US-based Japanese doctor arrested upon extradition for allegedly vandalising shrine

He is accused of leaving oily smears at Katori Shrine in Chiba.

U.S., Kurds discuss potential Iran military operation, sources say

WASHINGTON, March 3 - Iranian Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether, and how, to attack Iran's security forces in the western part of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

South Korea overhauls immigration policy to attract more highly skilled workers

A new agriculture and fisheries skilled worker visa will also be introduced for seasonal workers.

Australian state to enshrine work-from-home rights in law

This will make Victoria the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce work-from-home rights.

Hormuz doesn’t need to close to cripple Asia’s economies

If the Strait of Hormuz remains threatened and constrained by the war on Iran, Asia will face its most serious test of energy security since the 1973 oil embargo. For decades, policymakers understood the vulnerability, but few likely believed it would ever be realized on such a

Nepali women still sidelined in post-uprising polls

Those who contest must confront gendered stereotypes, biased media coverage and online abuse.

Indonesia will keep budget deficit below 3% of GDP as Middle East conflict lifts oil prices, minister says

A quarter of Indonesia's crude oil imports come from the Middle East, while the region also accounts for 30 per cent of the country's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports.

South Korea's Kospi tanks as Asian stocks tumble on Middle East worries

The Kospi plunged 12 per cent on Wednesday (Mar 4), extending a steep selloff from the previous day as the escalating war in the Middle East rattled investor sentiment.

Japan high court upholds dissolution order for Unification Church

The order was requested by the government on the grounds that it unlawfully solicited financially ruinous donations.

US court convicts Japanese yakuza for trafficking nuclear material

North Korea to elect delegates to legislative assembly

Iran regime change a fantasy without US boots on the ground

After raining thousands of bombs on Iran, the United States and Israel are outsourcing the task of overthrowing the government to civilians who are unarmed and otherwise ill-equipped to take on the heavily armed oppressive forces they would face. US President Donald Trump and

Indonesia pauses talks on Board of Peace amid Iran conflict

President Prabowo held a rare late-night briefing with senior political leaders amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

EU’s burial in a Belgian castle

EU elite retreated to a Belgian castle on February 12 to formalize what other powers had long priced in: Europe is losing. Not a policy debate or a trade dispute, but the century itself. The get-together was billed as a consequential competitiveness summit. The outcome—pledging

British woman who reported Hong Kong rape convicted of blackmail

Prosecutors accused her of threatening to “make a false report to the police”.

Nepal to vote in first election since Gen Z-led protests toppled government

KATHMANDU, March 4 - Nepal is heading to a general election on Thursday, the first after youth-led protests last September demanding an end to corruption, more jobs and cleaner politics led to the deaths of 77 people and forced the government to resign.

Australian girl, 8, killed in snowmobile accident in Japan

It is the fourth Australian death at a Japanese ski resort this year.

UK to stop issuing study visas for Myanmar, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan

"Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused," said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Breaking: Khamenei son reportedly named Iran’s new supreme leader

Opposition channel IranIntl reports that the Assembly of Experts has elected Mojtaba Khamenei to be the next Supreme Leader. Mojtaba is the eldest son of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While we await confirmation and elaboration of this report, here is an earlier article setting

Does India's new AI model live up to claims of rivalling China's DeepSeek? CNA puts it to the test

Launched at a landmark event in India recently, homegrown firm Sarvam AI claims its new 105-billion-parameter model can rival China’s DeepSeek at a fraction of the computational cost. CNA tests how it stacks up against global peers.

DeepSeek power, but at lower cost? India’s new AI model prompts scrutiny, scepticism

Launched at a landmark event in India recently, homegrown firm Sarvam AI claims its new 105-billion-parameter model can rival China’s DeepSeek at a fraction of the computational cost. CNA tests how it stacks up against global peers.

France sending aircraft carrier to Mediterranean, Macron says

PARIS, March 3 - President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said France was sending its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean and working to build a coalition that would help secure maritime traffic imperiled by the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

Trump says US will cut all trade with Spain over military bases, defence spending

WASHINGTON/MADRID, March 3 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after the European country refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

Iran’s missile capability is significantly degraded

Most of Iran’s air defenses have been neutralized in key areas. On March 2, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine announced that local air superiority had been established over western Iran and Tehran. The IDF reported on March 2 that it has successfully targeted

Trump says US has knocked out many Iranian naval and air targets

WASHINGTON, March 3 - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. military had been successful against many Iranian naval and air targets, saying \"just about everything has been knocked out.\"

US Troops were told Iran war is for ‘Armageddon,’ return of Jesus

This article was originally published on Jonathan Larsen’s Substack. A combat-unit commander told non-commissioned officers at a briefing Monday that the Iran war is part of God’s plan and that President Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to

China’s Foreign Minister tells Israeli counterpart that attacks on Iran must end

Mr Wang Yi has not spoken to his US counterpart since the launch of the US-Israeli attack.

China's foreign minister tells Israeli counterpart that attacks on Iran must end

BEIJING, March 3 - China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the U.S. against Iran and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Tuesday, according to his ministry.

UK rapper Ghetts jailed for killing Nepali student in hit-and-run

LONDON, March 3 - British rapper Ghetts was jailed for 12 years on Tuesday for killing a Nepali student in a hit-and-run while driving dangerously and over the drink-drive limit.

Khamenei killing plays into Shiite Islam’s reverence for martyrs

The day Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, the Iranian government called for 40 days of public mourning in line with Shiite tradition. It also praised the supreme leader for his martyrdom – a concept considered sacred and significant in the Islamic Republic and Shiite Islam.

US struggling to de-risk Congo's 'war zone minerals' even after pact, sources say

DAKAR/KINSHASA, March 2 - The U.S. has made progress in its push to prise Congo's strategic minerals from China's orbit, but conflict, contested licences and compliance demands are still slowing Washington's advance into a region its rival dominates, diplomats and industry

Iran betting Gulf pain will force Trump to seek a deal

Washington’s allies in the Persian Gulf have found themselves in a position they have long sought to avoid: on the front line and bearing the brunt of a widening Middle East conflict. Having been dragged into a war of choice by the US – one which many around the world are

UN warns 200,000 more Afghan children face acute malnutrition in 2026

International aid to Afghanistan has fallen sharply since 2021.

Israeli military says Iranian missiles hit central Israel

JERUSALEM, March 3 - Israel's military on Tuesday reported strikes in the Tel Aviv area of Israel from Iranian missiles.

Malaysia Airlines to resume Jeddah, Madinah flights from March 4-8

Flights to Doha remain suspended until March 7 as the airline assesses situation in the Middle East.

Iran's strikes on Gulf states may widen war against Tehran, analysts say

DUBAI, March 3 - Iranian airstrikes on Gulf states could push them into a broad coalition aligned with the United States and widen the war against Iran, Middle East analysts said, after attacks on ports, cities and oil facilities in a vital energy-producing region.

UK working with airlines to boost Oman evacuations

LONDON, March 3 - Foreign minister Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that Britain was working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat, Oman to prioritise the evacuation of vulnerable British nationals.

UN calls for investigation into deadly strike on school in Iran

GENEVA, March 3 - The U.N. human rights office on Tuesday urged what it called the forces behind a deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran to investigate and share insights into the incident, without saying who it believed was responsible.

At least 30,000 displaced people in shelters in Lebanon, more on the way, UN agencies say

GENEVA, March 3 - At least 30,000 displaced people have sought protection in shelters in Lebanon since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this week, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday, while many more were expected to join them.

India's top court angry after junior judge cites fake AI-generated orders

In several recent instances, AI has disrupted court proceedings in India and elsewhere.

Russia raises alarm over conflict's impact on Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran

MOSCOW, March 3 - The Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran is under threat as a result of the escalating conflict, the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Tuesday, according to the RIA state news agency.

UK yet to decide on sending warship to defend Cyprus base

LONDON, March 3 - Britain has yet to decide whether it will send a warship to defend its Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus, a source close to the matter said on Tuesday after the Times newspaper reported ministers had discussed such a deployment.

Trump’s Asian allies fear Iran war will sap defences against China

About 40 per cent of US navy ships ready for operations are currently stationed around the Middle East.

Turkey says it's engaging with all sides to end Iran war, resume diplomacy

ANKARA, March 3 - Turkey is engaging with all parties to find a way to end the war in Iran and return to negotiations, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, adding that Ankara was also in talks with Oman on the matter as the Gulf nation works for the same goal.

Russia says it has seen no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons

MOSCOW, March 3 - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow had still seen no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons as the U.S. and Israel pursue their attack.

IAEA confirms entrances to Iran's Natanz enrichment plant were bombed

VIENNA, March 3 - Entrances to Iran's underground and previously bombed uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz have been struck as part of the U.S.-Israeli military attacks on the country, the U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed on Tuesday.

Turkey eyes lifting U.S. CAATSA sanctions before U.S. midterms

ANKARA, March 3 - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said work was underway with the United States to lift sanctions imposed on Ankara before the U.S. midterm elections in November, but added Israel was opposed to the potential move.

Helicopter crash kills 2 in Philippines; Malaysian among casualties

The helicopter was carrying five people when it went down in a grassy area of a residential district in Pililla, a small town in Rizal province.