Asia Pacific

Published: 20 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Japan is gearing up for a period of political and policy change after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was reappointed with a commanding legislative mandate following a landslide election victory for her ruling coalition, giving her government a supermajority in the lower house of the National Diet and the muscle to push through a bold conservative agenda. Takaichi, who made history as Japan’s...

Published: 20 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A court in southern India has handed down the death penalty to three men convicted of a brutal attack last year that saw an Israeli tourist and her Indian homestay host raped and a male tourist killed, judicial and media sources report. The verdict highlights both the severity of the crime and mounting public concern over the safety of travellers...

Published: 18 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online In a move that has electrified Philippine politics, Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, officially announced her candidacy for the 2028 presidential elections. The announcement, made during a televised address on Wednesday, signals the continuation of the Duterte political legacy and sets the stage for a fiercely contested race. Sara Duterte, who has served...

Published: 17 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Millions of people across Asia and around the world have welcomed the Year of the Fire Horse, celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year with colourful festivals, traditional rituals, and public gatherings from Beijing to Bangkok. The event, steeped in centuries of cultural heritage, draws participants of all ages who come together to mark a new beginning,...

Published: 17 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online India’s much-anticipated AI Summit opened this week amid long queues, technical glitches, and widespread confusion, highlighting the challenges of managing one of the country’s largest gatherings focused on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Attendees, including policymakers, tech leaders, and international delegates, faced delays at registration and entry points, prompting criticism from participants and observers alike. The summit, described...

Published: 17 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Bangladesh is preparing to welcome a new prime minister following a historic general election that saw record voter turnout and a decisive victory for the winning party. Millions of citizens across the country took part in the elections, signaling strong engagement and a desire for stability and effective governance. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at...

Published: 17 February 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A groundbreaking scientific study has upended long-held assumptions about ancient wildlife in Japan, revealing that the large “tiger” fossils unearthed across the archipelago were not tigers at all — but belonged to a now-extinct species of cave lion that once roamed the region tens of thousands of years ago. The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the...

Published: 17 February 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated sharply in recent months as Beijing has begun to exert pressure on Tokyo in ways that hit at the heart of Japan’s economy, diplomacy and security priorities, raising the question: will Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cave to China’s demands or stand firm? At the centre of the row is Tokyo’s...

Published: 05 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Afghanistan’s new penal code, published by the Taliban and signed by supreme leader Hiibatullah Akhundzada, has raised alarm internationally for embedding some of the most regressive practices into law, particularly against women. The 90-page De Mahakumu Jazaai Osulnama effectively enshrines a legal system in which men, including husbands, are granted broad authority over women, equating them with “slave...

Published: 05 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online In the wake of a resounding election victory that has reshaped the political landscape of Bangladesh, New Delhi and Dhaka now face a diplomatic crossroads. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), long a formidable force in the nation’s political sphere, has returned to power with a mandate that challenges longstanding assumptions about Bangladesh’s domestic trajectory and its foreign relations—particularly...