

Time for an Asian-Asean century
Roberto F. de Ocampo*
Former Finance Secretary, Philippines
Roberto F. de Ocampo*
Former Finance Secretary, Philippines
In the context of growing rivalries between major world powers, ASEAN needs to demonstrate strong political will and unity to promote peace, security and prosperity, foreign policy experts said on Friday.
A senior Islamic State commander directed a group of Australian men to build a bomb destined for an Etihad Airways flight out of Sydney, with a second poisonous gas plot also in the works, police alleged Friday.
Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia's interference with the 2016 presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday -- a step toward possible criminal indictments.
Chile's Congress on Wednesday eased a strict ban on abortion in effect since the final days of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship nearly three decades ago.
The United States is pressuring China to decide in the coming days on whether to back tougher UN sanctions on North Korea after weeks of negotiations on a response to Pyongyang's missile launches, diplomats said.
Qatar on Wednesday created a new permanent residents status for certain groups of foreigners, including those who have worked for the benefit of the emirate.
The world's blind will increase threefold from about 36 million today to 115 million in 2050 as populations expand and individuals grow ever older, researchers said on Thursday.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen is obstructing deliveries of jet fuel to UN planes bringing desperately-needed humanitarian aid to the rebel-held capital Sanaa, a UN official said Tuesday.
French and German support for a regional Sahel force to battle jihadists will persuade other European nations of the benefits of backing the counter-terror measure, Germany's defence minister said Tuesday.
A suicide bomber and a gunman killed at least 29 people and wounded 63 at a packed Shiite mosque in Afghanistan's main western city of Herat Tuesday, the latest attack to highlight the country's deteriorating security situation.
Kenya's election campaign enters a tense final week Tuesday, with a tight race between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga leading to intensified personal attacks and rigging accusations.
New Zealand's main opposition gambled on a leadership change just weeks before a general election on Tuesday after polling showed it was heading for disaster at the ballot box.
Britain's interior minister Amber Rudd will meet US tech leaders in Silicon Valley on Tuesday to try and push back against "ruthless" extremists inciting terror online.
Nearly 500 people arrested in the crackdown following the failed July 15, 2016 coup in Turkey go on trial on Tuesday accused of conspiring to oust the government from an air base seen as the plotters' hub.