Features
US and Taiwan quietly hold defence talks in Alaska as Trump balances China ties
Taipei has recently announced a record defence budget, proposing a 23% rise that would lift military spending to more than 3.3% of GDP next year.
LONG READ: Europeans face recession, financial crises, as they struggle to boost defence spending
US President Donald Trump has dropped the burden of supplying and supporting Ukraine’s battle against Russia firmly in Europe’s lap. But cash-strapped and with the UK and France on the verge of crisis, they are going to struggle to manage.
LONG READ: Europe can’t afford the Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump has cut off all aid to Ukraine and dumped the problem in Europe’s lap. But Europe can’t afford to pay for the Ukraine war, nor for the modernisation of its own defence sector.
Indonesia uncovers over $60mn in Hajj quota corruption
The Corruption Eradication Commission has intensified its investigation into alleged corruption surrounding Indonesia’s 2023–2024 Hajj quota.
SCO summit highlights India’s balancing act
For India, participation was both a bridge and a shield. It allowed New Delhi to remain engaged with Eurasian institutions while avoiding full alignment with Beijing or Moscow.
Japan’s Ishiba, and South Korea’s Lee – the best of frenemies
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s choice of Tokyo and not Washington for his first state visit since coming to power was no accident.
PANNIER: Uzbekistan, the population power of Central Asia
In around 10 years, country could boast as many as 50mn inhabitants. By the end of 2026, it could already overtake Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan combined for people.
Named after a former revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam’s buzzing economic capital and Southeast Asia’s boomtown
Ho Chi Minh City has become a city project impossible to ignore: a metropolis whose growth is both the measure of Vietnam’s ambitions and the embodiment of the region’s restless dynamism.
Can the SCO shield Iran from Western pressure?
As Tehran continues to face mounting pressure from the US and its European counterparts, the strategic value of other alliances is becoming more pressing following the so-called 12-day war with Tel Aviv and Washington.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is coming of age
More than two and half decades after it was founded as a regional security organization to secure porous borders in the depths of Central Asia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is coming of age as it expands its reach and agenda.
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Taiwan’s deadly mix of drivers and pedestrians
Taiwan’s road deaths are higher than the number of those lost in the 9-11 attacks each year – or around the same number as are killed on the island in drowning incidents, fires, and workplace accidents, combined, and then multiplied by six.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Acquisitive arm of Turkish regime takes over ammunition maker Assan
Gulenism and espionage charges cited. TMSF now manages 858 companies.
How soft power is becoming Taiwan’s sharpest weapon
Taiwan’s humanitarian instinct was most visible during the COVID pandemic when over 54mn masks were shipped to more than 80 countries worldwide, but at the 2025, and 78th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Taiwan was largely excluded.
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Murder-suicide attempt in Tajikistan draws attention to domestic violence, mental health issues
US funding cuts make it harder to close gaps.
Indonesia’s August protests and what lies behind them
Large demonstrations have gripped Jakarta and other cities this week, with the most visible flashpoints outside the national parliament and around the State Palace.
A look at the Indian industries hardest hit by US tariffs
India has emerged as one of the hardest hit nations under fresh tariff measures imposed by the United States, with Indian exports to its largest single market now facing duties of up to 50%.
Deathonomics: Russia’s war in Ukraine creates a new kind of middle class
Deathonomics: Russia’s war in Ukraine creates a new kind of middle class Some economists have dubbed it “deathonomics”. Russia’s heavy military spending is transforming income profiles. The trouble is you might be dead at the end of it.
INTERVIEW: How tiny Slovenia’s equity market outpaced global peers
InterCapital’s Divo Pulitika analyses why Slovenia and Romania have quietly delivered some of the best equity market returns in the world over the past decade — and whether this can continue.
South Korea, the US come together on nuclear deals
South Korean and US companies have signed agreements to advance nuclear energy projects, aiming to meet rising data centre power demands, support AI growth, and strengthen the US nuclear fuel supply chain.
World Bank seems to be having second thoughts about Tajikistan’s Rogun Dam
Ball now in Dushanbe’s court to justify high cost.