Asia
Israel: new West Bank settlement announced
The Israeli government has announced the establishment of Nahal Heletz, the first new West Bank settlement created from scratch since 2017, near Bethlehem. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who pushed for the settlement, stated…
Israel / Lebanon: UN peacekeepers ‘more crucial than ever’
UN peacekeepers on the Israeli-Lebanese border are now more crucial than ever, according to their chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah has increased, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.…
Bangladesh: interim government to be formed after prime minister flees
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been asked by Bangladesh’s president to lead an interim government. This decision came after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on 5 August, after violent student-led…
Thailand: most popular political party dissolved
The constitutional court has ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, which won the most parliamentary seats in the 2023 election on an anti-establishment reform agenda. The court ruled that Move Forward…
Japan on cusp of revival, ex-atheist says
Atheist businesswoman Akane Fujimoto had achieved success in her career and personal life, but she felt a deep sense of emptiness. As a nominal Buddhist, she decided to pray to the God her…
Top Hamas leader killed
On 31 July Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with his bodyguard, was killed in an airstrike in Iran, an act labelled a ‘severe escalation’ by the Palestinian terror group. His death came…
India: 270+ dead, 180+ missing, after devastating landslides
Hopes of finding over 180 missing people alive in India's Kerala state are dwindling as rescue workers search through mud and debris after landslides, triggered by torrential rains, killed at least 194 people.…
North Korea trash balloons disrupt flights in Seoul, cause rooftop fire
North Korea has sent approximately 500 balloons filled with trash into South Korea's airspace over the past 24 hours, South Korean officials reported on Thursday (Jul 25). These balloons have disrupted flights and…
India and UK launch landmark Technology Security Initiative
The Foreign Secretary has announced the UK-India Technology Security Initiative in New Delhi during his first visit to India. Meeting with senior officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the initiative aims to reset…
Bangladeshi student protesters recount 'brutal' violence amid government crackdown
At least 150 people have died in clashes between student protesters and authorities in Bangladesh, amid violent demonstrations against the government's job quota system. Students at universities and colleges claim they were "brutally…
