Takaichi-led Japan will be less inclined to confront historical issues, putting a potential brake on improving relations with S Korea The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was intended to showcase South Korea’s claim to leadership on a range of issues from free trade, digital and artificial intelligence, and democracy. Instead, the Lee Jae Myung … Read more
Chinese commentators outdo themselves blasting the US-coordinated move in which the firm’s CEO has been suspended Chinese state media and pundits have called the Dutch government a “pirate” and even threatened it with a ban on rare earths, following its seizure of control of the Chinese-owned semiconductor maker Nexperia in late September. On September 29, … Read more
Singapore wealth fund suing Chinese EV maker for faulty disclosure, raising wider concerns about China’s corporate accounting It was a blow to an industry whose rise had seemed inexorable. On October 16, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, announced that it would sue China’s NIO, an electric vehicle (EV) maker, over allegedly fraudulent accounting practices. That … Read more
Beijing dismisses a hawkish trade negotiator to ease trade tensions with the US ahead of top leaders’ meeting in South Korea The Group of Seven nations (G7) and the European Union are reportedly working together to try to reduce rare earth reliance on China after the country tightened its export controls for key minerals and … Read more
PLA building five-layer seabed-to-space web to detect stealth subs, aiming to shift anti-sub warfare from reactive to predictive China is racing to make the Western Pacific “transparent” to submarines—pitting its expanding seabed-to-space surveillance web against the stealthiest arm of US sea power. This month, Defense One reported that China is rapidly advancing its “Transparent Ocean” … Read more
ASEAN Power Grid is first real initiative that could bring the fragmented bloc together in a meaningful economic way In an era when ASEAN’s unity is often described more as symbolism than substance, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) stands out as an ambitious vision that could finally bring tangible integration to Southeast Asia. Conceived more … Read more
Nearly all of Kipnuk’s 700 residents were evacuated, and officials estimate 90% of homes were destroyed Silver-lined clouds hung over the Yup’ik village of Kwigillingok the Thursday before a weekend storm was forecast to pass through. Dan Winkelman was at the community health clinic for a ground-breaking ceremony, a commemoration of the facility’s much needed … Read more
Graham Platner says he didn’t know historical associations of skull-and-crossbones tattoo he got on his chest in 2007 The Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner attempted to get ahead of potential opposition research by disclosing and explaining a skull-and-crossbones tattoo he has on his chest that resembles Nazi imagery, along with an embarrassing personal video. … Read more
Pushback has come from judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats – and has slowed some extreme policies US district and appeals courts are increasingly rebuking Donald Trump’s radical moves on tackling crime, illegal immigration and other actions where administration lawyers or Trump have made sweeping claims of emergencies that judges have bluntly rejected as erroneous … Read more
Grounds, including governor’s office, searched after authorities found what appeared to be a homemade object The Wyoming capitol building, including the governor’s office, was evacuated on Tuesday after a suspected explosive device was found. The grounds were being searched with drones and bomb-sniffing dogs. The evacuation that began at 9.30am was still ongoing at mid-afternoon. … Read more