LONDON -- A U.K.-U.S. military outpost on a remote atoll in the Indian Ocean is gaining increased strategic significance as the two allies seek to increase their engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Diego Garcia sits in the middle of the ocean, roughly 1,770 km east of the main island of the Seychelles. With a land area of around 44 sq. km, the atoll is the largest and most southerly of the 58 islands in the Chagos Archipelago, known

MUMBAI -- India is planning new measures to clarify a landmark corporate bankruptcy law that was meant to bring the nation's largest corporate borrowers to heel, amid complaints it has become a "mockery of justice."

The law giving more power to creditors was one of the Modi government's signature reforms, but five years after it came into effect, banks are still taking big losses in bankruptcies and the debt resolution process has been plagued by delays and legal uncertainty.

Now, with a wave of defaults that need

BANGKOK -- Thailand's cybersecurity readiness has come under question, after reports that tourists' personal details were recently exposed online, potentially hurting a much-needed recovery of the key sector.

The information of around 106 million visitors to Thailand was accessible to all on the internet, according to cybersecurity research firm Comparitech earlier this week. The database was discovered by Bob Diachenko, one of the company's researchers on Aug. 22. Thai authorities removed the data the next day, after being alerted by

HONG KONG -- Billionaire Richard Li's insurance business FWD is gearing up for an up to $3 billion initial public offering in the U.S. this year.

The acquisitive insurer, which released its share-offering prospectus in early Asian hours on Friday, plans to complete the offering in the fourth quarter, two people familiar with the plans said. The fundraising could range between $2 billion and $3 billion, they said. The company had filed confidentially with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June.

BANGKOK -- Thailand's military-dominated government is paving the way for a Chinese state-owned enterprise to land a water diversion project, the first of its kind in the country and a likely steppingstone for China's Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese company has a record of building large dams and has expressed interest in the huge venture, said Veerakorn Kamprakob, a member of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, in an interview with Nikkei Asia. "It is one of the top five Chinese state enterprises.

TAIPEI -- China on Thursday said it "strongly opposes" Taiwan's bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a day after Taipei applied for membership in the 11-country trade bloc.

"There is only one China in this world, and Taiwan can not be separated from China. We strongly oppose Taiwan's participation in any official agreement or organization. China's stance on this is very clear," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China's

HONG KONG -- Power plant operator CLP Holdings pledged on Thursday to phase coal out of its Asian operations by 2040, accelerating its previous commitment by a decade.

The Hong Kong-based group also said it aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the decarbonization goal established by the city's government.

In coal's place, CLP expects to rely on a yet-undermined mix of solar, wind, natural gas, nuclear and hydrogen in

ISTANBUL -- Turkey's central bank stunned markets on Thursday by slashing its key interest rate a full percentage point, with the lira plunging to record low levels.

The Monetary Policy Committee had been widely expected by forecasters to hold its one-week repo rate steady at 19%, but instead cut it by 100 basis points to 18%.

Central bank Gov. Sahap Kavcioglu was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March after his predecessor Naci Agbal was sacked following a hawkish 200 basis

NEW YORK -- The U.S. is working to align China, Russia and the rest of the international community to promote human rights and counterterrorism in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, advancing its efforts on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with foreign ministers from the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. This was the first meeting between the U.S., Europe, China and Russia regarding Afghanistan since the