Malaysia to seek clarity on Norway missile deal

The country's Defence Minister said the move aims to safeguard Malaysia's interests.

Philippines says Iran war sends economic growth to five-year low

GDP expansion for the three months to March is significantly lower than the same period in 2025.

Vigils planned across Australia for dead 5-year-old Indigenous girl

SYDNEY, May 7 - Mourners on Thursday will gather across Australia to hold vigils for a five-year-old Indigenous girl whose alleged abduction and murder shocked the nation and sparked riots in the Outback town of Alice Springs.

Rupiah’s fall shows old emerging-market playbook no longer works

On May 5, the rupiah closed at 17,445 per dollar — its weakest level on record — and by evening Bank Indonesia had tightened foreign-exchange rules for the third time in two months. Cash dollar purchases without underlying documentation are now capped at US$25,000, down from

Has ‘the Beast’ arrived in Beijing? Trump’s motorcade SUVs spotted before visit

Heavily-armoured United States Secret Service vehicles spotted in China’s capital herald the year’s most significant diplomatic event.

US senators urge stability, cooperation between US, China

BEIJING, May 7 - A delegation of United States senators visiting Beijing has called for stability and peaceful cooperation between the world's two largest economies a week before the countries' leaders meet.

Iranian embassy denies armed forces struck South Korean ship in Hormuz

The blast and fire occurred on May 4 on a cargo ship carrying 24 crew members.

Drink driving suspect caught on video jogging away from car crash in S. Korea

Witnesses said the man changed into sportswear and fled the scene by pretending to go for a jog.

Trump sees swift end to war as Iran reviews US peace proposal

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV, May 7 - U.S. President Donald Trump predicted a swift end to the war with Iran as Tehran considered a U.S. peace proposal that sources said would formally end the conflict while leaving unresolved key U.S. demands that Iran suspend its nuclear

Australia to force gas giants to reserve fuel for domestic use

Australia’s largest gas exporters will be forced to set aside 20 per cent of their export production.

Hundreds arrested after post-poll violence kills at least three in Indian state

NEW DELHI, May 7 - Hundreds of people were arrested after post-election violence erupted this week in an eastern Indian state, killing at least three people, including the aide to a senior leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bus and oil tanker collide in Indonesia, killing at least 16 people

The head-on collision between an intercity bus and a tanker truck on the Trans-Sumatra Highway triggered a fire that engulfed both vehicles, leaving many victims trapped inside.

Malaysia weighs targeted fuel subsidy cuts for higher-income groups as costs surge

The country is now looking at spending up to RM6 billion monthly to keep subsidies in place and avoid passing costs directly to households.

South Korea ex-PM's martial law sentence cut to 15 years on appeal

Han had "abandoned the grave responsibilities" of his position by engaging in the declaration of martial law in South Korea in 2024, said an appeals court judge.

AI disinformation tests South Korean laws ahead of local elections

The government has hired hundreds of staff to track and counter manipulated content ahead of local ballots.

South Korea appeals court cuts jail term for ex-PM Han to 15 years in martial law case

SEOUL, May 7 - A South Korean appeals court on Thursday cut the jail sentence for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 15 years from 23 years over his role in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in 2024.

S. Korea’s former PM Han Duck-soo’s martial law sentence cut to 15 years on appeal

He was earlier sentenced to 23 years' jail for engaging in Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration.

South Korea to seek peace despite North’s revised Constitution

North Korea deleted all references to uniting the divided peninsula from its Constitution.

Fuel shortages in Indonesia spread from Riau to several cities in Kalimantan

One city's mayor has introduced limits to the amount of fuel each vehicle can purchase.

North Korea not bound to any treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, KCNA reports

SEOUL, May 7 - North Korea is not bound to any treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, state media KCNA reported on Thursday, as Pyongyang continues to reject international pressure and sanctions to dismantle its nuclear programme.

Vigils to be held across Australia for murdered 5-year-old girl

Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead after going missing from an Aboriginal town camp in Alice Springs.

Anxious Australian retirees ramp up pension fund withdrawals

Funds have noticed customers switching from typically balanced portfolios to more defensive options.

Japan's Nikkei surges past 61,000 for first time on earnings, Mideast optimism

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 3.38 per cent to an all-time high of 61,523.36 in early trading.

Japan's Nikkei surges past 61,000 for first time on earnings, Middle East optimism

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 3.38 per cent to an all-time high of 61,523.36 in early trading.

Asian stocks hit record high, dollar wobbles on US-Iran peace deal hopes

A potential deal to end the war, which started at the end of February, sent oil prices sliding nearly 8 per cent on Wednesday.

Chinese exporters ‘numb’ to US threats as Trump set to visit

Exporters say the US client base remains intact as they expand into other markets.

Meditating or rebooting? A robot Buddhist monk comes to South Korea

The robot addresses a central theme in Buddhism: What does it really mean to be a human?

North Korea says it is not bound by nuclear non-proliferation treaty

Its UN envoy said external pressure would not change its status as a nuclear-armed state.

New Zealand begins discussion with Australia, Britain on replacing frigates

The government is considering the Japanese Mogami-class frigate.

U.S. President Trump's renewed trade war with China

BEIJING, May 7 - U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in May on his first visit to China in eight years.

Commentary: Deepening Iran war and Hormuz crisis have left India sidelined

The US-Israel war on Iran has undermined New Delhi’s delicate balancing of ties in the Middle East, says RSIS’ Sinderpal Singh.

Commentary: The heat is on Thailand to not just muddle through

Problems are piling up for Thailand's once booming economy and decision-makers need to rise to the occasion, says Daniel Moss for Bloomberg Opinion.

Nearly $1 billion in oil shorts bet just before Iran peace report

Observers are once again raising concerns about insider trading on Wednesday after a trader took a colossal crude oil short position just over an hour before a US-Iran peace deal was reported to be on the horizon, causing prices to fall. The Kobeissi Letter, a financial

Mira Rapp-Hooper

Mira Rapp-Hooper joined RFA’s board in April 2026. An expert on national security and strategy issues in Asia, she currently serves as a partner at The Asia Group, and is a visiting fellow at Brookings Institute. She has held a number of positions at the highest levels of

Olivia Enos

Olivia Enos joined RFA’s board in April 2026. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, writing on a wide range of human rights and national security issues in Asia, and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She previously worked as Washington

‘I feel so stupid’: How young Indonesians get stuck on the debt treadmill

The ease of use of online peer-to-peer lending services has sparked concerns.

Cambodia’s scam crackdown creates a new problem: Foreigners left jobless and stranded

They are unable to return to their home countries without passports or money.

China has played key role in Iran war and will continue to do so

Donald Trump has paused “Project Freedom”, the US operation aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on social media just days after the operation was first announced, Trump said he had made the decision to give US negotiators time to reach

Victory in Iran is nothing short of finishing it off

In the part of the world that includes Iran, if you have to explain that you won you have in fact lost. President Trump’s announcement that he is pausing, after a day, Project Freedom, which had the US Navy escorting cargo ships through the Straits of Hormuz, is puzzling. As

India’s top factory hub hopeful, wary as film star Joseph Vijay set to take reins

Many businesses are anxious over his party’s lack of political experience.

Trump says Iran wants to make a deal

WASHINGTON, May 6 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran wants to negotiate and make a deal, adding that the U.S. was doing very well in Iran and that it was going very smoothly.

China vows to play bigger role in restoring peace in the Middle East during talks with Iran

This came amid a shaky US-Iran ceasefire and ahead of an expected meeting between the Chinese and US presidents.

Heavy rain causes flash floods in parts of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur

Floodwater was seen overflowing drains onto the walkways fronting several shophouses in Malaysia's capital.

Thailand vows strict tourist oversight after public sex incidents

India’s energy risk surges as sea routes turn strategic

When Indonesia recently signaled that it may monetize transit through the Strait of Malacca, it heralded a fundamental shift in how maritime geography is being used or misused. What Indonesia is deliberating in Malacca, Iran has already demonstrated in Hormuz, though it has not

Why has pig farming in Malaysia’s Selangor state become a hot political issue?

The Selangor Sultan decreed in February that pig farming should not be allowed in the Malaysian state, but a politician’s recent suggestion that a modern farming system be allowed instead has sparked a political storm.

Malaysia's RTM, Unifi TV to broadcast World Cup: Reports

The Malaysian government allocated RM24 million to secure broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.