Indonesia’s fresh drills this month on its first and only aircraft carrier have refocused attention on the issue of whether the costly, ageing vessel is being put to good strategic use. The KRI Sriwijaya-100, commissioned two months ago, should be deployed for power projection and military operations far from Jakarta’s shores, analysts say, warning that underutilisation risks turning the military asset into “a sitting duck”. The Indonesian navy conducted helicopter operation drills aboard the...

A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi sold on Thursday for nearly US$5 million in an auction. The lightsaber, which was used in the climactic duel in Cloud City where Vader tells Luke Skywalker “I am your father”, sold for US$4.875 million at the Ultimate Star Wars Auction held by Heritage Auctions in London, Britain. The sale marks a world auction record for any Star Wars collectible, according to Heritage Auctions. The sale also...

Urgent action is needed to help countries hardest-hit by the effects of climate change, small island leaders said on Thursday at the United Nations climate talks in Turkey, describing global warming as a life-or-death issue for their people. “It is time to move past the talking,” said Alix Sebastien Pillay, vice-president of Seychelles, who said the survival of his country, a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is at stake. “For Seychelles, climate action is not simply an environmental...

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s abrupt departure has raised fresh questions about the future of US-China technology ties, as observers weigh the potential fallout from Washington’s policy on advanced AI chip exports to China. The timing is particularly sensitive, with US lawmakers debating an annual defence authorisation bill amid growing calls to tighten restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips. Ling Chen, an associate professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University,...

Japan aims to become harder to defeat militarily and less vulnerable to economic pressure from China under plans to overhaul its three key security documents by the end of the year. Analysts said the proposed revisions could make it more difficult for China to achieve its military objectives or use financial leverage on Japan, but that their impact would depend on Tokyo’s ability to translate its plans into practical capabilities. Some also said that stronger Japanese defences could prompt...

Pro-Palestinian activists have asked a French court to ban an Israeli property fair in Paris which they say offers a bonus to prospective Jewish settlers in the occupied territories, sources told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. The Franco-Palestinian NIDAL association filed an emergency motion to a court against the 9th Icube property and investment salon, arguing that the fair violates human rights. The event is to take place on Sunday at the European Centre for Judaism in the French...

Nvidia is searching for its first new leader in 33 years after Jensen Huang quit on Thursday, with interim chief Colette Kress, veteran engineers, members of Huang’s own family and the bosses of rival chipmakers all touted as possible successors. The AI chip giant was left without the only leader it has ever had when Huang, 63, stepped down as president, chief executive and board member. The move was announced with immediate effect, according to a company filing with the US Securities and...