Since mid-2023, a series of assassination plots have strained India’s relations with Canada and the US. In June 2023, a Sikh separatist activist living in Canada was reportedly killed on orders from Indian security services. Subsequently, in November, it came to light that US authorities were investigating an assassination attempt against another Sikh separatist figure […]

The post Assassination scandal threatens India’s relations with Five Eyes appeared first on Asia Times.

On December 30, the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, owned by Danish company Maersk Line, came under missile and subsequent boat attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The US Navy responded by using helicopters to destroy three of the four ships used in the assault. Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, immediately announced it was […]

The post How Houthis threaten US control over global shipping appeared first on Asia Times.

In November 2023, Russia’s withdrawal from the 1990 Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty marked another milestone in the unraveling of agreements between Moscow and the West. The CFE, designed to limit weapons in Europe, symbolizes the steady decline of Western-Russian cooperation. Citing NATO expansion, Russia previously suspended CFE operations in 2007, and in […]

The post Where Russia and the West are still barely cooperating appeared first on Asia Times.

Myanmar’s stability has eroded significantly since the 2021 military coup. But the coordinated attack by multiple separatist and pro-democracy groups in October and November 2023 has seen military outposts, villages, border crossings, and other infrastructure overrun. While the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, clings to control in central and coastal regions populated by the country’s ethnic majority, […]

The post Myanmar’s instability deepens as the world watches silently appeared first on Asia Times.

As winter settles over New Delhi, cold air sinks, trapping pollution in the city. Smoke from seasonal fires stemming from farming practices in India’s north further reduces the city’s air quality, which typically ranks the worst in the world. New Delhi’s government has sought prior solutions to easing pollution, including traffic restrictions and air-filtration towers. […]

The post Does modern science already allow us to manage weather? appeared first on Asia Times.

The 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Beijing on October 18 witnessed the usual smiles and handshakes. But China’s economic landscape, dependent on robust supply-chain networks, is facing turbulent times. The US-led trade war had already disrupted Chinese industry and supply chains before the Covid-19 pandemic further backlogged ports and exacerbated […]

The post Why we’re seeing shifting patterns in global manufacturing appeared first on Asia Times.

In the waning days of August, closely following a BRICS summit and mere days ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Group of Seven meetings, Beijing revealed its latest seemingly innocuous “standard” map. Having been released regularly since at least 2006, China’s standard maps are aimed to eliminate “problem maps” that do […]

The post Why China’s new map has stirred regional tensions appeared first on Asia Times.

Could the decades-long pursuit of unraveling the UFO mystery potentially function as a cover for advanced government research and testing programs for innovative forms of propulsion and craft design? Moreover, might the recent rollout of official government hearings signal a gradual disclosure of some of those capabilities? This scenario is worth considering, as the process […]

The post Have UFOs been a cover for high-tech defense research? appeared first on Asia Times.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar brought together nations from around the world, and 1.5 billion people tuned in to watch the final. But while soccer is a source of local pride, passion, and personal and community identity globally, its official governing institution is headquartered in Europe. Founded in Paris in 1904 and now […]

The post Breaking Europe’s hold on soccer appeared first on Asia Times.

Early this year, India surpassed China as the most populous country in the world, with the latter having 850,000 fewer people by the end of 2022, marking its first population decline since famine struck from 1959 to 1961. While this reduction may seem modest considering China’s 1.4 billion population currently, an ongoing decline is anticipated, with […]

The post How countries prepare for population growth and decline appeared first on Asia Times.

One of the underlying principles of the UN Charter is the protection of the sovereign rights of states. Yet since 1945, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the Soviet Union/Russia, France, the UK, the US and China) have consistently used military force to undermine this notion. And while acts of seizing territory […]

The post A neocolonial history of the UN Security Council permanent five appeared first on Asia Times.

In May, the Arizona Department of Water Resources imposed restrictions on the construction of new housing in the Phoenix area, citing a lack of groundwater. The decision aims to slow population growth in one of the fastest-growing regions in the US and underlines the dwindling water resources in the country’s drought-stricken southwest. As water levels […]

The post Countries worldwide tackle water stresses appeared first on Asia Times.

In early May, a US delegation consisting of 25 defense contractors arrived in Taiwan for a security summit, aimed to increase interoperability between the US and Taiwanese militaries. It marks the latest step toward Taiwan’s years-long efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities and pose credible deterrence to the Chinese military. The military relationship between Taiwan and […]

The post Taiwan’s quest to upgrade battle readiness is evolving appeared first on Asia Times.

On April 25, US officials confirmed that the Taliban had killed the head of the Islamic State (ISIS) cell operating in Afghanistan. Though his identity has not been revealed, he is believed to have masterminded the 2021 Kabul Airport attack that killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US military personnel. His assassination marks the latest escalation of violence […]

The post Taliban and ISIS continue to fight for Afghanistan’s future appeared first on Asia Times.

The apprehension of two men in New York City on April 16 marked the first known US arrests in connection with Chinese overseas police stations. Both men were working in a building in Manhattan’s Chinatown rented by the America ChangLe Association, a charity that had its tax-exempt status revoked in May 2022.  More Chinese police stations are believed to […]

The post Examining China’s ‘overseas police stations’ appeared first on Asia Times.

On March 21, India’s air force confirmed that a major Russian arms delivery would not occur, citing Russia’s logistical challenges stemming from its war in Ukraine. This has served as the latest example of Russia’s inability to complete weapons deals with India since the conflict began in February 2022. India is the world’s largest arms importer, and as the […]

The post The war in Ukraine shaking up the global arms industry appeared first on Asia Times.

On March 20, the British government confirmed it would supply Ukrainian forces with tank shells made with depleted uranium, which can “penetrate tanks and armor more easily due to its density and other physical properties.” The affair quickly reignited Western and Russian efforts to shape the global narrative regarding nuclear weaponry in the Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin […]

The post Ukraine war a growing nuclear headache for world powers appeared first on Asia Times.

Days before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023, US officials claimed that China was considering providing Russia with lethal weaponry to support its military campaign. China denied the accusations, and on the anniversary of the invasion instead put forth a 12-point peace plan to end the conflict. These events followed tensions between Beijing and […]

The post China’s actions toward Ukraine, Russia could shape geopolitics appeared first on Asia Times.

On February 8, Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist Seymour Hersh published an article detailing the role of the US and Norway in the September 26, 2022, Nord Stream gas-pipeline explosions. US officials denied the findings, while Russia, which previously blamed the UK for the attack, hailed the article as proof of Western involvement. There remains “no conclusive evidence” indicating Russia was behind […]

The post Why sabotage is a growing form of warfare in Ukraine appeared first on Asia Times.

On February 2, former US marine Peter Reed was killed in Ukraine while evacuating civilians in the frontline city of Bakhmut. Two days later on February 4, the bodies of two British volunteers, Christopher Perry and Andrew Bagshaw, were returned as part of a prisoner swap deal with Russian forces. Their deaths mark some of the latest Western casualties […]

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