The plan will tighten Kinshasa's grip on the world's biggest cobalt producer and second-largest copper supplier, according to an official and seven industry sources, and could be even more significant than the country's policies that reshaped the global cobalt market, some analysts say.

Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter graft, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker made S$5,775 a month in 2025.

President Donald Trump threatened Monday to block US sales of Canadian plane maker Bombardier unless it builds aircrafts in the country, complaining of "unjust and unfair" bilateral trade provisions as he escalates a tariff war.

Iran threatened the United States with "economic warfare" on Tuesday and said it had fired an advanced missile at US warships, underscoring the risks of further escalation in the war only days after both sides traded blows again.

Indonesia may find its “free and active” foreign policy put to the test as it expands its defense diplomacy to include military drills with China, analysts suggest, just as Jakarta deploys troops in the annual Garuda Shield exercise cohosted by the United States, a rival superpower.

Malaysia had declared the emergency on Friday after thick haze caused by fires in Kalimantan pushed air pollution up to hazardous levels. Sarawak has been heavily affected by fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan, with the haze forcing school closures in some parts of the state.

Launched under the banner of “Bringing Asia Closer,” the digital publication, titled ‘Inside Asia’s Hidden Heritage Treasures,’ aims to offer global and regional readers an authentic glimpse into the continent’s shared identity. (You can download the e-book here.)

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany scored its biggest win yet Sunday with 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt, against about 18 percent for the center-right CDU, according to broadcasters' projections.

Malaysian authorities categorise Air Pollution Index (API) readings above 300 as hazardous, with a measurement of 500 the threshold for declaring an emergency.

The Indonesian government faces pressure from within and outside the country, including in the form of a protest in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur as haze blankets major cities in neighboring countries.

Malaysia declared a state of emergency in Sarawak state's Serian district on Borneo island on Friday, after air pollution readings reached critical levels.

However, before moving on to the actual preparations, it is necessary to understand what the meeting's agenda would be, Ryabkov said.

US and Iranian forces fired at vessels in waters around Iran on Saturday, including three Iranian oil carriers struck by the Americans and three tankers that Iran said it targeted while on unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The American representatives prepared thoroughly for this trip," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, including AFP.

The new map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, improves "the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world," the resolution said.

The number of vessels allowed through the waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans will be progressively lowered from 36 per day to 32 by mid-September.

Australia's weather forecaster said temperatures in the New South Wales capital, were set to hit 33 degrees Celsius, nearly 13 degrees above average.

Voters and election officials still do not know what rules may govern millions of mail ballots, as Trump asks the Supreme Court to revive curbs blocked by a federal judge and as states scramble to prepare for changes that could come after voting has begun.

At the start of Operation Iron Wall, Israeli military, police and other forces entered the camps and killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged infrastructure, according to the UN rights office.

The two were among hundreds of hydropower workers who had been missing since a wall of mud and debris swept through the region on August 26 after a vast glacial and rock collapse on a mountain on the China-Nepal border.

Sarawak, in Kalimantan, has been heavily affected by fires on the Indonesian side of the island, with haze forcing school closures in some parts of the state.   

Jakarta pushes cooperation, governance reform and tech as a public good.

President Prabowo Subianto has pitched a shared economic future between Jakarta and Moscow, expressing hopes to host his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Indonesia while touting his administration’s “realist, pragmatist” approach to international cooperation.

The operation, which also aims to bolster water reserves in anticipation of dry weather, targets three hydroelectric dams and 13 water catchment areas, Sarawak's Disaster Management Committee said.

Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran "any time we want" after extensive US bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead.

President Prabowo Subianto is in Vladivostok this week for an economic forum and bilateral talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in his fourth visit to the country since taking office less than two years ago.

On Wednesday morning, seven air monitoring stations across the metropolitan area of Philippine capital Manila recorded “unhealthy levels” of PM2.5 pollutant particulate, according to the country’s Environment and Natural Resources Department (DENR).