SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said on Thursday that it would restart talks with Japan about a military intelligence-sharing pact, four years after a similar agreement was canceled in the face of a domestic furor. Officials at the Defense Ministry said in a news briefing on Thursday that such an agreement would allow South Korea to better address the… Read more »
DAVID GREENE, HOST: The death of Thailand’s beloved king this month left many Thais in mourning. It also created uncertainty for some in that country’s tourism industry, which accounts for at least 10 percent of the country’s GDP. Michael Sullivan has more. MICHAEL SULLIVAN, BYLINE: It doesn’t happen very often, but Bangkok’s infamous red light district, Soi Cowboy, went dark… Read more »
Islamic State supporters from Indonesia are traveling to join forces with their counterparts in the Philippines, raising concerns about cross-border violence, Indonesian anti-terrorism officials said on Tuesday. Authorities in Southeast Asia have been on heightened alert since a gun-and-bomb attack rocked the Indonesian capital Jakarta in January and stamped Islamic State’s presence in the region for the first time. “Some… Read more »
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is on a diplomacy roll and maybe a bank roll too. During his trip last week to China, the source of a tense maritime sovereignty dispute, the 71-year-old newcomer to his country’s national politics agreed to economic deals worth $24 billion and some expect that stack to grow. The sum covers $9 billion in soft loans and… Read more »
The New Zealand contingent in Iraq will eventually switch from training Iraqi troops to training local police, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says. Mr Brownlee is in Paris for a meeting of 13 countries in the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State.
In a cavernous, dimly-lit auditorium in Washington last month, three officials took the stage. They settled themselves into tan, leather armchairs and fielded questions, including this one: Name a global flashpoint you’re looking to with concern? “North Korea,” came the reply from one. “And how the United States and China deal with that situation.” The exchange is worth noting because… Read more »
The president of the Hong Kong legislature on Tuesday delayed the swearing-in of two pro-independence lawmakers and temporarily banned them from attending meetings, an unprecedented move that follows weeks of pressure from factions loyal to Beijing.
After years of hesitation, South Korean defense officials and members of President Park Geun-hye’s ruling Saenuri Party are openly discussing the possibility of pre-emptive strikes on North Korean missile and nuclear facilities. Increasingly, political figures are urging both their own government and the U.S. to go beyond the level of study promised by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and… Read more »
Malaysia’s government has announced its 2017 Budget, with Prime Minister Najib Razak waxing poetic on the multitude of goodies for various segments of the population, from civil servants to rubber-tappers. SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia – who is also the country’s Finance Minister – spoke for a good 150 minutes in the parliament on Friday (Oct 21), detailing his… Read more »
Much about the death of King Bhumibol has been as expected. Thailand has been consumed in grief for the loss of a beloved ruler. But the decision to delay anointing his son and designated heir, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, as the next king has caught people by surprise. On the night of 13 October, members of the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly… Read more »