World News in Brief: June 8

Tsunami waves of several centimeters to around 20 cm have been observed along Japan's Pacific coast as well as other parts of the country after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off southern Philippines on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

This photo taken on June 8, 2026 shows a damaged building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, in General Santos City, the Philippines. Fifteen people were reported dead and at least 134 others injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Sarangani province in the southern Philippines Monday morning, authorities said. (Xinhua)
This photo taken on June 8, 2026 shows a damaged building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, in General Santos City, the Philippines. Fifteen people were reported dead and at least 134 others injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Sarangani province in the southern Philippines Monday morning, authorities said. (Xinhua)

* Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Monday lifted its tsunami warning, hours after ordering evacuations of northern coastal areas threatened by tsunami waves following a strong earthquake in the Philippines.

* Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party was leading in the parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results released on Monday. As of 9:15 a.m. local time (0515 GMT) on Monday, the Central Election Commission (CEC) had processed 1,453,780 ballots from 1,980 of the country's 2,005 polling stations.

* Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

* China is willing to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the cooperation among the three countries, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing on Monday.

* China is open and positive in its attitude towards solving economic and trade disputes with the European Union (EU), said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday, adding that China hopes the EU will work together with China to find solutions via dialogue and consultation, and ensure that China-EU economic and trade cooperation continues to benefit businesses and people on both sides.

* The leaders of Britain, France and Germany, collectively known as the E3, on Sunday voiced support for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia aimed at achieving a ceasefire and advancing peace negotiations, following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London.

* Finland's ruling National Coalition Party (NCP) on Sunday backed a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the Finnish Constitution, following a vote at its party congress in Jyvaskyla, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported.

* Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom on Sunday accused Russia of attacking its spent nuclear fuel storage facility near the disused Chornobyl power plant.

* Bangladesh and Turkey have agreed to establish a ministerial-level joint committee as part of efforts to deepen bilateral political and defense ties.

* Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday submitted a written message from Pakistani leaders addressed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The two ministers met in the Iranian capital one day after Naqvi's arrival in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

* U.S. President Donald Trump has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have "no choice" but to accept any agreement reached between the United States and Iran, the Financial Times reported late Sunday.

* U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Sunday after Iran fired missile barrages at Israel in response to airstrikes in Beirut, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported.

* U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iran to stop launching missiles at Israel and return to negotiations after Tehran fired a fresh barrage of ballistic missiles.

* A loud sound of explosion was heard in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Monday, with the country's air defense systems activated, shooting down a "hostile" drone over Tehran.

* The Israeli military said Iran fired two more missile salvos targeting northern and central Israel on Monday amid the most serious escalation in the region since an April ceasefire.

* Israel on Monday morning carried out an airstrike against the Karun Petrochemical Company in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

* Israel's military on Monday asked Israelis to take shelter as more missile salvos from Iran targeted the north and center of the country.

* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said its aerospace forces on Monday morning targeted two "important and strategic" Israeli air bases in retaliation for Israel's attacks earlier in the day against the Gulf country.

* Ali Abdollahi, chief commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned on Sunday that Israel will face more "crushing and regret-inducing blows" if it expands its attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahieh district south of the Lebanese capital Beirut or responds to Iran's action.

* Yemen's Houthi group said on Monday that it had launched a barrage of missiles targeting what it described as sensitive Israeli sites in the Jaffa area and announced a complete ban on Israeli-linked maritime navigation in the Red Sea.

* A high-level meeting of Palestinian factions was held on Sunday in the presence of Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

* Libya's Structured Dialogue, a core component of the UN-facilitated political roadmap, concluded on Sunday.

* Japan's economy grew at an annualized real rate of 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, revised down from the preliminary estimate of 2.1 percent, government data showed Monday.

* Inflation in Bangladesh accelerated to 9.42 percent in May from 9.04 percent in April, the highest level since January 2025, according to the latest Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data.

* The tally of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 515, including 91 deaths, as the health authorities warned on Sunday of continued transmission and the risk of further increases if control measures are not put in place quickly.

* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night announced a series of measures aimed at tackling illegal immigration amid growing public concern over the issue.

* At least 75 people have lost their lives and three others were injured in water-related incidents across Afghanistan over the past two and a half months, the country's National Disaster Management Authority announced on Monday.

Xinhua
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