The European Union (EU) has resolved to step up its defence strategy in the Indo-Pacific region in light of fears about China’s growing presence and concerns for the international order sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“Our motto is always to cooperate whenever possible, but to defend whenever necessary as well,” said Gabriele Visentin, the EU’s special envoy to the Indo-Pacific.

Asian equities were up on Monday after a rally on Wall Street last week, but analysts say fears of a recession due to surging inflation and COVID-driven supply chain woes still have investors worried.World markets have been volatile for much of 2022, fuelled by uncertainty over supply chain snarls due to China's lockdowns, inflation pressures and European anxiety over the Ukraine war.Wall Street stocks closed Friday with a robust rally on tech-rich Nasdaq after a tumultuous week that saw

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Intense Battles In The East Intense fighting rages in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, where Russia has been concentrating its forces without making significant progress.Ukrainian forces repulsed Russian attempts to cross a river and encircle the city of Severodonetsk, says Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the eastern Luhansk region."There's heavy fighting on the border with Donetsk region, from the side of Popasna,&quot

Russia faced mounting accusations of war crimes in Ukraine Friday including forcing thousands of people into interrogation camps, as the number of refugees reported to have fled the conflict surpassed six million.The Russian invasion has also led to a seismic policy change by Finland, whose leaders said Thursday the previously neutral nation must apply to join NATO "without delay" – triggering a blunt warning of retaliation from the Kremlin.Throughout the 11-week conflict, Russian f

The European Union (EU), the United States (US) and more than two dozen other countries vowed Friday to shore up global food security in a joint statement to the World Trade Organization (WTO).Voicing alarm at the "global effects on food security" triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they stressed "the urgency and importance of maintaining open and predictable agricultural markets and trade".That would "ensure the continued flow of food, as well as products

China sent 18 warplanes, including fighters and bombers, into Taiwan’s air defence zone, prompting the island’s air force to scramble jets in response to the second-largest incursion so far this year.Taipei’s defence ministry said the Chinese aircraft crossed into the island’s air defence zone on Friday, forcing the scrambling of Taiwanese aircraft and the deployment of air defence missile systems to track the Chinese planes. Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its own territory, ha

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Russian Fire Overshadows Evacuation Ukrainian troops defending the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol accuse Russian forces of firing during a civilian evacuation, despite a Moscow-imposed ceasefire."A car was hit by Russians who used an anti-tank guided weapon," the Azov battalion, which has been leading the defence, says on Telegram.

Until a few years ago, major economies were struggling to achieve even mild inflation, with policymakers in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and the eurozone struggling to meet their targets of two percent annual price growth. But with the arrival and persistence of COVID-19, the world changed dramatically.

"Ukraine and its allies, including London, are threatening Russia for the last 1,000 years, to move NATO to our borders, to cancel our culture – they have bullied us for many, many years."That is what Yevgeny Popov, a member of the Russian Duma (parliament) and an influential TV host in Russia, told the BBC's Ukrainecast on 19 April.

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Moscow Admits Kyiv Strike Russia confirms it carried out an air strike on Kyiv as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited.The Russian defence ministry says "high-precision, long-range air-based weapons...