KOREA - CHINA
Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on 8 and 9 June, his first trip in nearly seven years as Beijing seeks to reaffirm ties with Pyongyang. China has been working to bring Pyongyang – its only formal ally – back under its influence, after the Covid-19 pandemic froze trade and Kim Jong-un deepened relations with Moscow. Pyongyang recently unveiled a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuel, whilst its leader calls for an “exponential” expansion of the nuclear arsenal. In response, South Korea’s Unification Minister has proposed four-way talks with North Korea, the United States and China to discuss peace, emphasising the need for the two Koreas to build mutual trust and peace.
LEBANON - ISRAEL
Hezbollah has rejected the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, signed in Washington in recent days at the conclusion of the latest round of talks between the two sides. In a statement, the leader of the pro-Iranian group, Naim Qassem, described the negotiations as “futile” and “humiliating” for Lebanon, adding that they would be rejected by “large sections of the Lebanese people”. Excluded from the talks, the leader of the Party of God added that the “so-called ceasefire”, interpreted as “Hezbollah ceasing armed struggle and withdrawing fighters from the southern front with Israel”, amounted to “surrender and would have served Israel’s objectives”.
ASIA
Dry, arid weather is crippling crops across Asia, raising concerns about food supplies in the world’s most populous region. Added to this are forecasts linked to El Niño, which could inflict further damage. From the wheat-producing north-western plains of India to Australia’s eastern belt, and from Thailand’s rice paddies to Indonesia’s vast oil palm plantations, heat and below-normal rainfall are damaging crops and forcing farmers to reduce their plantings.
The El Niño-driven drought is a double blow for farmers already grappling with fertiliser and diesel shortages caused by the war in Iran.
BANGLADESH - INDIA
Dhaka claims to have foiled several attempts by Delhi to force people into the country over the past 24 hours, a new chapter in a long-standing dispute over alleged undocumented migration that is set to further strain bilateral relations. The border between Bangladesh and India is one of the longest land borders in the world, stretching for more than 4,000 km and hampering policing and surveillance operations. The Bangladesh Border Guard has stated that it has detected 10 infiltration attempts by Indian authorities along various sections of the border. No comment from the police or the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
BRUNEI
The Sultan of Brunei announced yesterday a major reshuffle of the government, creating new key portfolios and appointing two of his youngest sons as ministers, a sign of potential succession planning in the small, oil-rich sultanate. This is the first major shake-up at the top since 2022 and comes at a time when the sultanate in Borneo is grappling with the consequences of the global energy crisis triggered by the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. Next year, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the world’s longest-reigning monarch who ascended the throne in 1967, is set to celebrate his diamond jubilee.
JAPAN
The outer walls of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Japan, have been damaged by strong winds triggered by the passage of Typhoon Jangmi in recent days. Around 4 square metres of plaster have fallen near the lattice windows of a turret on the north side of the structure. The 17th-century castle in Hyogo Prefecture is known as the ‘White Heron Castle’ due to its white-plastered exterior.
RUSSIA
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has announced that budgetary parameters will be revised and that a general austerity policy will be implemented, specifying that the cuts will not affect defence spending. As uncovered by Financial Times journalists, Siluanov had informed the government in February that there were insufficient funds for the war and that non-military spending needed to be frozen. Whilst this figure stood at around 3 trillion roubles in 2026, it could reach 7.1 trillion by 2028.
KAZAKHSTAN
Sugar production plummets: in the first quarter of 2026, domestic sugar factories produced just 9,500 tonnes, 6.8 times less than in the same period the previous year, according to Orda.kz. Meanwhile, over 30,000 tonnes were exported – three times more than domestic production – with sugar being imported and re-exported.
Domestic sales fell by 30.5%, standing at 104,600 tonnes.
