Month: November 2025

India plans to start discussions towards the purchase of Russian fighter jets and a missile defence shield during President Vladimir Putin’s visit this week, according to people with knowledge of the matter, even as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to reduce dealings between the two nations.
India and Russia have a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership under which discussions for the purchase of Su-57 fighter jets and an advanced version of the missile defence shield S-500…

Some residents of the flood-hit Indonesian island of Sumatra have resorted to stealing food and water to survive, authorities said on Sunday, while Sri Lankan officials said deaths from floods and mudslides in that island nation have risen to 193.
The floods, which hit Indonesia nearly a week ago, have killed 303 people and displaced thousands, with the number expected to rise as more bodies are recovered. The deluges triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut off parts of the island and downed…

Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardous levels. A 2024 IQ Air report found India’s particulate matter (PM2.5) levels to be more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.
In the north, pollution mainly comes from traffic, construction dust, industry and seasonal stubble burning. What began as an environmental issue is now…

A Chinese man allegedly attempting to cross illegally into Thailand from Cambodia was injured on Saturday when he stepped on a landmine, the Thai army announced, reiterating its charges that Cambodian forces have been planting the anti-personnel weapons in territory claimed by both countries.
Army Spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree was quoted as saying that the area where the incident took place, claimed by Thailand to be part of its eastern province of Sa Kaeo, “is contaminated with…

The UK government has dropped its plans to provide employees in Britain with rights to claim unfair dismissal from ‘day one’ of their employment.

The Cop30 UN climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, concluded with a package of decisions that champions implementation and finance, yet its success is nuanced, marked by both institutional progress and political compromises over the core issue of fossil fuels.
The conference, framed as the “implementation Cop” by the Brazilian presidency, turned attention away from purely text negotiations to implementing action. The world is grappling with the complex realities of executing a systemic…

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Friday detained a former senior aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for further investigation amid bribery allegations.
Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who resigned as Anwar’s senior political secretary this week, was held after being questioned by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, Chief Commissioner Azam Baki said.
MACC will apply for a court order on Saturday to extend Shamsul Iskandar’s detention beyond 24 hours, Azam said in a…

The UK’s Employment Rights Bill (ERB) will introduce significant changes to the relationship between staff, employers and trade unions.

The UK’s ambitions for growing offshore renewables generation and implementing carbon capture storage solutions will be hampered without further support for the North Sea oil and gas industry, an expert has warned.

Mounting corruption scandals and an impeachment push have prompted calls for the Philippine president and vice-president to resign, with legal experts saying a little-known constitutional clause provides for a snap election to be called if the roles are vacated at the same time.
A growing chorus from civil society groups and politicians is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to step down, with Marcos accused by a political veteran of playing a leading…