15 h. ago Doing ‘fantastic job’: Australian PM defends envoy Rudd amid Trump’s dislike

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed Australia’s ambassador in Washington as doing a “fantastic job”, describing comments by US President Donald Trump that he does not like Kevin Rudd as “lighthearted”. Australia’s main conservative opposition party has called for Rudd, a former Labor prime minister, to be sacked after Trump made the comments at a press briefing in Washington on Monday. Asked by an Australian reporter about Rudd’s past criticism of the president on social media, and told...

Politics

3 d. ago Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal

Japan’s ruling party and main opposition are set to form a coalition to enable Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female premier, local media reported on Sunday. Takaichi became leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but her bid to become premier was derailed by the collapse of her ruling coalition. Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different alliance, putting her chances back on track. Takaichi and her counterpart Hirofumi Yoshimura...

Politics

4 d. ago Taiwan's main opposition party elects new leader in a race clouded by claims of China meddling

Taiwan's main opposition party elects new leader in a race clouded by claims of China meddling  The Washington Post

Politics

8 d. ago Cracks show as Malaysian opposition party sacks MP, 4 leaders ahead of polls

Malaysian opposition party Bersatu on Tuesday sacked an MP and four local leaders for breaching ethics, as splits emerge inside the Malay-Muslim coalition over their candidate for prime minister in national elections slated to be held by 2028. Rumblings of a leadership tussle have dogged Bersatu for weeks, culminating in a brief stand-off at the party’s annual meeting on September 6, when some members heckled Muhyiddin Yassin while the party president was delivering his opening speech. At that...

Politics

8 d. ago South Korea’s PPP slammed for targeting Chinese nationals via ‘xenophobic’ bill

South Korea’s conservative opposition party is facing mounting backlash over a proposed bill that aims to tighten restrictions on Chinese nationals, with critics accusing it of stoking xenophobia to galvanise support ahead of next year’s local elections. The People Power Party (PPP) has unveiled legislation – dubbed the “Three Shopping Prevention Law” – targeted at Chinese citizens, claiming that they had been abusing the country’s national health insurance system and making speculative property...

Events

1 week ago South Korea’s president causes a stir with cooking show cameo amid fire crisis

South Korea’s Chuseok harvest festival, typically a time of national celebration, has been overshadowed by political mudslinging after President Lee Jae-myung’s appearance on a prime-time television cooking show coincided with a digital disaster that crippled the government’s online services. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the opposition People Power Party (PPP) have each accused the other of exploiting the incident for political gain in duelling defamation lawsuits. At the heart...

Events

3 w. ago Malaysian students taught painful lesson in bullying after ‘Happy Corner’ prank

A prank known as “Happy Corner” that originated in China has made its way to Malaysia, triggering student suspensions in schools determined to show they are getting tough on bullying after a string of scandals. Happy Corner, also called aluba in Taiwan, is a prank or form of hazing common among boys in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan that started in the 1980s. It typically involves several boys lifting up an unsuspecting victim and bumping his groin against a pole-like object. A...

Politics

4 w. ago Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul to dissolve parliament by end of January

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Wednesday that he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, with a general election to be held in March or early April. Anutin won a parliamentary vote in early September to become Thailand’s third prime minister since August 2023, after pulling his Bhumjaithai party out of a ruling coalition led by the Pheu Thai party. To win power, he secured the backing of the largest grouping in parliament, the opposition People’s Party, which put...

Politics