Asian Politics Headlines at 2:58 p.m. GMT
Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election as voters reject old guard
Latest stories
The IndependentVoices: After the Elon Musk/Donald Trump rally, there’s a better word for Republicans than ‘weird’
Now that the former president and Tesla CEO have teamed up, there’s only one way to describe the American political right in its current form...
- Associated Press
Elon Musk makes his first appearance at a Trump rally and casts the election in dire terms
Billionaire tech executive Elon Musk cast the upcoming presidential election in dire terms during an appearance with Donald Trump, calling the Republican presidential nominee the only candidate “to preserve democracy in America.” The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla who also purchased X, Musk joined Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at the site where the former president survived an assassination attempt in July. Musk said “this will be the last election” if Trump doesn’t win.
- The Daily Beast
Michael Moore Warns This Move Could Cost Kamala Harris The Election
On the same day Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning in Flint, Michigan, filmmaker Michael Moore is warning of a fatal “mistake that could be made in these final 4-5 weeks” until Election Day.“If Harris is advised by her wealthy donors to shun the left and drop her more progressive positions in favor of a ‘move to the center,’” Moore writes in a new Substack post, it could “reduce or depress the vote.” The Fahrenheit 9/11 director grew up in the suburbs of Flint, and made the Midwestern c
- The Independent
Revealed: The real reason why people are leaving Donald Trump’s rallies as he is still on stage
Over the past months the former president has seemingly become more and more obsessed with attendance – amid claims that his fans are leaving early ‘out of frustration and boredom’
- The Independent
Taiwan president says ‘impossible’ for mainland China to be the motherland
President says Republic of China has older historical roots than communist People’s Republic of China
- The Telegraph
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been silent for months - now some Israelis believe he has been killed
In a windowless room, somewhere in the bowels of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters, Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi jabbed his index finger forward.
- HuffPost UK
Vladimir Putin Still Hasn't Stopped Ukraine's Incursion Into Russia – And Even The West Is Puzzled
Two months later, and Kyiv's small – albeit astonishing – occupation of Russian territory is going strong. Western officials don't understand how.
- The Guardian
Escalation with Iran could be risky: Israel is more vulnerable than it seems
Intelligence analysis of Tehran’s attack suggests that much-touted Israeli missile defences are not, in fact, impregnable
- The Telegraph
How the ‘Elon Musk of missiles’ is plotting to blow up the defence industry
Hanging on the wall in Palmer Luckey’s California office is a full-sized replica sword from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
- The Hill
Former CIA head signals full-scale war inevitable if Israel ‘goes all out’
Former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta said the war in the Middle East is at a crucial point now and future actions will signal whether there will be an imminent “full scale war.” In a Friday interview with MSNBC Reports, Panetta, who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations, spoke about the…
- Euronews
Israeli airstrike kills Hamas official and his family in northern Lebanon
The fighting has led more than 250,000 Syrians and 82,000 Lebanese to flee north to Syria in the past two weeks.
- The Daily Beast
Tim Walz Ventures Into The Lion’s Den With Fox News Interview
Tim Walz will sit down with Fox News anchor Shannon Bream for a Sunday morning interview, the Democratic vice presidential nominee’s first solo on-air conversation since becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate. The network announced Walz’s upcoming appearance in a social media post on Saturday.According to Fox News, the interview will touch on the state of the presidential race, news of the day, and the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate, the outlet reported. Harris’ campaign has yet to comment on Wal
- The Independent
Elon Musk’s mom ‘encouraged X followers to commit voter fraud’ as she is fact-checked on son’s platform
Maye Musk was called out by attorneys who warned that her post ‘constitutes the solicitation of a crime’
- The Daily Beast
Lara Trump Fumes as CNN Host Calls Out Donald’s Hurricane Helene Lies
CNN’s Dana Bash and Lara Trump sparred over misinformation Donald Trump has spread about funding for disaster relief in North Carolina, with the anchor refusing to let the former president’s daughter-in-law get away with ducking her questions.Bash laid into the Republican National Committee co-chair as she tried to change the direction from her father-in-law's dubious claims that FEMA is only offering a few hundred dollars to Americans who have had their homes destroyed in Hurricane Helene. “I w
- The Telegraph
Israel terror attack: Border guard, 25, killed and eight wounded
An Israeli border guard has been killed in a terror attack at a bus station on the eve of the Oct 7 anniversary.
- Associated Press
Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate 'go back where you came from' in forum
Tensions rose during a bipartisan forum this week after an audience question about discrimination reportedly led an Idaho state senator to angrily tell a Native American candidate to “go back where you came from.” Republican Sen. Dan Foreman left the event early after the outburst and later denied making any racist comments in a Facebook post. Trish Carter-Goodheart, a Democratic candidate for the House District 6 seat and member of the Nez Perce Tribe, said the blowup left her shaken and thinking about security needs for future public events.
- Associated Press
Ukraine downs a Russian warplane and Russia claims gains in the east
Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane on Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of the Kostiantynivka Military Administration Serhiy Horbunov was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Also in the partially occupied Donetsk province, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Saturday that it had taken control of the village of Zhelanne Druhe.
- BBC
Maldives president visits India amid trouble in tourist paradise
President Muizzu is visiting India at a time when his country is staring at an economic crisis.
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war live: Five-hour air raid sirens in the east after Kyiv downs warplane in Donetsk
Russia launched 87 attack drones and four missiles overnight targeting Ukrainian territory, Ukraine‘s air force said
- The Independent
Middle East latest: Israel warns Iran it could end up like Gaza as it considers response to missile attack
Israel claims it is only targeting Hamas and Hezbollah military sites despite significant civilian casualties