The World Health Organization’s (WHO) governing body of health ministers has responded to a call from dozens of world leaders for a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response, and will hold a special session in November devoted to such a treaty. It is a positive step. But the global response to COVID-19, and adequate preparation for future pandemics, requires much more.

Tropical cyclones that form over Southeast Asia’s Savu Sea do not typically hit land. But in early April, Cyclone Seroja created a path of destruction across Indonesian islands and East Timor. Within days, more than 200 people were dead or missing and 2,000 buildings damaged.

Thai police used water cannon and rubber bullets outside Bangkok's Grand Palace Saturday, after demonstrators broke through a barricade of shipping containers to demand reforms to the kingdom's unassailable monarchy. It was the latest night of unrest since Thailand's pro-democracy movement kicked off in July, calling for an overhaul of Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha's administration and a rewrite of a military-scripted constitution.But their most controversial demands

Thai pro-democracy protesters scaled a Bangkok monument Saturday night to unfurl a giant banner scribbled with anti-government slogans, and a Thai hip hop group took aim at the monarchy with their new song.The kingdom has for months experienced massive student-led demonstrations demanding a new constitution, changes to how the royal family operates and for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha –who rose to power in a 2014 coup – to resign.Several thousand people turned out for a carnival-themed ra

Early this month, on the 40th anniversary of Shenzhen’s designation as a (SEZ), Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a blueprint for building the city into a trade, finance, and technology hub. Most China-watchers have focused on what this means for Hong Kong, Shanghai, or at most the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

The ongoing standoff between Chinese and Indian forces along the two countries’ disputed Himalayan border recently resulted in the first troop casualties there in decades, with some Indian soldiers killed in particularly brutal fashion.

Back in 2013, the Chinese government laid out a policy agenda that promised real reforms to an economy laden with debt and distorted by the influence of the country’s large state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector.

Schoolchildren are paying a heavy price for Singapore's success in global education rankings, with rising numbers seeking psychiatric help as they struggle to cope with the relentless pressure for academic excellence.Children are reporting symptoms of anxiety and stress related to school as early as primary school, experts warn, and there have been extreme cases where pupils have been driven to suicide. Youths often face long days at school, hours of homework, and are then pushe