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South Korea's Samsung Electronics is expected to announce a record domestic investment plan next week, according to local media reports, in a massive bet on AI-driven semiconductor demand. A Samsung store in Shenzhen, China, in April 2024 The 1,000 trillion won (US$650 billion) package, to be announced by the chip giant and the government, is in line with President Lee Jae Myung's agenda for development in regions outside of the capital Seoul. Lee will host a "National Mega P

President Donald Trump recorded around US$1.2 billion in income from his cryptocurrency activities in 2025, according to documents released Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on May 15, 2026 A 1978 law requires the president and vice president of the United States to declare their income as well as their assets. According to the documents, which are more than 900 pages long, Trump received nearly $550 million from h

Jennifer Wicks McNamara has arrived in Hanoi to prepare for her term as the first female U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. Jennifer Wicks McNamara, the first female U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam announced that McNamara and her family arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday as she "looks forward to working with our Vietnamese partners to advance U.S. priorities, strengthen the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and expand opportunities for greater prosp

Prajogo Pangestu, once Southeast Asia’s richest man, has seen his net worth decline by $25 billion in the last six months, driven by the stock plunge of his companies amid a sell-off in Indonesia’s broader market. Prajogo Pangestu, chairman of Barito Pacific Group The 82-year-old energy tycoon is now worth $14.3 billion, compared to $39.5 billion at the end of last year, according to Forbes. The chairman of Barito Pacific Group has lost the title of the richest man in Southea

Singapore will allocate SGD12 million (about US$9.4 million) to develop water-saving and water reuse solutions for the two water-intensive industries semiconductor manufacturing and data centers. A data center in Singapore The initiative was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong at the opening of the Singapore International Water Week on Tuesday.For the semiconductor industry, the funding will support the development of cost-effec

Americans rank Las Vegas the ninth most livable city in the country, but by the metrics that measure livability, it sits 248th, the starkest gap between reputation and reality in a new ranking of all 393 U.S. metropolitan areas. Las Vegas city The 2026 America's Best Cities report, produced by Resonance Consultancy with survey data from Ipsos, scores every U.S. metro on three pillars: livability, lovability, and prosperity. It measures each pillar twice, once on roughly 50 ha

Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday after a thrilling battle in Monterrey finished 1-1 after extra-time. Morocco players celebrate after winning on penalties in their World Cup Round of 32 match against the Netherlands, at the BBVA Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico on June 29, 2026 Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made the crucial save to block the Netherlands' fifth penalty from Crysencio Summerville before

Indonesia is positioning Batam as a global-scale hub for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, as the island industrial zone accelerates efforts to attract investment inflows for a major data center from international technology firms, according to the Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority (BP Batam). A view of a Nvidia logo at their headquarters in Taipei, May 31, 2023 A flagship project driving this ambition is Indonesia's first AI data center initiative led by Austral

China's Jiangxi Yangfeng Art Fireworks Display and Portugal's Macedos Pirotecnia have secured places in the final of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2026, organizers announced on June 28. A fireworks performance from Portugal’s Macedos Pirotecnia at Da Nang International Fireworks Festival in 2026 The two teams were selected by the jury of DIFF 2026 after the qualifying rounds, based on criteria including concept and theme, creativity, pyrotechnic effects,

Blackpink's Lisa owns a collection of supercars and a number of properties, which have helped take her net worth to estimated more than US$40 million. Blackpink's Lisa Blackpink’s Lisa has built an estimated fortune of more than US$40 million through music, luxury endorsements, business ventures, real estate and a growing collection of high-end cars. The Thai-born K-pop star recently showed off a red Ferrari on Instagram Stories, calling it "my new baby." Fans identified the

South Korea's turbulent World Cup ended at the group phase on Saturday and could lead to the international retirement of captain Son Heung-min. South Korea's forward #07 Son Heung-min applauds the fans at the end of the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between South Africa and South Korea at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 24, 2026 After three days of anxious waiting to see if they would squeeze into the knockout rounds as one of the eight third-place

Record heat across Europe has disrupted transport and forced schools and tourist sites to close, with temperatures rising as much as 18 degrees Celsius (32.4 degrees Fahrenheit) above seasonal norms, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor. A person cools off at Trocadero fountain near the Eiffel Tower during a heat wave in Paris, Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Authorities have not said how long the heatwave will last. Meteorologists linked it to an Omega block, a weather pattern

Australia has detected its first suspected mainland case of H5N1 bird flu in a remote part of the country's ​southwest, authorities said on Friday. A person holds a test tube labeled "Bird Flu" in this picture illustration, Jan 14, 2023 A migratory sea bird known as a brown ‌skua found in Western Australia's Cape Le Grand National Park tested positive for avian influenza, and further testing is being conducted to confirm the strain, said state Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarv

U.K. leader Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday following months of pressure, kickstarting a process that will see Britain get its seventh prime minister in a decade. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks outside 10 Downing Street on June 22, 2026 In a speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer - in office since July 2024 - conceded he had lost the support of his Labour party MPs. He said he had informed King Charles III of his decision to resign so that a new L

A fire at a building housing a library and coaching center for college students in India killed at least 14 people on June 22, officials said. Firefighters work to douse the fire at an institute for college students in Lucknow, June 22, 2026 The fire in Lucknow, the capital city of northern Uttar Pradesh state, started from the middle floor of the three-storey commercial building located in a residential area and soon spread to other levels. "Fourteen children from happy fami

Australian police seized a record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden in plastic tubs buried underground on the outskirts of Sydney, detectives said Monday. Police seize 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden in plastic tubs in Sydney It was the largest cocaine haul in Australian history, a joint organized crime investigation force said in a statement. Police allege a Sydney-based organized crime group arranged for a foreign vessel to offload the cocaine in northern Queensland before moving i

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with AFP journalists in the capital Kabul and elsewhere reporting strong shaking. Rescue workers and machinery at an earthquake site The quake was widely felt by AFP journalists across multiple Afghan provinces, as well as in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The USGS recorded the epicentre in northeastern Afghanistan at a depth of 208.3 kilometres (129.4 miles). Buildings rattled in Kabul

Malaysian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle advanced artificial intelligence chips through the country's main airport, customs officials said on Friday, in a case worth nearly US$13 million. Malaysia's customs department officers show a pallet of server units containing advanced AI chips during a press conference on the department's seizure of 72 server units containing advanced AI chips at Sepang, Malaysia, June 26, 2026 A team raided Kuala Lumpur airport's free trade

Thailand's top billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi has raised his ownership in Gulf Development after partner Singtel offloaded SGD1 billion (US$771 million) worth of shares in the Bangkok-based energy and telecommunications company. Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Development Singtel announced it divested a 2.8% stake in Gulf Development to institutional investors through a private placement, generating exceptional gains of approximately SGD140 million, as the Singaporean telecom g

Japan's Osaka Itami Airport was named the best airport in Asia in a global ranking of 279 international airports by flight compensation services provider AirHelp, based on on-time performance, overall experience, and terminal facilities. Osaka Itami Airport in Japan Globally, the airport ranked 12th, ahead of Singapore's Changi (13th). Osaka Itami Airport, the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including its major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, was pr