Report: China’s maritime outposts could distract Taiwan’s allies if Beijing invades

Experts say South China Sea buildup is linked to Taiwan, but the report’s scenario is unlikely if war breaks out.

Dalai Lama undergoes left knee surgery in New Delhi

Tibetan spiritual leader had full knee replacement surgery on his right knee in New York in 2024.

California revenue miss, 8% Seoul collapse: AI investors be warned

Broadcom, a US supplier of the chips and networking technology that underpin the global artificial intelligence boom, missed revenue expectations last week. Not by much. On Monday, South Korea’s stock market had fallen more than 8%, Samsung Electronics had lost 10%, SK Hynix

Malaysia’s PAS party cuts ties with Bersatu, says president Abdul Hadi Awang

PAS has decided to end ties with Bersatu after a special meeting, while remaining open to electoral cooperation with the party.

World nears oil operational floor, $200/b without Hormuz deal

The International Energy Agency has made its May report free to download, and the news is not good for the second and third quarters of this year, i.e. April-September. The IEA hopes things will look up in the fourth quarter, but premises that expectation on an early end to the

HK and Bangkok step aside, Vienna’s claim as spy capital is strong

Egisto Ott is no James Bond. But the stories the 63-year-old Austrian told a Viennese jury recently would make good plotlines. Ott worked as an intelligence officer in Austria’s now-defunct Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism. He was also

German, French leaders unable to resolve FCAS fighter jet dispute, sources say

BERLIN, June 8 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have concluded that the companies involved in building a joint fighter jet are unable to reach an agreement, two German government officials told Reuters on Monday.

South Korean President Lee earns praise for pragmatic approach to North and steady diplomacy hand

He said his priority is to engage Pyongyang while normalising relations with neighbouring countries.

Iran attacking Israel seeks to shape the region on its own terms

Iran fired barrages of missiles at Israel for the first time in two months on June 7. The initial trigger was an Israeli strike against a Hezbollah target in the Lebanese capital of Beirut earlier that day, an attack that Donald Trump had only recently asked the Israeli prime

Satellite pics reveal Vietnamese construction boom in disputed Spratly chain

Despite reclamation and aggressive construction on 27 Spratly features, Hanoi can’t catch up to China, experts say.

China’s HQ-16F primed for Taiwan war far beyond the Strait

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

China's Xi vows unwavering support for North Korea's Kim in rare Pyongyang visit

Rupiah’s collapse could trigger a political crisis for Prabowo

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

Don’t bomb Iran, Trump tells Netanyahu, but Israel strikes anyway

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

Finland jails businessman for trafficking Thai berry workers

US disables Iran-bound tanker in Gulf of Oman; Indian crew safe after fire

NEW DELHI, June 8 - U.S. forces disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in violation of the ongoing blockade against Iran, the U.S. military said.

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 35 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