China allows fresh urea exports amid Iran war-fuelled fertiliser crisis

China previously banned fertiliser export to protect domestic farmers.

For millions of Filipinos, owning a home is a dream the market was never built to fulfil

The focus is on investors rather than the ordinary Filipinos who can't afford to live where they work.

South Korea detains Chinese man found at sea after report on fleeing dissident

SEOUL, May 27 - South Korean authorities are questioning a Chinese national found in a rubber boat off the west coast, the coast guard said on Wednesday, with a media report identifying him as likely to be a dissident who had repeatedly tried to flee China.

Taiwan to launch children investment accounts to lift birth rate

The move could provide a boost to the island’s booming wealth management sector.

Tibet-in-exile government leader sworn in

The government’s “sikyong”, or leader, Mr Penpa Tsering, was elected for a second term.

Diver says ‘racing against time’ to rescue 7 trapped in Laos cave

By the morning of May 27, the water level in the cave had dried up considerably.

Trump’s $1.5 trillion military splurge destined to backfire

Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood in front of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to defend the Trump administration’s record-breaking US$1.5 trillion military budget proposal for FY2027. According to the White House, this 66% year-over-year

Ugandan woman quarantined in India tests negative for Ebola

However, India did not say if she would be released from isolation.

Taiwan said to suspect Nvidia chips smuggled to China via Japan

The shipment went to Japan before eventually making it to Hong Kong.

South Korean prosecutors to investigate deadly Seoul overpass collapse

The team will look into the cause of the collapse and identify those responsible.

Nvidia to spend $191 billion a year in Taiwan, ‘epicentre’ of AI revolution, says CEO

Mr Jensen Huang predicts Taiwan will be the world’s tech manufacturing hub for a long time.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries opens physical AI center in Silicon Valley

While cybersecurity threats from large language models and amoral generative AI without guardrails make front-page headlines, Japanese engineering conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has established a physical AI development center in San Jose, California. The purpose

Love birds: Twice-extinct parakeet gets lifeline from randy pair

Parents Nacho and Trixie were paired up in 2024 and have since produced 55 chicks, including 33 in 2026 alone.

French luxury store Galeries Lafayette shuts doors in Beijing after 13 years

Luxury sector in China has struggled since the Covid-19 pandemic dampened domestic consumption.

India says 10 sailors detained in 2025 by Iran released

They were released after “sustained diplomatic engagement”, India’s shipping authorities said.

Indonesia probes Musim Mas, Wilmar for ‘under-invoicing’ of exports, finance minister says

“Under-invoicing” is often done to hide profits and avoid taxes.

Hong Kong Airport opens new terminal to compete against Singapore, Dubai

The terminal will eventually be home to 15 mostly budget carriers, including AirAsia and Hainan Airlines.

YouTuber arrested for allegedly using AI to defame Korean actor

The YouTuber allegedly made false claims that fuelled a career-ending scandal for Kim Soo-hyun.

Samsung’s unionised workers in South Korea approve pay deal, shares surge

The union said nearly 74 per cent of the 62,616 workers who cast ballots backed the deal.

Samsung's unionised workers in South Korea approve pay deal

Vape business in Malaysia thrives underground after online ban

In underground networks, new buyers need a referral from existing customers to purchase vapes.

EU firms say business challenges in China still increasing: Survey

A majority of respondents said since 2022 the business environment had worsened.

Hundreds of children die within months as measles cases soar in Bangladesh

The country has recorded more than 60,000 suspected cases of measles in just over two months.

Russia's Putin gifts four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan ahead of visit

May 27 - Russia has handed Kazakhstan four Amur tigers, two of them cubs, to help the country restore its numbers of the animals, President Vladimir Putin said in an article issued ahead of his visit to the Central Asian nation this week.

Even moderately hot days raise risk of koala deaths: Study

Habitat fragmentation can also prevent koalas from reaching cooler areas in hotter times.

Britain faces 'moment of consequence' as threats from adversaries mount, spy chief says

LONDON, May 27 - Britain is at a \"moment of consequence\" amid increasingly brazen behaviour from adversaries and a narrowing window to stay ahead in the race to harness technology along with its allies, a British spy chief will say on Wednesday.

North Korea tests new multi-purpose missile launch system: KCNA

The tests were overseen by the North’s leader, Mr Kim Jong Un.

North Korea tests mix of enhanced ballistic, cruise missiles and artillery rockets, KCNA says

SEOUL, May 27 - North Korea has tested a mix of tactical ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and precision cruise missiles designed for modern warfare with enhanced combat application under leader Kim Jong Un's supervision, KCNA state news agency said on Wednesday.

Suzhou’s APEC meeting offers glimpse of how China could handle Taiwan as host. What are its considerations?

China kept the Taiwan issue largely out of sight during last week’s APEC meeting in Suzhou, but analysts say the leaders' summit in Shenzhen this November could prove harder to manage.

10 hours and 1 surgeon: The quiet hero of Indonesia’s train crash tragedy

He was supposed to head home after a night out with his family but Muhammad Iqbal El Mubarak ended up coordinating efforts to save the lives of those trapped in a devastating train accident.

Seoul’s blind spot, Beijing’s red line

On April 10, 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung sparked controversy by sharing a social media video that compared wartime killings to the Holocaust and alleged that Israeli forces had tortured, and thrown from a rooftop, a Palestinian. Because the incident had occurred

Is Japan losing its compassion as anti-foreigner sentiments grow?

New regulations include a sixfold increase in the minimum capital investment from five million yen to 30 million yen.

Pete Hegseth’s desperate crusade for masculine validation

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump surveyed his top military brass on the prospect of making war in Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine urged caution, presciently predicting that a ramped-up campaign against Iran could lead its leaders to close

China says it hopes Iran war parties can meet each other halfway

May 26 - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday he hoped parties in the Iran conflict can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway.

Osaka sparkles in golden French Open outfit

Naomi Osaka continues her tradition of serving jaw-dropping looks at Grand Slams with an outfit that reminds her of "the Eiffel tower at night".

The Iran miscalculations that we were warned about

There is a particular kind of silence that follows a war’s opening salvos — the silence of think-tank papers being quietly archived, of cable-news predictions being scrubbed from the chyron, of confident assurances that “this time it will be different” colliding with the

Russia says US did not grant visa for vice minister to attend UN

WASHINGTON, May 26 - Russia's U.N. ambassador said on Tuesday that the United States did not grant a visa for Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov to attend a U.N. Security Council meeting and called it a breach of U.S. obligations under the U.N. Headquarters

Hong Kong school principal suspended after swearing at security guards in S’pore

The school’s vice-principal will serve as acting principal in the interim.

Russia and Kazakhstan will sign nuclear power deal during Putin trip, Kremlin says

MOSCOW, May 26 - Russian President Vladimir Putin will oversee the signing of a deal outlining parameters for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan when he visits the country this week, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Chinese dissident escapes China by rubber boat and lands in South Korea

He is in custody in South Korea, two of his friends and his lawyer told The New York Times.

Iran: ‘shot down Reaper drone’ after US launched new strikes

The Iranian military said early Tuesday that it shot down an American Reaper drone after the Trump administration launched what it characterized as “self-defense strikes” on southern Iran, further complicating efforts to secure a diplomatic resolution to the illegal US-Israeli

US and Armenia sign strategic partnership agreement ahead of Armenian elections

YEREVAN, May 26 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a strategic partnership agreement in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Tuesday, less than two weeks before parliamentary elections in the South Caucasus country.

Hidden tunnels, fake doors: China probes mining tragedy that killed 82

The lack of accurate maps and miners’ location information has severely hampered rescue operations.

Thailand mandates 21-day Ebola quarantine for DRC, Uganda arrivals

Those with Ebola symptoms must quarantine at a designated state hospital, while those without symptoms would be required to stay at an unspecified quarantine site, the Thai health ministry said.

Thailand mandates 21-day Ebola quarantine for Congo, Uganda arrivals

Travellers will be quarantined whether they have Ebola symptoms or not.

India's fifth spot in global market cap list under threat as Taiwan closes in

May 26 - India's position as the fifth-largest global market by capitalisation is under threat as Taiwan closes in on the South Asian nation's spot, powered largely by the rapid rise of chip-making major Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Russian business to Putin: we need heavier weapons for drone defence

MOSCOW, May 26 - Russian companies are ready to finance the purchase of heavier weapons and electronic systems to defend their plants from drone attacks, Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia's most powerful business lobby, has told President Vladimir Putin in a meeting.

Two arrested in Vietnam over shooting of Australians

The two suspects were of Samoan nationality.