North Korea’s Kim voices full support for Russia, sends National Day message to Putin: KCNA

Ties have been deepening amid Pyongyang's deployment of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

North Korea’s Kim voices full support for Russia, sends National Day message to Putin, KCNA says

SEOUL, June 12 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russia’s National Day, voicing full support for Moscow’s domestic and foreign policies, state media KCNA said on Friday.

More than selling shoes: What Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning is buying with Stephen Curry deal

Li-Ning’s reported US$400 million deal isn’t just about selling sports shoes, analysts say - it’s about leveraging one of basketball’s biggest and most influential athletes to raise its global profile.

How rare earth mining in Myanmar threatens Thailand’s rice and fish

Contamination linked to mining in Myanmar is raising fears over food safety, shrinking incomes and long-term health risks for people in Thailand who depend on the Mekong’s tributaries, CNA’s Insight finds.

Why are Muslims pushing to make the cow India’s national animal?

Cattle trade, slaughter and consumption is highly contentious in India, often resulting in mob violence and lynching.

From Kuantan to Kuala Lipis, indie cafe culture is quietly brewing across Pahang

Indie cafe culture is spreading across Pahang, reshaping how people gather and socialise.

As Indonesia’s top envoy becomes latest from ASEAN to visit Myanmar, analysts warn of risks

Jakarta's move reflects a broader recognition that isolation alone has not delivered progress, say analysts.

Beijing reins in Alibaba, JD.com over destructive 618 price cuts

Shares in China’s biggest e-commerce companies fell on Thursday after Beijing’s market regulator summoned five of the country’s largest online shopping platforms over deceptive promotional practices ahead of the annual “618” (June 18) shopping festival. Alibaba’s Hong

UK defense – a hole in the bucket

In the 1950s and 1960s, a massive wave of underground humor swept across the USSR and the Eastern Bloc featuring a fictional broadcaster called Armenian Radio (known in the West as Radio Yerevan). Many of the jokes involved food lines and food scarcity, a fact of Soviet life.

Uyghur human rights activist condemns death sentences in Bangkok bombing

Rebiya Kadeer tells RFA she wants scrutiny of the legal process, key evidence of 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing.

Belfast's minority groups living in fear after 'racist thuggery'

LONDON, June 11 - After watching images of masked groups rampaging through the streets of Belfast — some targeting the homes and businesses of those believed to be immigrants — members of the city’s ethnic minority communities say they are afraid to leave their homes.

Democrats, Republicans ask Trump administration not to ship Afghan allies to unsafe countries

WASHINGTON, June 11 - Dozens of U.S. lawmakers urged President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday to roll back any plans to ship to unsafe third countries Afghan nationals who worked with U.S. forces during the war in their homeland.

Trump hints at ground invasion to get ‘total control’ of Iran oil

While promising more strikes against Iran on Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested that the US would soon be “taking” Kharg Island in a bid to seize “total control” of the country’s oil and gas market. That’s an operation that would likely require ground troops. “The

US plans to deport Iranians to Central African Republic, sources say

DAKAR/NAIROBI, June 11 - The Trump administration plans to deport a number of Iranians and other migrants to Central African Republic, a chronically unstable country racked by violence and poverty, two lawyers and an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.

New Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh won’t immediately get what he wants

The Federal Reserve is under new leadership. Kevin Warsh, Donald Trump’s appointee to succeed Jerome Powell as chair, was confirmed by the Senate on May 13. He will preside over his first meeting of the Fed’s interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee on June 16 and

Palestinian detained pending trial in Greece over suspected Hamas links

ATHENS, June 11 - Greek judges on Thursday ordered the detention pending trial of a Palestinian accused of being part of a Hamas-linked network plotting attacks on Israeli targets in Europe and Asia, legal and police sources said.

Did US ‘precisely’ bomb water facilities serving 20,000 Iranians?

As temperatures in the village of Bemani, Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, reached above 100°F this week, two water facilities were struck by bombs, cutting off the drinking water supply for 20,000 people in the area. An analysis by The New York Times late Wednesday indicated

China sanctions Philippine defence chief Teodoro for ‘irresponsible remarks’

Teodoro and his spouse and child will be banned from entering China’s mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.

Smuggled dinosaur fossils return to Mongolia after two decades

The bones had been illegally taken from Mongolia in 2006.

Shock at the pump: Indonesia’s Pertamax price hike fuels cost worries for middle class

Fuel price jump triggers queues, cost concerns and policy debate in Indonesia.

Hong Kong arrests 6 over America-bound World Cup fakes worth more than $25m

Some of the goods were seized at border crossings connecting Hong Kong with mainland China.

Johor fire rescuers attend to chemical spill in Pasir Gudang

Factory management transferred chemical waste into a scrubber to prevent further release of substances.

US, South Korea hold nuclear deterrence talks as North Korea expands arms push

SEOUL, June 11 - U.S. and South Korean officials discussed strengthening nuclear deterrence and readiness against North Korea’s growing weapons programme on Thursday, South Korea’s defence ministry said, at talks in Seoul under their Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).

China cancels high-level meetings with EU, FT reports

June 11 - China cancelled at short notice two diplomatic meetings planned with the European Union in Beijing this month, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Malaysia police call for total vape ban after ‘Piu Piu’ drug found in e-liquids

The synthetic drug, a mixture of fentanyl and psychoactive chemicals, could cause severe intoxication and leave users in a “zombie-like” state, Malaysia’s deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said.

Indian-crewed tanker hit off Oman in suspected third US strike this week

LONDON/NEW DELHI, June 11 - India's shipping ministry said all 20 Indian crew members were safe after a suspected U.S. strike on the asphalt tanker Jalveer off Oman on Thursday following two similar strikes involving Indian crews in the region this week.

US confirms third strike on Indian-crewed tankers this week

LONDON/NEW DELHI, June 11 - A U.S. jet fired two missiles into the engine room of the tanker Jalveer off Oman on Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed, as authorities said the 20 crew members were safe after the third strike on Indian-crewed tankers this week.

Thai broadcaster strikes eleventh-hour deal for World Cup rights

Motorcyclist on way to work in S’pore dies after being thrown off bridge in JB expressway accident

The other motorcyclist who crashed into him suffered fractures and is receiving treatment at a hospital.

Su-57 could fill India’s stealth gap — if Russia can deliver

As India’s stealth fighter gap widens, Russia is pitching the Su-57 as a solution — but production realities may tell a different story. This month, Defense News reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed his offer of unrestricted joint production and technology

Indonesia nabs Australian fugitive hiding in private jet lavatory

Three Indian sailors confirmed dead in US strike off Oman, separate incident reported

NEW DELHI, June 11 - Three Indian sailors have died in a U.S. military operation to halt a tanker off Oman as part of Washington’s efforts to blockade Iran-linked shipping, Indian authorities said on Thursday.

US and Iran are unlikely to bomb their way to peace

The United States has launched new airstrikes across Iran this week as President Donald Trump, losing patience over the protracted negotiations to end the war, has leaned into violence to ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian leadership. The US secretary of defence, Pete

Rescuers press on in quake-hit Philippines as aftershocks and infrastructure damage hamper efforts

Recovery operations have been complicated by more than 2,000 aftershocks since the quake, some reaching magnitudes as high as 6.4.

India monsoon slows; below-average rain seen over next two weeks

MUMBAI, June 11 - India is expected to receive below-average rainfall over the next two weeks, especially in central and northern regions, as \"western disturbances\" have slowed the progress of the annual monsoon, two senior weather bureau officials said on Thursday.

‘One enemy is too many’: Indonesia President Prabowo hits back at criticism of overseas trips

President Prabowo Subianto has gone on more than 50 overseas trips to over 20 countries in less than two years in office, far more than his predecessors.

China joins Macron-led video call in rare economic talks ahead of G7 summit in France

BEIJING/PARIS, June 11 - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on global economic imbalances on Thursday, days before G7 countries meet in France to discuss how to deal with waves of low-priced Chinese

Feeling ‘high’ after a sauna, cold-bath session? Japanese researchers want to find out why

While hot saunas and cold baths may create a sought-after sensation, researchers say it also carries risks.

Military helicopter crash in Pakistani Kashmir killed 22, security sources say

MUZAFFARABAD, June 11 - At least 22 personnel were killed in Wednesday's military helicopter crash in Pakistani Kashmir, security sources said on Thursday, as funeral processions were held in the territory's capital Muzaffarabad.

South Korean police search election watchdog offices as ballot shortage scandal widens

The controversy erupted during South Korea’s June 3 local elections.

Two killed in attacks by armed men in India’s restive Manipur state: Police

This comes a day after the bodies of six men from the rival Naga community were recovered.

Two killed in attacks by armed men in India's restive Manipur state, police say

GUWAHATI, India, June 11 - At least two people from the Kuki community were killed in attacks by armed men in India's restive state of Manipur on Thursday, two senior police officers said, a day after authorities recovered the bodies of six men from the rival Naga community,

Philippines probes deaths of 2 players from top university basketball team

The two players drowned during a team-building exercise in a coastal province on June 8.

Philippines launches probe into deaths of two athletes from top basketball team

MANILA, June 11 - Philippine law enforcement launched on Thursday an investigation into the deaths of two student athletes from a top university basketball team, in a case that has drawn widespread attention in a country where the sport is hugely popular.

China’s Pinduoduo, JD.com among 5 summoned over false advertising

Beijing's market watchdog also summoned representatives from social media sites Douyin and RedNote.

Indonesia nabs Australian fugitive hiding in private jet’s toilet in Bali

The 55-year-old was a suspect in a series of large-scale drug-smuggling operations.

Rupiah slide and ‘Sell Indonesia’ stocks: Jakarta’s counter moves useful but experts flag deeper fiscal concerns

Indonesia’s emergency interest rate hike and efforts to support the rupiah may have helped calm markets for now, but economists say investor confidence will not fully return unless the government addresses deeper concerns.

Starbucks sees sales recovery in South Korea after ‘Tank Day’ controversy

It remains unclear whether the US coffee chain can fully restore its brand image.

Charting a course to energy independence in Asia

On March 24, 2026, the Philippines declared a state of national energy emergency — the first country in the world to do so in response to the Middle East conflict and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. The declaration highlighted a structural exposure that many countries