In the struggle to keep the Chinese resistance movement supplied against the Japanese invasion, a dangerous, winding route was carved through the jungles and hills of eastern Myanmar into Yunnan province.

The Burma Road, a 1,200km-long lifeline as it became known, allowed goods to be shipped from Yangon (then Rangoon) and driven across the country into the interior of China, while its ports were blockaded by Japanese ships.

But the convoys needed drivers, mechanics and guides to make the...

The world is in a state of geopolitical drift. The old unipolar order has fractured into a complex mosaic of competing interests and asymmetric power. From simmering US-China tensions to persistent regional conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the traditional architecture of global governance appears increasingly strained.

The United Nations, the very institution designed to manage this complexity, often finds itself paralysed by vetoes and competing national agendas. A search for a...

Indonesia’s wave of unrest intensified over the weekend with looting, arson and deadly violence reported in multiple cities, as President Prabowo Subianto moved to ease tensions by pledging to revoke lawmakers’ perks.

In a televised address on Sunday, he said political parties had struck a deal to cut housing allowances and suspend overseas work trips for members of parliament – a rare concession in response to mounting public anger.

While the situation in parts of Jakarta appeared calmer by...

Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island.

The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday.

“It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in...

Britain and Japan are set to usher in a “new golden age in defence cooperation”, the UK’s defence minister has said, as London seeks to cement Tokyo as its closest security partner in Asia.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey made the declaration aboard HMS Prince of Wales on Friday, the Royal Navy’s 65,000-tonne flagship, moored at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal for the two-day Pacific Future Forum.

The visit marked the first time a foreign aircraft carrier had entered Tokyo Bay, lending...

India will not “bow down” and instead focus on capturing new markets, trade minister Piyush Goyal said in his first public remarks since Washington imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods.

The 50 per cent levies on many Indian imports into the United States took effect this week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of Russian oil, part of US efforts to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine.

Since his return to the White House this year, US President Donald Trump has wielded...

China and India are having a bit of a moment. Five years after a fatal confrontation on their unresolved border pushed relations over the edge, the two sides are rushing towards a detente. They are restoring peace along the border, reversing trade and investment curbs, easing visa restrictions to promote business and tourism, resuming direct flights and orchestrating a flurry of high-level official visits to formalise the thaw.

This weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting China...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with the families of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine and offered condolences for their “unbearable pain”, state media said on Saturday.

Pyongyang has not confirmed the number of its soldiers that died fighting for Russia, though Seoul estimates around 600, with thousands more wounded.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said the North sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in 2024 – primarily to the Kursk region – along...

The indictment of former first lady Kim Keon-hee on corruption charges has thrown a spotlight on the collapse of institutional checks during her husband’s presidency, prompting fresh calls to strengthen oversight and transparency measures.

The wife of former president Yoon Suk-yeol was charged on Friday with stock manipulation, bribery and the receipt of illicit political funds by a team of investigators led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki.

This is the first time in South Korea’s history that...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has criticised the police for their handling of unrest in the capital, as elsewhere in the country at least three people died in a fire started by protesters.

The protests – initially over increased allowances for lawmakers at a time of economic uncertainty for many Indonesians – were fuelled by anger over the death of a motorcycle taxi driver struck by an armoured vehicle during clashes on Thursday evening.

They have mostly been concentrated in Jakarta...