Ukraine has captured its first Indonesian prisoner of war, exposing Jakarta’s uphill battle to stop its citizens from being recruited to fight for Russia in the war sparked by Moscow’s 2022 invasion. The 49-year-old contract soldier from Java was captured in the frontline Zaporizhzhia region after entering Ukrainian-held territory following a drone strike on his Russian unit, The Guardian reported, citing Kyiv’s state-backed “I Want to Live” surrender initiative. According to the project,...

World leaders began arriving on Wednesday to start formal discussions at the United Nations climate change conference in Turkey, hoping to agree on concrete actions to curb global warming after a year of deadly floods, heatwaves and other climate-related disasters. But what can and will be accomplished at the 11-day Conference of the Parties, called Cop31, remains to be seen. Past talks have been criticised for making promises that later fell flat, and some big names are missing from this year’s...

China has overtaken South Korea in monthly orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers for the first time, challenging its rival’s long-standing dominance in a high-value shipbuilding segment where demand is surging. The country secured five of the seven large LNG carrier orders placed worldwide in October, compared with just two won by South Korean shipbuilders, according to data from British shipping consultancy Clarksons Research. In the first 10 months of this year, Chinese shipyards...

We have put together stories from our coverage of Jensen Huang’s affair and its potential repercussions. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Could Jensen Huang’s affair become another ‘spy balloon’ saga for US-China ties? China hawks in Washington could weaponise allegations that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by Chinese intelligence, despite denials from Beijing, Chinese experts warn. 2. ‘Adding fuel to fire’: how Nvidia CEO’s troubles could...

In the space of just two months, India’s navy has held joint exercises off the coasts of Britain, France, South Africa, Oman, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and Russia’s far east. Such a run of exercises signals a bid for a larger maritime role on the world stage, analysts say. Yet it also raises questions about whether a navy currently short on submarines and struggling to expand can support such global ambitions while also guarding India’s home waters. Since mid-September, over a span of...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) move to take equity stakes in both OpenAI and Anthropic will give the world’s largest contract chipmaker direct financial ties to the frontier AI labs driving demand for its business. Its board on Tuesday authorised up to US$500 million to buy Anthropic common shares at its initial public offering (IPO) price, and up to US$500 million to buy preferred shares in OpenAI. Directors separately approved up to US$500 million to establish a dedicated...

Malaysia is seeking to reassure Taiwanese investors that it remains a reliable destination for hi-tech manufacturing after Taipei suspended bilateral investment talks over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on China, raising concerns over the future of semiconductor investments in the Southeast Asian nation. Taiwan confirmed on Tuesday that it had paused negotiations scheduled for late October. The move came after Anwar told Al Jazeera in an August interview that he saw the self-governed...

The prospect of Gibran Rakabuming Raka stepping down as Indonesia’s vice-president has raised the stakes for President Prabowo Subianto, with analysts warning that his departure could trigger a scramble for power within the governing coalition and reshape the country’s political alliances. While they differ over whether Gibran, the eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, genuinely wants to relinquish his position, observers say his dilemma reflects shifting political loyalties and the...

The Philippine foreign affairs department’s rare rebuke of officials and agencies over anti-China rhetoric could signal Manila’s bid to rein in tensions ahead of the Asean summit next week – but also internal disagreements over strategy, according to analysts. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday said public criticism of China could undermine diplomatic efforts. “In high-stakes diplomacy, a disciplined and coherent national voice remains essential to advancing our national...

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Wednesday that the cabin colour palette for its newly unveiled business class seats was “carefully selected” after the reveal drew criticism from some content creators and travel writers, including those who likened them to “dental chairs”. Much of the reaction has focused on the grey-and-yellow colour palette of the seats, which were developed by SIA in collaboration with seat manufacturer Recaro and creative design firm Designworks. An SIA spokesperson said the...

A mysterious, jellyfish-shaped light spotted in the skies over Sabah was from a Chinese rocket launch, not aliens, according to the Malaysian Space Agency. The glowing trail linked to the Long March 12 rocket, launched from southern China’s Hainan province in the early morning of Monday, sparked buzz and concerns over potential debris across the Borneo state. Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation said it received a report about the rocket’s sighting from MYSA. MYSA was also...

The Iranian immigrants in the plane were scheduled to be flown to Pakistan and then transferred to Iran, lawyers for the group said.

Mainland Chinese mutual funds investing overseas have delivered sharply diverging returns this year, with products tied to energy and US stocks outperforming while funds tracking Hong Kong equities lagged behind. Energy-linked funds topped the rankings among outbound investment products under the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) programme, according to financial data provider Wind. The performance reflects a 50 per cent surge in crude oil prices in 2026 after US strikes on Iran...

Japan is considering including a commitment to strengthening its “capabilities to deny” an adversary’s aggression in coordination with the United States in a major defence policy document to be revised later this year, government sources said on Tuesday. The basic guidelines for the National Defence Strategy will also call for expanded Japan-US cooperation to strengthen the defence industrial base and deeper security ties with like-minded countries, the sources said. The National Security...

Thousands of Indian soldiers who would otherwise have left the military after four years will now be kept on, in a major rethink of the controversial Agnipath recruitment model, as analysts say New Delhi is grappling with persistent manpower shortages and security concerns along its borders with China and Pakistan. Under revisions approved by the federal cabinet on November 4, the 75 per cent of Agnipath (“Path of Fire”) recruits previously set to leave after four years will receive a two-year...

China’s growing naval presence in the waters between Japan and South Korea could give the two neighbours a new incentive to overcome long-standing historical tensions and strengthen security cooperation, according to analysts. A reported sharp increase in Chinese warships and coastguard vessels passing through the strait that separates the two countries, some operating alongside Russian forces, has raised concerns about Beijing’s expanding maritime reach. The strait, which links the East China...

The automaker plans to sell Americans “Kei” pickup trucks, which are very popular in Japan and with U.S. auto enthusiasts. Even President Trump is a fan.

China’s cut-throat price competition can shift financing costs onto smaller suppliers through delayed payments, weakening supply chains.

The PLA is practicing is how to disperse its naval forces, evade surveillance and reconnaissance by the U.S. and neighboring countries, and break through into the Western Pacific.

Pakistan's first homegrown air-to-air beyond visual range missile ensures a more robust response in future aerial clashes with India.

Insights from Maggie Wu.

Over 15 years, Honiara has transformed into a staging ground for geopolitical competition, with more foreign money than ever. Yet many of the problems facing ordinary Solomon Islanders remain remarkably unchanged.

Despite knowing about the relationship between one of the president’s closest allies and a woman later identified by U.S. officials as a Chinese spy, the Trump administration took no action.