Asian markets rally after Wall St tech-led gains

Deadly Indonesia floods force a deforestation reckoning

President Prabowo Subianto said the priority now is to protect the environment.

Diving paradise Derawan Island in Indonesia faces mounting waste crisis

The island generates more than 46 tonnes of waste per day.

Bangladesh’s new PM pledges price stability

Mr Tarique Rahman said his government would dismantle market syndicates that exploit consumers.

Bangladesh's new PM pledges price stability

DHAKA, Feb 19 - Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has pledged to stabilise prices during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, restore the rule of law and advance economic and infrastructure reforms following his party’s landslide victory in parliamentary elections.

Radio Free Asia says it resumes broadcasts to China

Flood victims in Malaysia face grim Ramadan after deluge

The victims’ food supplies were swept away and electrical appliances damaged.

Malaysia’s Kuantan family murder: Witness heard an argument that morning

Checks found that the suspect had no record of mental treatment or previous criminal offences.

South Korea braces itself for verdict in ex‑president Yoon’s insurrection trial

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty in this case.

South Korea braces for verdict in ex‑President Yoon's insurrection trial

SEOUL, Feb 19 - A South Korean court is due to rule on Thursday on whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol is guilty of masterminding an insurrection over his botched attempt to put the country under martial law in December 2024.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un says new military goals to be set at party congress

The party congress will be the first major gathering of top leaders since 2021.

Martial law, protests and a president tried for insurrection: How did South Korea get here?

A court is due to deliver its verdict in the insurrection trial of Yoon Suk Yeol.

North Korea flexes nuclear-capable rocket launcher ahead of key congress

He has been touting the progress of the country’s various projects ahead of the Ninth Congress.

Cambodian national dies in ICE custody in Indiana

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 - A detainee died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Indiana on Monday, with the cause of death under investigation, ICE said on Wednesday, marking at least the seventh death in 2026 in federal immigration custody.

US senators in Ukraine call for pressure on Russia, not just talks

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 - Democratic U.S. senators traveling in Ukraine and neighboring countries on Wednesday vowed to return to Washington and push for stiff new energy sanctions and other legislation to put pressure on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine.

What lessons can India take from SE Asian nations in attracting foreign investments?

The survey compiles and analyses data from government and other official sources, and makes policy recommendations.

Fewer hurdles for Indian diaspora investors, but more needed to sweeten the deal: Analysts

The Indian government has taken measures to ease tax and procedural hurdles.

Batam seeks to boost digital economy with data centres and IT training - but talent gap persists

CNA speaks to local leaders and businesses in Indonesia’s Batam on how Nongsa Digital Park is anchoring the city’s push to become a regional digital economy hub, even as challenges around talent and sustainability remain.

Tokyo’s strategic US investment surge puts China on edge

Japan has begun deploying the first tranche of what is expected to become a sweeping investment wave into the United States following the landslide election victory last week of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party. The initial batch, worth about US$36

Iran issues notice over planned rocket launches on Thursday

DUBAI, Feb 18 - Iran issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) that it plans rocket launches in areas across its south on Thursday from 330 GMT to 1330 GMT, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration website showed on Wednesday.

Germany will seek strategic partnerships with China amid US tariffs, Merz says

BERLIN, Feb 18 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday he would seek \"strategic partnerships\" with China during a trip next week, as he looks to discuss future cooperation between Europe and the world's second-biggest economy while the United States leans on

Putin meets Cuban foreign minister in Moscow, says US restrictions are 'unacceptable'

MOSCOW, Feb 18 - Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Wednesday in the Kremlin, where he said that new restrictions imposed on the communist-run island were \"unacceptable\", Russian state news agencies reported.

UK Prime Minister Starmer tells Trump: ‘Trust us’ on Diego Garcia

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is a real estate man. He knows when he’s being played – and the British are doing their best to play him over some Indian Ocean real estate that’s little known but immensely important to the United States. The Chagos Archipelago – which

India-South Korea strategic economic cooperation

The international economic system is undergoing a structural transformation marked by intensifying US-China strategic and economic rivalry, supply chain fragmentation, technological bloc formation, demographic asymmetries, and the gradual reconfiguration of globalization.

Britain issues removal orders to four who landed on Chagos atoll

NAIROBI, Feb 18 - British authorities on Wednesday issued removal orders against four Chagossians who landed this week on a remote atoll in the Chagos Archipelago in a move they hoped would complicate British plans to transfer the territory to Mauritius.

Four South Africans lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine return home, SABC reports

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 18 - Four South African men who were lured into fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine landed at Johannesburg's main airport on Wednesday, public broadcaster the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to skip ICC hearing, refuses to recognise its jurisdiction

Duterte is detained in a Dutch prison complex in the district of Scheveningen, facing three counts of murder.

Takaichi formally re-elected as Japan's prime minister with a goal of pushing to the right

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's goals include an increase in military power, more government spending and strengthened conservative social policies.

Twelve killed in China’s Hubei as firecracker store explosion triggers blaze

The incident occurred at an unnamed retailer in the central Chinese city of Xiangyang.

US tech giants announce India deals at AI summit in Delhi

Nvidia – the world’s most valuable company – said it was teaming up with three Indian cloud computing providers.

Pakistan PM Sharif to seek clarity on troops for Gaza in US visit, sources say

ISLAMABAD, Feb 18 - Before Pakistan commits to sending troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force it wants assurances from the United States that it will be a peacekeeping mission rather than tasked with disarming Hamas, three sources told Reuters.

EU-India trade deal is what world needs, not tariffs, Finland PM Orpo says

HELSINKI, Feb 18 - The EU-India trade deal will create opportunities and is what the world needs instead of tariffs, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said, after meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

China gives Lithuania punishing silent treatment over Taiwan

When Lithuania challenged China over Taiwan four years ago, it expected argument or outrage. It got silence. What began as a bold stand for democracy and human rights collided head-on with China’s unyielding One China principle. In 2021, Lithuania tested one of China’s most

Suspect in Thai shooting surrenders after realising his actions caused panic, closure of 17 schools

The suspect said he never imagined that his actions would cause such a huge disturbance to students.

Man loses leg to fireworks explosion in Johor

The victim was playing with the fireworks in front of his house amid Chinese New Year celebrations.

Russia tells European nations who accuse it of poisoning Navalny with dart frog toxin to provide proof

MOSCOW, Feb 18 - Russia is demanding that European countries who accused Moscow of poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a dart frog toxin provide concrete data to support their allegation, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Thailand hopes to be 'bridge' for Myanmar and ASEAN, foreign minister says

BANGKOK, Feb 18 - Thailand hopes to bring Myanmar back into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nearly five years after a military coup, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on Wednesday after meeting his Myanmar counterpart.

Twelve killed in China's Hubei as firecracker store explosion triggers blaze

BEIJING, Feb 18 - Twelve people were killed on Wednesday when a store selling firecrackers exploded and caught fire in China's Hubei province, burning 50 square metres of the premises, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Video shows great white shark circling divers in Australia

Rescuers alerted the pair to the large predator slipping through the waters on Feb 15.

Fireworks shop explosion kills 12 in China

Indian university faces backlash for claiming Chinese robodog as own at AI summit

A professor claimed that a robotic dog made by Chinese firm Unitree had been made by the university.

3 bodies found at helicopter crash site in south-west Japan volcanic crater

The authorities will attempt to recover the bodies, the local fire department said.

Sun, sand and empty beaches: Trump oil squeeze chokes Cuba's tourism

VARADERO BEACH, Cuba, Feb 18 - Cuba's Varadero peninsula is a postcard of a tropical paradise: turquoise waters, powder-white sand and palm trees.

11 Johor divisions of Malaysia’s Bersatu announce dissolution

More divisions had reportedly announced plans to dissolve after the expulsion of deputy president Hamzah Zainudin.

Japan to ban in-flight use of power banks from April

The ban will extend to charging smartphones via onboard power outlets.

Russia says Ukraine peace talks in Geneva were difficult, but business-like

MOSCOW, Feb 18 - Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Wednesday that U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva had been difficult but business-like, and that a new round of talks would be held soon.

Merz questions German need for future manned fighter jet amid FCAS trouble

BERLIN, Feb 18 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has questioned whether developing a manned sixth-generation fighter jet still makes sense for his country's air force, referring to the troubled FCAS project that seeks to build such a jet.

Turkey foreign minister to attend Trump's Board of Peace meeting in Washington

ANKARA, Feb 18 - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Washington in lieu of President Tayyip Erdogan for the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's \"Board of Peace\" on Thursday, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.