Asia

President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran would resume uranium enrichment at an underground plant south of Tehran in its latest step back from a troubled 2015 agreement with major powers. The suspension of all enrichment at the Fordow plant in the mountains near the Shiite holy city of Qom was one of the restrictions […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed a “high degree of trust” in Hong Kong’s unpopular leader Carrie Lam as the two met after months of increasingly violent protests in the semi-autonomous city. Xi’s show of support follows speculation that Beijing was preparing to remove Lam as city authorities struggle to contain pro-democracy demonstrations that have rocked […]

by Amir HAVASI With anti-American slogans and effigies mocking President Donald Trump, thousands rallied outside the former US embassy in Tehran on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis. Amid renewed tensions with Washington, state television showed rallies taking place in several other cities four decades after revolutionary students stormed the […]

The US Department of the Interior has grounded its fleet of Chinese-made drones as it conducts a review of the program. Nick Goodwin, an Interior Department spokesman, did not provide a reason for the decision but it comes amid US security concerns over Chinese electronics. Goodwin said the review had been ordered by Interior Department […]

Filipinos poured into cemeteries by the millions on Friday for a rite to remember their dead, blending expressions of grief and faith in Catholic-majority Philippines with a party-like ambiance. Vendors hawked cartoon-themed balloons and police seized karaoke machines at graveyard checkpoints, while inside families swept tombs clean and prayed before candles as part of All […]

by Poornima Weerasekara with Jerome Taylor in Hong Kong China warned Friday it would not tolerate any challenge to Hong Kong’s governing system, as it laid out plans to boost patriotism in the city and change how its leader is chosen or removed after months of pro-democracy protests. Beijing also said it would brook no […]

Malaysia has opened up in the South China Sea (SCS) conflict, showing growing interest in the defence of its territorial integrity which is taken for granted by China. On Oct 17, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah says Kuala Lumpur’s ability to prevent other countries encroaching on its waters is lacking, and military upgrades are needed. […]

by Kang Jin-kyu North Korea fired two projectiles on Thursday, the South’s military said, with nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington at a deadlock. The weapons were launched from South Pyongan province in an easterly direction over the sea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without specifying the type of device involved. “We […]

by Hiroshi HIYAMA / Kyoko HASEGAWA A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa on Thursday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage site’s complex, local authorities said. The Shuri castle is a key part of a complex dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is believed to […]

by Jerome TAYLOR Hong Kong on Thursday confirmed it had plunged into its first recession since the global financial crisis as months of seething pro-democracy protests and the US-China trade war exact a heavy toll on the financial hub. The semi-autonomous Chinese city has been upended by nearly five months of huge, often violent, pro-democracy […]

Asian markets slipped Wednesday as traders play a wait-and-see game ahead of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision, with expectations of another interest rate cut but focus also on its plans for the future. Expectations for another drop in borrowing costs, along with optimism over the China-US trade talks and healthy corporate reports have provided […]

Grieving relatives tossed flowers into the sea Tuesday where an Indonesian Lion Air jet crashed a year ago, killing all 189 on board, after a final accident report pointed to plane design flaws as a key factor in the disaster. The crash on October 29 last year was followed months later by a second accident […]

Jakarta— President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo landed in West Papua and Papua on Sunday in his first visit to the restive region after violent unrest broke out in August. During the visit, he officially announced the completion of a 732-meter Youtefa Bridge in on Monday. It connects the provincial capital Jayapura and Muara Tami district. He also visited […]

A political science lecturer at the Muhammadiyah University in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Dr Ahmad Atang said Subianto Prabowo’s joining President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo’s cabinet has weakened the opposition in Indonesia. But he hoped the former opposition leader will add colour and bring expertise to the new government. Jokowi surprised the country and the entire region when he picked […]

In an analysis on what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently said on Hong Kong’s prolonged unrest, Alice Wu a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA, concludes that both Hong Kong and China must listen to his views. The analysis which appeared in the South China […]