House leaders in Indonesia meet student protesters in rally against fuel prices, free meals

Protesters referred to the President's free meal programme as wasteful state spending.

Why a speech by Pursuit Of Jade’s Zhang Linghe has divided Taiwan

Fans were delighted but critics labelled the speech as political propaganda.

Germany blurs defence lines with bet on Philippines’ old US base

A multimillion-dollar aviation deal at Clark highlights European economic investment as a tool of strategic power.

Australia poised to become an Asia-Pacific energy superpower

Energy security is a top priority globally, as governments grapple with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an accelerating clean energy transition and surging power demand from AI data centers. The problem is especially acute for Asia and the Pacific, as both regions are

Palestinians to pay the price for Netanyahu’s defeat in Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing perhaps the most precarious moment of his political career. He knows it. His allies know it. And his rivals — both within his coalition and across Israel’s political spectrum — are preparing to capitalize on his growing

Everything Bangladesh’s Rahman hopes to get from China

When Ashik Chowdhury, the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, was recently asked about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming trip to China, his response caught the room off guard. “Many issues will come up,” Chowdhury remarked, “starting

Australia confirms first case of H5N1 bird flu as virus reaches every continent

Australia was previously the only continent where the H5N1 bird flu strain had not yet been found.

Japan man arrested for confining 5-year-old girl in garbage bin

The girl, who was uninjured, was inside the bin for about five minutes.

Indonesia’s blanket fuel subsidies favour the rich, say economists, urging targeted aid

Sustained increases in oil prices could strain the budget, they warned.

Australia detects first case of contagious H5 bird flu

The highly contagious variant which can devastate poultry is now found on every continent.

Australia confirms first case of H5 bird flu

SYDNEY, June 20 - Australia has confirmed its first mainland case of H5N1 bird flu in a remote part of the country's southwest, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said on Saturday.

South Koreans find home in Chennai through food, friendship, bargaining in Tamil

South Koreans are Chennai’s largest expat community. The series, The New Locals, follows three of them as they navigate culture shocks, friendships and belonging.

How Chennai became home for South Korean mum who bargains in Tamil and other Koreans

South Koreans are Chennai’s largest expat community. The series, The New Locals, follows three of them as they navigate culture shocks, friendships and belonging.

UN envoy calls for release of Myanmar’s ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi on her 81st birthday

The Nobel laureate was placed under house arrest in April, but her whereabouts remain unclear.

Japan seeks G7 price floors to break China’s rare earth grip

Japan is seeking to rally G7 nations into a united front against China’s export controls on critical minerals, pushing for a floor price mechanism to shore up the economics of producing rare earths within the alliance. Speaking at the G7 Evian Summit in France on June 16, Prime

Would you choose to take a 22-hour non-stop flight?

The BBC asked Sydney locals if they would take the newly announced, longest ever commercial flight from Sydney to London.

Hidden in plain sight: the AI within Xiaomi

The accepted wisdom in GenAI model making is that the door has closed. To build at the frontier, as per perceptions, is only for those who began years ago, with a real lab, a research culture compounded over time and a head start that no check buys back. The train seems to have

Turkey bars public World Cup screening during university entrance exams

The measure aims to ensure that students sitting the exam are not adversely affected by noise pollution.

Trapped on Everest for days, Nepali survivor Dawa Sherpa recounts escape

He crawled down the world’s highest mountain with frostbitten fingers and a fractured leg to survive.

US-Iran talks delayed as Israeli bombs in Lebanon kill 18 or more

US and Iranian delegations delayed plans to travel to Switzerland on Friday for the opening round of talks to cement the details of a peace agreement as the Israeli military bombarded southern Lebanon, killing at least 18 people and threatening once again to derail momentum

One person dies after being hit by Japan’s bullet train; service disrupted for three hours

The incident occurred at around 5.40pm local time, involving a bullet train bound for Hakata.

OECD urges Singapore, Japan to join global study on financial literacy of 15-year-olds

As global financial systems are increasingly integrated, OECD also urges efforts to contain cyberthreats.

Malaysian parents welcome new anti-bullying law

The new law came into effect on June 16.

India med school hopefuls beset with anxiety before they retake scandal-tainted exam

Authorities scrapped the initial results after allegations that the question paper had been leaked.

Japan foreigner entry visa fees to be hiked fivefold to 15,000 yen from July

This marks the first increase since 1978 amid inflation and the yen’s depreciation.

Two separate bombings leave police injured in Thailand’s Yala and Pattani provinces

At least 11 officers were injured by the explosions.

China travel agencies resume Japan group tours, some later halt sales

Japan remains a popular destination among Chinese travellers.

AI supercharging online scams across Asia, warns Interpol’s cybercrime chief

A new Interpol cyberthreat report found that cybercrime now accounts for more than 30 per cent of all recorded crime in over half of the countries surveyed across Asia and the South Pacific.

Sri Lanka battles surge in dengue fever, with more than 44,000 cases so far this year

The number of dengue cases nearly doubled from 5,651 in April to 10,638 in the first two weeks of June.

Trump’s MOU is an IOU: the severe US losses of his misbegotten war

The Memorandum of Understanding, which ostensibly ends the four-month war between the US and Iran, illuminated the profound US defeat. In addition, a Quincy Institute webinar on military lessons from the war, shortly before the MOU’s release, enumerated numerous ways in which

Vietnamese man deported to South Sudan by US leaves for home

JUBA, June 19 - A Vietnamese man deported by the United States to South Sudan a year ago as part of the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda left for Vietnam on Friday, South Sudanese officials said.

Steel industry sounds alarm over slow progress on green steel

It is likely to remain so without a major increase in state funding or customers willing to pay more.

What can be done about the explosion of disinformation?

The menace is everywhere yet you can hardly spot it, stop it or punish it, says expert.

Deadly 7.8-magnitude Philippines quake turns seabed into shore

Tectonic forces thrust chunks of an island’s coastline upward in a phenomenon known as “coastal uplift”.

Wasian and proud — but does the label uplift or divide?

“Wasians” are having a moment right now. Think of Winter Olympians Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, actors Lola Tang (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry), or singer/dancer Megan Skiendiel from Katseye. In fact,

Deep-sea denizens go years without food with clever biological fix

New research indicates that their solution is partly anatomical and partly genetic.

Experts urge Yangon to step up building inspections after unusual earthquake aftershocks

Parts of Myanmar – including areas further south – have continued to experience seismic activity since a devastating earthquake struck Mandalay last year.

Have an Indian ancestor? A new proposal could soon let you play sport for India

With Indian-origin athletes of foreign nationalities, the naton could boost its global sports performance.

India probes embezzlement allegations at landmark temple

A team has been set up to look into alleged siphoning of cash offerings made by devotees.

India’s strategic autonomy morphing into a connectivity strategy

As India pursues its ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047 — the centenary of its independence — reliable access to overseas markets has become a strategic imperative. Yet recent crises in West Asia — ranging from the Gaza war and Red Sea disruptions to the Iran war

Japan-owned vessel passed through Strait of Hormuz on Friday, Japan says

TOKYO, June 19 - A vessel owned by a Japanese company carrying three Japanese crew members safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and exited the Gulf, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Japan rice prices fall for first time in 3.5 years

Japan enacts changes to bolster support for elderly without kin

These include hospital admission and discharge and handling administrative procedures after death.

South Korea’s Lee calls for overhaul of election management after flawed vote

Lee has ordered a probe into the ballot shortages that marred the June 3 local elections.

South Korea's Lee calls for overhaul of election management after flawed vote

SEOUL, June 19 - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that the country's election management system needed a major overhaul, calling a series of controversies involving the National Election Commission (NEC) including ballot-paper shortages \"absurd.\"

Australia agrees to pay millions to compensate asylum seekers locked in desert

The detention centre, which closed in 2003, held close to 1,500 people within six months of opening.

Afghan forces struck militant hideouts in Pakistan, Taliban says

Japan rice prices fall for first time in 3.5 years: Official

Rice prices skyrocketed in 2024 and 2025 because of supply problems linked to multiple factors.

Australia, last continent without H5 bird flu, detects first suspected case

SYDNEY, June 19 - Australia has detected its first suspected mainland case of H5N1 bird flu in a remote part of the country's southwest, authorities said on Friday.