Headlines
  • On Monday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that airstrikes on Iran have started for the third night in a row.
  • On Monday, the UAE Ministry of Defense announced that two Iranian tankers had attacked two national tankers. One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured, including four critically, by cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.
  • Despite unleashing fresh attacks on Iran and reimposing a blockade of Iranian ports, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that an deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war was still possible.
  • IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said in a statement on Monday that Iran will "continue to exercise our sovereignty and management over the Strait of Hormuz."
  • A constitutional amendment was passed by the Hungarian parliament to oust Orban ally President Tamas Sulyok.

Category: News & Views

May 9, 2026

Satellite Imagery Shows Philippine Construction on...

The Philippines is actively upgrading facilities on two islands it controls in the disputed Spratly chain in the South China Sea, satellite images reviewed by Radio Free Asia revealed.

May 8, 2026

Filipino Man Tells RFA How He...

Desperate for a new source of income because his business was failing, a Filipino man in his mid-20s answered an online advertisement in 2024 for what he thought was a U.S.-based publication looking for a writer focusing on Philippine defense.

May 6, 2026

Taiwan Minister’s Visit to Spratlys: A...

A rare visit by Taiwan’s coast guard minister to Taiping Island is part of Taipei’s strategy to assert its claim over the disputed South China Sea outpost and a move taken right out of Beijing’s “gray zone” playbook, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

May 2, 2026

PNG Prime Minister Marape Shores Up...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape advanced his economic agenda while in China this week, but experts stressed that economic benefits from Chinese investment should not come at the expense of the environment or workers’ rights.

May 1, 2026

Aung San Suu Kyi Transferred to...

Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred to house arrest, the country’s military-controlled state media announced Thursday.

April 29, 2026

Solomon Islands’ Political Crisis will ‘Not...

Regardless of how the current political crisis in the Solomon Islands unfolds, experts told Radio Free Asia that they anticipate no change in the country’s close-knit relationship with China.

Satellite Imagery Reveals Increased Activity at...

At North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Complex, heightened activity observed on satellite imagery indicates that Pyongyang is increasing its capacity to produce nuclear weapons, experts told Radio Free Asia.

April 25, 2026

ASEAN, China Unlikely to Finalize South...

Southeast Asian leaders are unlikely to resolve long-standing disputes in the South China Sea at next month’s ASEAN Summit, but they could make “incremental progress” towards a Code of Conduct, or COC, aimed at managing tensions there, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

April 23, 2026

Heat Maps Show Largest Greenhouse Farm...

Months after North Korea unveiled the country’s largest-ever greenhouse farm, analysts told Radio Free Asia that satellite imagery shows less than half of the farm is operational, likely due to power shortages.

April 22, 2026

2026 Balikatan Exercises Will Highlight Manila’s...

The Philippines is slowly shifting to a more “active defense posture,” analysts told Radio Free Asia, as Manila and Washington launch the largest-ever iteration of their annual war games this week.

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