Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman speaks at a panel discussion during the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva on July 12, 2022. (WILLIAM WEST / AFP) Vanuatu's president dissolved the Pacific island nation's parliament on Thursday, state broadcaster VBTC reported, after an attempt by some politicians to oust the prime minister. Opposition leader Ralph Regenavu told […]
Australia's former prime minister Scott Morrison speaks to media during a press conference in Sydney on August 17, 2022. (STEVEN SAPHORE / AFP) SYDNEY – Australia's former prime minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he decided to be secretly sworn in to five key ministries during the coronavirus pandemic because he felt responsibility for the […]
Malaysia former prime minister Najib Razak arrives for a press conference at the federal court in Putrajaya on Aug 16, 2022. (MOHD RASFAN / AFP) PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Malaysia's top court on Tuesday denied a request by former Prime Minister Najib Razak to introduce new evidence in his final appeal against a 12-year jail sentence […]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks with media after Parliamentary church service in Canberra on July 26, 2022. (STR / AFP) SYDNEY – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his predecessor Scott Morrison had "undermined our democracy" by secretly appointing himself minister for home affairs and treasury during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the health, […]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks with media after Parliamentary church service in Canberra on July 26, 2022. (STR / AFP) SYDNEY – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his predecessor Scott Morrison had "undermined our democracy" by secretly appointing himself minister for home affairs and treasury during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the health, […]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at the Sydney Energy Forum on July 12, 2022, in Sydney. (BROOK MITCHELL / POOL / AFP) SYDNEY – Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sought legal advice following reports that his predecessor Scott Morrison was secretly appointed to key ministerial roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, duplicating some portfolios. […]
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak (center) wearing a face mask arrives at Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Aug 15, 2022. (VINCENT THIAN / AP) KUALA LUMPUR – Lawyers for former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak sought on Monday to introduce fresh evidence for a re-trial, a final bid to overturn a 12-year […]
Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah (left) Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai attend a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug 10, 2022. (SAKCHAI LALIT / AP) BANGKOK – Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah on Wednesday announced that their countries will strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade and digital economy. […]
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) attends an extraordinary cabinet meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Aug 10, 2022, ahead of an expected cabinet reshuttle. (STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet and the executive lineup of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party […]
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on July 27, 2022. (KIYOSHI OTA / Pool Photo via AP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reshuffle his cabinet on Wednesday paying attention to politicians' ties with the Unification Church, seeking to distance his […]
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Sept 24, 2021, at the UN headquarters. (PETER FOLEY / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) James Marape was sworn in as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday after lawmakers in the new parliament returned […]
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrives for the Leaders' Retreat on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, June 25, 2022. (DAN KITWOOD/POOL PHOTO VIA AP) SINGAPORE – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday warned of the scope for miscalculations over tensions in […]
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian looks on during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart in Tehran, on July 20, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) TEHRAN – Iran does not seek possession of nuclear weapons, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday. Regarding the […]
Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a press conference at the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh on Aug 6, 2022. (TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP) PHNOM PENH – The 55th ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings have successfully concluded, adopting some 30 documents on regional cooperation, […]
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the annual memorial ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug 6, 2022, to mark 77 years since the world's first atomic bomb attack. (STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday he will reshuffle his cabinet […]
(From left to right) Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Philippines Foreign Affairs acting Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Vietnam Foreign Minister But Thanh Son, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Peak Sokhonn, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Brunei Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof, […]
James Shaw, New Zealand's minister for climate change, welcomes United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (not pictured) as he attends a breakfast with youth climate change and environmental leaders in Auckland on May 13, 2019. (MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand launched its first National Adaptation Plan on Wednesday, which will ensure communities have the information […]
In this file photo taken on Oct 20, 2020, Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (not in image) at the Chancellery in Berlin. (STEFANIE LOOS / AFP / POOL) BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday called for a national dialogue to […]
Once hailed as the “mother of parliaments”, by virtue of the spread of the parliamentary system to many post-colonial territories, the days of the British Parliament as an exemplary political system embodying consensus, legitimacy, effectiveness and stability are numbered. After Mrs Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving British prime minister in the 20th century, was overthrown by […]
Economic priorities expected to draw attention when foreign chiefs meet Delegates pose at the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Feb 17. They reiterated commitment to ensuring the full and effective implementation of the RCEP. (SOVANNARA / XINHUA) Efforts to promote sustainable development as part of Southeast Asia's recovery from the pandemic […]
A handout picture released by Kuwait's Emiri Diwan (Royal Palace) shows the Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (center) inaugurating the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)'s full operation of the environmental fuel project. (EMIR OF KUWAIT DIWAN / AFP) Kuwait's new prime minister Ahmad was born in 1956 as the eldest son of Kuwaiti Emir […]
This handout from the Royal Thai Government taken and released on Aug 13, 2020 shows Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha speaking after a cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok on August 13, 2020. (HANDOUT / ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT / AFP) BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha survived a no-confidence vote in parliament […]
A woman prays after offering a bouquet of flowers at the memorial area set up for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shown in pictures, at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on July 14, 2022. (HIRO KOMAE / AP PHOTO) TOKYO – The Japanese government said on Friday it would hold a […]
People line up to place flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station, where former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot on July 8, in Nara on July 9, 2022. (PHILIP FONG / AFP) TOKYO – Japan plans a state funeral on Sept 27 for former prime minister Shinzo Abe who was shot to […]
People line up to place flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station, where former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot on July 8, in Nara on July 9, 2022. (PHILIP FONG / AFP) TOKYO – The Japanese government is planning to hold a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was […]
This combo picture shows South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio. Kishida (PHOTOS / AP) TOKYO/SEOUL – South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Tuesday that he delivered a verbal message from President Yoon Suk-yeol to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, expressing the willingness to improve relations with Japan […]
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the foreign ministry headquarters in Iran's capital Tehran, June 25, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday night called on the White House […]
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gives a press conference after his meeting his Iraqi counterpart at the foreign ministry headquarters in Iran's capital Tehran on April 13, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has welcomed Iraq's efforts in promoting regional dialogue aimed at enhancing security and stability, according to […]
The Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin (left) and Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi pose for a photo as they bump elbows to greet each other before their talks in Tokyo, July 18, 2022. (KIM KYUNG-HOON / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) SEOUL – The Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin began a meeting in […]
Sri Lanka army soldiers stands guard near the parliament building in Colombo on July 14, 2022, a day after thousands of protesters stormed into Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office after he was named acting president. (STR / AFP) COLOMBO – Sri Lanka's main city, Colombo, was calm on Thursday as people waited for […]