Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight. You can check out all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

It is now 2300 AEDT (UTC+1100) and it is time for me to love you and leave you here on BlueSky and Mastodon. You can check out all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski..., which you can view as your leisure. Until tomorrow, it is good night to everyone on BlueSky.

A reminder that the final countdown to the APEC Leaders' Summit is on with several meetings in the next couple of weeks, with the Leaders' Summit at the end of October 2025. For those who are following APEC, here are the upcoming meetings schedule

It is time for this week's quiz. In a couple of weeks, South Korea will be hosting the APEC Leaders' Summit. But where will the Leaders' Summit be held in a couple of weeks? Quiz closes 2359 AEDT (UTC+1100) on 24 October 2025.

BREAKING: Cambodia Confirms New H5N1 Bird Flu Case in 3-Year-Old Girl She is in intensive care with fever, diarrhea, cough, and abdominal pain bringing the country’s total to 16 cases this year, officials said.

Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2300 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

Time is up for this week's quiz. If you guessed that Sanae Takaichi is set to be Japan's next Prime Minister (and Japan's first female PM) then you are correct, although there could be hurdles for her to become PM. Next quiz is at 1800 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight

It is now 2300 AEDT (UTC+1100) and it is time for me to love you and leave you here on BlueSky and Mastodon. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Until tomorrow, it is good night to everyone on BlueSky and Mastodon and see you tomorrow

As mentioned yesterday, Monday is the much anticipated meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump at the White House. So what can we expect from the meeting? An article from the CSIS in Washington D.C. discusses this. www.csis.org/analysis/wha...

Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2300 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

It is now 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) and it is time for me to love you and leave you here on BlueSky and Mastodon. You can access all my content 24/7 at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Until tomorrow, it is good night BlueSky and Mastodon, and see you all tomorrow at 1600 AEDT (UTC+1100)

With Ishin no Kai possibly preparing to support the LDP, here's a review I wrote of a book about the party in May 2024: observingjapan.substack.com/p/the-dreams...

The prosecution of the Hong Kong Alliance leaders is of particular interest because they challenge the CCP’s central narrative that dissidents are, by definition, “anti-China.”

“When domestic and international pressure pile up, diminishing development and soft power is self-defeating,” writes Hugh Piper in The Interpreter. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-should-heed-britain-s-tough-choices-its-mistakes

APLN expresses deep sorrow on the passing of our senior network member and former from Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jim Bolger, on Wednesday, Oct 15, 2025, at the age of 90. He was a pre-eminent statesman who legacy has shaped New Zealand’s domestic and foreign policy in historic ways.

1/5 Chinese debt continues to rise quickly, with total social financing rising by 8.7% year on year in September (more than twice GDP growth) to RMB 437.08 trillion. This is equal to nearly 312% of 2025's expected GDP (versus 303% at the end of 2024). www.caixinglobal.com/2025-10-16/c...

Earlier this month, former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier Oliver Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime of murder. Schulz’s prosecution is historic: he is the first Australian soldier to be charged with a war crime.

On Monday, the much anticipated meeting between Australian PM Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump will take place in Washington, D.C. But what would we expect from this meeting between Albanese and Trump at the White House on Monday? www.csis.org/analysis/wha...

Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100), and you can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

It is now 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) and it is time for me to love you and leave you here on BlueSky and Mastodon. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Until tomorrow, it is good night BlueSky and Mastodon, and see you tomorrow.

I'm not sure why anybody should take the Unification Ministry seriously if Korean politicians won't. Its absurd that the Yoon administration dissolved bodies for inter-Korean dialogue. Its absurd that the Lee administration is dissolving bodies for human rights. www.chosun.com/english/nati...

“But why would adding another layer of oversight be any less political than existing arrangements? More importantly, why is politics regarded as a bad thing?” @danielflitton.bsky.social asking important questions about how Australian foreign policy is done. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

This is how you do it!👏👏👏

“A new book that cuts through hype, ignores moods and intellectual trends, and focuses on the epochal forces shaping the region” Read Sam Roggeveen in The Interpreter. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/asian-century

The judgment against the conservative media commentator is believed to be the largest in American libel history, according to a court filing.

"‘Country could shut down’: Australia has just 28 days of petrol" Racking my brains trying to think of some possible regional crisis that could disrupt Australia's oil imports. www.afr.com/policy/forei...

Boston looks forward to welcoming the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions.

ROK restarts excavations of war remains in DMZ amid push to engage North Korea | NK News www.nknews.org/2025/10/rok-...

History faculty at Columbia & Barnard decrying the harassment of @mark-bray.bsky.social: "This is the first case in recent memory of a historian who has fled the country after receiving death threats on account of the history that they teach."

Instagram and other social media sites have long been under fire for exposing children to harmful content and not doing enough to protect kids’ well-being.

“I fought hard not to weep at one of the most decent, humane, and heartfelt gestures I've ever seen.” NPR's veteran Pentagon reporter warns new media policy stifles journalism www.npr.org/2025/10/14/g...

China’s latest export controls affect not only raw materials, but also equipment, technology, and assemblies manufactured abroad using Chinese technology.  buff.ly/LrK314i

Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiskns/. Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

A reminder that I will not be on BlueSky or Mastodon until 1800 AEDT (UTC+1100) tomorrow as I will be doing volunteer work tomorrow (tomorrow being Wednesday).

BREAKING: New COVID Variants ‘Nimbus’ and ‘Stratus’ Fuel Global Surge in Cases Cases of the “Nimbus” (NB.1.8.1) and “Stratus” (XFG) COVID-19 variants are rising rapidly worldwide, now dominating infection trends across major regions including Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

‘Greater risk’: Covid-19 mask mandate returns to California county; aims to protect ‘most vulnerable population’ A California wine country county is strengthening its vaccine recommendations and implementing a mask mandate, citing a “greater risk” of Covid-19 as the annual flu season begins.

Japan’s flu season hits 5 weeks early amid fears of an evolving virus Japan has declared a nationwide flu epidemic after cases surged 5 weeks earlier than usual, overwhelming hospitals and forcing school closures, as experts warn the virus may be evolving more rapidly. amp.scmp.com/week-asia/he...

Today, the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity is beginning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. You can view all the videos from the meeting at www.weforum.org/meetings/ann...

Hello and welcome to another day here on BlueSky and Mastodon. I will be with you until 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) tonight. You can check out all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski.... Lets get into today here on BlueSky and Mastodon.

It is now 2200 AEDT (UTC+1100) and it is time for me to love you and leave you here on BlueSky and Mastodon. You can access all my content 24/7 through Linktree at www.linktr.ee/brendenhiski... at your leisure. Until tomorrow, it is good night to everyone on BlueSky and Mastodon.

If you're in Paris, I'll be giving a couple talks there this week. On Wednesday October 15 at 5:30 pm, Jérôme Doyon and Francoise Mengin will host me at Sciences Po. www.sciencespo.fr/ceri-eveneme...

Kim Jong-un signals prioritizing ties with China at 80th anniversary koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-10...

Japan's top opposition steps up efforts to assemble coalition for PM vote - Nikkei Asia asia.nikkei.com/politics/jap...

Identifying the populist phenomenon and the sharp drop in faith in #democracy is depressingly easy. Understanding the root causes of this is harder, but it is surely not merely a function of economic precariousness. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump expected to visit S. Korea for APEC but likely to skip leaders' summit: FM Cho | Yonhap News Agency en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...