Latest must-read analysis
ASEAN summits in Laos may be unusually tense
The regional group faces a growing challenge to ease internal rifts
ASEAN
Polls will matter greatly for Sri Lanka’s new leader
Just one day after assuming office, the new president called snap parliamentary elections
Sri Lanka
Pakistan faces tough challenge to build on new bailout
Islamabad last week secured a new bailout programme with the IMF
Pakistan
Vietnam will expand US security ties incrementally
Hanoi increasingly sees Washington as a key security partner
VietnamRussia will weigh up escalatory options
Russia has several options if it responds to any lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles for Ukraine
RussiaIndia will not rush to ease its dependence on coal
Coal remains a major component of the country’s energy mix
IndiaEthnic factors will shape Afghan Taliban factionalism
The Taliban supreme leader met ethnic Tajik and Uzbek members of the Taliban in northern Afghanistan
AfghanistanBudget will be a major test for new French government
The survival of the new French government will hinge on the far right
FranceChina may try to weaken Pacific policing deal
Pacific nations have backed a regional policing plan
Pacific
