Lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang try to break into parliament, where Democratic Progressive Party members spent the night to avoid the passing of the third reading of controversial bills, in Taipei on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2024
Clashes between Taiwan lawmakers and legal changes test President Lai
The political wrangling comes as U.S. President Joe Biden, who has vowed to defend the island from any Chinese invasion, prepares to leave the White House.
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2024
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers were aiming to stop three amendments that would make it more difficult for voters to oust elected officials who they see as unfit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves following the inauguration of Macao's new leader on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2024
China's Xi urges Macao to pivot from casinos as new leader sworn in
Gaming-related taxes still make up 81% of Macao's government revenue, and experts say the city is years away from weaning itself off casino wealth.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a news conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024
India's Modi faces test of resilience in 2025 after year of setbacks
Having secured a third term, the prime minister faces a slowing economy with his political standing decidedly weakened.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appears on a screen in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024
South Korea's Yoon willing to represent himself in legal proceedings, lawyer says
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is a former prosecutor.
Muharram Idris, a former commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), near Banda Aceh, Indonesia's Aceh province, on Nov. 22. Idris once led 3,000 men to fight Indonesia's army in separatist Aceh, but now serves as a local official after the legacy of a devastating tsunami two decades ago brought peace to the province.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024
'Peace was born': How the 2004 tsunami changed Indonesia's Aceh
The giant waves that engulfed the impoverished province killed tens of thousand — and paved the way for an end to three decades of conflict.
Rivers and canals meander through many of the townships in Ningbo, with some homes built close to the water.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024
Can China shield the biggest uninsured economy from floods?
Only about 10% of Chinese families have a home insurance policy, compared to nearly 90% in the U.S.

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Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition