State of global democracy - Statista

The Economist Democracy Index rates countries on the state of their governing system each year. In the latest edition, corresponding to the year 2024, only 25 countries (6.6% of the world's population) have been rated as "full democracies"

Seoul’s energy balancing act up to 2050: then green power for the win

In the northeast corner of East Asia, South Korea is quietly steering its energy future towards a delicate pro-nuclear, pro-renewables outcome. With eyes fixed firmly on 2050, policymakers in the capital Seoul are doubling down.

North Korea test-fires two new air defence missiles

The timing of the launch was also notable, taking place on the same day South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo, before travelling to Washington.

How North Korea sees the South’s new president - and what lies ahead on the Korean Peninsula

Any real breakthroughs will hinge on trust, mutual recognition, and perhaps the intervention of external actors.

North Korea rejects South Korean appeal, denies loudspeaker removal

In a statement on August 14, North Korea rejected Seoul’s assertion that the North had dismantled some of its propaganda loudspeakers positioned along the inter-Korean border.

ASIA BLOG: East Asia must steer clear of the Israel-Gaza conflict

Sinkholes on the rise across Asia: a growing danger beneath the surface

The dramatic rescue of a motorist from a sinkhole on a busy Singapore road has cast new light on an alarming trend across Asia – the increasing frequency and severity of sinkholes swallowing roads, vehicles, and in some cases entire buildings.

The top three ‘megatrends’ set to transform the Asia Pacific region

The rapid development of technologies such as generative AI and the metaverse is already changing how people in Asia Pacific live, work, socialise and shop.

ASIA BLOG: The global fallout of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

There have already been rumblings in Taiwan that self destruction of key infrastructure would be preferential to Chinese takeover.

Lavrov visits North Korea to reaffirm security pact

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned the United States, South Korea and Japan against forming a trilateral security alliance that explicitly targets North Korea, cautioning that such a move would inflame regional tensions.

Global banking’s new powerhouse: Asia

Asia's level of digital banking infrastructure has enabled it to challenge and even surpass traditional Western players such as Citi and HSBC in key regional markets.

ASIA BLOG: Southeast Asia should pivot away from Trump’s America and steer in the direction of Europe

Trump's confrontational approach to China, while superficially aligned with concerns within ASEAN, is neither strategic nor consultative. It is built more on spectacle than substance, more on division than dialogue.