette notification issued late on Feb 17.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks enter second day in Geneva with pressure on Kyiv

GENEVA, Feb 18 - Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia were due to begin a second day of talks in Geneva on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United States was putting undue pressure on him to bring an end to the four-year-old war.

Australia bans citizen trying to return from IS camp in Syria

The person temporarily banned is among a group of 34 who this week attempted to leave the camp for Australia.

Civilians sent drones to North Korea four times since Lee became president, harming ties: Seoul

Drones crashed on two occasions in North Korea, according to investigations.

Time to put China on the hook for overfishing

Unfortunately, I have another thing for you to worry about. There are three types of environmental harm. The first kind is local — think air pollution and water pollution. This kind of activity hurts people who are geographically close by — when factories dump crap in the

Poland bars Chinese-made cars from military sites over data security fears

WARSAW, Feb 18 - Poland has barred Chinese-made vehicles from entering military facilities due to concerns their onboard sensors could be used to collect sensitive data, the Polish Army said on Tuesday evening.

Takaichi reappointed as Japan PM following landslide election win

She has pledged to bolster Japan’s defences to protect its territory and waters.

How Japan should respond to Trump’s Project Vault

TOKYO — Project Vault represents a structural shift in how the United States will compete for “manufacturing-ready” critical minerals. Japan’s current Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry–Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security’s case-by-case approach risks

In letter to Iowa friends, Xi offers reassurance over Sino-American exchanges

“Chinamaxxing”, the online trend of adopting Chinese culture, surged in popularity among America's Gen Z.

Australia to ban citizen from returning to country under rarely-used terror laws

34 Australians were briefly freed on Feb 16 before returning to Damascus for holding inadequate paperwork.

Australian right-wing lawmaker Pauline Hanson denounced over Muslim remarks

Ms Hanson backpedalled earlier in the day, saying she did not in fact believe there were no good Muslims.

Indonesia coal plant closure U-turn sows energy transition doubts

Around Cirebon-1, many residents describe increased respiratory problems since operations began.

MQ-9 drones sharpen US eye on China’s Pacific moves

As the US spreads a dense web of MQ-9 Reapers across the Indo-Pacific to monitor China, it is making a high-stakes bet: that persistent drone surveillance will deter Chinese aggression—but these assets also risk exposing a critical vulnerability in America’s defense strategy if

EU adds Vietnam, Turks and Caicos, to list of tax havens

Fiji, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago have been removed.

Ex-Bersatu deputy president Hamzah: Reset not about me, first step towards correction, improvement

Last week, expulsion notices were sent to 17 Bersatu members.

Wegovy copycat to be priced competitively, up to 60% discount feasible: Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy’s

The company aims to sell 12 million injectable semaglutide pens in the first year of launch.

The rising risk of China turning Japanese

The world today is witnessing an unsettling sense of economic deja vu. Beneath the gleaming skyline of Shanghai and the global dominance of China’s electric vehicle industry, the Chinese economy is on a precipice, similar to the one that dashed Japan’s economic miracle three

Philippine VP Sara Duterte to run for president in 2028

The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte has feuded spectacularly with the incumbent, Bongbong Marcos.

Philippine Vice President Duterte to run for president in 2028 elections

MANILA, Feb 18 - Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday that she will run for president in the 2028 elections while blaming incumbent leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the country's problems, including corruption.

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte announces 2028 presidential run

The Marcos administration was now likely to become more openly hostile, said an analyst.

Chinese calligraphy sees renewed interest in Malaysia, especially among seniors

More seniors are turning to the traditional art form to cultivate mindfulness and refine their skills.

Japan to invest $45b in US projects under Trump deal

The most significant investment is a natural gas facility in Ohio.

85% of TB cases in Malaysia involve locals, says health minister

Dr Dzulkefly said TB is not a new phenomenon in Malaysia’s public health landscape.

Who should run KL? Study into local polls stirs fears over demographics

Residents have no say over their RM3 billion budget or who runs the streets under the appointed system.

Seoul eases curbs on North Korea’s top daily Rodong Sinmun, but few South Koreans are reading it

It is part of a broader approach to ease tensions with the North by allowing public access to materials from there

Radio Free Asia says it has resumed broadcasts to China

Funding cuts by the Trump administration led to RFA’s initial shutdown.

Cambodian PM says Thailand occupying territory after Trump-brokered ceasefire

Thailand has denied it is occupying territory.

China is stuck with zombie sanctions against Takaichi government

The resounding electoral victory of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the snap election on February 8 confirms that China’s attempt to punish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has backfired. Beijing was angry about Takaichi’s Taiwan-related remarks in November. Beijing

US reveals new details of alleged Chinese nuclear test

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 - A senior U.S. official on Tuesday revealed what he said were new details of an underground nuclear test blast that China allegedly conducted in June 2020.

Trump appointee bans US states from regulating prediction markets

A key federal regulatory commission has announced that it will be fighting against individual states’ powers to regulate prediction markets. Mike Selig, chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), wrote in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on

All in the family: Where to go in Asia for a multigenerational vacation in 2026

From Phuket to Phu Quoc, Bintan to Bangkok, these stays prove it’s possible to keep grandparents, parents, teens, and toddlers happy – all at the same time.

Sex, lies and loyalty tests: Meet the detectives policing modern Indian love lives

Love brings hope — and uncertainty too. As more Indians seek reassurance before and after embarking on marriage, private detectives are stepping in to verify trust and, sometimes, quietly contain scandals, CNA’s Love Auditors finds.

How one Indonesian village turned from hunters into guardians of a rare blue-eyed marsupial

Once viewed as a crop-raiding pest and heavily hunted, the blue-eyed cuscus - a marsupial - is now seen as an ecotourism magnet for one community on the volcanic island of Ternate.

Dual nationals face scramble for UK passports as new rules come into force

Entry requirements to the UK for dual nationals are being overhauled as part of sweeping changes to the immigration system.

Turkey's Erdogan says Israel's recognition of Somaliland benefits nobody

ANKARA, Feb 17 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Israel's recognition of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland would not benefit Somaliland or the region.

Halved tariffs should benefit Scotch whisky exports to China

For more than a decade, China has been one of the most important growth engines for western luxury brands. From fashion and watches to fine wines and spirits, rising incomes and global exposure have fueled an extraordinary appetite for premium products. Scotch whisky has been a

Witkoff may have gone out on a limb with a new Iran agreement

The US-Iran “indirect” talks in Geneva on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, lasted between three and four hours. Omani diplomats acted as intermediaries. The US delegation did not meet directly with the Iranians. Thus suggestions were carried from one side to the other, and vice

Four islanders land on remote Chagos atoll, hope to block UK–Mauritius deal

Feb 17 - Four Chagos islanders have landed on one of the Indian Ocean archipelago's atolls to establish what they say will be a permanent settlement, a move they hope will complicate a British plan to transfer the territory to Mauritius.

PM Wong congratulates Bangladesh's new PM Tarique Rahman on election victory

Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the country's Feb 12 general election in a landslide, securing a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Taliban frees three Pakistani soldiers in Saudi-mediated move

KABUL, Feb 17 - Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Tuesday it had released three Pakistani soldiers captured during border clashes in October, in a move mediated by Saudi Arabia amid strained ties and a prolonged frontier closure between the two neighbours.

Ukraine hits oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar, chemicals plant in Perm, SBU says

KYIV, Feb 17 - Ukrainian drones hit the Taman oil terminal in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and a chemicals plant in the Perm region near the Ural mountains overnight, Ukraine's SBU domestic security service said on Tuesday.

Marco Rubio’s Munich speech criticized as promoting imperialism

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s defense of Western colonialism and imperial power at the Munich Security Conference and the applause his remarks received from attendees were seen as deeply unsettling in the context of the Trump administration’s brazen trampling of

Indonesia to acquire first aircraft carrier from Italy in 2026: Report

The carrier, the Giuseppe Garibaldi, will be transferred to Indonesia by the Italian government as a grant.