Tokyo’s embassy in Beijing has urged its citizens there to behave with caution and avoid speaking their native tongue “loudly unnecessarily”, while a number of Japanese companies continue receiving abusive calls in the wake of the Fukushima wastewater release. Beijing Accused Of Hypocrisy While Japan insists the treated radioactive water is safe – a view supported by the International Atomic …

France has presented itself as a great alternative to the “big-power” tussle between China and India for influence in the Indo-Pacific region. This is ideal for Sri Lanka as it looks to avoid being caught between the two neighbors for regional influence.  Over the last decade, France has been trying to gain ground in Sri Lanka. And it seems to …

In the new government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Julapun Amornvivat of Chiang Mai, a Pheu Thai party member and member of a powerful clan in the north, is a serious contender for the role of foreign minister. According to Pheu Thai insiders, the Cabinet lineup is official, with Srettha serving as the prime minister and finance minister at the …

Amid growing tensions in the South China Sea, Indonesia has inked a MoU with Boeing to acquire 24 F-15EX fighter jets. The agreement was signed at St. Louis’s Boeing facility during Indonesia’s Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto’s high-official visit to the US. He said the state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure Indonesia with its advanced capabilities.  Dubbed Eagle II, the …

The eligibility for Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats in Singapore has historically been heavily influenced by marital status. However, cultural developments and the changing nature of contemporary partnerships have led to a reexamination of singles’ housing policies. The location restriction would be eliminated starting in the second half of 2024 thanks to the introduction of new two-room Build-to-Order (BTO) …

Hartwig Fischer, a German art historian and director of the British Museum, has stepped down following alleged thefts of artefacts worth millions of pounds from the London institution. Stressing his presence was “proving a distraction”, Fischer said the museum evidently “did not respond as comprehensively as it should have” in response to “warnings in 2021”. It was later announced Jonathan …

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services agency of the Philippines, said that typhoon “Goring” has intensified into a severe tropical storm, which may cause landslides. Signal No. 3 has been raised for the first time over Santa Ana in Cagayan and Divilacan and Palanan in Isabela because of the typhoon. Earlier, …

Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam has stated that the Presidential Election should not be reduced to past affiliations and that it would be a pity to rule out candidates based on this.  He mentioned that it would have been a great pity if past candidates such as Mr Ong Teng Cheong and Dr Tan Cheng Bock were excluded from previous elections.  …

Thailand’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, faces the challenging task of fulfilling his campaign promises to revive the economy, support small businesses, boost household incomes, and tackle inequality. After months of political uncertainty following a general election, Srettha, a real estate tycoon, has secured parliamentary support to lead an unlikely coalition government. Thailand’s economic performance presents immediate challenges for …

Singapore’s recent arrest of 10 foreigners in a billion-dollar money-laundering case has uncovered an intricate web of alleged criminals who possessed passports from multiple countries. The arrested individuals were initially reported to be citizens of diverse nations, including China, Vanuatu, Cyprus, Türkiye, and Cambodia, but it has since been revealed that they were all originally from China’s Fujian province. In …