Asia

Taiwan’s defense ministry said that 71 Chinese planes and nine ships crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line as of 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Saturday, as China mounts drills around the island it claims as its own territory.

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in China for a three-day state visit, during which he aims to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia’s offensive against Ukraine. The French president arrived in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Wednesday, alongside European Commission President von der Leyen, and is due to hold a meeting …

China has warned that Washington is “endangering regional peace and stability” with its deal with the Philippines allowing US troops to use several military bases in the Southeast Asia country. In February this year, the former US colony signed a deal to allow American troops greater access to its military …

China says joint military drills by the United States and its regional allies, namely South Korea and Japan, are the main reason for tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the remarks on Monday as the navies of the three allies began their first anti-submarine drills in six …

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appealed against his conviction for defamation on Monday, seeking to overturn a judgment that resulted in his expulsion from parliament a year before a general election is due. Gandhi, 52, was convicted last month in a case brought by a state lawmaker from Prime Minister …

A Chinese balloon that flew across the US was able to gather intelligence from several US military sites, despite the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent it from doing so, NBC News reported on Monday, citing two current senior US officials and one former senior administration official. The balloon, controlled by …

India has opted to offer its Indian Rupee (INR) as a trade currency alternative to the US dollar after it unveiled its latest “dynamic and responsive” foreign trade policy in a bid for de-dollarization. According to the Indian Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal, Indian Rupee will be used in trade countries …

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will appeal a two-year jail sentence in a defamation case brought against him by lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), local media reported on Sunday. Gandhi, the 52-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty and leader of the Congress party, was …

At least nine people were killed in a crowd crush in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi Friday as a Ramadan alms donation sparked a stampede in the inflation-hit nation, officials said. Pakistan has been wracked by economic turmoil for months, with the rupee crumbling and staple food prices shooting up …

Von der Leyen’s speech was contradictory and misleading, said Beijing’s envoy to the EU European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s speech ahead of her visit to China was incoherent, contradictory, and misinterpreted Beijing’s policies and positions, the Chinese ambassador to the EU said on Friday. “I was a little …

At least 35 people were killed and 16 were injured after the roof of a stepwell in a temple complex collapsed in central India, a local government official said on Friday (March 31). The incident occurred in the central Indian city of Indore after a concrete slab covering the roof …

Beijing’s “friendship” with Moscow is a “risk” for the bloc, according to Ursula von Der Leyen. In a bid to be “bolder” on China, the EU plans to reassess and “de-risk” their ties, while considering Beijing’s position on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine a crucial part of their …

China has hailed the recent joint naval drills with Russia and Iran in the Sea of Oman, saying the exercises boosted the ability of their navies to conduct diversified maritime missions. Tan Kefei, a spokesman at the Chinese defense ministry, made the remarks at a regular press conference on Thursday, …

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has arrived in New York on a sensitive transit trip to the United States, as China has threatened to “resolutely fight back” if she meets House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Taiwanese president left Taipei on Wednesday afternoon for a 10-day trip to visit Central …

FIFA, the world football’s governing body, has stripped Indonesia of the 2023 U-20 World Cup hosting rights after massive protests in the Muslim-majority country against the participation of the Israeli team. In a statement on Wednesday, FIFA said it has decided to “remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA …

China and Brazil have reached a deal to trade in their own currencies, ditching the US dollar as an intermediary, the Brazilian government said Wednesday, Beijing’s latest salvo against the almighty greenback. According to Press TV, the deal will enable China, the top rival to US economic hegemony, and Brazil, …

At least 28 people have died including a 6-month-old baby after a fire broke out on an inter-island passenger ferry in the southern Philippines, the coast guard said on Thursday. Authorities have yet to identify the cause of the fire that started close to 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Wednesday …

China and Brazil have reached a deal to trade in their own currencies, ditching the US dollar as an intermediary, the Brazilian government said, Beijing’s latest salvo against the almighty greenback. The deal will enable China, the top rival to US economic hegemony, and Brazil, the biggest economy in Latin …

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has arrived in New York on a sensitive transit trip to the United States, as China has threatened to “resolutely fight back” if she meets House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Taiwanese president left Taipei on Wednesday afternoon for a 10-day trip to visit Central …

Honduras has formally established diplomatic ties with China after it cut its ties with Taiwan, dealing a new blow to the island’s secessionists. “The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the existence of one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China represents …