While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 12, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on June 11 that the deal with China 'is done' and that the relationship was 'excellent'. PHOTO: REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 12, 2025
Deal 'is done', says Trump, on China and US trade truce
China and the US agreed to revive a fragile trade truce after two days of talks in London, further defusing tensions between the two geopolitical rivals.
US President Donald Trump said on June 11 that the deal with China 'is done' and that the relationship was 'excellent'.
Hours earlier, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who led the negotiating delegation in London, called on the US to 'stay true to your words' and 'demonstrate good faith in keeping promises'.
The agreement, which concluded close to midnight on June 10 in London, followed a roller coaster of rising and easing tensions over non-tariff measures, after both sides agreed in May in Geneva to a 90-day truce that sharply lowered tariffs on each other's goods.
READ MORE HERE
Trump admin launches review of Biden-era Aukus pact
President Donald Trump's administration has launched a formal review of a defence pact that former president Joe Biden made with Australia and the United Kingdom allowing Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines, a US defence official told Reuters.
The launch of the formal, Pentagon-led review is likely to alarm Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defence as tensions grow over China's expansive military buildup.
It could also throw a wrench in Britain's defence planning. The so-called Aukus pact is at the centre of a planned expansion of its submarine fleet.
READ MORE HERE
Serbia leader in Ukraine for first time since Russia invasion
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains strong ties with Moscow, made his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022 on June 11 and said he supported the country's 'territorial integrity'.
The Balkan nation with close historical links to Russia has maintained an official policy of neutrality throughout Moscow's three-year war in Ukraine and has denied arming either side.
But in recent days, Russia accused Serbian arms companies of 'trying to stab Russia in the back' by selling munitions to Ukraine.
READ MORE HERE
Fulbright board resigns citing Trump interference
All members of the board that oversees the US State Department's Fulbright Programme, which facilitates international educational exchanges, have voted to resign over alleged political interference from President Donald Trump's administration, the board said on June 11.
The Trump administration had unlawfully 'usurped the authority' of the board by denying awards to a 'substantial number' of people who had already been selected for the 2025-2026 academic year through a yearlong, merit-based process, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board said, in a statement posted on the website Substack.
The department is also putting another 1,200 Fulbright recipients through an 'unauthorised review process' that could lead to more rejections, according to the statement.
READ MORE HERE
Brian Wilson, founder of surf band The Beach Boys, dies at 82
Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, who created some of rock's most enduring songs such as Good Vibrations and God Only Knows in a career that was marked by a decades-long battle between his musical genius, drug abuse and mental health issues, has died at the age of 82.
Wilson's family announced his death in a statement on the singer's website.
'We are at a loss for words right now,' the statement said. 'We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world.'
READ MORE HERE
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
22 minutes ago
- Business Times
Global EV sales rise in May as China hits 2025 peak: Rho Motion
GLOBAL sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose 24 per cent in May compared with the same period a year ago, as strength in China offset slower growth in North America, according to market research firm Rho Motion. Electric vehicle sales in China surpassed over one million units in a single month for the first time this year, driven by strong domestic demand and targeted export efforts from Chinese manufacturers, notably BYD, tapping into emerging markets. BYD's exports to Mexico and South-east Asia, along with Uzbekistan, have significantly boosted sales in these regions, Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester said. Fleet incentives in Germany and robust growth in Southern Europe helped lift the European market, while the expiry of Canadian subsidies dragged on North American demand, he added. US tariff Global automakers face a 25 per cent import tariff in the United States, the world's second-largest car market, causing many of them to withdraw their outlooks for 2025. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up In Europe, new incentives for fleet buyers in Germany are expected to support electric car sales through the second half of the year. Tesla's Model Y production in Berlin shields it from tariffs, yet it faces market share pressures as production ramps up globally amidst shifting trade tensions. President Donald Trump's stance towards emissions standards and uncertainties around tariffs has also hampered EV growth in North America. In the US, tax credits for EVs are still available but will begin phasing out from 2026, contributing to hesitation among buyers. By the numbers Global sales of battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 1.6 million units in May, Rho Motion data showed. Sales in China grew more than 24 per cent from the same month last year to 1.02 million vehicles. Europe posted a 36.2 per cent increase to 0.33 million units, while North American sales edged up just 7.5 per cent to 0.16 million. Sales in the rest of the world rose 38 per cent to 0.15 million vehicles. REUTERS
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
North Korea's Kim Jong Un lauds restored destroyer, says more to be built
Mr Kim Jong Un called for the country to strengthen its maritime military presence in the Pacific Ocean in the face of what he said were provocations by the US and its allies PHOTO: REUTERS North Korea's Kim Jong Un lauds restored destroyer, says more to be built SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended on June 12 the launching ceremony of a warship that had been damaged upon its first attempt to launch, state media KCNA said on June 13. Satellite images had shown ongoing repairs of the 5,000-ton destroyer that had partially capsised in May, after Mr Kim called the accident a 'criminal act' and ordered its restoration before a party meeting in June. Mr Kim said the restoration of the destroyer 'had not delayed' North Korea's attempts to enhance naval power, and said plans were in place 'to build two more 5,000-ton destroyers next year', KCNA said. He called for the country to strengthen its maritime military presence in the Pacific Ocean in the face of what he said were provocations by the US and its allies, KCNA said. 'Soon, enemies will experience themselves how provocative and unpleasant it is to sit and watch the ships of an adversary run rampant on the fringes of sovereign waters,' Mr Kim said in a speech at the ceremony, according to KCNA. 'I'm sure that in the near future, the routes of our battleships... will be opened on the Pacific Ocean toward the outposts of aggression.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump warns Israeli attack on Iran 'could very well happen'
Armoured vehicles of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces are deployed outside the US embassy building in Baghdad's Green Zone on June 12. PHOTO: AFP Trump warns Israeli attack on Iran 'could very well happen' Washington - President Donald Trump warned June 12 that Israel may soon strike Iran's nuclear sites, but urged the key US ally to hold off as he stressed his commitment to a diplomatic solution. Tensions have soared in the region in the last two days with Mr Trump warning of a 'massive conflict' and drawing down US staff. Tehran meanwhile defiantly vowed to increase its output of enriched uranium – a key sticking point in talks with Washington – after being censured by the UN's atomic watchdog. 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,' he told reporters at the White House when asked if an Israeli attack loomed. Mr Trump said he believed a 'pretty good' deal on Iran's nuclear program was 'fairly close', but said that an Israeli attack on its arch-foe could wreck the chances of an agreement. The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation on June 9 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but said: 'I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it.' Mr Trump quickly added: 'Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.' News outlet Axios reported that Mr Trump had said the United States would not participate in any strikes. US troops in crosshairs Mr Trump later appeared to want tensions dialed down in a post on social media, while insisting that Iran must 'give up hopes' of developing a nuclear weapon. 'We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,' Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network. Tensions have rapidly escalated in the past few days amid growing speculation that Israel could push ahead with air strikes on Iran. Mr Trump's Middle East pointman Steve Witkoff is set to hold a sixth round of talks with Iran on June 15 in Oman, which has mediated efforts towards a nuclear deal so far. But Iran has also ramped up rhetorical pressure before the talks, including with a threat to strike American bases in the region if the negotiations break down and conflict erupts. 'If the talks fail, the risk of military escalation becomes much more immediate,' said Mr Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. The United States on June 11 said it was reducing embassy staff in Iraq – long a zone of proxy conflict with Iran. Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees the cleric-run state in Tehran as an existential threat and hit Iranian air defences in 2024. Mr Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza. 'Non-compliance' The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied. Israel again called for global action after the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran on June 11 of non-compliance with its obligations. The resolution could lay the groundwork for European countries to invoke a 'snapback' mechanism, which expires in October, that would reinstate UN sanctions eased under a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by then US president Barack Obama. Mr Trump pulled out of the deal in his first term and slapped Iran with sweeping sanctions. Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as 'extremist' and blamed Israeli influence. In response to the resolution, Iran said it would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location. Iran would also replace 'all of these first-generation machines with sixth-generation advanced machines' at the Fordo uranium enrichment plant, said Mr Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 per cent, far above the 3.67-per cent limit set in the 2015 deal and close, though still short, of the 90 per cent needed for a nuclear warhead. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
