Malaysia preparing to join BRICS economic group, media report says
Malaysia is preparing to join the BRICS group of emerging economies, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in an interview with Chinese media outlet Guancha.
Asian news from Iran
Hezbollah says it attacked 9 Israeli military sites with rockets, drones
Hezbollah said it had launched rockets and weaponized drones at nine Israeli military sites in a coordinated attack on Thursday, ramping up hostilities on Lebanon's southern border for the second consecutive day.
At least 40 Indians die in a fire at a building housing foreign workers in Kuwait
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fire swept through a building that housed foreign workers in Kuwait early Wednesday, killing at least 40 Indian nationals and injuring more than 50, India’s external affairs ministry said. Local officials said the blaze appeared to be linked to code violations.
Biden or Trump, US wants a lesser Middle East role
Prior to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan posited that the Middle East had been “quieter than it has been for decades.”
China-Russia-Iran-North Korea axis heightens the risk of WWIII
TALLINN, Estonia -- The war in Ukraine has reached a critical juncture, with the Russian military sharply intensifying attacks to expand its areas of control before U.S. military aid is fully disbursed in the country.
Putin to visit North Korea, Vietnam in coming weeks, Vedomosti newspaper says
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks, the Vedomosti newspaper reported on Monday, citing a diplomatic source.
Raisi’s ghost looms like a martyr over Iran’s election
Thousands of Iranians came out on the streets to mark the funeral processions of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz, after he died in a helicopter crash alongside the foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Australia’s leader says opposition will renege on greenhouse gas emissions target if elected
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said the opposition Liberal Party would renege on the nation’s ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 if it wins elections due within a year.