Analysts say the move is insurance against an accelerating “arms race” in the region, as lessons are learned from recent flare-ups such as Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel last month.
Narendra Modi’s government has launched numerous initiatives to speed up the country’s development, but many areas continue to lag behind – with employment scarce.
Manila’s ability to police its waters is determined by maritime capacity, not political will, so more investment in the navy is required, an analyst says.
Analysts say there has been “a lot of noise” about strained ties but Washington places strategic capital on India as a counterweight to growing Chinese influence.
Catherine Delacote, who is suspected to have killed herself, bequeathed her fortune to Nutwalai Pupongta who had worked for her for 17 years.
BTS’ agency Hybe is under scrutiny after it allegedly paid a ransom to individuals who were aware of its unethical business tactics.
The Philippines has played its cards right by signalling that it’s ‘willing to work with anyone’ for strategic advantage, analysts say.
Japan ranked the lowest among G7 nations in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Observers say it’s because the country’s media has been shaped into a ‘good servant’ of the political class.
Some were aware of the risks and joined voluntarily, but others said they were tricked into going to the frontline after being promised cooking and cleaning jobs.
Thailand’s farms are buckling under the high temperatures, while Malaysia braces for ecological impacts like rising dengue cases
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a close Duterte ally, has initiated a hearing in which a former anti-narcotics agent claimed Marcos Jnr was a drug abuser.
Malaysia has been accused by the West of helping Tehran evade sanctions through the supply of Iranian oil to China via a “dark fleet” in its waters.
To slyly raise prices without alerting customers, manufacturers have been shrinking the size of their products amid South Korea’s skyrocketing food inflation – but regulators have caught wind.
The problem has become so bad that some local governments and schools in Japan have drafted rules to deal with the ‘irritated and impatient’.
More than 9 million ‘akiya’ homes – 13.8 per cent of all Japan’s residential properties – have been left empty after owners die, a new report found.
From Singapore and Malaysia to Australia, New Zealand and the China-focused clinics of Thailand, would-be parents are finding fertility treatments can take their financial, physical and emotional toll.
With the junkets of Asia’s gambling capital ‘decimated’ by an anti-corruption crackdown, money launderers have shifted focus to more loosely regulated casinos in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Those who know Wong say he is a ‘highly relatable political leader’, and laud him for being a team player, a quiet go-getter and a persistent doer.
The Buddhist kingdom plans to take a punt on legalised gambling as it rues the billions of dollars in untapped gaming revenue that’s been left on the table. But will it hit the jackpot?