Best Asia Pacific

Sapphire Flutterer is the common name for the dragonfly Rhyothemis triangularis, a member of the skimmer family Libellulidae. It is recognized by dark wings marked with iridescent blue or violet areas, especially toward the wing bases, which can flash as the insect changes angle in flight. The speci...

Gareth Evans was a prominent Australian diplomat specializing in Asia Pacific affairs. He notably led Australia’s involvement in the Cambodia peace process during the 1990s. His work significantly contributed to the development of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, a framework addressing mass a...

The Anna Meares Velodrome is a national-level indoor velodrome located in Brisbane, Australia. Constructed primarily of wood, the track provides a dedicated facility for competitive cycling and training. It serves cyclists of all levels including elite athletes preparing for international competitio...

S. Rajaratnam was a pivotal figure in Singapore’s early development. He served as the nation's first Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1965 to 1980 shaping Singapore's international relations during the Cold War. Notably, he spearheaded the creation of ASEAN, solidifying Southeast Asia’s geopolitica...

The Variable Flutterer is a dragonfly associated with the genus Rhyothemis and with warm regions of Asia and Australia. Its wings show contrasting dark and pale areas with an iridescent appearance, and its flight can look fluttering or butterfly-like compared with the more direct flight of many othe...

George Yeo was a Singaporean diplomat who notably shaped Asia Pacific relations throughout his career. As Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2011, he significantly contributed to ASEAN’s development and multilateral diplomacy. His work focused on regional stability and cooperation, particularly within So...

The Treaty of San Francisco, signed in 1951, formally concluded World War II’s conflict with Japan. It established terms including significant territorial losses for Japan and imposed demilitarization. The treaty involved major Allied nations like the United States, Great Britain, China, and the Sov...

Surin Pitsuwan was a prominent Thai diplomat and academic who played a key role in Southeast Asian regional politics. He served as Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2001, navigating the country through the Asian financial crisis. Later, he was appointed as the Secretary-General of...

The Glassy Bluebottle (Graphium eurypylus) is a species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Southeast Asia and parts of Australia. It belongs to the genus Graphium and is visually identified by the translucent, blue-green macules that form bands across its dark brown or black wings. T...

Penny Wong is an Australian politician representing the Australian Labor Party, serving as a Senator for South Australia since 2002. She has held the position of Leader of the Government in the Senate since 2011. In 2022, following the election of the Albanese government, she was appointed Minister...

Vivian Balakrishnan is a Singaporean politician and diplomat who has served as the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. Before taking on the foreign affairs portfolio, he was the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources from 2008 to 2015. Trained as an ophthalmologist, he enter...

K. Shanmugam is a prominent Singaporean politician and former lawyer who has played a central role in the country's government for over a decade. A member of the ruling People's Action Party, he has served as the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Law since 2008, concurrently managing bo...

Julie Bishop is an Australian former politician who served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 under the Abbott and Turnbull governments. As a member of the Liberal Party, she was the first woman to hold this position and concurrently served as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Part...

Thongloun Sisoulith is a Lao politician who became president of Laos and general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party in 2021. He previously served as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2016 and as prime minister from 2016 to 2021. His career has placed him at the center of Lao st...

Ong Keng Yong is a Singaporean diplomat who served as secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from 2003 through 2007. Earlier in his career, he held diplomatic postings and served as press secretary to Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. His later work has included acad...

The cruiser is a large brush-footed butterfly in the genus Vindula, found across parts of South and Southeast Asia and the Australasian region. It is a strong, rapid flier and shows pronounced sexual dimorphism: males are predominantly orange, while females are generally duller brown or greenish wit...

Don McKinnon is a New Zealand politician and diplomat affiliated with the National Party. He served as New Zealand's minister of foreign affairs from 1990 to 1999 and was also deputy prime minister from 1990 to 1996. From 2000 to 2008 he served as secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, a...

Alexander Downer is an Australian diplomat and former Liberal Party politician who served as minister for foreign affairs from 1996 to 2007, the longest tenure in that office in Australian history. His ministerial work covered Australia's regional relationships, the intervention in East Timor, and n...

The CBC's Global News Podcast provides comprehensive coverage of international news stories. It is particularly strong at reporting on events in the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world that are often underrepresented in US-centric media. The podcast offers a balanced, objective view of...

Winston Peters is a New Zealand politician and the leader of New Zealand First, a party he founded in 1993. He has represented the Northland electorate and held senior ministerial positions, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in coalition governments. His political work...

Hor Namhong is a Cambodian politician and diplomat who served as Cambodia's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation from 1998 until April 2016. He became a deputy prime minister in 2004 and remained in that position after leaving the foreign-affairs portfolio. Earlier in his career...

Phil Goff is a New Zealand Labour politician who held several cabinet portfolios, including foreign affairs and trade, and later led the Labour Party. He served as mayor of Auckland from 2016 to 2022 after a long career as a member of Parliament. Goff is therefore associated with both national polic...

Marise Payne is an Australian Liberal politician and former senator for New South Wales. She served as minister for foreign affairs from August 2018 to May 2022 and concurrently served as minister for women from May 2019 to May 2022. Before those portfolios, she held cabinet responsibilities includi...

Starbucks Komodo Dragon Blend is a dark-roast coffee blend associated with the Asia-Pacific coffee region. Starbucks describes its profile as full-bodied, low in acidity, and marked by herbal and spicy notes with an earthy character; the company also lists cinnamon, maple, and buttery baked goods as...

BelugaCDN is an affordable, feature-rich CDN aimed at startups and growing businesses. It offers global content delivery with built-in image optimization (WebP, AVIF conversion), video transcoding, and HTTP/3 support. Its dashboard is clean and user-friendly, and pricing is very competitive with a f...

Saleumxay Kommasith is a Laotian politician and diplomat who became Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos in 2016. He has also served as Deputy Prime Minister, combining responsibility for Laos's foreign relations with a senior role in the national government. His work concerns Laos's relations with n...

Don Pramudwinai is a Thai diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2023. He held the post during the governments led by Prayuth Chan-ocha and, briefly, Prawit Wongsuwon, both associated with Thailand's post-2014 military-backed political order. His career is rel...

Lim Jock Hoi is a Bruneian diplomat who served as Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from 2018 to 2022. Before taking that regional post, he was Permanent Secretary at Brunei's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His career connects Brunei's national diplomacy with AS...

Bob Carr is an Australian Labor politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005 and as Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2013. His career spans state government and federal diplomacy, including Australia's relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region....