China’s deployment of the HQ-16F missile opposite Taiwan reflects Beijing’s growing concern that future wars may be fought not just across the Strait, but deep inside the mainland itself. This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China has deployed a
When Indonesia’s rupiah breached the new psychological threshold of 18,155 per US dollar today (June 8), the currency’s lowest ever level, social stability alarm bells rang louder than at any time since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Attempts to calm public anxiety with
The Israeli military bombed Iran on Monday shortly after US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond to an Iranian missile barrage, which came in retaliation for Israel’s earlier bombing of Beirut. “I am going to call Bibi right now
NEW DELHI, June 8 - India's shipping ministry said on Monday that a fire was reported on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman with 24 Indian sailors on board, adding that all of them were safe.
JAKARTA, June 8 - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday appointed a new head of the agency responsible for implementing his flagship free meals programme, replacing the previous office holder who was dismissed and arrested on graft charges last week.
The tsunami advisory was lifted in the afternoon.
President Lee Jae-myung has met the speaker of parliament and the heads of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, as well as Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, to discuss "a grave infringement of voter rights".
Industry players say interest in storing gold in Singapore is rising among investors from markets such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam, drawn by the country's reputation for stability, security and strong governance.
Imported EV price hike in Malaysia risks slowing adoption even as interest in such vehicles grows.
A World Bank report in May found that Malaysia’s wage growth since 2010 has lagged behind its gross domestic product (GDP) growth in part because top firms in the country are not scaling up.
June 8 - Dozens of suspected global scam compounds in Cambodia are still in operation despite a months-long crackdown by authorities, Amnesty International said in a report on Monday.
Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Warren Fernandez writes with characteristic elegance in his latest RSIS piece, “With or Without You: The U2 Doctrine Comes to Shangri-La”, carried in The Straits Times on June 3, 2026. The piece gives cause for three reflections from this
DUBAI, June 8 - Overnight exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel will only worsen an already \"chaotic diplomatic process\" with the United States, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, adding that Tehran was exchanging messages with
MUZAFFARABAD, June 8 - Clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir ahead of a protest called for Tuesday killed 11 people and injured more than 70 as police and paramilitary forces sought to scatter a group of protesters from a banned alliance of civil society groups.
GDANSK, June 8 - Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
PORT LOUIS, June 8 - Mauritius said on Monday that it had not received any proposal from the Trump administration on the Chagos Islands, after the Telegraph reported that the White House was considering a plan to buy the islands from Mauritius.
The magnitude-7.8 quake triggered small tsunami waves in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier warned the component parties within his Pakatan Harapan coalition against clashing with Barisan Nasional as they are still partners in the federal government.
KABUL, June 8 - The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern over the arrest and detention of women in a western province for allegedly failing to comply with \"dress requirements\" and urged Taliban authorities to treat all people equally.
LONDON, June 8 - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a ban on \"harmful\" online platforms for children under 16 while maintaining access to some safer forms of social media, the Times newspaper reported on Monday.
As regular readers of this blog know, I’m pretty ambivalent about trade barriers as an economic policy. On one hand, I think targeted tariffs and other trade barriers can be used to protect strategic industries from surges in underpriced import competition, especially by
The plan drew criticism over the readiness to expand foreign language education.
Markets were open in Muzaffarabad while law enforcement agencies were patrolling the city on June 8.
This comes against a backdrop of longstanding political tensions over immigration in the border state.
Coup maker Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s allies want the world to believe that Myanmar’s military is “on the upswing” and “mounting a comeback” in a war that foreign media increasingly describe as “forgotten.” Recent US media coverage leans into that storyline, highlighting
Officials are slated to audit tour guides to ensure compliance with regulations.
TAIPEI, June 8 - As AI heavyweights including Nvidia, Intel and SK Group last week championed Taiwan's significance as a crucial hub for the global supply chain, a hostile exchange with China was brewing at sea.
This week, while families gathered outside examination halls across China, some in red qipao for luck, 12.9 million students sat for the gaokao, the world’s largest annual standardized test. On the other side of the Pacific, American higher education is moving in the opposite
Indonesia’s financial markets were jolted Monday (June 8) as the rupiah hit a new record low of over 18,155 to the US dollar and the main stock index fell 4%. Investors are rapidly dumping their rupiah-denominated assets, with foreigners selling US$422 million of local bonds
The extent of the woman's injuries were not disclosed by the authorities.
Xi’s trip to Pyongyang was his first since 2019, after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.
June 8 - The Strait of Hormuz will be open but under new conditions to be set by Iran and Oman, including a transit fee, Iran's ambassador to Moscow was quoted as saying on Monday.
Tsunami advisory sirens were activated in four affected districts.
SEOUL, June 8 - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that ballot paper shortages in last week's local elections dealt a serious blow to the country's reputation as a model democracy, and he welcomed the protests questioning the fairness of the process.\"It was
Her social media has been flooded with requests that she pay for food for demonstrators.
There were signs Cambodia’s scam compounds were splintering into smaller operations, including in residential areas.
He said he wants social cohesion at the core of Australian identity.
This comes after the school rejected his resignation on June 3.
President Lee Jae Myung pledged to move beyond semiconductors for driving the nation’s economy.
Attention has turned to whether a ceremony on June 8 could turn into a broader Cabinet reshuffle.
Taipei said its military will maintain coordination with the coast guard, with continuous intelligence sharing.
TAIPEI, June 8 - Chinese Coast Guard patrols to the east of Taiwan are a \"provocative act\" and the military will closely coordinate with the island's Coast Guard in responding, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Monday.
Authorities ordered evacuations in coastal areas of the Philippines and Indonesia after the quake struck near Mindanao, while Japan and Malaysia also issued tsunami advisories.
The nine crew members on board the vessel MV Golden Star I were rescued safely.