While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 27, 2025
A man taking a photo of a residential building in Tehran that was hit by an Israeli missile, with the damaged part covered by a large Iranian flag, on June 25. PHOTO: AFP
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 27, 2025
Iran says no plan for new US nuclear talks
Iran on June 26 denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of US strikes.
The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, yet President Donald Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope 'for a comprehensive peace agreement'.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was 'speculation' that Tehran would come to the table and said it 'should not be taken seriously'.
Mr Araghchi's denial came as Iranian lawmakers passed a 'binding' Bill suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Mr Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
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US' Rubio to welcome Asian 'Quad' back to Washington
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will welcome counterparts from the 'Quad' – Australia, India and Japan – to Washington on June 24, in an at least brief re-focus on Asia, the State Department announced.
Mr Rubio had welcomed Quad foreign ministers on Jan 21 in his first meeting after President Donald Trump's inauguration, seen as a sign that the new administration would prioritise engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.
Since then, much of Mr Rubio's attention has been on the Middle East, with the United States bombing Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel, and on Ukraine, as Mr Trump unsuccessfully seeks a ceasefire in Russia's invasion.
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Harvard contingency plan for international students
Harvard University and the University of Toronto have unveiled a contingency plan that would allow select Harvard graduate students to continue their studies in Canada if US visa restrictions prevent them from re-entering the United States.
It is the first international student backup strategy announced since the US Department of Homeland Security moved in May to strip Harvard of its ability to enroll international students. A federal judge has since blocked the government's move.
In response to potential US visa challenges, students at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government who are unable to return to the United States will have the option to continue their studies through a visiting student programme at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
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Anna Wintour steps down as editor of US Vogue
Magazine legend Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor of fashion bible US Vogue after 37 years in the post, US media reported on June 26.
British-born Wintour, 75, has been one of the most influential and formidable figures in fashion and magazine journalism for decades, famous for her ever-present sunglasses and unchanging bob haircut.
She was widely seen as the inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada, a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, in which the role of a tyrannical magazine editor was played by Meryl Streep.
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Man City destroy Juve to top group at Club World Cup
Manchester City secured top spot in Group G of the Club World Cup with a 5-2 thrashing of Juventus on June 27, exposing the Serie A side's defensive frailties in emphatic fashion.
With both teams already through to the knockout stage, City underlined their status as title favourites by becoming the only team to finish the group phase with three wins, showing flashes of their brilliant selves.
Pep Guardiola's side finished three points clear of Juventus, who will face the winners of Group H in the last 16.
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Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
US reshoring spurs opportunities for Singapore in semiconductor, med-tech, other high tech sectors: RHB
[SINGAPORE] US reshoring efforts present strategic opportunities for Singapore to deepen its role as a high-value manufacturing hub and a crucial partner in global supply chain diversification, a RHB Research report released on Wednesday (Jun 25) indicated. US President Donald Trump has made US reshoring, or a shifting of manufacturing back to the country, one of his priorities. Earlier this year, as he slapped tariffs on the country's trading partners, he declared that tariffs will accelerate reshoring. These efforts are set to reshape global supply chains, and present a mixed landscape of challenges and opportunities for highly open, trade-reliant economies like Singapore, said RHB. 'As a key player in international manufacturing and a hub for high-tech production, Singapore faces mounting pressures from shifting investment flows, evolving trade patterns, and rising geopolitical uncertainty,' the bank said. 'The potential redirection of global capital and production back to the US challenges this positioning, especially in sectors where Singapore has built strong capabilities, such as electronics and precision engineering, it added. Singapore's manufacturing is focused on high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, precision engineering, med-tech, as well as pharmaceuticals and chemicals. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The city-state is a key player in global semiconductor supply chains, accounting for about 10 per cent of worldwide chip production and 20 per cent of semiconductor manufacturing equipment output. Manufacturing accounts for approximately 20.6 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product as of 2024, RHB noted. Nevertheless, US reshoring will still spur promising opportunities for Singapore to 'thrive' amid these global economic uncertainties, RHB said. 'On the other hand, we believe that the US' reshoring efforts could also present strategic opportunities for Singapore, both as a high-value manufacturing hub and as a key partner in global supply chain diversification over the long term,' it said. 'We see immense potential for progress in high-value segments, such as semiconductor manufacturing, advanced electronics (including artificial intelligence), medical and pharmaceutical-related technologies, and renewable energy technologies, RHB added. Singapore could benefit, the bank explained. While the 'China Plus One' strategy encourages companies to diversify manufacturing bases beyond China, Singapore is increasingly favoured for its political stability, strong governance, robust intellectual property protection. Growth in high-value, knowledge-intensive manufacturing: as firms move routine, labour-intensive activities back to the US or to lower-cost regional alternatives, Singapore is well-positioned to capture the more sophisticated, technology-driven segments of the value chain. Recent investment trends highlighted Singapore's growing role in knowledge-intensive manufacturing. In 2024, manufacturing fixed asset investments reached S$11.1 billion, largely focused on semiconductors and biomedical sectors. 'While routine and lower-cost production may return to the US, American firms are likely to continue relying on Singapore for advanced, niche processes that require precision engineering, automation, and regulatory compliance,' said RHB. Singapore's strategic focus on regional integration and digital trade: It's anchoring itself within a more interconnected and diversified Asean, and leveraging initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Singapore complements lower-cost Asean manufacturing hubs by offering centralised research and development, testing, logistics management and regional headquarters functions, report indicated. This allows Singapore to serve regional production networks and reshoring-driven firms.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US talks to Pakistan about promoting 'durable peace between Israel and Iran'
FILE PHOTO: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran, May 26, 2025. Iran's presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo US talks to Pakistan about promoting 'durable peace between Israel and Iran' WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a call on Thursday in which they discussed promoting "a durable peace between Israel and Iran," the State Department said in a statement. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT President Donald Trump, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire between U.S. ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. Trump met Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last week where they discussed Iran, which Trump said Pakistan knew about better than most other countries. A section of Pakistan's embassy in Washington represents Iran's interests in the United States, as Tehran does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S. KEY QUOTES "The two leaders acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. "Secretary Rubio emphasized Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." CONTEXT The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. The U.S. struck Iran's nuclear sites over the last weekend and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation, before Trump announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel is not. Pakistan condemned Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran even as it said earlier this month it was nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing a four-day India-Pakistan conflict to an end last month. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
3 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Iran turns to internal crackdown in wake of 12-day war, World News
ISTANBUL/BAGHDAD — Iranian authorities are pivoting from a ceasefire with Israel to intensify an internal security crackdown across the country with mass arrests, executions and military deployments, particularly in the restive Kurdish region, officials and activists said. Within days of Israel's airstrikes beginning on Friday (June 13), Iranian security forces started a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints, the officials and activists said. Some in Israel and exiled opposition groups had hoped the military campaign, which targeted Revolutionary Guards and internal security forces as well as nuclear sites, would spark a mass uprising and the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. While Reuters has spoken to numerous Iranians angry at the government for policies they believed had led to the Israeli attack, there has been no sign yet of any significant protests against the authorities. However, one senior Iranian security official and two other senior officials briefed on internal security issues said the authorities were focused on the threat of possible internal unrest, particularly in Kurdish areas. Revolutionary Guard and Basij paramilitary units were put on alert and internal security was now the primary focus, said the senior security official. The official said authorities were worried about Israeli agents, ethnic separatists and the People's Mujahideen Organisation, an exiled opposition group that has previously staged attacks inside Iran. Activists within the country are lying low. "We are being extremely cautious right now because there's a real concern the regime might use this situation as a pretext," said a rights activist in Tehran who was jailed during mass protests in 2022. The activist said he knew dozens of people who had been summoned by authorities and either arrested or warned against any expressions of dissent. Iranian rights group HRNA said on Monday it had recorded arrests of 705 people on political or security charges since the start of the war. Many of those arrested have been accused of spying for Israel, HRNA said. Iranian state media reported three were executed on Tuesday in Urmia, near the Turkish border, and the Iranian-Kurdish rights group Hengaw said they were all Kurdish. Iran's Foreign and Interior Ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Checkpoints and searches One of the officials briefed on security said troops had been deployed to the borders of Pakistan, Iraq and Azerbaijan to stop infiltration by what the official called terrorists. The other official briefed on security acknowledged that hundreds had been arrested. Iran's mostly Sunni Muslim Kurdish and Baluch minorities have long been a source of opposition to the Islamic Republic, chafing against rule from the Persian-speaking, Shi'ite government in Tehran. The three main Iranian Kurdish separatist factions based in Iraqi Kurdistan said some of their activists and fighters had been arrested and described widespread military and security movements by Iranian authorities. Ribaz Khalili from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) said Revolutionary Guards units had deployed in schools in Iran's Kurdish provinces within three days of Israel's strikes beginning and gone house-to-house for suspects and arms. The Guards had taken protective measures too, evacuating an industrial zone near their barracks and closing major roads for their own use in bringing reinforcements to Kermanshah and Sanandaj, two major cities in the Kurdish region. A cadre from the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), who gave her nom de guerre of Fatma Ahmed, said the party had counted more than 500 opposition members being detained in Kurdish provinces since the airstrikes began. Ahmed and an official from the Kurdish Komala party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, both described checkpoints being set up across Kurdish areas with physical searches of people as well as checks of their phones and documents. [[nid:719404]]
