Philippines’ rising military pensions risk triggering budget ‘time bomb’
The surge in pensions may weaken the country’s push to buy modern military assets to strengthen its deterrence
· Sam Beltran
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· lkyu0285
Threats, coercion, unlawful means used during state audits under Yoon gov't: BAI
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Threats, coercion and other unlawful means were used when the state auditor conducted an audit during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government into suspicions involving the preceding Moon Jae-in administration, including alleged manipulation of real estate statistics, officials said Thursday.
· CHANG JAE SUN
BSP hikes rates anew amid inflation risks
MANILA, Philippines — Monetary authorities raised key policy rates again by a quarter-point on Thursday, citing upside risks to inflation from volatile oil prices, severe El Niño conditions and potential wage adjustments.
· Nazylen Joy Mabanglo
Iran's Araghchi says US owes 'full compensation' for damages caused by unilateral sanctions
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US bears international responsibility for damages resulting from its unilateral sanctions.
· Middleeasteye
N. Korea's nuclear capabilities grow 100,000 times over 30 years: unification minister
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday North Korea's nuclear capabilities have grown 100,000 times over the past 30 years, insisting that pursuing North Korea's complete denuclearization is no longer sustainable.
· Kim Hyun-soo
"Citizens Want Political Turnaround": AfD Now Polls At 43% Across Eastern Germany
Building on Nomura analyst Andrzej Szczepaniak's note from earlier this week, which forecasts that right-wing parties are positioned to make electoral gains across Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK over the next 18 months, new polling data from Germany further suggest that Alternative for Germany (AfD)…
· Tyler Durden
India pushes semiconductor drive as experts warn of latecomer risks
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is accelerating its semiconductor industry initiative, as the annual bill for chip-related imports is expected to swell to $240 billion by 2035. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
· KIRAN SHARMA
BOK chief to attend global financial meetings in U.S., Switzerland
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top central banker will attend an annual U.S. symposium and other international meetings to discuss the latest global economic conditions and monetary policy direction, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Thursday.
· Kim Boram
MTRCB, Gateway Cinemas warn 'Tatsulok' filmmaker over fake permit
MANILA, Philippines — The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has issued a stern warning against the filmmaker behind the political film “Tatsulok” after discovering a falsified Permit to Exhibit (PTE) linked to the movie and its production company.
· Iza Iglesias
The former neo-Nazi activists behind Germany’s rising far-right star
A generation after Germany banned a neo-Nazi youth organization for seeking to cultivate a new extremist elite, four of its former members now hold influential roles around the politician who is on track to become the country’s first far-right state premier since the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1949.
· Nicholas Potter, Frederik Schindler
Qatar PM to visit Tehran to pursue mediation efforts
QATAR PM IN EGYPT. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (not pictured) and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani attend a meeting with other ministers, in El Alamein, Egypt, August 20, 2026.
· Mia Gonzalez
Bill granting 'extraordinary powers' to speed up development passes parliament
Topic:State and Territory Government
· Liam Mcnally
A GST deal and the NDIS blew out by billions — but one is sacred
Topic:Government and Politics
· Jake Evans
Chinese minister calls for positive steps ahead US and China presidential summit
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue between Indonesia and China in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)
· Huizhong Wu
SC affirms: second placers in local polls not successors to DQ’d winners
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has affirmed that candidates who place second in local elections do not automatically succeed winners who are later disqualified or found ineligible.
· Kathleen de Villa
Queensland government introduces major overhaul of bail laws
Topic:State and Territory Parliament
· Laura Lavelle
China tells citizens to leave Taiwan-allied Eswatini
Eswatini says it "will not be coerced, disadvantaged or destabilised" over its foreign policy choices, the government said on Wednesday after China told its citizens to immediately leave the country.
· AfricaNews
Qatar PM heads to Tehran seeking to discuss Strait of Hormuz | The National
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, is travelling to Tehran in an attempt to revive negotiations between Iran and the US and discuss the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
· The National
Former Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob charged over failure to declare foreign cash and gold bars
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged on Thursday with failure to declare assets, the third former premier prosecuted in recent years over alleged graft-related offenses.
· REUTERS
Sunken ship sparks fight on Israel’s right over militia’s violent legacy
A race has emerged in right-wing Israeli politics over who can more closely associate themselves with Irgun, a militia implicated in the killing and torture of dozens of Palestinians during the 1948 war that led to the Nakba, the forced displacement of more than 750,000 Palestinians during the formation of the state…
· Simon Speakman Cordall
Super-backed builder set to transform Arden over faster pitch
An industry super fund-backed consortium has been selected to develop the Arden urban renewal precinct despite a rival bid that would have completed the project 15 years sooner.
· Annika Smethurst
2028 US Election – Asia Times
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South Korea to step up crackdown, cooperation with China over illegal fishing
South Korea will intensify its crackdown on Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, including by deploying more Coast Guard special forces and strengthening cooperation with Beijing, the government said Thursday.
· Choi He-suk
Daewoo E&C eyes Vietnamese energy projects
Chairman Jung meets Vietnamese industry minister to discuss cooperation in local energy infrastructure
· Kan Hyeong-woo
Clash over Germany's Nazi past as far-right AfD poised for election breakthrough
Many AfD supporters believe modern Germany should be proud of its history and focus less on its Nazi past
· Bbcnews
Rescue team departs Incheon for flood-hit Nepal
An 11-member government rapid response team departed for Nepal on Thursday, which has been devastated by massive flooding and landslides.
· Choi Jae-hee
District official charged with homicide over ferry disaster that killed 97 people
Police in Zimbabwe have arrested a district official charged with culpable homicide over the sinking of a government-run ferry that claimed at least 97 lives.
· AfricaNews
PM calls for overhaul of 'organizational culture' of police amid outrage over missing person cases
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook called for measures Thursday to reform the way police handle missing person cases and to overhaul the agency's "organizational culture" amid public outrage over revelations an officer prematurely closed at least two cases with false reports the victims have be…
· CHANG JAE SUN
Assembly floats 1st special bill to support nuclear submarine
Opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly on Thursday proposed a special bill to support South Korea's production of nuclear-powered attack submarines, which would involve cooperation with Washington on securing nuclear propulsion technology.
· Son Ji-hyoung
Six days later, Hanson still struggles to articulate migration policy
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has again appeared to confuse her party’s immigration policy despite more than a week of scrutiny over her position – suggesting there would be both positive and negative overall migration levels in the same conversation.
· Natassia Chrysanthos, Brittany Busch
‘I will not give up’: Backbencher gets community’s back up over bench removal
At lunchtime on Wednesday, a first-term backbencher from Queensland’s regional town of Maryborough shared a local win – he’d successfully pushed for the removal of a public bench from a city street.
· Felicity Caldwell
Haley Stevens reveals engagement – plans for Israel trip with fiancé – weeks after Michigan Senate primary loss to Abdul El-Sayed
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· Victor Nava
Netanyahu held direct talks with Hamas behind security establishment's back during 2014 Gaza war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held direct contact and negotiations with Hamas behind the security establishment's back during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, using Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel as an intermediary.
· BEN CASPIT
Mark Walter’s company says Dodgers not for sale
In its latest effort to quash rumors and concerns it will sell off more of its assets amid reports it is the subject of federal investigations into potential tax fraud, TWG Global said Wednesday that its stakes in both the Los Angeles Dodgers and its Cadillac Formula 1 team are not for sale.
· No Author
Pauline Hanson fumbles migration policy explanation
Products & ServicesOpen Products & Services section
WATCH: BARMM parties face off in debate ahead of polls
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· Jene-Anne Pangue
Parents worry kids will inherit climate impact of coal mine extension
Parents for Climate took its plea to NSW Parliament in the lead-up to the IPC's decision. (ABC News)
· Courtney Yeandle
We should work together: Hanson
Products & ServicesOpen Products & Services section
Michigan Democrats aim to fight Trump but must stop infighting first
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a news conference at the base of the Spirit of Detroit monument in Detroit, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
· Joey Cappelletti
Netanyahu vows to establish more settlements in the occupied West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue establishing settlements in the occupied West Bank despite mounting international pressure, while promising a major wave of Israeli immigration to the occupied Palestinian territory.
· Middleeasteye
Anger and confusion over Labor's planned refugee cuts
Labor recently said it would keep refugee places at 20,000 and aspire to increase intake. (Pexels: Keira Burton)
· Jane Norman
Former transport boss tells inquiry that union officials stalked her kids
A former senior government executive believed her school-aged children were being stalked by CFMEU members and was subjected to expletive name-calling before she resigned, the Queensland inquiry into the union has heard.
· Courtney Kruk
How the Senate passed Graham's Russia sanctions bill and what's next
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to the Capitol building, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
· Lisa Mascaro
Former planning minister engaged to help Bathla in weeks before collapse
Former NSW Labor planning minister Frank Sartor was engaged to provide planning advice to developer Bathla weeks before the company entered voluntary administration, owing more than $3 billion and threatening the delivery of thousands of homes.
· Ellie Busby, Anthony Segaert
Healthcare victims lose coverage as California and the federal government battle over hospice fraud
Linda Henry poses for a photo in Long Beach, Calif., on July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
· Jaimie Ding
US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate
The US saidWednesday it had disrupted a Chinese hacking operation responsible for breakins and attempts on the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, and other sensitive government agencies.
· Yonhap
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate face federal judge in extradition battle
Andrew Tate, left, watches his brother Tristan speak, outside a police station in Voluntari, Romania, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
· David Fischer
The Nazis drove Bauhaus out of town. Now the far right is waging another war against the movement
Poll to take place in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, where Bauhaus blossomed a century ago – and where AfD is promising ‘patriotic culture policy’ if it wins
· Deborah Cole