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Nawaz Sharif declares victory in Pakistan's election, despite failing to win a majority of seats

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif declares victory in Pakistan's national election, but says he will talk to other groups to form a coalition government as his party had failed to win a clear majority on its own.
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Nawaz Sharif speaks with a microphone flanked by his daughter and a former prime minister.

Penny Wong delivers Indian Ocean strategy speech, urges China to be more transparent amid military build-up

In a high-profile speech laying out Australia's Indian Ocean strategy, the foreign minister warned against political interference and economic coercion, urging China to be more transparent about its military build-up.
A Chinese research vessel.

Tomorrow is the start of the Lunar New Year. How well do you know the zodiac animal, what to eat and what to say?

Here are 10 questions to help you understand the diversity, traditions, foods, and significance of the Year of the Dragon — and how to greet people celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Saturday marks the first day of the Year of the Dragon.

AGL leads ASX higher, Chinese markets gain despite horror deflation numbers

Australian shares end higher after AGL posts a better than expected half-year profit and upgrades its forecast for the full year. Mainland Chinese shares shrug off the worst deflation numbers since the global financial crisis. Look back on how the trading day unfolded.
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A man looks at stock prices through the window of the ASX in Sydney.

analysis:Beijing edits Yang Hengjun's online record in a hint of what might lie ahead

Yesterday, China sentenced Yang Hengjun to death. But a minor tweak in a press conference transcript from years ago sheds light on a potential reprieve, writes Bang Xiao.
A screenshot with a red box highlighting some Chinese characters that were changed in a transcript of a press conference.

Malaysians outraged by halved jail sentence for disgraced former PM Najib

For many Malaysians, the reduced punishment for disgraced former leader Najib Razak is seen as the ultimate betrayal, with authorities appearing to go soft on a corrupt 70-year-old whose ill-gotten gains once helped fund a Hollywood movie.
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Najib Razak leaves KL court house

Despite Beijing's attempts to 'lure' more support in the Pacific, Taipei backs Tuvalu to stick with Taiwan

Taiwan's top diplomatic representative to Australia has declared that he's "quite confident" that Tuvalu won't follow Nauru's lead and switch diplomatic recognition to China, despite Beijing's attempts to "lure" politicians in the Pacific Island country.
An island with white sandy beaches, turquoise water, swaying palms and blue sky.

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his wife get seven-year sentences for unlawful marriage

A Pakistan court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan to a further seven years in prison along with his wife, after a ruling that their 2018 marriage violated the law.
A man in a blue shirt and vest sits next to a woman in dark black conservative Islamic garb behind a table.

Single mothers turning to sex work as factory employer pays $4 per day

Big clothing brands have been criticised over conditions in their suppliers' Myanmar factories, but now that some are pulling out of the country entirely, advocates warn workers will be left even worse off. 
Workers at sewing machines

Thailand's most popular political party faces dissolution after failed bid to change defamation laws

The Move Forward Party was attempting to change some of the world's strictest defamation laws and now faces the risk of dissolution and a ban on its leaders after losing the legal case.
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Man looks back at crowd of cameras watching him

ASX drops from record high as Commonwealth Bank leads financial slide

A slump in banking stocks leads the Australian share market off its record high, as the US Federal Reserve douses rate cut expectations. See how the day unfolded on our markets blog.
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Two women look at a share price board outside the ASX in Sydney.

Australian share market hits all-time high after inflation falls to two-year low — as it happened

The Australian share market sets a new record high after inflation hit a two-year low in the December quarter, as economists forecast interest rate cuts from the Reserve Bank could come sooner than expected.
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Shoppers on escalators in Myer in Perth's CBD.

Opposition needles government after revelations PNG and China discussing police cooperation

The Coalition is trying to ramp up pressure on the federal government over new police cooperation negotiations between China and Papua New Guinea, saying it's "essential" that Australia's strategic position in the Pacific nation isn't undermined.
papua new guinea and chinese flags flown in front of a ship

Gunmen in Iran kill nine Pakistanis near border amid ongoing strikes

The Baluch rights group Haalvash says the victims were Pakistani labourers who lived at a car repair shop where they worked in Saravan in Sistan-Baluchestan province in the south-east border area. 
Relatives of Pakistan victims shot dead in Iran stand together

China's foreign minister says Taiwan independence biggest threat to Sino-US ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hold candid talks in Bangkok aimed at keeping in contact, with Mr Wang stressing that "Taiwan independence" poses the biggest risk to Sino-US ties.
A composite photo of Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan.

Death sentence for man who torched Japanese anime studio he claimed stole his ideas, killing 36 people

Shinji Aoba stormed into Kyoto Animation and set it on fire, killing 36 people and leaving more than 30 others burned and injured because he thought the famous anime studio had ripped off some of his work.
A man with scarring on his face wearing a surgical mask is carried on a stretcher.

As it happened: Australians are hoarding cash and so are criminals, says RBA

Between $7 billion and $11 billion of the nation’s cash is being used in the shadow economy to fund tax avoidance or other illegal purposes such as buying illicit drugs, according to the Reserve Bank. The news comes after the Australian stock market rose for a fifth consecutive day, hitting a three-week high before the Australia Day long weekend
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Australian banknotes, mostly $50 bills, strewn over a flat surface.

As it happened: ASX closes higher, households are more indebted, so do we need tougher lending rules?

Australian households' debt-to-income ratio has reached 185 per cent of disposable income. Is it time to impose tougher lending restrictions? Read about this and how the Australian share market closed higher on Tuesday after an optimistic streak on Wall Street that pushed US stocks to a fresh record high.
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Drone view of housing rooftops and roads

Fire in primary school dorm in central China kills 13 children

Thirteen schoolchildren die in a dormitory fire in central China's Henan province, Chinese state media reports.
Charred windows after a school fire in China.

Thailand court sentences activist to 50 years in prison for insulting monarchy on Facebook

The court of appeals found Mongkhon Thirakot, 30, guilty of 25 violations of the law related to posts on Facebook.
Political activist Mongkhon Thirakot flashes the pro-democracy gesture of a three-finger salute.

Japan becomes fifth country to land on the Moon, but probe can't generate solar power

Japan's space agency says it hopes a shift in the sunlight's angle will hit the solar panels of its 'Moon sniper' in a way that can restore its functions.
The SLIM spacecraft is mounted onto a large launcher that is illuminated while at a launch site in the dark night sky.

They have been called 'a virus', but buzzers are part of a fast-growing industry during election season

With the chance to make an extra $10,000 a month, Robert has no issue pushing the agendas of presidential candidates online. He's among a growing army of "buzzers" threatening democracy in the lead-up to Indonesia's 2024 elections. 
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A graphic showing a puppeteer controlling icons of Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

'Extraordinary event' declared in Indonesia's East Java province amid polio outbreak

Health officials in Indonesia are carrying out a mass immunisation drive after 11 cases of polio were detected on the country's main island.
a health professional with a vaccine and Monkeypox vial

Fireworks factory explosion kills at least 23 people in central Thailand

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand killed at least 23 people on Wednesday, according to a rescue worker.
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Smoke rising from the site of a factory explosion.

Taiwan loses first ally post-election as Nauru goes over to China

Nauru announces it is severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan and will recognise China, becoming Taipei's first diplomatic ally to switch to Beijing following the weekend's presidential election.
Updated
A series of Nauru flags fly in front of a palm tree.