SYDNEY, Jan 10 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday the nation faced \"extreme and dangerous\" weather as a bushfire crisis gripped Victoria state, razing homes and burning vast swathes of bushland.
Great powers rarely fall because they lack strength. More often, they decline because they misunderstand the nature of power itself. Rome’s downfall was not caused by a single invasion but by structural overstretch. Rome expanded faster than it could integrate, govern and
China reportedly has begun restricting rare-earth exports to Japan to pressure Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to withdraw her pro-Taiwan remarks. But at the same time, it’s holding back from pushing this too far due to strategic reasons. The Wall Street Journal reported that
The US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro has generated far-reaching global repercussions. In East Asia, the intervention has intensified tensions between the United States and China and has disrupted South Korea’s existing
North Korea's state media KCNA called South Korea its "enemy most hostile".
SEOUL, Jan 10 - North Korea said on Saturday that South Korea flew another drone into its airspace on January 4, infringing on its sovereignty, according to state media KCNA.
Some say they've lost interest in social media since the ban, while others say nothing has changed.
A national crackdown on unofficial Christian organisations is growing in China.
The US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and plans to confiscate Venezuelan oil revenues have rightly stimulated discussion about the consequences for Asia. Some of the conclusions from this discussion, however, are flawed. The US has historically portrayed
The week highlighted rising political and economic friction between Beijing and Tokyo.
China’s disclosure of a new high-power microwave (HPM) weapon underscores how the intensifying drone vs. counter-drone contest in the Taiwan Strait is becoming a battle not just of platforms but of cost, resilience and control of the electromagnetic domain. This month, the
Following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump has a stronger hand ahead of his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping in April. He has found a relatively effortless way to resolve the Venezuela issue, which has been a source of global
After several missiles were fired at targets in western Ukraine’s Lvov region, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday morning that its formidable new Oreshniks had been used – for only the second time. Reports indicate that the Stryi gas field and gas storage facility
As Iran faces renewed unrest after years of economic strain and conflict, Reza Pahlavi is seeking to position himself as an alternative to the Islamic Republic.
KYIV, Jan 9 - Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
India is facing Western pressure to cut Russian oil purchases.
TOKYO, Jan 9 - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling a snap parliamentary election in the first half of February, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday, citing government sources.
The move would allow her to take advantage of strong approval ratings.
MOGADISHU, Jan 9 - China's top diplomat postponed what would have been a historic visit to Somalia, part of a tour of Africa aimed at bolstering strategic trade, the East African nation's foreign affairs ministry said on Friday.
There were 4,673,155 people aged 65 or older in Taiwan in 2025, or 20.06 per cent of the population.
GENEVA, Jan 9 - A global organisation dedicated to preventing violent extremism said on Friday the U.S. had made a mistake in withdrawing its support while the risk of militant attacks surges in the Middle East and Africa's Sahel.
With 20 per cent of its shrinking population aged 65 or older in 2025, Taiwan now meets the World Health Organization's definition of a super-aged society.
Royalties collected from commercial facilities are currently paid only to songwriters and composers.
MOGADISHU, Jan 9 - China's top diplomat has postponed what would have been a historic visit to Somalia, part of a tour of Africa aimed at bolstering strategic trade, the East African nation's foreign affairs ministry said on Friday.
ISLAMABAD, Jan 9 - Pakistan is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan, a former top air force official and three sources said, promising a major boost for Sudan's army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Presenting China with a high-value target in Chen might win Cambodia support in maintaining the ceasefire with Thailand.
Investigations revealed the victim had more than 10 wounds, likely inflicted by a bladed weapon.
WASHINGTON, Jan 9 - The U.S. Supreme Court could issue at least one ruling on Friday as several major cases remain pending including litigation testing the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.
Some 104 Umno divisions submitted resolutions calling for the release of the jailed former Malaysian prime minister.
Mr Yoon Jong-gye is credited for developing “yangnyeom” chicken – fried chicken coated in a glossy red sauce.
DUBAI, Jan 9 - Yemen's main southern separatist group has decided to disband, one of its members said in a statement broadcast on state media on Friday in Saudi Arabia, where a delegation from the group, which appears to be splitting, has been attending peace talks.
It is a method of preserving time and mental health in a society that rarely slows down.
MANILA, Jan 9 - At least one person was killed and 34 others were missing after a landfill collapsed in the city of Cebu in the central Philippines late on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
DUBAI, Jan 9 - Iran was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities blacked out the internet to curb expanding protests, with phone calls not reaching the country, flights cancelled and online Iranian news sites only intermittently updating.
MOSCOW, Jan 9 - The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the United States had released two Russian crew members from a Russian-flagged oil tanker seized on Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean.
Asian militaries increasingly use lethal drones such as Predator, Reaper and Sea Guardian.
Changes in sea currents had complicated the search, which was extended several times.
The court is expected to rule in February, capping more than a year of political upheaval.
SEOUL, Jan 9 - South Korea's special prosecutor is expected to make a sentencing request for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law in 2024, as a lower court trial convened on Friday for its final session.
Five years ago, in the mid June of 2020, with Indian and Chinese troops locked in a deadly standoff in the Galwan valley of Ladakh, I warned India of the strategic myopia guiding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China policy in my Asia Times column. My core argument was that
Only 236 of the birds remain in three breeding populations in New Zealand.
The US will provide a total of US$45 million in assistance, including to help support people displaced by the recent fighting, says the top US State Department official for East Asia.
PARIS, Jan 9 - Iran's authorities must show maximum restraint towards protesters who have a legitimate right to demonstrate, a French diplomatic source said on Friday.
The public’s concern about China’s growing military power overtook threats posed by North Korean nuclear missiles.
The area around Minami Torishima, which is in Japan's economic waters, is estimated to contain more than 16 million tons of rare earths.
TOKYO, Jan 9 - The Japanese public now sees China's growing military power as the country's leading security concern, overtaking the threat posed by North Korean nuclear missiles, a government survey released on Friday showed.
A US diplomat would meet Thai and Cambodian officials on Jan 9 and Jan 10 to discuss the implementation of the peace accords.
Jan 9 - The United States will provide $45 million in assistance to Cambodia and Thailand, the senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia said on Friday during a visit to the region, to help solidify President Donald Trump's peace-making efforts between the two.