TAIPEI, June 6 - Taiwan needs to \"spend smarter\" on its defences and learn lessons from the Ukraine and Middle East wars on using drones to ensure the military balance with China, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taipei said on Saturday.
June 6 - The U.S. approved the $1.5 billion sale of five Seahawk maritime helicopters to New Zealand, which has pledged to nearly double its military spending as it seeks to boost defence capabilities.
With the US increasingly distracted by the Iran war and China becoming more assertive, Taiwan is reshaping its defenses for a more uncertain era. This month, Reuters reported that Taiwan is executing a major strategic defense shift by dramatically expanding its anti-ship
He stressed the need to enhance naval capabilities to deter a nuclear war.
SEOUL, June 6 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the naval destroyer Kang Kon to supervise the vessel's navigation test, stressing the need to enhance naval capabilities to deter a nuclear war, the country's Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on Saturday.
The song Mas Bahlil Ganteng, or “Handsome Brother Bahlil”, blurs the line between political commentary and humour.
There are titles one should never write. “The End of History” is one. “Permanent Plateau” is another. As such, anything with the word “permanently” in it may belong on the same list, because the arrow of time tends to find such titles and use them for target practice. The
LONDON, June 5 - Financial markets are underestimating the economic risks of biodiversity loss, potentially exposing countries to sovereign debt crises and sharply higher borrowing costs, according to research published on Friday.
SEOUL, June 5 - Over 6,000 people protested on Friday night at a vote-counting centre in Seoul over a shortage of ballot papers, demanding a re-run after voting in local elections was disrupted, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Privacy advocates celebrated Friday after a Republican-led effort to extend warrantless spying powers failed to advance in the US Senate in the early hours of the morning, with seven GOP lawmakers joining every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman in opposition. The failed vote
June 5 - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on a network of individuals, entities, and tankers smuggling Iranian-origin liquid petroleum gas disguised as Omani LPG to South and East Asia.
BRUSSELS, June 5 - The European Commission is weighing legislation that could force companies in sensitive sectors to cut reliance on single suppliers - notably in China - and diversify to at least three sources, European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Friday.
They haven’t been paid for months, and cannot leave until a new crew arrives.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, millions of Americans who live outside the 50 states are excluded from full participation in its democracy. Roughly 3.6 million residents of US territories – including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana
Engagement is the best path towards peace and Myanmar’s eventual reintegration into the regional bloc, said Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow in an interview with CNA’s Saksith Saiyasombut.
The US-China Summit of May 14, 2026 in Beijing was an attempt to mitigate great power competition and promote bilateral ties through “constructive strategic stability.” Chinese President Xi Jinping argued against the inevitability of the “Thucydides trap,” which expects an
Beijing last week said the HNLMS De Ruyter illegally intruded into the Paracel Islands archipelago.
YEREVAN, June 5 - Armenia holds a parliamentary election on Sunday that pits the governing Civil Contract party, which is pursuing closer ties with the West, against an array of opposition parties, many of which are pro-Russian.
The move comes as its adversaries wage sophisticated “grey-zone” operations.
Following the recent announcement that Australia would acquire three submarines already in US service rather than two used submarines and one new one, AUKUS has again dominated headlines. AUKUS is a defense capability agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom and
DUBAI, June 5 - Iran's navy said on Friday it had fired warning missiles and drones at U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman, accusing the U.S. Navy of harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels and oil tankers, Iranian state media reported.
WASHINGTON, June 5 - U.S. forces conducted an interdiction of the sanctioned stateless oil tanker Davina overnight in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command said on Friday.
Observers told CNA the move by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan in Negeri Sembilan is a “calculated effort” to pre-empt any momentum the Barisan Nasional might gain in Johor’s upcoming state election.
BEIJING, June 5 - Chinese President Xi Jinping's right hand man, Cai Qi, has been appointed as head of the elite Central Party School, a move analysts say cements his position as perhaps Xi's closest ally now entrusted with almost the entire communist party portfolio.
Analysts say the move to call snap polls in the state is a calculated risk by Anwar's coalition.
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Stagnation problem is worse than it looks for BerlinDiego Faßnacht argues that Germany’s weak economic performance has been masked by inherited wealth, rising
The family were angry at what they described as the failure of rescue teams to locate him earlier.
Che Dalha illegally took in more than 158 million yuan (S$29.93 million) from 1999 to 2025.
The impending snap polls in Johor and Negeri Sembilan are not just state elections, but opening salvos by UMNO in a wider national power struggle that will test the foundations of Malaysia’s first genuine multi-coalition government, writes CNA's Leslie Lopez.
BUDAPEST, June 5 - Hungary's government will stop issuing worker visas to employees from the Philippines, Georgia and Armenia from Friday, a government spokeswoman said, calling the move a first step towards regulating the inflow of guest workers.
It will only pursue negotiations on their contested boundary using a UN-backed mechanism.
Being uber-responsible, people-pleasing, and a perfectionist are traits that first-born girls in Asia purportedly have
KATHMANDU, June 5 - The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is worried about its declining population and has announced cash incentives to families to produce more children.
TOKYO — Like a horror film villain everyone thought was dead, Donald Trump’s tariffs are suddenly back — and the timing couldn’t be more unsettling for Asia’s embattled economies. Despite the US Supreme Court striking down his “Liberation Day” tariffs, Trump has wasted no time
Under a new digital marking system, answer booklets are scanned and assessed electronically, but students seeking reviews of their exam scripts have reported issues including blurred scans, missing pages and unchecked answers.
Candidates in several provinces face eyewear inspections as authorities look to keep smart glasses out of examination venues.
New Zealand and China have maintained a largely stable relationship in recent years.
The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores Island sent volcanic material 2.5km into the air.
When it comes to relations with Belarus, the Trump administration has been pursuing a dual approach of late. In May 2026, President Donald Trump renewed the US national emergency on Belarus, noting that the government of longtime Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko still
Rho Tae-ak said the ballot paper shortage had understandably raised distrust in the election process.
Washington’s call for Asian allies to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence is untenable given competing needs in infrastructure, healthcare and education, analysts say.
The release of the investigative documentary “Pesta Babi” (Pig Feast) has triggered an unusually intense wave of public debate and political unease across Indonesia. Directed by Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cypri Jehan Paju Dale, the film captures the systemic collision between
Proctors will pay particular attention to the size and shape of candidates’ glasses.