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Kim Jong Un chooses teen daughter as heir, says Seoul
South Korea's spy agency says Ki Ju Ae's prominent public presence indicates she is the chosen heir.
Most read: Asia-Pacific Politics — Q1 2026
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China carries out further executions of Myanmar scam centre suspects
Executions are part of broader crackdown by Beijing on scam centres across Southeast Asia built on an industrial scale.
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Bangladesh begins counting votes as polls formally close in crunch election
The landmark election determines the country’s leadership and return to democracy following a 2024 student-led uprising.
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Woman faints after being caned 140 times under Indonesian province’s sharia law
Woman and man accused of sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol faced what is likely to be one of the severest punishments since Aceh province adopted sharia law
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Reached as high as #2 on Al Jazeera Popular for over a day
China warns Australia against taking back control of key port in Darwin
China’s envoy says Beijing will ‘take measures’ to defend Chinese firm’s interests if Canberra takes over Port Darwin.
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Japan votes in snap election as PM Takaichi takes a gamble
Observers say Sanae Takaichi's personal popularity may boost the ruling party's showing at the polls.
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Parents of Melbourne methanol-poisoning victims ‘shocked’ by $185 fines handed to Laos hostel staff
Fathers of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, who died after a night out at the Nana backpackers hostel in 2024, say court decision is ‘absolute injustice’
Hit #1 on The GuardianPopular for 21 hours
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China is moving toward all-nuclear submarine construction in a major strategic shift, US Navy intel chief says
Most of China's submarine fleet is diesel-electric, but Beijing is ramping up production of nuclear-powered classes.
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‘Country of the blind’: How will Bangladesh remember Muhammad Yunus?
Yunus tried to bring reforms and justice for Hasina-era victims. But as his stint as leader ends, he has his critics.
Reached as high as #2 on Al JazeeraPopular for over a day
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Follow the vote: Bangladesh election live results 2026
Nearly 127 million eligible voters are electing the next prime minister and parliament for a five-year term.
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Japan election: Sanae Takaichi’s ruling conservatives on course for landslide victory
Exit polls point to public endorsement of new prime minister, after day hit by blizzards and freezing conditions
Reached as high as #2 on The GuardianPopular for 12 hours
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Why is China set to approve a new law promoting 'ethnic unity'?
A law that could threaten the rights of minority groups is a sign of the direction Xi is taking China.
Hit #1 on BBCPopular for 12 hours
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Living hell of North Korea’s ‘paradise on Earth’ scheme back in spotlight in Japan
Plaintiffs in case say they were lured from Japan, exploited for labour and cut off from families for generations
Hit #1 on The GuardianPopular for 11 hours
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Bangladesh votes in first election since 2024 uprising that toppled Hasina
The vote is a direct contest between frontrunner Tarique Rahman’s BNP and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition of 11 parties.
Hit #1 on Al JazeeraPopular for 13 hours
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China has purged its highest-ranked military general. Why?
Zhang Youxia had been seen as a close ally of China's leader, Xi Jinping.
Reached as high as #3 on BBCPopular for 18 hours
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China is hitting Japan where it hurts. Will PM Takaichi give in?
From recalling pandas to cancelling tourist flights, China continues to retaliate after Takaichi's comments on Taiwan.
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Japan seizure of Chinese vessel, arrest of captain, could heighten tensions
Japan’s Fisheries Agency says Chinese captain arrested for allegedly defying orders to stop for inspection at sea.
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Kim close to naming teenage daughter as future North Korean leader, South believes
South Korea’s spy agency monitoring whether girl, believed to be 13, will appear at political conference this month
Hit #1 on The GuardianPopular for 12 hours
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The exiled Awami league members plotting a political comeback in Bangladesh – from India
As Bangladesh prepares for the first election since Sheikh Hasina fled to India, Awami League figures living in Kolkata believe she can still return a hero
Reached as high as #3 on The GuardianPopular for 10 hours
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‘Sana-mania’ grips Japan as ultra-conservative Takaichi expected to secure election landslide
The country’s first female PM is the object of a personality cult revolving around everything from her outfits and snacks to her favourite pink pen
Reached as high as #2 on The GuardianPopular for 18 hours
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China confirms visa-free travel for UK and Canadian nationals
Relaxed visa rules for British and Canadian passport holders will come into force on 17 February.
Reached as high as #2 on BBCPopular for 10 hours
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How Modi ‘broke down walls’ between India, Israel – at Palestine’s expense
Under Modi, India, a long supporter of the Palestinian cause, has found a friend in Israel’s Netanyahu despite genocide.
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What is Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party? Could it lead the country next?
For first time in its chequered history, the party has a real chance of grabbing power as the leader of ruling alliance.
Hit #1 on Al JazeeraPopular for 13 hours
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China has lifted sanctions from six serving British MPs and peers, Starmer says
Starmer confirms immediate removal, but it is unclear if sanctions remain on former MP, academic and barrister
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Kim Jong-un unveils housing for families of North Koreans killed in Ukraine war
Leader vows to repay the ‘young martyrs’ who died as North Korea intensifies propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight for Russia
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As T20 World Cup begins, ousted Bangladesh rues politicisation of cricket
As Bangladesh watch the T20 World Cup from afar, the mood in Dhaka is sombre and the players are left disappointed.
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Japan votes as first female leader hopes her party secures big win
The election outcome is expected shortly after polls close at 11:00 GMT.
Hit #1 on Al JazeeraPopular for 10 hours
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Unease in Japan after Trump cites Pearl Harbor to defend Iran war
US president’s reference to Japan’s 1941 attack has shaken Japanese as PM Takaichi’s silence gets mixed reaction.
Reached as high as #2 on Al JazeeraPopular for 17 hours
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Bangladesh EC publishes official results showing BNP landslide
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus congratulates Rahman for ‘the landslide victory of his party’.
Reached as high as #3 on Al JazeeraPopular for 10 hours
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'Despicable and reprehensible': China lashes out at UK expansion of visa scheme following Jimmy Lai conviction
The diplomatic tensions came after pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced for 20 years in one of the city's most prominent prosecutions.
Hit #1 on CNBCPopular for 10 hours
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China places highest-ranking general under investigation
President Xi has been accused of using investigations to purge political rivals.
Reached as high as #2 on BBCPopular for 12 hours
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The kill line v Chinamaxxing: a window into how China and the US see each other
In China, one social media trend hangs on the idea that a life in the US is always one step from disaster, while another in the US has gen Z revelling in Chinese lifestyle hacks
Reached as high as #4 on The GuardianWas popular briefly
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Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to life in prison for leading insurrection in South Korea
Former South Korean president found guilty over failed martial law declaration in 2024
Reached as high as #3 on The GuardianWas popular briefly
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Bangladesh slams India over fugitive ex-PM Hasina’s first public address
Dhaka says it is ‘shocked’ the ousted leader was allowed to speak at a news conference, her first since the 2024 ouster.
Reached as high as #3 on Al JazeeraPopular for 13 hours
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un fires vice premier, publicly rebukes officials
Kim condemns ‘incompetent’ party members for delays in government projects in advance of key ruling party meeting.
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Why China views the UK visit as part of something bigger
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As hate spirals in India, Hindu extremists turn to Christian targets
Anti-Muslim violence has soared for more than a decade under Indian PM Modi. Now, Christians face the brunt, too.
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Japan rejects U.S. intel assessment that Takaichi's Taiwan remarks represent 'significant shift'
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters "A significant policy shift is not something that is happening right now."
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Shot in school uniform: BBC reveals police order led to Gen Z protest killings
New evidence reveals what happened when 19 people were shot dead in Kathmandu last September.
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Singapore's opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for lying
Singh, who was convicted for lying to MPs, has always maintained his innocence.
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Is Bangladesh's youth turning against India?
Anti-Indianism is rising in Bangladesh as ties between the South Asian neighbours sink to a new low.
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China’s top ranking general under investigation for alleged violations amid ongoing purge of leadership
Zhang Youxia, second-in command under president Xi Jinping as chairman of the Central Military Commission, has long been seen as Xi’s closest military ally
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Bangladesh election: BNP claims win in historic first election since overthrow of Hasina
Voting was largely peaceful in an election seen as a test of Bangladesh’s democracy after years of political turmoil under autocratic ruler
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Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison
Founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper gets lengthy sentence under Beijing’s national security law.
Reached as high as #3 on Al JazeeraWas popular briefly
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un sets stage for daughter as his successor: Seoul
Little is known about Kim’s daughter who made her first public appearance in 2022 but appears set to be successor.
Reached as high as #4 on Al JazeeraPopular for 12 hours
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China's Xi Jinping makes rare reference to recent military purge
Zhang Youxia, widely seen as Xi's closest military ally, was in January removed from his post.
Reached as high as #4 on BBCPopular for 10 hours
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What India's Republic Day red carpet means for its foreign policy
Who sits beside India’s president on Republic Day signals Delhi’s diplomatic priorities to the world.
Hit #1 on BBCWas popular briefly
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Why is Pakistan backing Bangladesh in its T20 World Cup row with India?
Regional politics at the fore after Bangladesh ousted from the T20 World Cup in India.
Reached as high as #4 on Al JazeeraPopular for 15 hours
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Chinese tourists shun Japan over lunar new year holiday as rift deepens
Japanese prime minister’s refusal to back down over Taiwan comments brings more criticism and travel warnings from China
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Chinese tourists shun Japan in wake of Taiwan invasion row
Number of high-spending Chinese tourists visiting Japan halved last month after PM said an invasion of Taiwan could spark Japanese military involvement
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