The United States will in the coming days ask a UN Security Council committee to impose sanctions on seven ships suspected of violating UN sanctions on North Korea, a State Department official said on Monday.
The seven vessels have illegally exported North Korean coal and iron ore to China, which traditionally earns Pyongyang between US$200 million and US$400 million a year, said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“These nominations are not just bureaucratic exercises. They’re…
Tens of thousands shelter as Typhoon Kalmaegi slams into the Philippines
More than 150,000 people took shelter in coastal provinces of the Philippines on Monday as powerful Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in a region hit by some of the country’s deadliest storms.
The typhoon, with winds of 150km/h (93 mph) and gusts of up to 205km/h, made first contact in Dinagat Islands province, part of the Visayas island chain, before 11pm local time, the national weather service said.
Barely an hour earlier, 34-year-old Miriam Vargas sat in the darkness with her two children after…
Middle East oil and gas sector facing growing workplace challenges
The Middle East’s oil and gas sector is facing multifaceted employment opportunities and challenges in equal measure.
Asia Pacific companies return to office expansion
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After a few years of hybrid experimentation, Asia Pacific companies are rediscovering the value of the office.
Across the region, business confidence is strengthening. According to CBRE’s 2025 Asia Pacific Office Occupier Survey, 42% of surveyed firms now plan to expand their footprint over the next three years, while only about 20% expect to reduce space.
This finding signals changing sentiment, with the office…
Pentagon chief Hegseth wants closer Vietnam ties amid arms dealings
The United States wants deeper military ties with Vietnam, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday at the start of a visit to Hanoi amid prolonged talks for the potential supply of military equipment to Washington’s former foe.
Hegseth was expected to meet Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, President Luong Cuong and Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, a Vietnamese official briefed on the visit said.
“Deeper [military] cooperation will benefit both of our countries,” Hegseth, who…
J.D. Vance defends wish for Hindu wife Usha to convert to Christianity
US Vice-President J.D. Vance has defended his hopes that his wife Usha, who was raised as a Hindu, converts to Christianity.
A fervent Catholic who himself converted in 2019, Vance said on Friday that pushback against his remarks reeks of “anti-Christian bigotry”.
The 41-year-old was asked about raising their three children in an interfaith marriage at a Turning Point USA event honouring assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.
“Do I hope…
To Trump, Asean and Apec are simply platforms for his own agenda
Political leaders like to perform on the global stage and there is no greater “performer” in this regard than US President Donald Trump, who has just been swinging across Asia, doing deals while posing as the best buddy of every national leader he met.
That kind of showmanship may impress people at home and possibly win more political support, but it hijacks the need for genuine diplomacy and international cooperation in both an economic and political sense.
Two cases in point are the most…
Pharma rulings show risks for originators and generics
Recent rulings highlight how regulatory protections attaching to medicines authorised to be sold in the EU can be stripped and reinstated, impacting pharmaceutical companies’ commercial strategies, according to an expert.
Air pollution to drive up deaths and costs in Southeast Asia by 2050: study
Deaths from air pollution in Southeast Asia could rise by nearly 10 per cent and cost the region more than US$1 trillion by 2050 unless more effective action is taken, a new study has warned.
The research – published in the journal Environment International earlier this month – modelled the potential rise in premature deaths and associated economic losses across three different climate change scenarios, each defined by levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Findings revealed the region is expected…
The challenge of AI adoption in the built environment sector
The adoption of AI across the built environment sector will require significant levels of investment to change a siloed and heavily fragmented approach to a more integrated, modern, digital and data-driven business model.