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    Keyword: asia
    
   
  
  
    
    
      U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a trade deal had been struck with South Korea, in remarks that sent the won up against the dollar, as a compact promises to dispel uncertainty for the trade-reliant economy. “We did, we did. We did reach a deal,” Trump said in response to a query on whether a deal was struck, ahead of a dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. “We made our deal, pretty much finalized it,” he added later, without giving details. The won (=KRW) was up 0.54% against the dollar by 10:01 GMT on the news....
    
  
  
    
    
      While a U.S.-China nuclear war is not inevitable due to mutual deterrence, the risk of “accidental” escalation is rising. China’s rapid nuclear expansion—adding 100 warheads annually since 2023—erodes stability. A future conventional war, fought at “blinding speed” with cyber and space weapons, could lead to a tragic miscalculation. A U.S. conventional strike on a “dual-use” Chinese target might be misinterpreted as a disarming first strike, prompting a nuclear “use or lose” response.
    
  
  
    
    
      Sky News host Rita Panahi says US President Donald Trump has set a “sizzling pace in Asia”. “Within hours of touching down, he had signed four trade deals, met regional leaders, met the Brazilian president, and presided over a historic peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia,” Ms Panahi said. “The president is getting it done in Asia. “The US and China have also agreed to a framework for a trade deal, with Donald Trump expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this Thursday. “No one can keep up with him.”
    
  
  
    
    
      Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, declared in her inaugural address to parliament her intention to sign a peace treaty with Russia to formally end the state of war lingering since World War II. The statement sparked lively discussions in Moscow: is rapprochement with Tokyo possible given its sanctions policy and the long-standing dispute over the Kuril Islands? We explore what lies behind Takaichi’s words, why the treaty remains unsigned, and how the Kremlin views the situation. The Kurils: A Perennial Sticking Point Russia and Japan are the only World War II participants that have not concluded a peace...
    
  
  
    
    
      WATCH: President Trump waves goodbye to Malaysia after a trip that featured a peace expansion, economic deals, and dancing.
    
  
  
    
    
      President Donald Trump greeted Malaysian dancers with his signature moves as he kicked off his highly anticipated week-long foreign trip to Asia. Drums played as he strutted down the red carpet, leading him off Air Force One in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, toward the native dancers on Sunday morning local time. After a 23-hour flight from Washington, DC, Trump, 79, stepped side to side as he pumped his fists.
    
  
  
    
    
      Cambodia and Thailand on Sunday signed an expansion of a ceasefire that U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker over the summer to end their border conflict. Trump threatened higher tariffs against both countries to push them into agreeing to end the fighting. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced in the conflict. The president watched as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the expanded ceasefire at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
    
  
  
    
    
      Here’s the audio of President Trump discussing his trip to Asia to attend the ASEAN and APEC summits in Malaysia and South Korea respectively. President Trump is anticipated to meet with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping in South Korea and there is a rumor that Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un might meet somewhere. President Trump even made mention that if media put out the word, he would be willing to meet with Chairman Kim at the DMZ while he is in South Korea. Audio Below:
    
  
  
    
    
      Washington describes first day of negotiations between Scott Bessent and He Lifeng as ‘very constructive’The US and China kicked off high-stakes trade talks in Malaysia on Saturday that Washington described as “very constructive” ahead of Donald Trump’s trip to Asia for a summit with Xi Jinping.Following weeks of mounting tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng held negotiations in Kuala Lumpur that will help shape the outcome of the summit on Thursday.This month Beijing announced sweeping export controls on rare earths, prompting Trump to threaten an extra 100 per cent...
    
  
  
    
    
      President Trump’s upcoming trip to Asia is a reminder that his trade philosophy has not changed: America’s economic strength is the foundation of its global influence. His mission is to turn high-stakes negotiations into opportunities for American workers and investors. But as trade tensions with China ignite again, business leaders should prepare for volatility and opportunity to rise in tandem.The White House hopes to announce a series of trade agreements during his trip to Malaysia, Korea, and Japan. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has indicated that the administration expects to sign multiple deals during the Asia swing. The agreements would...
    
  
  
    
    
      For Xi, rare-earths bombshell signaled a new toughness, while TikTok was ‘spiritual opium’ that could be turned into a low-cost bargaining chipDuring his first term, President Trump often frustrated Xi Jinping with his freewheeling mix of threats and bonhomie. This time, the Chinese leader believes he has cracked the code.Xi has thrown out China’s traditional diplomatic playbook and tailored a new one specifically for Trump, said people close to Chinese policymakers, who describe Xi as appearing confident and emboldened. The new strategy, these people said, embraces Trump’s self-image as a master dealmaker, offering concessions on high-visibility issues he personally cares...
    
  
  
    
    
      A North Korean soldier was taken into custody by the South after he voluntarily crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas on Sunday, Seoul's military said. The soldier was seeking to "to defect to the South", a defense ministry official said. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighboring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare,...
    
  
  
    
    
      The New York State Department of Health has confirmed a case of locally acquired chikungunya on Long Island, marking the first case of the virus reported to be locally acquired in New York and the first locally acquired case to be reported in the United States since 2019. Laboratory testing at the department’s Wadsworth Center confirmed the case in Nassau County on Long Island, according to health officials. “An investigation suggests that the individual likely contracted the virus following a bite from an infected mosquito,” officials said. “While the case is classified as locally acquired based on current information, the...
    
  
  
    
    
      We wuz everybody, apparently. Vikings, Samurai, Native Americans, Shakespeare — all of it. The greatest identity theft in history, presented as scholarship, swallowed by people with the IQ of a shoe. This is the “Collect Them All Edition” of WeWuzzery, where Erik the Red turns into Erik the Black, the Bard of Avon becomes the Bard of Abuja, and the Olmec heads get drafted into the Congo.
    
  
  
    
    
      If there's any recording worth keeping of Charlie, or sharing with the likes of those who don't know what he stood for, it's this one. It's no accident that God had this speech be one of the final marks he left on earth.
    
  
  
    
    
      The leaked documents were found by hacktivist group, Black Moon. They show Russia agreeing in October 2024 to sell 37 BMD-4M light amphibious vehicles, 11 Sprut-SDM1 self-propelled anti-tank guns, 11 BTR-MDM airborne armored personnel carriers to the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The main equipment provision contract had a value of $584 million before it was finalized, The Washington Post reported. It also included several command and observation vehicles and parachute systems designed to airdrop heavy loads from high altitudes. Russia will train and equip Chinese paratroopers to invade Taiwan, according to leaked documents. China will buy dozens of military...
    
  
  
    
    
      The vast majority of Japan’s centenarians are women. Japan has hit a record high in the number of people aged 100 or older, according to new data. It’s the 55th year in a row that Japan, renowned for its longevity, has reached this milestone. As of 1 September, the country had 99,763 centenarians, up 4,644 from the previous year, Japanese media reported. The vast majority – about 88 per cent – of them are women. Japan’s oldest woman is 114-year-old Kagawa Shigeko, and its oldest man is 111-year-old Mizuno Kiyotaka, national media said. The government began recording the number of...
    
  
  
    
    
      On the first weekend of September, I saw Charlie Kirk speak at the Build Up Korea conference in Seoul. It was his first trip to Asia and sadly destined to be his last; five days later, he was assassinated at Utah Valley University. The conference is an annual gathering of young Korean conservatives, with whom Kirk had become quite popular. Even after having taught university here for seven years, I still did not feel like I had a good handle on the current political scene. The issues that are divisive can appear puzzling and petty to the outsider unfamiliar with...
    
  
  
    
    
      In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a "globalist menace" in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. In Seoul on Friday, he spoke about how he "brought Trump to victory", while addressing Build Up Korea 2025, a conservative conference that has previously featured speakers including Donald Trump Jr. "The phenomenon of young people, especially men, turning conservative is occurring simultaneously across multiple continents," Kirk told the audience, who waved their phones and chanted 'USA' as he entered the stage...
    
  
  
    
    
      TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prince Hisahito is the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years. Many people in Japan worry he could be the last.The elaborate palace rituals to formally recognize Hisahito as an adult on Saturday are a reminder of the bleak outlook for the world’s oldest monarchy. Much of this comes down to its male-only succession policy and dwindling numbers.Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and is likely to become emperor one day. After him, however, there is nobody left, leaving the Imperial family with a dilemma over whether they should reverse a...
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