Asia

The moves underscored the gap between Trump’s personal diplomacy and the region’s hard security realities.

The disaster has displaced nearly 60,000 residents, destroyed or damaged more than 19,000 homes, and crippled critical infrastructure.

The drill coincided with Taiwan wrapping up its largest and most realistic annual military exercises, the 10-day Han Kuang war games.

The timing has raised eyebrows among analysts, with some suggesting the visit was deliberately coordinated to reinforce Moscow's territorial claims amid heightened military activity in the Pacific.

The disaster has sent shockwaves through the global climbing community with the loss of "a generation of accomplished mountaineers".

The closures are projected to save about $4.4million per year, per reporting on the congressional notifications.

Tokyo identifies China’s expanding military activities as its “greatest long-term strategic challenge”, citing pressure on Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands.

Japan's first centralized intelligence agency since WWII places a renewed focus on security, cyber defense and foreign threats.

The BOK’s tighter stance signals a stronger effort to steady the won, as currency swings increasingly feed into inflation.

Bavi stands out not just for its strength, but for how long it has remained a major cyclone and how far its effects have spread.

Putin’s state visit to Beijing underscored Beijing’s emergence as a central hub of global diplomacy, just days after hosting US President Donald Trump.

The historical and ongoing conflict between the US, China, and Taiwan is defined by decades of shifting diplomatic recognition.

The initiatives signal a step-change in the bilateral relationship, reflecting how a partnership once anchored in trade has evolved into a strategic alignment shaped by geopolitical risk and economic security concerns.

The pact serves as a blueprint for multilateralism, encouraging other small, highly trade-reliant states to join the architecture.

This was the first KMT-CCP leader-level meeting in a decade.

Tô Lâm’s radical reform agenda has seen Vietnam transition from a "collective leadership" model to a "dual-mandate" system.

The primary goal is to find diplomatic and political solutions to restore the safe passage of commodities like oil and gas.

It will be the first visit by a sitting KMT leader to China since 2016, when then-leader Hung Hsiu-chu met with Xi.

The relationship between Belarus and North Korea has evolved from basic diplomatic recognition during the Soviet era to a strategic partnership focused on bypassing Western sanctions and supporting Russia's regional interests.

This deal is part of a broader US$550 billion investment pledge from Tokyo focused on energy security and technological leadership.

Outside observers typically characterize North Korean elections as "show elections" designed to project a veneer of democratic legitimacy.

Kim Yo-jong had warned of "unimaginably terrible consequences" labeling the U.S-South Korea drills as provocative war rehearsals.

The elections marked a historic shift in the country's political landscape, bringing an end to the decades-long dominance of established traditional parties.

The conflict was triggered by a series of militant attacks in Pakistan followed by retaliatory airstrikes and a massive cross-border offensive.

The February 2026 visit by Chancellor Friedrich Merz focused on stabilizing relations and addressing a record €90 billion trade deficit.

The summit secured over $200b in AI and deep-tech commitments, including massive data centre projects by Reliance Industries and Adani Group.

In the first general election since the 2024 uprising that ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina, the BNP swept to a landslide victory.

In a historic landslide, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured a two-thirds supermajority in Feb 2026.

Thailand's snap general election resulted in a decisive victory for the Bhumjaithai Party, led by incumbent PM Anutin Charnvirakul. 

In early Feb 2026, the United States and India reached a historic interim trade agreement to de-escalate a months-long trade war.

Accompanied by a delegation of nearly 60 business and cultural leaders, Starmer focused on boosting UK growth.

The 2026 Myanmar general election, conducted in three phases resulted in a landslide victory for the military junta.

In early 2026, Pakistan’s largest province by area, Balochistan, experienced a large-scale, coordinated offensive by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

On Jan 27, 2026, India and the European Union (EU) concluded a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA), dubbed the "Mother of all deals".

In early 2026, South Korea and the US States had a dispute over delayed ratification of their trade deal and the Coupang investigation, triggering renewed tariff talk.

In Jan 2026, Chinese leader Xi Jinping escalated what analysts are calling the most significant military purge in half a century.

At the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam was unanimously re-elected as General Secretary for the 2026–2031 term.

In early 2026, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held a summit to reinforce bilateral ties.

In Jan 2026, the US announced a $45M aid package for Thailand and Cambodia to solidify a ceasefire following deadly border clashes.

The Jan 2026 state visit by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to China was characterized as a "full-scale restoration" of bilateral relations.

Nadiem Makarim, the co-founder of Gojek and former Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, is currently standing trial for corruption.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined RM11.38billion (US$2.8billion) in his second and largest trial related to the 1MDB scandal. 

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeo was formally indicted on charges following his failed attempt to declare martial law.

During the 2025 India-Russia Summit, both nations adopted a new trade pact and Russia pledged "uninterrupted shipments".

China-Japan relations have fluctuated between cooperation and conflict for centuries, yet economic interdependence often tempered escalation until the 2025 crisis sparked by PM Takaichi’s remarks.

Coupang, South Korea’s leading e-commerce platform, is currently grappling with the largest data breach in the country's history, which was first disclosed in late Nov 2025.

On 17 Nov 2025, a special International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced former Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity.

President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the 2025 APEC summit in Gyeongju marked his first visit to South Korea in 11 years. 

On Oct 30, Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a one-year trade truce in a meeting in South Korea. Both sides agree to reduce their reciprocal tariffs.

It was intended to resolve the 2025 Cambodian–Thai border crisis, which had erupted into deadly military clashes earlier that year.