Why Modi wants Indians to stop buying gold

Gold’s role as a safe-haven asset and a hedge against inflation makes it highly valuable for Indian households.

Asking the wrong question about Qatar

The recurring Washington argument over Qatar — is it friend or foe, ally or adversary, partner or problem? — tells us less about Doha than it does about ourselves. Specifically, it tells us that a generation after the end of the Cold War and a quarter-century into the war on

Explainer-What is 'Taiwan independence' and is Taiwan already independent?

TAIPEI, May 14 - China's Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump on Thursday that disagreement over Taiwan could send relations down a dangerous path and that \"Taiwan independence\" and cross-Taiwan Strait peace are as \"irreconcilable as fire and water\".

Xi warns Trump mishandling Taiwan issue could lead to ‘conflict’

Mr Xi called Taiwan the most important issue in China-US relations in his meeting with Mr Trump.

Nearly 90 people killed as storm lashes India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh

Television images showed trees and billboards uprooted by gusts of wind in the storm on May 13.

Nearly 90 killed as storm lashes India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh

NEW DELHI / BHUBANESWAR, May 14 - Almost 90 people were killed in a violent storm that pounded India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh with rain and hail, a state official told Reuters.

‘We should be partners, not rivals’: Xi, Trump strike warm tone in high-stakes summit

China and the US should be partners and not rivals, said Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Iran war overshadows Trump's China visit as peace talks stall

BEIJING/WASHINGTON, May 14 - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to ask China to help end the costly and unpopular Iran war in discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with peace talks stalled and the global economic cost of the conflict increasing.

Iran war and oil to dominate BRICS meet in India

India, which holds the BRICS chair in 2026, is hosting the two-day gathering of foreign ministers.

Philippine president calls emergency meeting after chaos and shooting at Senate

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the former national police chief and chief enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody "war on drugs", is wanted for crimes against humanity.

South Korea official says unlikely anyone but Iran behind Hormuz ship attack, Yonhap reports

SEOUL, May 14 - The possibility that an entity other than Iran was responsible for the attack against a South Korean cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz is low, a senior official in Seoul was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency on Thursday.

Philippines seeking to confirm ICC suspect has fled after chaos at Senate

It was unclear who fired the shots.

Trump lauds ‘biggest summit’ as Xi talks tackle trade, Iran

The pomp-filled summit began at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People where Mr Xi greeted Mr Trump on the red carpet.

Trump-Xi summit: a new arms control era can begin in Beijing

US President Donald Trump is meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, with the arms control architecture, global and bilateral alike, in collapse. The Eleventh Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, now underway in New York, is sliding toward a third

Asia markets mixed as Trump-Xi summit, AI trade dominate

The meeting of the superpowers will likely be overshadowed by the war in the Middle East, which has seen the crucial Strait of Hormuz effectively closed - sending global energy prices soaring.

Indonesia to review visa waivers after foreign scammers' arrests

Authorities last week detained more than 500 people in two separate raids in Jakarta and Batam.

Indonesia prosecutors seek 18-year prison sentence for Gojek founder in graft case

If granted, the 18-year prison sentence would be one of the toughest punishments imposed on a former minister in recent years.

Trump-Xi summit: no grand bargain, only managed instability

When Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping in Beijing, neither side is likely to get what it wants. Trump wants Chinese help in ending the war with Iran. Xi wants the United States to ease pressure on China’s core interests, above all Taiwan. Neither outcome is likely. But that does

‘Think twice before posing with hand signs’: Experts warn of fingerprint theft

Fingerprints can be reconstructed only when conditions such as lighting and image quality are suitable.

Don’t use GDP to judge China’s strength – look at this instead

When President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing on May 14 for his summit with Xi Jinping, China will be ready with a figure – 5%. That is China’s official GDP growth rate and growth target for 2025, and it will be presented as evidence of economic resilience. The target is real.

Political tension in Philippines escalates after Senate gunfire

A lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court had sought refuge in the Senate.

Australian court finds grocery chain Coles misled shoppers in discount lawsuit

The Coles lawsuit focused on some 245 products advertised as being on discount.

Japan warns nationals not to engage in child exploitation in Indonesia

Japanese nationals who exploit minors in Indonesia will also face prosecution in Japan.

Xi Jinping says China and US should be partners, not rivals, as summit gets underway

The trip to Beijing marks the first by a US president in nearly a decade, after Trump last visited in 2017.

Uighurs hope Trump returns to first-term toughness at summit with Xi

Many Uighurs in the diaspora will be watching the summit closely.

What China’s choice of airport greeter says about Trump

In his role as Chinese vice-president, Mr Han Zheng is often sent to formal diplomatic events.

Live: Xi, Trump conclude 2-hour-long summit with warning over Taiwan, discussion on trade ties

Mr Xi told Mr Trump that trade talks were making progress but warned that disagreement over Taiwan could send ties down a dangerous path.

New York man found guilty in Chinese 'secret police station' case

NEW YORK, May 13 - A New York man was found guilty on Wednesday of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government after a trial over federal prosecutors' allegations that he operated a \"secret police station\" on behalf of Beijing in Manhattan's Chinatown

Trump, Xi set for Beijing talks with trade truce, Iran war at stake

BEIJING, May 14 - U.S. President Donald Trump heads into a series of meetings with China's Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, aiming to secure economic wins, maintain a fragile trade truce and navigate thorny issues such as the Iran war and arms sales to Taiwan.

They couldn’t vote for him, but global Tamils are celebrating actor Joseph Vijay’s victory at the polls anyway

The actor-turned-politician unexpectedly swept the Tamil Nadu elections, defeating entrenched political parties.

Australian PM Albanese moves to ease intergenerational wealth gap. How effective will it be?

The country has announced an ambitious federal budget to rein in the housing market.

Break with US policy: Trump to discuss Taiwan arms sales with Xi

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are likely to discuss many issues as they meet this week in Beijing. But alongside trade, technology and the war in Iran, one topic of conversation will stand out – the future of Taiwan. Taiwan has long been a sensitive issue in Sino-American

Trump wants China's help on Iran. Beijing may have other ideas

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, May 13 - When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week he is expected to ask for help resolving his costly and unpopular war with Iran.

Fire at Peru's Cajamarquilla zinc smelter under control, four workers injured

LIMA, May 13 - A fire on Wednesday at Nexa Resources' Cajamarquilla zinc smelter in Peru has been brought under control, though the blaze left several workers injured.

Families of Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates for 23 days call for their rescue

KARACHI, May 13 - Ambreen Fatima protested in Karachi with her children on Wednesday for the release of her husband, one of ten Pakistani crew aboard an oil tanker seized by Somali pirates 23 days ago, and who is now drinking dirty tank water to survive, she said.

Gunshots fired in standoff at Philippine Senate over ICC suspect

MANILA, May 13 - Gunshots broke out in chaotic scenes at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday where troops had been deployed after a politician wanted by the International Criminal Court urged supporters to mobilise and thwart his imminent arrest.

US news reports of gloomy Iran war intel assessments anger Trump

US President Donald Trump has accused news outlets of committing “virtual treason” by reporting on classified American intelligence agency assessments showing that Iran has retained significant missile capabilities, contradicting triumphant White House claims that the Middle

The US has always been obsessed with controlling Cuba

For months, US President Donald Trump has been fixated on Cuba. He’s issued threats and imposed additional sanctions on the island. The US military has conducted dozens of intelligence-gathering flights off the coast in recent weeks, suggesting a prelude to an invasion. The

Soybeans on Beijing agenda but US farmers should temper optimism

In 2017, President Donald J. Trump’s National Security Strategy declared China a competitor, an adversary and a “revisionist power” determined to supplant the United States in Asia. In his 2025 National Security Strategy, the confrontational epithets were dropped, replaced by

Who is Ronald dela Rosa, the Philippine senator at centre of Senate shoot-out?

He is accused by the ICC of crimes against humanity related to the Philippines' war on drugs.

Explainer-Who is Ronald dela Rosa, the Philippine senator at centre of Senate shootout?

MANILA, May 13 - Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa called on the public to step in to prevent law enforcement agents from handing him over to the International Criminal Court as the sound of gunfire rattled through the Senate building on Wednesday evening.

From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access

GDANSK, May 13 - Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.

Ending Chinese visa-free travel may hurt Northern Marianas tourism, residents say

EVS-TAP program makes it easier for Chinese to visit the U.S. territory, but presents security risks, critics say.

Gunshots fired in Philippine Senate where lawmaker wanted by ICC is holed up

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief, enforced former President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war.

Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi, after US and China trade chiefs hold last-minute talks

He was met by Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng.

Gunshots fired as chaos erupts at Philippine Senate where lawmaker wanted by ICC holds out

Trump lands in China for trade summit with Xi with Iran war in limbo

It is the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade.