Power
The world’s next decade is being decided in rooms most Western readers never see. These are the elections, alliances, and military standoffs across Asia-Pacific — and what each one costs the West.
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Aug- 2026 -16 August
Bangladesh blocks Rahman’s India visit until Hasina is extradited
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not travel to New Delhi unless India returns former premier Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in Indian exile since August 2024 and faces conviction for…
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16 August
Trump claims Hormuz as the 60-day window closes on three missing pilots
With daily shipping through the strait down to 8–12 vessels from 90–130 pre-war, Qatar denies holding three Iranian airmen Tehran says were captured alive in March, hardening both sides' positions…
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14 August
Trump’s 100% drone tariff targets China, reshapes allied supply chains
A Section 232 order signed August 13 imposes tiered duties on unmanned aircraft, with allies gaining lower rates only if hardware and software originate in approved countries.
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12 August
China brings Indonesia into waters Taiwan claims as its own
The PLA's first joint naval drill east of Taiwan with an Indonesian frigate tests whether repeated foreign participation can normalize Beijing's contested presence.
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12 August
Philippines opens dual legal front against Vice President Duterte over assassination threat
Criminal charges filed 11 August 2026 under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code run parallel to an active Senate impeachment trial, creating an unprecedented institutional collision with no legal…
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10 August
New Zealand closed the enrollment door before voting opens
An October 25 cutoff eliminates same-day registration, locking out roughly 440,000 eligible voters—particularly young and overseas citizens whose ballots historically favour the opposition.
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10 August
Maldives and Bangladesh can’t fix SAARC’s India-Pakistan veto
On July 26, President Muizzu offered to mediate the bloc's revival, but the consensus rule that governs SAARC gives either rival state effective power to block any summit.
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10 August
Thailand’s parole system keeps releasing killers. Now it faces the gallows.
Five bodies in Chonburi—two Russian tourists, three Thai residents—have reignited a debate the country thought it had settled: whether a broken risk-assessment process justifies resuming executions.
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9 August
Iran demands war reparations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Oman-mediated talks were "very close" to agreement on a shipping route, but Iran is now linking passage to compensation for past conflicts and sanctions relief.
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3 August
Malaysia sealed a tech hub to hide its Israel contradiction
When authorities found Israeli nationals at Network School in Forest City, they deported threats and revoked licences—but left untouched the weapons shipments and venture capital flows that blur Kuala Lumpur's…
