Biden and Japan’s Kishida forge new partnership, eyeing China and Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday unveiled plans for military cooperation and projects ranging from missiles to moon landings, strengthening their alliance with an eye on countering China and Russia. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday unveiled plans for military cooperation and projects … Read more

U.S. eyes change to military command in Japan as China threat looms: Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) will agree next month to tighter military cooperation, including talks on the biggest potential change to Washington’s East Asia command structure in decades, two sources said. Kiyoshi Ota | AFP | Getty Images U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will … Read more

Egypt setting up area at Gaza border which could be used to shelter Palestinians: Reuters

Children stand outside their tents at a camp set up for people displaced from Khan Yunis and areas north of Rafah, in the southern Gaza border city with Egypt on Feb. 15, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.  Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty Images Egypt is preparing an area at the Gaza border which could accommodate Palestinians in case … Read more

Chinese firm behind ‘news’ websites pushes pro-Beijing content globally, researchers find

A Chinese flag in Pudong’s Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Spread over websites in 30 countries, the propaganda material is interspersed with news aggregated from local news outlets and Chinese state media, according to a research report the Toronto-based group released on Wednesday. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images More … Read more

Indonesia’s presidential hopefuls on TikTok to woo Gen Zs, millennials

Indonesia’s presidential election is due 14 February and candidates are going all out to win over voters in this country of 274 million. With millennials and Gen Z voters making up 56.5% of the electorate campaigning is often done on social media. One platform in particular has emerged as key, TikTok. Sopa Images | Lightrocket … Read more

Economy, Gaza war and China ties dominate

Presidential candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo, along with their vice presidential candidates, are posing for photos after the first presidential candidate debate at the General Election Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 12, 2023. Indonesia is preparing to hold general elections for president and vice president for the 2024-2029 period … Read more

South Korea’s opposition chief stabbed in the neck, local media reports

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, at his office at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. Woohae Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern port city of Busan on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency reported. Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential … Read more

Landmark national security trial opens in Hong Kong for Jimmy Lai

Jimmy Lai, Apple Daily founder, arrives at the Court of Final Appeal ahead a bail hearing on February 9, 2021 in Hong Kong. Anthony Kwan | Getty Images A landmark national security trial opened Monday in Hong Kong for prominent activist and publisher Jimmy Lai, who faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a law … Read more