Japan election results in smallest main opposition party in post-war era

The Centrist Reform Alliance secured just 49 seats in the Feb 8 election.

China set to widen footprint in Bangladesh as India's ties decline

DHAKA, Feb 10 - China’s influence in Bangladesh, boosted by the 2024 ouster of New Delhi‑aligned leader Sheikh Hasina, is likely to deepen after this week's election, although politicians and analysts say India is too large a neighbour to be sidelined completely.

What next for Thailand after Anutin’s surprise election win

Questions still remain over Mr Anutin’s ability to put the economy on a surer footing.

AI helps scam centres evade crackdown in Asia, dupe more victims

The use of AI is not leading to fewer people being trafficked into South-east Asia.

US appeals court lets Trump continue ending deportation protections

Feb 9 - A U.S. appeals court in California on Monday temporarily lifted a federal judge's order that had blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for nearly 89,000 migrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua.

Thailand election: The result the polls never saw coming

Why did a youthful, progressive party do so poorly compared to a transactional, old-style party?

Australian leaders urge calm after Sydney clashes during Israeli President Herzog’s visit

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was not present at the protest site.

Australian leaders urge calm after Sydney clashes during Israeli President Herzog's visit

SYDNEY, Feb 10 - Australian leaders on Tuesday urged calm and called on protests to remain peaceful after clashes between police and demonstrators opposing Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia erupted in Sydney.

Japan has given Takaichi a landslide win - but can she bring back the economy?

Japan has been battling sluggish growth, mounting public debt and a rapidly ageing workforce.

Jimmy Lai severely sentenced despite Trump calling for his release

Hong Kong media entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment by a Hong Kong court on charges of colluding with foreign forces, partly because he had called on Washington to speak up for Hong Kong protesters and pressure

Commentary: Japan's Takaichi needs more than her winning personality

A landslide election win sets Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi up to be one of the strongest, most consequential leaders Japan has known for years, says Gearoid Reidy for Bloomberg Opinion.

The anatomy of India’s trade capitulation to Trump

In the high-stakes world of trade diplomacy, agreements are usually forged quietly through painstaking negotiations behind closed doors, dense legal texts and carefully calibrated “reciprocity” and “give and take.” The recently announced India-US “interim trade deal” departs

Thailand election: Bhumjaithai’s win reflects return of conservatism, mistakes by rivals

The People's Party lost 4.6 million party-list votes after backing Anutin as PM, seen as a betrayal by supporters.

A controlled opening: China redraws the line on tokenized assets

The latest policy adjustment reads less like a crackdown than a structural re-ordering. On the surface, it tightens around cryptocurrency activity again. In design terms, it also places a second category inside a framework that can be defined, approved and supervised. The door

Ukraine needs help in forcing Putin to show interest in peace

Can you remember how you felt when the last Winter Olympics opened? President Vladimir Putin certainly does, for February 4th 2022 saw him flying memorably to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping, wishing China a successful Olympics and signing a joint statement pledging that

Twenty years is 'a death sentence', son of British media tycoon jailed by China says

A Hong Kong court sentences the 78-year-old British citizen Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of national security offences last December.

China-Japan ties set to remain strained after Takaichi’s landslide election win

But Beijing could be looking for a way to coexist peacefully with PM Takaichi, said one analyst.

Jimmy Lai's son urges UK to do 'much more' to win media tycoon's release

LONDON, Feb 9 - The son of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai appealed to the British government on Monday to do \"much more\" to secure his elderly father's release and he criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer's efforts to reset London's relations with Beijing.

10 newly elected Thai MPs accused of ethics breach over push for royal insult law reform

If they are found guilty, they could face a lifetime ban on holding political office.

US forces board Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean without incident

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 - U.S. military forces boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuing it from the Caribbean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, accusing the vessel of breaching Washington's blockade on sanctioned vessels traveling to or from

Bangladesh poll rivals rally on final day of campaign

German foreign minister to discuss sanctions, energy with Central Asian counterparts

BERLIN, Feb 9 - German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet his counterparts from Central Asian countries in Berlin on Wednesday, said a ministry spokesperson, with themes including energy and Russian sanctions circumvention on the agenda.

Gaming giant Roblox under scrutiny in Australia amid child-grooming concerns

Roblox faces increasing scrutiny globally as governments attempt to reduce online harm to children.

China rejects US claims of secret nuclear tests

Sony to exit Blu-ray disc recorder market amid rise of streaming services

Sony had earlier ended production of Blu-ray recorders and ceased manufacturing recordable discs.

Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai gets 20 years' jail

Lai's supporters say this amounts to a death sentence, but authorities say it demonstrates the rule of law.

Explainer-India-US trade pact and its impact on millions of Indian farmers

NEW DELHI, Feb 9 - The United States and India have released an interim framework for a trade deal, paving the way for an agreement that would lower tariffs, reconfigure energy ties and deepen economic cooperation as both seek to realign global supply chains.

How the Takaichi era can save Japan

Japan is a parliamentary democracy; they have a prime minister rather than a president. So when Takaichi Sanae became prime minister last October, it was because she won an internal party election, not because she received the mandate of the people. This was a problem for her,

Rubio to attend Munich Security Conference amid frayed Translantic ties

BERLIN, Feb 9 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a sizeable U.S. delegation to the Munich Security Conference starting on Friday, underscoring the importance of transatlantic relations despite a \"crisis of trust\", the head of the forum said.

UK expands visa route for Hong Kongers after Jimmy Lai sentencing

LONDON, Feb 9 - Britain said it was expanding its visa route for those who want to move from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom, in reaction to the sentencing of Jimmy Lai, the Asian city's most vocal China critic, to 20 years in jail.

‘Understands the game best’: How Thai PM Anutin’s Bhumjaithai scores big electoral win - and what’s next

Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party emerged as the clear winner in a general election shaped by local politics, coalition-building and voters wary of the risks of reform, say analysts.

Soft authoritarianism coming for Bank Indonesia’s independence

Peter Conti-Brown, a historian of the Federal Reserve at the Wharton School, recently issued a clear warning: the politicization of monetary institutions poses a serious threat to modern democracies. Such unease is emerging in today’s Indonesia. In a Financial Times interview,

Malaysia cracks down on unauthorised temples: Could relocation be better than demolition?

Critics say enforcing laws alone will not resolve longstanding disputes and risks fuelling religious tensions.

Sydney police deploy pepper spray during protests against Israeli president’s visit

Protesters gathered in Sydney and Melbourne to demand an end to Israel’s “occupation” of Palestine.

Thai PM Anutin’s poll win calms turmoil but hard economic test awaits

With 2.2% GDP growth estimated for 2025, Thailand’s economy has lagged behind regional peers.

One case of TB infection detected at Pontian primary school in Johor

Sanitisation and thorough cleaning will be carried out in areas identified as high risk.

Takaichi’s landslide win ushers in hopes of political stability in Japan

Political analysts view Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory as a sign voters want stability and strong leadership amid economic pressures.

Landslide election win clears path for Japan's Takaichi to deliver tax cuts

TOKYO, Feb 9 - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi renewed a pledge on Monday to cut a sales tax on food, after a historic election win brightened chances for stimulus measures that have rattled financial markets.

Germany indicts Ukrainian over parcel bomb allegations tied to Russia

BERLIN, Feb 9 - Germany has indicted a Ukrainian national in connection with allegations of a plot linked to Russian intelligence to detonate parcel packages in Europe, German prosecutors said in a statement on Monday.

Thai PM Anutin's poll win calms turmoil but hard economic test awaits

BANGKOK, Feb 9 - Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's big surprise win in Sunday's election, and the likelihood of a strong coalition government, could provide temporary relief to a stuttering economy that has faced repeated bouts of political instability.

Survivors dispute Greek coastguard account of fatal migrant shipwreck

ATHENS, Feb 9 - Survivors of a shipwreck that killed 15 Afghan migrants off Greece last week said that the dinghy they were in did not change course or ram a coastguard vessel, contradicting the official account by authorities.

US Vice President Vance heads to Armenia, Azerbaijan to push peace, trade

TBILISI, Feb 9 - U.S. Vice President JD Vance will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan this week to push a Washington-brokered peace agreement that could transform energy and trade routes in the strategic South Caucasus region.

Singaporean man, 25, to serve public cleaning order in KL after conviction under stricter anti-littering law

Another five cases involving Singaporeans in Johor are currently being processed through legal channels, says the Malaysian authorities.

Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader to visit Oman on Tuesday

DUBAI, Feb 9 - Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will visit Oman accompanied by a delegation on Tuesday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.

China vows ‘resolute response’ to any reckless acts after Japan election

Beijing has been bristling over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made concerning Taiwan.

South Korean police to deploy special forces for 260,000 fans at BTS concert in Seoul

Hybe, the concert organiser, said it plans to secure 3,553 safety personnel for the BTS concert.

Phuket to tighten control of motorcycle rental, crack down on reckless riding by foreign tourists

This comes as the Thai city aims to curb road accidents and maintain its image as a tourist site.

Girl, 6, who died in Chinatown accident in Singapore ‘truly like a fairy’, says aunt

Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani was buried on Feb 8.

China vows 'resolute response' to any reckless acts after Japan election

Beijing’s warning comes amid tensions between the two countries after Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last year that Tokyo could intervene militarily in an attack on Taiwan.

Thailand's ruling party readies for coalition talks after big election win

BANGKOK, Feb 9 - Thailand faced a realignment of conservative politics on Monday, with coalition talks expected to start soon after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's party clinched a stronger-than-expected general election victory.