Politics

Acting South Korean President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers an address to the nation at the government complex in Seoul on Dec. 14. (Photo by Yonhap/Reuters)
Economists expect China's annual gross domestic product growth to slow by 4.4% and 4.1% in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
Economy

China's GDP growth to decelerate to 4.4% in 2025, say economists

Local experts expect yuan to depreciate on weak outlook, smaller Fed cuts

Afghan Taliban officials, pictured in Paktika province, Afghanistan, in 2022: An attack on the province on Dec. 24 killed at least 46, the Taliban says.
Xi Jinping -- China's president, the party's general secretary and the military's top supervisor -- appears to be getting some pushback from certain quarters within the military. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: China military in disarray over Xi's monopoly on power

83rd Group Army's advocacy for 'collective leadership' defies the supreme leader

26 December 2024
Police block off the entrance to the president's office in Seoul on Dec. 4 during the brief declaration of martial law. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
South Korea leadership crisis

South Korea's Yoon refuses second summons in martial law investigation

Investigators stymied by security service as president focuses on impeachment trial

26 December 2024
A firefighter works on Dec. 25 at the site of residential buildings hit by a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine war

Russia launches 'inhuman' Christmas Day attacks, Ukraine says

One killed and at least six injured as hundreds of thousands left without heating

26 December 2024
Japan will introduce a new long-term visa to attract affluent Chinese nationals. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
International relations

Japan targets affluent Chinese with new tourist visa

Top envoys Takeshi Iwaya and Wang Yi also verify deal on Japanese marine exports

25 December 2024
Pakistan's Karachi-based stock exchange has been dogged by its reputation as a playground for the wealthy that is prone to manipulation.
Markets

Pakistan posts 'massive' 86% share rally against all odds

Benchmark stock index emerges as one of world's top-performing markets this year

25 December 2024
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, right, meets with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, at the Pentagon, Aug. 2024 in Washington.
Opinion

Trump's America First risks ceding more ground to China in Pacific

Without coordination with allies like Australia, Washington may fall further behind

25 December 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping is cracking down on corruption in the military as he seeks to build a world-class military. 
Defense

4 China generals miss key event, signaling graft probes: report

No-shows follow wave of dismissals and investigations among military ranks

25 December 2024
Takeo Mori, a former Japanese deputy foreign minister, played a central role in diplomacy with the U.S. during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Interview

Japan must learn to accept Trump, says ex-vice foreign minister

Takeo Mori shares insight from dealing with 1st Trump administration

24 December 2024
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is now also South Korea's acting president, could face an impeachment motion tabled by the opposition before the week is out. 
South Korea leadership crisis

South Korean opposition delays plan to impeach Han Duck-soo

As political crisis deepens, move against acting president still imminent

24 December 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is debating whether it is best to try and meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump before or after his inauguration in January.  (Photo by Satoko Kawsaki)
International relations

Japan PM Ishiba 'seeking appropriate time' to meet Trump

Leader says dialogue with the U.S. on NE Asia is 'extremely important'

24 December 2024
Tonga's former Prime Minister Siaosi 'Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni, pictured, resigned earlier this month after fraught relations between his government and Tonga's king led to a no-confidence motion being tabled against him in late November.
Politics

Tonga's parliament elects new PM after predecessor resigned

Eke assumes office less than a year before island nation's next election.

24 December 2024
Tony Chung speaks into a mic at a gathering in London on March 23. He is one of the 19 democracy activists on Hong Kong's global national security wanted list.
Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong adds six more to national security global wanted list

Seven other activists' passports canceled as government vows to crack down further

24 December 2024
The Great Lakes Works U.S. Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan.  
Business deals

Decision on Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal in Biden's hands

Japanese company urges president to approve $14.9bn transaction

24 December 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference in Lviv, Ukraine, on Dec. 17.
Ukraine war

Zelenskyy says 3,000 N. Korean troops killed or injured in Russia war

Figure far exceeds estimates from South Korean intelligence

24 December 2024
Palestinians on Dec. 22 pray over the bodies of the victims of an Israeli strike. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Middle East crisis

Israel acknowledges that it killed Hamas leader earlier in year

Defense minister threatens similar action against Houthi leadership in Yemen

24 December 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on July 24. 
Politics

Biden commutes sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row

Move will frustrate President-elect Trump's plan to expand executions

24 December 2024
Hun Manet (L) and his wife arrive to attend the gala dinner during the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Vientiane on October 2024.
Opinion

Cambodia in 2025: Hun family faces external pressure and internal unrest

Father and son 'stuck' between sovereignty spats, Trump's hawks and nationalist dissent

24 December 2024
Japanese advanced chipmaker Rapidus is benefitting from generous government aid. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Semiconductors

Japan chipmaker Rapidus's state aid draws flak over funding

Opposition says tapping COVID-era money is misappropriation

24 December 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is among the top borrowers from Russia.
International relations

Russia boosts lending to India, Bangladesh, other friendly nations

Jump in funding amid geopolitical tug of war with West may come at domestic cost

24 December 2024
Happier times in June: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's escape to New Delhi in August has caused a diplomatic headache for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
International relations

Bangladesh tells India it wants former PM Hasina back for trial

Note verbale sent to inform Delhi that fugitive must face 'judicial process'

23 December 2024
Elon Musk, left, greets U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as he arrives for a viewing of a SpaceX Starship rocket launch in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19.
Trump administration

Tech titans to march into Pentagon under Trump

Elon Musk and friends want fewer F-35s, more drones and startups

23 December 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden's latest trade investigation could end up slapping tariffs on chips from China that power everyday goods from autos to washing machines to telecoms gear.
US-China tensions

Joe Biden launches U.S. trade probe into legacy Chinese chips

Section 301 investigation to be handed over to Donald Trump next month

23 December 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a completion ceremony for a construction work in North Pyongan province, North Korea, on Dec. 21. (KCNA via Reuters)
Ukraine war

South Korea says North readying more troops, drones for Russia

Pyongyang's growing ties to Russia pose potential threat to Seoul: official

23 December 2024
Chinese regulators say brokerage economists must "play a positive role in interpreting government policies and boost investor confidence."
Economy

China says economists who spread 'inappropriate' views should be fired

Securities watchdog says brokerages must help 'boost investor confidence'

23 December 2024
United Arab Emirates Economy Minister Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, speaks to Nikkei Asia on Dec. 19 in Tokyo. (Photo by Takeshi Kumon)
Interview

UAE urges Japan to accelerate discussions on trade agreement

New BRICS member seeks also looks to deepen economic ties with China, India

23 December 2024
The U.S. largely built the Panama Canal, but handed control of the waterway to Panama in 1999 after a period of joint administration.
Trump administration

Trump threatens to retake control of Panama Canal, eyeing Chinese influence

U.S. president-elect accuses Panama of charging ships 'ridiculous' fees

23 December 2024
China has been analyzing seawater to analyze the impact of the discharge of wastewater from the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Trade

China contemplates allowing seafood imports from Japan

2023 ban followed release of treated wastewater from Fukushima plant

23 December 2024