What is Pakistan military's strength and capability?

ISLAMABAD, July 17 - Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to five sources with knowledge of the talks.

Pakistan and Kuwait discuss expanded defence pact, sources say

ISLAMABAD/ RIYADH, July 17 - Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to five sources with knowledge of the talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urges equitable development at Shanghai AI forum

A world AI body is established at the conference to promote global governance of the technology

Germany’s conservatives face a self-inflicted crisis

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. The Spahn affair hits Germany before an AfD breakthroughDiego Faßnacht reports that Jens Spahn’s surrogacy controversy has exposed a damaging credibility gap inside

Trump spins China meddling intel to justify election takeover bid

Four months out from the critical November midterms, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address on Thursday night (July 16) attempting to sow doubt about the integrity of US elections, repeating well-worn lies about the 2020 contest that he lost and claiming to have

Canadian tourist injured in bear attack in north-eastern Japan

This marks the latest in a series of such incidents across the country.

Rubio expected to discuss Trump-Xi summit in Asia meetings

WASHINGTON, July 17 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads this weekend to meetings of Asia-Pacific countries in Manila, where he is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart to prepare a possible September summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President

UN urges probe into reports of deadly unrest in Pakistani-administered Kashmir

Dozens have reportedly been killed since June ahead of a vote for the region’s legislative assembly.

Ghost city, true believers and an Israeli row: Inside Network School, the tech commune dividing Johor

There are fears that Johor's Forest City will return to being a "ghost city" if Network School pulls out.

As life expectancy rises, talks start on a UN treaty to protect older people

GENEVA, July 17 - A United Nations meeting this week heard calls for an end to ageism and better protection against what campaigners say are hidden abuses as negotiations began on a treaty to strengthen the rights of older people.

India launches first hydrogen-powered train in clean energy push

Hydrogen trains use fuel cells to generate electricity, emitting only water and steam.

Why Negeri Sembilan’s royal dispute could become a campaign flashpoint in state polls

Two men are claiming the Negeri Sembilan throne. The Aug 1 state election could lower political heat but won’t resolve the royal standoff, say experts.

Is China’s economy broken?

The gap between Beijing’s stated growth rates and actual economic performance is widening considerably, says expert.

Trump has no good escalation options left against Iran

In a moment of brazen hubris in the Oval Office last year, US President Donald Trump railed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He accused Zelensky of not being thankful for US support in Ukraine’s existential struggle against invading Russian forces, and famously told

Hong Kong wraps up probe into ‘preventable’ Wang Fuk Court fire

It "was preventable but not prevented, and foreseeable but not foreseen", says leading counsel.

Forest City’s tech commune Network School puts $160m investment in Malaysia on hold amid probe

Its founder said the company had employed dozens of Malaysians and supported local tech start-ups.

North Korea appears to have built rocket launcher facilities near DMZ

North Korea builds 21 new military structures, suspected to be rocket launcher storage facilities.

Hong Kong wraps up probe into 'preventable' deadly fire

Forest City’s Network School says US$122m investment plan on hold amid Malaysia’s probe into alleged Israeli link

Locals in Johor’s Forest City tell CNA the startup community has boosted businesses but add that anyone found breaching Malaysia's immigration laws should face action.

Digital commune in Forest City: Founder says immigration probe a risk to Malaysia’s tech ambitions

The authorities earlier announced a probe into allegations that the commune hosted Israelis.

China's Moonshot AI chases 'DeepSeek moment' with much-hyped model

Kimi K3 drew excitement from industry insiders, with some evoking a 2025 release from China's DeepSeek that shook assumptions of US dominance in AI.

Trump puts election security at center of Republicans' midterm fight

WASHINGTON, July 17 - U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his effort to make election security a central issue in November's midterm elections, asserting that China interfered in the 2020 presidential campaign despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that found no evidence to

Landslide buries residents in southwest China's Chongqing

China suppressing Taiwan 'everywhere', vice president says of PNG pressure

TAIPEI, July 17 - Taiwan faces an extremely difficult diplomatic situation because China is suppressing the island \"everywhere\", Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said on Friday after Papua New Guinea said it was closing Taipei's representative office in the country.

Offenders to compensate accident victims in Malaysia, after proposed changes to law approved by Cabinet

The move aims to hold offenders responsible for the impact brought on victims and their families.

Opposition to data centres grows in cramped urban Japan

Residents have raised concerns regarding access to sunlight, excessive heat and noise, and feeling of oppression.

Landslide buries residents in south-west China’s Chongqing

The landslide occurred during an evacuation on the morning of July 17, burying some people.

ASEAN’s AI race is officially underway

AI cities abound in ASEAN regional headlines, as if the future had already arrived. Numbers pale compared to spending in the US, where the so-called hyperscalers alone have poured well over a trillion dollars into AI data centers since 2022. But resources permitting, ASEAN is

Taiwan must heed calls to share responsibility for ‘collective defence’, president says

The Taiwanese government has now proposed a new, NT$210 billion (S$8.3 billion) defence package to the end of 2031.

North Korea calls Seoul a ‘puppet’ for its role in US maritime exercise

The Rim of the Pacific Exercise is billed as the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

Taiwan must heed calls to share responsibility for 'collective defence', president says

TAICHUNG, Taiwan, July 17 - Taiwan must heed international calls to share the responsibility for \"collective defence\", President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, appealing for parliamentary support for new spending on drones.

Network School founder says immigration probe at tech commune is a risk to Malaysia's tech ambitions

EU plans to pay China to help Ukraine kill Russians

The Financial Times published a piece on July 15 alleging that “Ukraine to buy Chinese drone parts with EU funds.” According to the newspaper’s sources, “Kyiv has obtained a carve-out for part of a €6 billion tranche to purchase drone components from China”, following the

New Zealand confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in native bird

New Zealand earlier reported its first confirmed detection in a migratory seabird.

Xi pitches China as leader of new global AI order, challenging US dominance

SHANGHAI, July 17 - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using China's premier tech conference to promote open-source technology and challenge U.S. influence over the rules governing the fast-moving sector.

Autopsies find most Bangkok fire victims died from smoke inhalation

Japan relaxes royal succession rules - but ban on female emperors remains

The law now allows the adoption of male distant relatives aged over 15 back into the imperial family.

India’s AI moment more about deployment than discovery

For three decades, India was the world’s back office. During the next three decades, it may become the world’s AI workshop. That possibility lies behind one of the most consequential questions facing India’s economy. Artificial intelligence threatens the very industry that

Japan imperial rules tweaked but still no woman emperor

China’s desert mock-up rehearses a US warship’s death at sea

This month, multiple media outlets reported that satellite imagery showed a detailed, full-scale replica of a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in China’s remote Taklamakan Desert. Construction of the 155-meter mock-up began around October 2025 at the

Chinese police arrest Uyghur sisters and mother in Urumqi for sending goods to Turkey

Their eldest sister, who had been receiving the goods, said they were arrested for “supporting terrorists.”

Explainer: What are the changes to Japan’s imperial family law?

The revised law aims to address the issue of the shrinking royal family.

Iran launches fresh attacks after sixth day of US strikes

DUBAI, July 17 - Iran said it launched fresh attacks on U.S. facilities in the Gulf on Friday after a sixth consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month's truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks.

China’s Xi says AI should not be dominated by one country

AI has become a strategic pillar of China’s industrial policy, driven by state investment.

North Korea calls Seoul a 'puppet' for its role in US maritime exercise

SEOUL, July 17 - North Korean state media on Friday called South Korea a \"puppet\" following its participation in a maritime exercise led by the U.S., saying Seoul and Washington would need to bear responsibility for any \"unpredictable escalation\" in the region.

Japan revises law on imperial succession, but female emperor still banned

The latest legal revision makes no mention of female or maternal-line emperors.