Asia Pacific

Donald Trump and Chinese Xi Jinping concluded a two-hour and 15-minute meeting in Beijing. Xi Jinping warned that a lack of mutual understanding regarding Taiwan could lead to open conflict between the two nations.

A gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi province, northern China, has killed 90 people, according to China Central Television (CCTV). Nine people are trapped, and 123 injured have been hospitalized, with two in serious condition and two critical. A rescue operation involving 755 personnel is ongoing.

A court in China has sentenced former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death with a two-year reprieve on bribery charges. According to Xinhua, the sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment without parole after two years, and all personal assets have been confiscated.

The Philippine House of Representatives has voted to impeach Sara Duterte, with 255 members voting in favor of the articles of impeachment. The case will now proceed to the Senate for trial.

At least 45 people were killed, 17 missing and 487 injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on Monday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Wednesday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced early Monday that the United States and Iran had reached a peace agreement following intensive negotiations, with an official signing ceremony scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland.

The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.0 percent from 0.75 percent, the highest in 31 years, at its June 2026 board meeting, citing inflation risks and a weak yen. Governor Kazuo Ueda was absent due to hospitalization for a hepatic cyst infection. The bank also announced a slowdown in government bond purchase reductions starting April 2027.

A powerful earthquake has struck Japan's Gunma and Saitama prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Tokyo stocks rose sharply on June 18 after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their countries' conflict, analysts said. The Nikkei index gained 1,151.24 points to close above 71,000 for the first time.

Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a three-day state visit, marking the first such trip by a sitting American president in nine years. He is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Xi Jinping regarding trade, technology, tariffs, and regional security issues including Iran and Taiwan.

A powerful explosion at a building reportedly used to store mining materials in Myanmar's rebel-held Shan state kills over 45 people and injures 70.

Iran's state news agency IRNA publishes text of Islamabad memorandum of understanding between Iran and US outlining roadmap to end military conflict and negotiate final agreement

Chinese Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have commenced formal negotiations in Beijing. Separately, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

South Korea's KOSPI index fell nearly 10 percent after the country's financial regulator issued a caution regarding leveraged exchange-traded funds.

President Donald Trump has canceled a planned trip by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran. The conflict has now entered its ninth week with thousands reported killed and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed.

Pakistani official says US and Iran delegations will meet with Pakistani mediators, according to ABC. Direct US-Iran meeting may take place Sunday if initial talks succeed.

A train bombing in Pakistan killed more than 30 people, according to an official.

A fire ripped through a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, many of them foreign nationals, police and local media said.

A Seoul court has found former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of sending drones to Pyongyang to provoke a military confrontation with North Korea meant to create grounds for declaring martial law in 2024.

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island, according to the country's geophysics agency.

Kim Jong Un says North Korea will build two Choe Hyon-class warships annually over the next five years as it advances the nuclearization and strategic expansion of its navy, KCNA reports.

Gunfire has been reported inside the Philippine Senate building during a standoff between federal agents and a senator facing charges of crimes against humanity.

Japan's government has issued an emergency earthquake warning for Miyagi, Aomori, Iwate, Fukushima, and Akita prefectures.