SIPRI’s annual report, released Monday, said global military expenditure reached $2.72 trillion in 2024, a 9.4% increase from 2023 and the largest year-on-year rise since the Cold War's end. This marks the tenth straight year of growth.
Defense spending is rising across East Asia as China’s expanding military power fuels regional concerns, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The world’s five biggest military spenders, the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India made up 60% of total spending, combining for $1.64 trillion.
Spending in Asia and Oceania reached $629 billion in 2024, up 6.3% from 2023, with East Asia alone seeing a 7.8% jump to $433 billion.
China accounted for half of Asia’s total defense spending, with an estimated $314 billion, a 7% increase from 2023, and its largest annual rise since 2015. This marks the 30th consecutive year of growth, as China pushes to modernize its military across all domains by 2035.
China’s buildup has led neighboring countries to bolster their own defenses. Japan raised its defense budget by 21% to $55.3 billion, its biggest increase since 1952, lifting defense spending to 1.4% of GDP, the highest since 1958. Japan’s plan focuses on enhancing long-range strike and air defense capabilities through 2027.
Meanwhile, Taiwan boosted its military spending by 1.8% to $16.5 billion, allocating a significant portion to upgrade F-16 jets, purchase U.S. naval systems, and develop anti-drone technologies amid heightened tensions with China.
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A Chinese man, Zhang Kequn and his Kenyan associate, Charles Mwangi, have been charged by a court in Kenya for alleged involvement in illegal dealings of wildlife species.
China has announced it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as a widening conflict in the Middle East drives increasing civilian suffering and displacement across the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (17 March) announced that he is postponing a highly anticipated trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, citing the war with Iran as the main disruption to efforts to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
China’s international trade representative has said Beijing and Washington have reached a “preliminary consensus” on some key issues following their latest round of talks in Paris, offering a cautious sign of progress in a relationship long marked by tension and uncertainty.
Morocco has been declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and Senegal stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
One person has died after a cable car cabin at the Titlis ski resort in central Switzerland plunged down a snow-covered mountainside on Wednesday (18 March) amid strong winds.
The real power of the Strait of Hormuz lies not in closing it, but in the threat of closure.
Iranian President Pezeshkian has confirmed the killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib calling it a "cowardly assassination", following reports that Israel carried out an overnight strike.
Kouri Richins, a U.S. woman who penned a children’s book about bereavement after the death of her husband has been found guilty of killing him.
One person has died after a cable car cabin at the Titlis ski resort in central Switzerland plunged down a snow-covered mountainside on Wednesday (18 March) amid strong winds.
A Chinese man, Zhang Kequn and his Kenyan associate, Charles Mwangi, have been charged by a court in Kenya for alleged involvement in illegal dealings of wildlife species.
Six people died on Wednesday, following fresh Israeli offensive against suspected Hezbollah infrastructure in Central Beirut on Wednesday.
Employees of Voice of America (VOA) who had spent nearly a year on paid administrative leave may soon return to work after U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that efforts to scale down the broadcaster were unlawful.
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