Asia
Israel has committed genocide, says UN inquiry
A UN commission of inquiry has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since the 2023 war with Hamas began. The 72-page report cites four…
Syria: worst drought in decades pushes millions to the brink
Syria is facing its worst drought in 36 years, devastating wheat production and deepening a nationwide hunger crisis. Farmer Maher Haddad has harvested barely a third of his normal yield, reflecting a 40%…
South Korea: shifting social trends in Seoul
Seoul’s household landscape is shifting as single-person homes become the city’s most common household type, according to a 2024 report. Nearly 1.66 million residents now live alone - about 40% of all households…
Qatar: Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders
The dramatic airstrike by Israel on Hamas leaders in Qatar on 9 October marks a new twist in a war already destabilising the wider Middle East. Qatar, long considered Hamas’ political base and…
Nepal: violent protests against corruption and ban on social media
Nepal has been rocked by its most intense unrest in decades, with corruption and nepotism at the heart of nationwide protests. The turmoil escalated dramatically after the government’s controversial ban on social media…
Philippines: Marcos an unlikely anti-corruption crusader
The Philippines once again finds itself grappling with the enduring scourge of corruption, an issue that has haunted the last three presidents: Ferdinand Marcos Sr, Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, and now Ferdinand Marcos…
Afghanistan: hundreds dead after powerful earthquake
A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake has devastated Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, killing 1,400 and injuring at least 3,000. Striking late at night near Jalalabad, the quake was felt as far away…
China: huge military parade watched by Putin, Kim, and other leaders
Beijing has hosted a grand military parade marking eighty years since the end of WW2, with Xi Jinping standing alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in a rare joint appearance. Xi framed…
Pakistan: nearly half a million displaced by floods
Catastrophic flooding has displaced nearly half a million people in Pakistan’s Punjab province after days of torrential monsoon rain swelled three major rivers. More than 2,300 villages have been inundated, affecting over 1.5…
Israel / Gaza: attack on hospital condemned, famine officially declared, Pope’s plea
A deadly double strike on a hospital in Gaza has drawn sharp international condemnation. At least twenty people were killed, including five journalists and four health workers, when two consecutive strikes targeted the…
