Business
Japan set fiscal 2026 defense spending near 2% of GDP as the Ministry of Defense expanded funding for missiles, drones and air defense.
Malaysia recorded RM68.52 billion in halal exports in 2025, as food and beverage products remained the sector’s largest contributor.
South Korea approved its first paid self-driving freight service, clearing RideFlux to launch autonomous parcel deliveries in June.
South Korea’s auto exports rose 2.2% in March to $6.37 billion as hybrid vehicle demand surged, lifting shipments despite weaker sales in some regions.
IRENA says the world added a record 692 GW of renewable power in 2025, lifting total capacity to 5,149 GW and pushing renewables near half of all power.
Sheikh Khaled and Li Qiang held talks in Beijing as the UAE and China expanded strategic cooperation across trade, investment, energy and technology.
Technology
China launched a Long March-8 rocket from Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into orbit for the seventh Qianfan networking mission.
Jensen Huang says companies will favor workers who use AI well, as Nvidia pushes a broader message that AI fluency is becoming a workplace advantage.
India is preparing a more than 1 trillion rupee ($11 billion) fund for chip design, equipment and supply chains, building on its semiconductor mission projects.
India and Finland elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership in Digitalisation and Sustainability as PM Narendra Modi met Finnish President Alexander Stubb in New Delhi.
The new MacBook Air with M5 doubles starting storage to 512GB, adds faster SSD options up to 4TB, and brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.