Headlines

Iran fast-boat swarms add to Hormuz threats for shipping

LONDON, April 23 - Iran's use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize two container ships near the Strait of Hormuz could undermine suggestions U.S. forces have disabled its naval threat and reveals the challenges facing reopening one of the world's most important oil export

Asia

ICC confirms all charges as Duterte goes on drug war trial

MANILA – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday confirmed all charges against former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained in The Hague for charges related to his brutal drug war that had left thousands dead. Duterte faces charges of three counts of

Asia

Bangladesh’s fuel crunch is largely the government’s fault

Bangladesh’s current fuel crisis is being described by parts of the government as a problem of panic buying or syndicates. Those factors exist. But they are secondary. The core of the crisis is supply-side mismanagement, sharpened by delayed price correction. And the delay

Asia

Pakistan is the hole in America’s Great Game strategy

Pakistan’s instability is no longer a localized security concern-it is emerging as a structural constraint on US strategy in Asia. For Washington, three priorities are converging: reducing dependence on China in critical minerals, expanding access to Central Asia, and managing

Asia

Myanmar’s scam centers are America’s problem too

The rise of scam centers across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar and Cambodia, has put a spotlight on existing economic inequalities and how these vulnerabilities are preyed upon to exploit the most vulnerable. With American losses funding the system, US consumer fraud

Asia

US and Iran could find common cause in shredding UNCLOS

For the past 46 years, Washington treated the Strait of Hormuz as a defensive line to be shored up in the service of unimpeded global commerce. But US President Donald Trump has frequently wavered on that orthodox position, shaming European and regional allies for not doing

Asia

Sulfur squeeze: Gulf chaos is coming for Asia’s food prices

Fertilizer input stress is beginning to rebuild upstream as shipping disruptions continue to constrain flows through critical energy and chemical corridors. Recent developments across Middle Eastern routes, namely the blockades at the Strait of Hormuz, combined with tightening

Asia