Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts, forcing airport to close

A highly active volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted several times on Friday (Jun 5), spewing towering ash columns into the sky and forcing a local airport to close, authorities said.

Xi Jinping to meet Kim Jong Un in rare visit to North Korea

China’s president Xi Jinping will meet Kim Jong Un next week in a trip to North Korea, in his first visit in nearly seven years, according to both countries’ state media.

PM Takaichi planning to vsit India in July

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning to make her first visit to India as early as July to meet with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, it was learned Thursday.

Shakira to perform at World Cup opening ceremony

Colombian pop star Shakira will perform her official song for the 2026 World Cup at the competition’s opening ceremony in Mexico.

Five Eyes security alliance warns of Chinese espionage threat

Security ⁠agencies from the “Five Eyes” alliance which includes the U.S. and Britain issued a warning on Wednesday about Chinese spies aggressively using online job platforms to recruit people with access to sensitive information.

US House backs Russia sanctions, Ukraine aid, in latest blow to Trump

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on ​Russia, the latest sign that some Republicans are willing to defy party leaders and push back ‌against President Donald Trump.

UK universities face ban on recruiting foreign students under new immigration rules

The United Kingdom (UK) has introduced new immigration rules that could see universities banned from recruiting foreign students if they fail to meet stricter compliance requirements.

Civic space under siege as Pakistan tightens its grip on dissent

The silence in Pakistan is becoming increasingly political. Protest slogans disappear before they gather momentum. Journalists weigh every sentence against the risk of legal retaliation. Human rights activists operate under growing surveillance.

Iran’s IRGC says ‘no peace in region’ without Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says there will be “no peace in the region” without Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

India set for $2-billion drone order in biggest buy, industry body says

India is likely to order more than $2 billion worth of ​military drones from domestic firms this year in its biggest such purchase, an industry body working with the government told ‌Reuters, as global and regional conflicts boost demand.

Bondi Beach shooting hero charged with domestic assault

The man who disarmed one of the alleged perpetrators of the deadly Bondi Beach shooting has been charged with assault.

Rubio says China cannot erase memories of Tiananmen Square crackdown

Beijing’s censorship cannot erase memories of its 1989 military assault on peaceful demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, U.S. Secretary of State Marco ​Rubio said on Wednesday, ahead of the anniversary of China’s violent suppression there.

US Lawmakers vote to halt military action by Trump

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a war powers resolution seeking to halt American military action against Iran, delivering a rare bipartisan rebuke to President Donald Trump as opposition to the three-month conflict continues to grow.

US House votes to rein in Trump’s war powers in rebuke over Iran

The US House of Representatives passed a measure that seeks to halt President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Iran.

Trump says Iran has agreed to not have a nuclear weapon

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would ​probably meet with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point ‌if things ’’work out’’.

Venezuela’s Rodriguez to discuss energy ties during India visit from June 3-7

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez will visit India from June 3 to June 7, India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, at a time when New Delhi is ramping up ​its crude imports from Caracas.

Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman elected UN General Assembly president

According to results announced by the United Nations on Tuesday, Rahman received 99 votes, defeating Cyprus’s Andreas S. Kakouris, who secured 91 votes.

Hundreds of thousands of EU jobs at risk, Commission to warn

EU countries risk mass job losses in the coming years as high energy costs, industrial restructuring and the green transition weigh on the economy, the European Commission is set to warn.

Top Chinese map-making scientist Zhou Chenghu under investigation in anti-corruption sweep

China’s leading cartographic scientist Zhou Chenghu – the former deputy director of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) – is under investigation for corruption, the country’s top watchdog has confirmed.

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra granted royal pardon

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from the remainder of his prison sentence after being granted a royal pardon, according to Justice Minister Lt. Gen. Ruttapol Naowarat, local media reported Wednesday.

Iran plans three-day funeral for assassinated supreme leader

Iran says it will hold a three-day state funeral for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the Middle East war, at a date to be announced, AFP reports.

Nigeria places 10 states on high alert over Ebola risk

Ten states in Nigeria have been placed on high alert following cases of Ebola virus infection in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, APA reports, citing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump administration drops $1.8 billion ’weaponization’ fund after Republican backlash

The Trump administration is abandoning the president’s nearly $1.8 billion ’’weaponization’’ fund, U.S. Acting Attorney ‌General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday, after a rare backlash from Republican senators.

US and Iran launch new strikes as ceasefire negotiations stalled

The US military says it has launched ’’self-defense’’ strikes on Iran and shot down ballistic missiles and drones fired at ships and Gulf countries.

Peabo Bryson, R&B singer behind Beauty and the Beast, dies aged 75

R&B singer Peabo Bryson, best known for his voice on Disney classics like A Whole New World and Beauty and the Beast, has died aged 75.

Pakistan’s toxic rivers reveal deep governance failure

In parts of Lahore, dark water foams beneath bridges where the Ravi once flowed as a lifeline for agriculture and communities. In Sindh, the vast waters of Manchhar Lake have become increasingly unfit for drinking, fishing or irrigation.

At least 12 people killed, dozens wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities say at least 12 people have been killed and dozens wounded in Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing for a major offensive.

AirTrunk to invest $21 billion in India data centre

Australia’s AirTrunk has signed a letter of intent for land allotment in India’s western state of Maharashtra for a data centre where it will ‌invest $21.05 billion, ⁠the ⁠state’s chief minister said in a post on X.

Lebanon announces partial ceasefire between Israel, Hezbollah but attacks continue

Lebanon announced ​a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has ‌killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Turning a drainage ditch into a $70,000 cash cow: How a village on Beijing’s outskirts reinvented itself

In a village 91 kilometers from downtown Beijing, a once-forgotten hamlet surrounded by over 30,000 acres of peach blossoms is reinventing itself. Cafés, glasshouse lounges, book bars, farmers’ markets, and pet-themed playgrounds now line the village lanes.