Mediating a deal at the 11th hour between Iran and the US, Pakistan has emerged as an unexpected negotiator between the two countries and is now preparing to host their delegations for peace talks. Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly prec…
It will be the second time Japan, which is heavily dependent on Middle East oil, has dipped into its strategic reserves since Iran war beganJapan will release additional oil reserves early next month, the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said on Friday,…
Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with critics accusing her of being too close to ChinaIn a rare meeting with Taiwan’s opposition leader, China’s president, Xi Jinping, declared that people on both sides of the Taiwan S…
In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily emptyMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to histo…
Planned statue symbolising the women forced by Japan into sexual slavery during the second world war has raised the ire of Tokyo’s embassyDiplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand could be jeopardised if a statue symbolising the thousands of w…
Israeli PM says he will continue to attack Hezbollah ‘with full force’ after attacks that killed more than 300 peopleMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has said there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and Israel would continue “to strike He…
Beijing’s powerbrokers are credited with winning Iran over, although one analyst says they were ‘pushing an open door’Middle East crisis – live updatesAs the world struggles to make sense of what, if anything, was achieved by the ceasefire deal announc…
Gas shortages and rising food prices mean many who came to the capital for work cannot afford to eat. Going home is now their only optionAt 9am on a Saturday, 35-year-old Raju Prasad rushes through Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, a heavy bag slun…
In today’s newsletter: The truce offers a reprieve after weeks of turmoil, but unresolved disputes and competing interpretations of what was agreed, threaten to pull the region back toward crisis at a moment’s noticeGood morning. On Tuesday, just a…
Local school closes in Daejeon city as hundreds of emergency service and military personnel scour area around O-World theme park where the wolf escaped fromAuthorities are hunting for a wolf after it escaped from a zoo in Daejeon, a South Korean city w…
Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement announce four shows at Wellington venue Meow Nui from next week – their first gigs since 2018New Zealand’s self-described “fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo-a cappella-rap-funk-comedy-folk duo” Flight of the …
The dish, adapted from one brought by US soldiers after the Korean war, has sparked thousands of variations and sits at the forefront of the K-food waveInside a teaching kitchen south-east of Seoul, I coat a whole chicken – cut into eight parts – in ba…
Analysts say Pakistani officials’ efforts led to breakthrough that has helped avert catastrophe, at least for nowMiddle East crisis – live updatesPakistan’s leaders had almost lost hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phonecalls and…
Analysts say Pakistani officials’ efforts led to breakthrough that has helped avert catastrophe, at least for nowMiddle East crisis – live updatesPakistan’s leaders had almost lost hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phonecalls and…
The US and Iran have agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire thanks to a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan.The conditions include a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz, but Israel’s position was left unclear, with airstrike…