Headlines

Asian currencies wilting in the Iran war’s heat

TOKYO – India and Indonesia aren’t often at the center of the global financial zeitgeist. But as the rupee and rupiah lead Asian currencies down and down, events in Mumbai and Jakarta speak to the ways the Iran war is imperiling economies everywhere – and at an accelerating

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Pressure builds on Putin to escalate Ukraine war

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Japan grapples with Iran war, cyber risk and tightening financial conditionsScott Foster reports that Japan faces a convergence of shocks — from Middle East energy

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What alternatives do Gulf states have to the Strait of Hormuz?

Two months into the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz is still mostly shut. Vessel traffic is running at a fraction of pre-war levels, with the patchwork of ceasefires, blockades and re-closures since February 28 not restoring confidence on the bridge of any tanker. Hormuz has

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Japan-Australia frigate deal about far more than 11 warships

The signing of the “Mogami Memorandum” aboard the JS Kumano frigate docked in Melbourne on April 18, 2026, marks a pivotal geopolitical moment, one that signals a tectonic shift in the Indo-Pacific security architecture. Japan has, in effect, shed the constraints of its

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India’s softer tone on Bangladesh hits a hard note in Assam

Dhaka on Thursday (April 30) issued a sharp diplomatic protest by summoning India’s acting High Commissioner, Pawan Badhe, following controversial remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that Bangladesh says undermine bilateral ties. Officials at the Ministry of

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China should borrow Britain’s tobacco-ban logic, not its law

Britain’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, passed by Parliament in April and awaiting Royal Assent, would permanently bar the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. The measure is designed to create what British officials call a “smoke-free generation.” It does not

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UAE’s OPEC exit hands Asia a petroyuan moment

On May 1, 2026, the United Arab Emirates formally departed from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), ending nearly six decades of membership. Most analysis has fixated on what this means for crude prices, supply discipline and Saudi Arabia’s burden of

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Iran war shows US economic coercion isn’t what it was

Two months after the United States, along with Israel, launched a war against Iran, that conflict appears far from a lasting resolution. Much commentary on the protracted nature of the conflict has centered on the limits of both the military and diplomatic approaches to the

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Myanmar’s political makeover unmasked by revolutionary reality

After five years of conflict and a tightly controlled election, Myanmar’s junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, shed his uniform, named himself president and spoke of peace and reconciliation. The release of elected President Win Myint, the reduction of Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence and

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Post-WW2 US wars killed 4 million civilians, cost $6 trillion

US President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has passed the two-month mark with little to show for it besides thousands of dead civilians, gas prices exceeding $4 a gallon, and tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds spent. It’s just the latest in a decades-long series of

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Panama president says port caught in US-China dispute

PANAMA CITY, April 30 - Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said his country maintains a positive relationship with China despite being caught up in a dispute between the Asian superpower and the U.S., and defended Panama's takeover of port contracts held by Hong Kong's CK

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