Thursday, 10 Jul 2025

Asia

Asia News – Get latest breaking news & top stories today in Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Australia/New Zealand at…

French carrier jets divert to Indonesia

Seven fighter jets from a French aircraft carrier made unscheduled landings in Indonesia on Saturday because of bad weather during training. The Dassault Rafale jets touched down safely at Sultan Iskandar Muda air force base in Aceh, an Indonesian official told the AFP news agency. They had been due to return to the Charles de […]

Coalition's miracle win in Australia elections due to focused campaign

SYDNEY – Two days before Australia’s election, a betting agency was so confident of the result that it began paying out more than A$1.3 million (S$1.2 million) to those who had bet on a victory for the Labor party. The agency, Sportsbet, could be forgiven for its mistake. Gamblers’ preferences are usually a good predictor […]

ECB's Knot says euro zone inflation is not yet where ECB wants it

MILAN (Reuters) – The euro zone inflation is not where the European Central Bank wants it, ECB policymaker Klaas Knot said in an interview published by Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Sunday. The current situation “is not full convergence to below but close to 2%, I think. We have a figure in mind that […]

Tight security as Indians vote in final phase of mammoth election

KOLKATA (REUTERS) – Indians lined up to vote amid unprecedented security in the eastern state of West Bengal on Sunday (May 19) as the final phase of a massive, staggered election got underway to decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns for a second term. Around 900 million Indians are eligible to vote in the […]

Four more Chinese cities warned over pace of home price growth

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s housing regulator has urged four more cities to prevent their residential property markets from overheating in the latest sign that authorities are not about to relax their grip on the real estate business in order to spur the economy. The cities of Suzhou, Foshan, Dalian and Nanning have been told by […]

China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Plan in Pakistan Takes a Military Turn

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — When President Trump started the new year by suspending billions of dollars of security aid to Pakistan, one theory was that it would scare the Pakistani military into cooperating better with its American allies. The reality was that Pakistan already had a replacement sponsor lined up. Just two weeks later, the Pakistani […]

Huawei founder says growth 'may slow, but only slightly' after US restrictions

SHENZHEN (REUTERS) – Huawei Technologies’ founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei said on Saturday (May 18) the growth of the Chinese tech giant “may slow, but only slightly” due to recent US restrictions. In remarks to the Japanese press and reported by Nikkei Asian Review, Ren reiterated that the Chinese telecom equipment maker has not […]

Hari Raya Bazaar at Our Tampines Hub goes green

SINGAPORE – Ramadan is a good opportunity for Singaporeans to build cohesiveness and forge deeper understandings, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Saturday (May 18) evening. Speaking at the launch of Our Tampines Hub’s annual Hari Raya Bazaar, which is into its third edition, Mr Heng said: “I think as we celebrate this […]

North Korea asks UN chief to address ship seizure by 'gangster' US

SEOUL (REUTERS) – North Korea has asked United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deal with the”illegal” seizure of one of its cargo ships by the United States, state media said on Saturday (May 18). “This act of dispossession has clearly indicated that the United States is indeed a gangster country that does not care at […]

Retired businessman gives another $500,000 to ST fund

Mr Loh Kiong Poot, who decided to give back to help those in need after he retired, donated another $500,000 to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) yesterday. The 75-year-old retired businessman made his first donation, also of $500,000, to the fund in August last year. He now hopes to make this a […]