Fewer Chinese students head overseas for studies amid geopolitical uncertainty and high costs

This raises concerns over strained people-to-people ties particularly with the US

Philippines presidential hopeful Sara Duterte impeached, awaits Senate trial

MANILA, May 11 - Philippine lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate that could kill off her hopes for a presidential run in 2028.

India faces risk of weaker monsoon, raising inflation and growth concerns

Below-normal rainfall could hit agriculture, push up food prices and weigh on the country’s economic growth, analysts say.

Turkey's foreign minister to visit Qatar for talks on Iran war

ANKARA, May 11 - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Qatar on Tuesday for talks on the Iran war, its impact on the Gulf and efforts to ensure navigational safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday.

Philippine lawmakers impeach presidential hopeful Sara Duterte

How Indonesia’s Mount Dukono tragedy mobilised a village - and left it scarred

With deep knowledge of the active volcano, villagers living in the shadows of Dukono were instrumental in the search and recovery of three people killed on its slope, say authorities.

Police find body believed to be of fugitive Australian shooter

A body found in New South Wales is thought to be that of a man wanted over a triple murder.

Lovebugs to swarm South Korea earlier and in large numbers in 2026; Seoul to test rose-scented traps

Lovebugs are expected to reach adulthood en masse in South Korea between June 15 and 29.

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte impeached again, but Senate trial now in doubt

Her allies have moved to tighten their grip on the Senate ahead of a looming trial that could affect her 2028 presidential bid.

Philippine VP Sara Duterte impeached for a second time

If convicted in a Senate trial, which is uncertain, she will be disqualified from running for president.

China’s marriages drop to decade low, deepening demographic concerns

The figures are the latest sign of China’s deepening demographic challenges.

China's marriages drop to decade low, deepening demographic concerns

HONG KONG, May 11 - Marriage registrations in China fell 6.2% year on year in the first quarter and are about half 2017 levels, official data show, underscoring the demographic strain in a country where childbearing remains closely tied to marriage.

How Venezuela has – and hasn’t – changed since Maduro’s capture

Four months have passed since US forces captured Venezuela’s sitting president, Nicolás Maduro, and ousted him from power. Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, quickly moved into the top job and has, under US tutelage, begun a process of reversing her country’s experiment

China says it won’t allow Taiwan to attend WHO’s annual assembly

Taiwan is excluded from most international organisations because of objections from Beijing.

China says it won't allow Taiwan to attend WHO's annual assembly

BEIJING/TAIPEI, May 11 - China said on Monday it would not allow Taiwan to take part in the annual assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which starts next week, as Taiwan said it would send a delegation anyway for meetings outside the actual event.

China, US arrest 5 in joint drug smuggling investigation, Xinhua reports

BEIJING, May 11 - Chinese and U.S. anti-narcotics authorities arrested five suspects and seized a batch of drugs in a joint investigation of a drug smuggling and trafficking case, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.

US industry, lawmakers urge Trump not to open door to Chinese cars at Xi summit

Cheap Chinese EVs could devastate American carmakers and manufacturing jobs, they warn.

The false promise of a US-Iran quick fix

Tehran’s reply on May 10 was entirely predictable. Ceasefire, security guarantees for the Strait, total sanctions relief, reparations — the standard package. What apparently surprised Washington was the timing, which produced President Donald Trump’s terse verdict: “totally

Indonesia warns of becoming hub for transnational cybercrime networks following Jakarta, Batam raids

Police arrested 321 people in the West Jakarta raid on May 7 and 210 people in the May 6 Batam raid. Many were foreigners who reportedly entered Indonesia using its visa-free or visa-on-arrival facilities.

India’s defense push is now industrial statecraft

In recent days, India has announced a slew of defense launches, demonstrating the emergence of a new strategic doctrine in which manufacturing capability, technological self-reliance and national security are becoming intertwined. From intercontinental ballistic missile-class

‘I tended not to do anything safe’: Malaysia’s outgoing MACC chief says courage crucial for graftbusters

Azam Bak’s term ends on Tuesday (May 12), with former High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman set to replace him.

South Korea condemns attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, vows response

SEOUL, May 11 - South Korea's presidential Blue House on Monday condemned in the strongest terms an attack against a cargo ship operated by a Korean shipper this month in the Strait of Hormuz and said it plans to respond once the source of the attack is identified.

Myanmar complains over pariah treatment in ASEAN bloc

ASEAN is suffering from a fraying consensus over Myanmar, analysts say.

How rising diesel prices from Iran conflict have slowed down a once-booming sector in Malaysia

Some contractors have halted work as rising costs make construction projects no longer profitable.

India, Peru likely to hold talks on free trade pact in June, diplomat says

NEW DELHI, May 11 - India and Peru will probably hold the next round of talks on a proposed free trade pact next month, a senior Peruvian diplomat told Reuters, adding that a deal could be signed by the end of the year.

Teahouse’s dim sum raves aimed at reviving Hong Kong’s appeal

The teahouse hopes to stage themed raves every month, tapping into a global Gen Z trend.

Of AI pejorations and perjurations

The finest backhanded compliment I receive, and the one I receive most often, is: “Good piece; I actually understood this one.” A title like the one above is, on that evidence, an act of commercial self-harm. It guarantees that many readers will not open the essay, and that

Thais feel the pinch as prices of ‘single-dish’ staples surge amid rising fuel costs

Nearly 10 per cent of 1,396 items surveyed had immediate price adjustments.

Couples in China rush to say ‘I do’ on ‘I love you’ day

Marriage registration slots for May 20 are fully booked in several major cities in China.

Beijing revives dialogue with Taiwan opposition, but impact on policy and tensions limited

Beijing has avoided engaging Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which it sees as promoting independence, maintaining ties instead with the more China-friendly Kuomintang.

Indonesia’s debt wall hits an economy running on borrowed time

Indonesia is entering a critical test of its fiscal resilience. Beneath the government’s optimistic narrative of a stable economic growth rate of around 5% lies a structural anomaly carrying significant systemic risks. The accumulation of central government debt, now edging

Vatican official makes rare trip to Taiwan for Buddhist charity celebrations

The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Trump's China visit set to test fragile truce

The first US presidential visit to China in almost 10 years will test a fragile tariff truce.

Indonesian police detain 14 after riot over football match in Papua

The riot started after host Perspira Jayapura lost 1-0 to guest PS Adhyaksa Banten.

South Korea exploring using Hyundai robots as army numbers fall

The country’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000.

Taiwan says it drove away Chinese research ship near island

It was detected 29 nautical miles south-east of the southern tip of Taiwan on May 7.

Taiwan says it drove away Chinese research ship

TAIPEI, May 11 - Taiwan's coast guard said on Monday that it had disrupted \"illegal\" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the island and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities.

New Zealand state farming goes bush in support of nature credit market

WELLINGTON, May 11 - New Zealand state-owned farming enterprise Pamu says it plans to convert 600 hectares (1,483 acres) of farmland into native forest to generate high-quality nature credits, following a government move on Monday to support a voluntary nature credits market.

After Bibi: the comforting myth that a man is the problem

There is a familiar parlor game underway in Washington and Tel Aviv, played with renewed enthusiasm now that Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have once again merged their parties under the banner Beyachad, and the polls are showing — as they have for months — that Benjamin

Resurgent Modi paves way to keep power in India well beyond 2030

Prime Minister Modi’s party expands reach, leaving India’s fractured opposition struggling.

Hantavirus scare exposes US-China mRNA gap

A Dutch expedition cruise ship, the MV Hondius, docked in Tenerife on Sunday after weeks adrift with three deaths and eight hantavirus cases on board. The strain involved is the Andes virus, the only hantavirus known to transmit between humans. The World Health Organization has

Turkish Airlines plane evacuated due to tyre fire after landing in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, May 11 - A minor fire broke out on a tyre of a Turkish Airlines plane after it landed on Monday in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, authorities said, forcing the closure of the airport for an hour.

Turkish Airlines plane evacuated after smoke seen from landing gear in Nepal

The fire forced the closure of the airport for an hour.

Philippine V-P Sara Duterte facing second impeachment vote

A conviction in the Senate would ban her from politics for life and remove her from office.

Pakistan’s Fatah-3 may open Gulf door to Chinese missiles

Pakistan’s new Fatah-3 missile may signal the emergence of Islamabad as China’s frontline broker for conventionally armed counterforce warfare from Kashmir to the Persian Gulf. This month, multiple defense outlets reported that Pakistan publicly unveiled the Fatah-3 supersonic

Thailand may face dual water risks from El Nino impact from May to July

Thailand is facing its most severe and difficult-to-predict climate variability in several years.

Trump-Xi meet more about US uncertainty than China ambition

When President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing this week for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the choreography will almost certainly be familiar: firm handshakes, oversized rhetoric, carefully calibrated symbolism and declarations about “historic” economic

Australia to repatriate passengers from Hantavirus-hit cruise ship

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, May 11 - The Australian government said on Monday it would repatriate its citizens from a Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly strain of hantavirus, with the passengers to be quarantined after they arrive in the country.

Australia to fly citizens home from virus-hit cruise ship, plans quarantine

It is not known if any of those being brought to Australia have fallen ill.