How Malaysia is blending more palm oil into diesel to cut its reliance on crude oil imports

Malaysia is the world’s second-largest palm oil producer.

South Korea’s Lee asks Trump to lead peaceful diplomacy with North Korea

Trump said he would work to address the North Korea issue, said South Korea's presidential office.

Govt agency director among 13 nabbed in Malaysia over $790k in bribes linked to cartels

Approximately RM1.5 million in cash, multiple vehicles and jewellery worth about RM1 million were seized.

Australian right-wing leader Pauline Hanson says multiculturalism has failed

SYDNEY, June 17 - Australia cannot be a multicultural society and immigration policies have put the country in crisis, Pauline Hanson said on Wednesday, as the right-wing leader enjoys a surge in support for her One Nation party.

Malaysia’s opposition party Bersatu says ready to fight PAS ‘on all fronts’ amid political divorce

But Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said his party remains part of the Perikatan Nasional opposition coalition and will use its logo in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections on Jul 11 and Aug 1, respectively.

Trump's Iran war weighs on G7 economies, but don't expect hard talk in France

WASHINGTON, June 17 - Rising inflation and a 30% jump in oil prices are dampening global growth, but leaders of the world's top economies are unlikely to blame U.S. President Donald Trump for the war-driven slowdown when they meet in France to discuss the economy on Wednesday.

Hokkaido boat firm president found guilty over 2022 fatal sinking

The 2022 sinking led to the deaths of 26 people on the vessel.

Singapore to push wider regional AI adoption, cross-border data flows as ASEAN chair

Push includes shared AI tools and easier cross-border data use for regional firms.

‘Why bother?’: Trump no longer feels the need to seize Iran’s uranium

US President Donald Trump and his top advisers have spent months insisting that extracting and confiscating highly enriched uranium from Iran was the top objective of the unprovoked war he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began in February—but on Tuesday at the

Australia must be ‘monocultural’, says One Nation leader Hanson

The populist leader blamed Australia's housing crisis on extremely high levels of immigration.

G7 leaders tackle reliance on China for critical minerals

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 17 - G7 host France is pushing partners to agree a statement on critical minerals on Wednesday that could include measures to help the West reduce its reliance on China and shield investors from counter-measures and dumping, diplomats said.

All the ways Iran beat Trump into submission

After three months of war with two of the world’s most technologically and militarily advanced countries, Iran has proved far more resilient than anticipated. Indeed, strategically at least, Tehran appears to now have the upper hand in the conflict. How has this situation come

Philippine Senate removes Duterte ally as head, elects new leader ahead of VP impeachment trial

MANILA, June 17 - The Philippine Senate removed an ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte as Senate president on Wednesday and elected a new leader just weeks before the expected start of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Philippine Senate removes Duterte ally as head, elects new leader ahead of V-P impeachment trial

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was voted Senate president in a special sitting.

‘Unstable’ Tasmanian devil found after 15 days on the run

Searchers tracked down the carnivorous marsupial the previous night in the bush.

China calls for more Global South voices to be heard at United Nations

BEIJING, June 17 - Emerging markets suffer from inadequate representation at the United Nations, its authority increasingly challenged by escalating political and economic disputes worldwide, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.

China calls for more Global South voices to be heard at UN

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said emerging markets suffer from inadequate representation at the UN.

South Korea to shift civilian restricted line at border with North Korea

The civilian access line will be shifted by an average of 6km from the Military Demarcation Line.

China says it will take countermeasures to new Taiwan intelligence gathering site

BEIJING, June 17 - China said on Wednesday that it will take countermeasures in response to a new Taiwan government website for Chinese nationals to report intelligence tips, saying the site exposed Taipei's \"confrontational mindset\".

Barisan Nasional expected to put up new faces in Johor polls

The Johor state election will be held on July 11.

South Korea's Lee asks Trump to lead peaceful diplomacy with North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked US counterpart Donald Trump to lead efforts to resolve the North Korea issue peacefully, as he had done with the war in the Middle East, according to Lee's office.

Indonesian police seize over $130,000 worth of assets in Riau elephant tusk case

This follows the killing of a 40-year-old male elephant in Pelalawan regency in May.

Growing discontent with policymaking keeps Indonesian students on streets

Protesters accused the government of neglecting the economic struggles of ordinary Indonesians .

Outstation voters making early travel plans ahead of Johor polls

The Election Commission has set July 11 as polling day.

One dead, dozens injured after Indonesian quake

JAKARTA, June 17 - One person died and dozens were injured after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Tuesday, the disaster mitigation agency said.

China’s new message to its citizens: Your money belongs at home

Chinese citizens have increasingly invested in overseas securities over the past few years.

High school student in South Korea under probe for leaving semen, urine in teacher’s classroom

The student reportedly told the police that he did not know the teacher and denied any sexual motive.

The bikers battling extreme heat and armed conflict to smuggle Iranian fuel to Pakistan

It's so hot the fuel can catch fire - the bikers tell the BBC they must live with the risk of injury and death.

Australia relaxes Gulf travel advice in boost for Middle Eastern airlines

The “do not travel” advisory had been lowered for the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel and Kuwait.

Satellite images suggest North Korea is upgrading ports for new, larger destroyers

Shipyard upgrades are part of North Korea’s 5-year plan to modernize its naval forces, experts told RFA.

'A stock exchange, but for data': China tests its cross-border data trading ambitions in Southeast Asia

China has established mostly domestic data exchanges as it seeks to bolster the digital economy. A recent partnership is putting its regional ambitions into focus, even as the nascent sector faces questions over ownership, valuation and governance.

Trump’s Iran deal: Realpolitik triumphs — for now

Washington has a habit of dressing up its foreign policy in the language of moral purpose. Presidents invoke democracy, human rights, and the rules-based international order as if they were divine mandates rather than rhetorical conveniences. So there is something almost

G7 leaders discuss 'trusted partners' access to cutting-edge US AI models, sources say

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 16 - G7 leaders discussed a plan to grant select “trusted partners” access to advanced AI models from U.S. firms such as Anthropic, three diplomatic sources said on Tuesday, potentially opening a path around restrictions on non-American use.

Iran: Israeli refusal to leave Lebanon would violate peace deal

President Donald Trump is facing a choice between ending the war with Iran, which is tanking his popularity and the economy, and continuing his deference to Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made it clear on Tuesday that Trump cannot have both. Following

University research at China speed brings sea changes to science

I was just guessing at numbers and figures Pulling the puzzles apart Questions of science, science and progress Do not speak as loud as my heart – Coldplay Nine of the world’s current top,-ten-ranked research universities are in China, according to the recently released 2026

Hundreds of cats stolen for food in Vietnam rescued by police, welfare group says

Police have arrested nine people and rescued more than 400 cats destined for slaughter, with more than 40 reunited with their owners.

Israeli drone strikes kill at least 4 in southern Lebanon

BEIRUT, June 16 - Israeli drone strikes targeted three vehicles in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least four people and wounding others, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Indian opposition blasts Modi’s response to US killing of sailors

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking heat from his political opponents for his response to the deaths of three ship workers who were killed in the Gulf of Oman last week by US forces as part of President Donald Trump’s illegal war with Iran. Fury in India has only

China warns next phase of US-Iran talks will be ‘more difficult’

Pakistani officials previously said China played a key role in supporting its US-Iran mediation efforts.

China protests UK sanctions on Chinese entities over Russia

BEIJING, June 16 - The Chinese embassy in Britain said on Tuesday it had lodged a protest with British authorities after London announced sanctions on several entities, including four from China, for allegedly supplying key military equipment to Russia.

India braces itself for El Nino-linked dry conditions

Forecasters have predicted below-average monsoon rainfall in India in 2026.

Iran war is a 'wake-up call' for Southeast Asia's energy sector, report says

New train service links Johor Bahru Sentral to Pasir Gudang, Kulai

The KTM Shuttle Selatan cuts travel time to JB Sentral to 30 minutes, compared with an hour by car.

5.5-magnitude quake jolts eastern Japan near Tokyo, no tsunami warning issued

No damages or injuries were reported.

Sri Lanka’s ex-leader asks court to stop possible arrest over 2019 attacks

A lawyer for Gotabaya Rajapaksa said a petition was lodged with the Court of Appeal.

Johor vote may shape Negeri Sembilan race as staggered polls raise questions

Analysts say staggered state polls could shape voter sentiment and political momentum.

Is China sleepwalking down Japan’s zombie economy path?

The photo above is not from China; it’s from Japan. In the 1970s, Daiei was Japan’s top retailer. But after Japan’s asset bubble burst around 1990, it became Japan’s most famous “zombie” company — staggering along unprofitably, kept afloat by a constant stream of

One dead, four injured after magnitude 6.3 earthquake in China's Qinghai

Nepal’s new Gen Z-inspired government places bets on China, India

Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said that the country faces a huge trade deficit with China.