SYDNEY Aug 22 (AFP) - China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, according to military documents obtained by AFP.

BANGKOK Aug 22 (AFP) - Thailand's billionaire Shinawatra dynasty has dominated the kingdom's politics for 25 years, despite coups and court cases including Friday's lese-majeste acquittal of its patriarch.

AACHEN, Germany Aug 21 (AFP) - A German company is putting used electric vehicle batteries to new use by stacking them into fridge-size units that homes and businesses can use to store their excess solar and wind energy.

TEL AVIV Aug 21 (AFP) - Israel's defence minister on Wednesday approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City, authorising the call-up of about 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire.

NEW YORK Aug 21 (AFP) - Google on Wednesday unveiled new Pixel 10 smartphones that promise more artificial intelligence capabilities, as it seeks to elbow out competition in the emerging AI-assistant market.

MUMBAI Aug 13 (AFP) - Indian exporters are scrambling for options to mitigate the fallout of US President Donald Trump's threatened tariff salvo against the world's most populous nation.

PARIS Aug 13 (AFP) - Fingerprints, access keys and facial recognition are putting a new squeeze on passwords as the traditional computer security method -- but also running into public hesitancy.

HONG KONG Aug 12 (AFP) - Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday, with Tokyo hitting a record, as investors welcomed the extension of a China-US tariff truce but looked ahead apprehensively to the release of key US inflation data later in the day.

WASHINGTON Aug 12 (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a delay in the reimposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, hours before a trade truce between Washington and Beijing was due to expire.

JAKARTA 8 Aug (AFP) - Indonesia is cracking down on a viral pirate flag that is spreading as a symbol of political protest ahead of independence day.

WASHINGTON 8 Aug (AFP) - President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that the new boss of US chip maker Intel resign "immediately," after a Republican senator raised national security concerns over his links to firms in China.

KUALA LUMPUR 8 Aug – The 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) must elevate sports from the sidelines to the centre stage of national development, says Strategic Communications and Nation Branding Expert Nordin Abdullah, stressing that sporting excellence is as much about na