As the Philippines battles extreme heat from the El Nino weather pattern, a four-day work week practice in the civil service has revived a debate on whether the arrangement should be extended to other sectors in the country. The Philippine Department

A move by the Philippines to tighten visa issuance for Chinese nationals is expected to spark retaliatory action from Beijing, as both nations lock horns over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and a surge in Chinese residents in Cagayan pro

The United States' decision last week to withhold a single shipment of 3,500 heavy bombs to Israel will not undermine the latter's ability to conduct a military operation in southern Gaza that President Joe Biden has described as a "red line", offici

Philippine officials and marine biologists have expressed alarm at the widespread destruction of coral reefs uncovered on Pag-asa Island in the South China Sea, the latest environmental damage to be attributed to Beijing's actions in the disputed wat

A recent aerial confrontation between an Australian military helicopter and a Chinese fighter jet in the Yellow Sea has sparked fresh tensions, but stabilising bilateral ties between both sides are expected to soothe any potential escalation, analyst

A widely shared TikTok clip by a user claiming to show some Singaporeans' distaste at being labelled Chinese has sparked an online debate on whether residents of the city state have shunned their ancestral roots, while others warn against conflating

Singapore's incoming prime minister Lawrence Wong faces an unprecedented challenge amid geopolitical headwinds that may threaten his adherence to a delicate balancing act that has defined the city state's foreign policy, analysts say. Wong, currently

If you have ever wondered if a boycott could make global conglomerates wince, look no further than Malaysia. Consumers in the Muslim-majority nation have wielded their collective financial muscle for over half a year to punish American brands that ar

An emerging regional bloc linking Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States is expected to evolve into a more permanent or institutionalised grouping. But for now, analysts say the informal alliance will allow Manila to "borrow the stre

The Israel-Gaza war has halted plans to connect India and Europe overland through the Middle East but work would soon begin on a rival connectivity corridor linking Iraq's Persian Gulf coast to Europe via Turkey. Official work on the US$17 billion Ir

North Korea's propaganda efforts appear to be shifting from totalitarian pompousness and militaristic rigour to court younger generations exposed to Western pop culture, observers say. Analysts see the move as part of a wider bid by ruler Kim Jong-un

Chants of "Free, Free Palestine!" resounded at university campuses across Indonesia this week at hundreds of rallies inspired by student protests overseas, with local demonstrators aiming to maintain the momentum of opposition against the Gaza War, i

Russia is building a network of surveillance bases on disputed islands off northern Japan to boost its military capabilities, although analysts say the enhancements are, in part, a thinly veiled warning to Japan about its continued support for Ukrain

Malaysia's underfunded maritime authorities may struggle to contain rampant transshipment of US-sanctioned Iranian oil off its coast, experts say, as a visiting US delegation revealed that Washington's security forces had been monitoring ship-to-ship

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his top aides have accused opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of allegedly receiving support from rival Pakistan over a social media post, but analysts say the spectre of Islamabad again at the polls is muted this

Philippine officials have accused Beijing of violating an anti-wiretapping law over a controversial phone conversation that the Chinese claimed was recorded between their diplomat and a Filipino navy officer. Observers say the transcript and audio cl

A rare media conference to be held by South Korea's embattled president is attracting scrutiny due to a string of contentious issues that have been plaguing his administration. President Yoon Suk-yeol, known for his aversion towards the press, is exp

The latest threat by China to release an audio recording of a top Filipino navy official agreeing to a "new model" to address a maritime territorial row between both sides is simply "propaganda" by Beijing to win global opinion, according to observer

One in every two children in low-income households in Kuala Lumpur eat fewer than three meals a day, according to a United Nations report published on Wednesday, as high inflation forces the Malaysian capital city's poorest to forgo food or rely on l

India's election authority is facing mounting criticism over its handling of the country's national polls, even as foreign delegates are set to arrive to observe the fourth phase of the two-month election. The election commission of India is facing a

Japan is expected to contribute US$1 billion to a US$3 billion missile-intercepting system under joint development with the United States, as it seeks to counter the reported deployment of highly advanced weapons - including hypersonic missiles - by

Indonesia's rights groups are calling for transparency from the government after a new investigation accused the nation's law enforcement agencies of purchasing "highly invasive spyware" from multiple nations, including Israel, Malaysia, and Singapor

The Philippines has expressed fears over Beijing's potential plans for installing floating nuclear power plants in the disputed South China Sea, saying the move could deepen militarisation of the waterway as maritime tensions between the two sides re

Malaysia is turning to its star primate to ease criticism of deforestation in its multibillion-dollar palm oil industry by launching "orangutan diplomacy", an attempt to ape the success of China's trailblazing panda diplomacy, which has seen the rare

Philippine and US forces are simulating scenarios that observers say are relevant to potential conflicts over Taiwan and the South China Sea, with missions involving the retaking of an island and the sinking of a Chinese-made vessel in the final week

The spectre of China remains a unifying force for India and the United States, even as ties between them have been strained recently over Washington's perceptions of New Dehli's human rights record and an assassination attempt on American soil. Analy

Pro-Palestinian groups protested outside a defence trade fair in Kuala Lumpur that has the backing of the Malaysian government over the presence of global arms manufacturers that supply guns and jets used by Israel. Local media reported about a dozen

South Korea's decision to investigate K-pop juggernaut BTS' agency Hybe over a chart-rigging scandal has faced backlash from the boy band's fans who accused the government of "disrespecting" the stars despite their cultural influence powering the eco

Japan has the least press freedom of all G7 nations, according to global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which ranked the East Asian nation 70th in its latest World Press Freedom Index - behind Hungary, Sierra Leone and Malawi. Norway retai

Uttar Pradesh resident Nikhil Yadav, 25, is unimpressed with the talk from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the government ushering in speedy economic growth because it has not brought him and his college mates the one thing they des