Finland jails businessman for trafficking Thai berry workers

India says fire reported on oil tanker with 24 Indian sailors, all crew safe

NEW DELHI, June 8 - India's shipping ministry said on Monday that a fire was reported on an oil tanker, Marivex, off the coast of Oman with 24 Indian sailors on board, adding that all of them were safe.

Indonesia's Prabowo appoints new head of free meals agency

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.

Tsunami waves arrive in Japan after 7.8 quake off Philippines

The tsunami advisory was lifted in the afternoon.

South Korea to overhaul election process after ballot shortage shocks country

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".

Singapore pushes to become regional gold hub as demand for bullion rises

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.

Higher EV import prices from July 1 risk slowing Malaysia’s momentum

Imported EV price hike in Malaysia risks slowing adoption even as interest in such vehicles grows.

Malaysia’s wage growth lags behind GDP as ‘top firms are not scaling’ – what gives?

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.

Amnesty says Cambodia scam centres still operating despite crackdowns

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.

With or without China, Shangri-La Dialogue is still relevant

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

Iran blames US for latest exchanges of fire with Israel

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

Mass school closures in Japan city as bear roams streets

Clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir kill 11 ahead of protest

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.

From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access

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.

Mauritius has not received US proposal on Chagos Islands

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.

At least 32 dead after major earthquake strikes southern Philippines

The magnitude-7.8 quake triggered small tsunami waves in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.

BN sees Johor snap polls as vehicle for 'blue wave' comeback nationwide, says chairman Zahid

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.

UN urges Afghan Taliban to end arrests of women over dress rules

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.

UK PM Starmer set to ban 'harmful' social media for under-16s

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.

Why Europe should erect high and hard trade barriers on China

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

Plan to introduce French lessons in Indonesia draws support, doubt

The plan drew criticism over the readiness to expand foreign language education.

Clashes between protesters and police kill 7 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Markets were open in Muzaffarabad while law enforcement agencies were patrolling the city on June 8.

India has deported 5,000 Bangladeshis since BJP win in West Bengal

This comes against a backdrop of longstanding political tensions over immigration in the border state.

Myanmar’s military ‘comeback’ claim doesn’t hold water

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

Indonesia tightens tourism monitoring at volcanoes after Mount Dukono incident

Officials are slated to audit tour guides to ensure compliance with regulations.

Chinese military hovered as global executives flocked to Taiwan tech show

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.

Two nations, two exams, one AI reckoning

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

Rupiah’s plunge pushes Indonesia’s manufacturers to the edge

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

Singaporean woman rescued after fall at waterfall in Malaysia’s Selangor state

The extent of the woman's injuries were not disclosed by the authorities.

Xi says willing to bring China-North Korea ties to ‘new heights’ during rare visit

Xi’s trip to Pyongyang was his first since 2019, after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.

Hormuz strait will be open but with transit fees, Iran envoy to Moscow quoted

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.

Sabah residents told to avoid shoreline after Mindanao quake triggers tsunami warning

Tsunami advisory sirens were activated in four affected districts.

South Korea's Lee: ballot paper shortage hurts reputation as model democracy

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

South Korean singer IU targeted in online trolling over election disruption

Her social media has been flooded with requests that she pay for food for demonstrators.

Cambodia scam centres persist despite crackdown, report says

There were signs Cambodia’s scam compounds were splintering into smaller operations, including in residential areas.

Australia PM Albanese says migration to fall as far right surges

He said he wants social cohesion at the core of Australian identity.

Principal of HK school fired over SAFRA Jurong swearing incident seeks legal advice

This comes after the school rejected his resignation on June 3.

South Korea’s Lee marks first year with vow to find new growth engines

President Lee Jae Myung pledged to move beyond semiconductors for driving the nation’s economy.

Corruption scandals, rupiah fall revive reshuffle talks in Indonesia

Attention has turned to whether a ceremony on June 8 could turn into a broader Cabinet reshuffle.

Taiwan says China Coast Guard patrols to its east are ‘provocative act’

Taipei said its military will maintain coordination with the coast guard, with continuous intelligence sharing.

Taiwan says China Coast Guard patrols to its east are 'provocative act'

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.

As it happened: Magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes southern Philippines, triggering tsunami warnings

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.

Container vessel that sank near Batam reported ‘significant functional leakage’ just before incident

The nine crew members on board the vessel MV Golden Star I were rescued safely.

A Sherpa survived 6 days alone on Everest. His family says he was abandoned

Questions have swirled around how he became stranded.

Japanese city suspends 94 schools after first-ever bear sighting

TOKYO, June 8 - The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools that it operates on Monday after its first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said.

Recap: Major quake off Philippines kills at least 32, with dozens injured

Tsunami warnings were triggered in Indonesia, Japan, Guam before they were lifted later in the afternoon.