Ignoring Asia
Viewing the world
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Will deadly Israeli attacks in Lebanon shatter US-Iran ceasefire?
It took Israel only 10 minutes to carry out one of the worst mass-killings in Lebanon since the end of the country’s civil war in 1990.
Omar Rakha heard the war planes but did not feel the explosions; it was only when he woke up face down on the street, bleeding, that he understood what had happened: the building next to his in the Barbour neighbourhood of central Beirut had been destroyed by two Israeli bombs. He then ran through the flaming wreckage to find his sister, screaming.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
What did the Iran war actually achieve?
There have been celebrations across Iran over the two-week ceasefire which has seen President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran's entire civilization averted. Details of the the deal are unclear, beyond the ceasefire and re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Leaders around the world greeted the news with cautious welcomes, with Germany, Britain, Japan, Canada and other European nations calling for a lasting peace. And US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned America could strike again if Iran refuses to handover its enriched uranium.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Sunday, April 5, 2026
The widening gap between rhetoric and reality
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes in Indonesia, sparking tsunami alert
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck the Northern Molucca Sea region in Indonesia, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake, which hit early on Thursday local time, had depth of 35km and its epicenter was 127km (79 miles) west-northwest of Ternate, Indonesia, the USGS said.
The US tsunami warning system said tsunami waves were possible with 1,000km of the epicentre, along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. It warned that tsunami waves reaching 0.3 metres to one metre (3.2ft) above the tide level were possible for some of the Indonesian coastline.