Schools in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Selangor to close on Oct 9 due to haze

The move follows the shutting of all schools in Johor on Oct 8 and 9 owing to unhealthy air quality.

ICC says former Philippine President Duterte fit to stand trial

AMSTERDAM, Oct 8 - Judges at the International Criminal Court have found that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial, the court said on Thursday.

Dozens protest in Tokyo after Marine accused of murder in Okinawa

TOKYO, Oct 8 - Dozens of protesters lined up in front of Japan's Foreign Ministry on Thursday after a US Marine was accused of killing a woman in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, many holding signs decrying crimes by US service members.

Attack risks rise for tankers as Iran vows to block more Hormuz routes

LONDON, Oct 8 - Tankers are facing a higher risk of attacks and intimidation as they try to get critical shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran issued new warnings it would block routes that it has not authorized, sources said.

Pain at the pump sends Philippine car buyers rushing to EVs, hybrids

EV registrations, including hybrids, surged 130% annually from January to August.

Turkey's foreign minister says Ankara weighing Saudi defence support, rules out offensive role

ANKARA, Oct 8 - Turkey is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants under a joint defence pact with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, ruling out Turkish participation in offensive operations.

Puma Shen’s debut in Taipei mayoral election creates more than waves. But can it translate to votes?

A Taiwanese celebrity who attended Shen's rally has also been mired in controversy over his stance on 'Taiwan independence'.

Teacher who sexually abused pupil back in Indonesia jail after BBC investigation

Mochamad Subchi Azal Tsani had been secretly released on parole in 2025, after serving less than half his sentence.

UK PM Burnham says open to Germany joining GCAP fighter programme

LONDON, Oct 8 - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK was open to Germany joining the GCAP programme, a partnership between Britain, Italy and Japan to build a new fighter jet, after he met Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Thursday.

Bear kills man in home attack near Mongolian capital

Police say the bear entered a traditional nomadic dwelling near Ulaanbaatar, killing a man and seriously injured a woman.

53 companies in Japan hit by Qilin ransomware group: police agency

The cybercrime group began operating around October 2022 and has attacked some 4,000 companies worldwide.

Russia says reports of second case linked to Siberian plague lab are false

MOSCOW, Oct 8 - Russia's health regulator denied on Thursday that someone had fallen ill after coming into contact with a worker at a plague research laboratory in Siberia who died last week.

Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

STOCKHOLM, Oct 8 - Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature \"for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature,\" the award-giving body said on Thursday.

As Munir's military takes on Gulf role, Pakistan's parliament is not involved

ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 - Eleven years after Pakistan's parliament voted to keep the country out of a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015, Islamabad has agreed to rapidly deploy more forces to Saudi Arabia without a parliamentary vote, highlighting the military's grip on foreign

Landmark ASEAN digital pact will guide region on AI, digital economy: Marcos

Parties are also making “good progress” on the code of conduct for the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said at a forum in Singapore.

Indian opposition protest police action against lawmakers, push for poll chief's resignation

BENGALURU, Oct 8 - Indian opposition groups demonstrated for a third day on Thursday, protesting police action against Congress party leaders and demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner over a controversial revision of voter lists.

Bottas arrives in Singapore after 260-mile ride

Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas says he was chased by dogs, saw snakes and leapt over a lizard as he cycled from Malaysia to Singapore for this weekend's Grand Prix.

Pushing back RTS-Link launch to mid-Feb provides buffer for smooth operations: Anthony Loke

The Malaysian Transport Minister said an earlier launch date of January was “technically” plausible but he was seeking “some buffer” to complete the necessary safety assessments and regulatory approvals.

South Korea recalls Ukraine envoy over prisoner-of-war row

It is the latest in a diplomatic spat after Kyiv disclosed that two North Korean prisoners were transferred to Seoul.

How a one-month buffer and JB transport upgrades will prepare commuters for the RTS Link

Malaysian officials welcome it as a convenient buffer to ensure flawless operations.

South Korea says to recall ambassador from Ukraine

Syria considers help in Yemen war after Saudi airports come under Houthi fire

RIYADH, Oct 8 - Syria may deploy troops to help Saudi Arabia fight Yemen's Houthis, a US official and a Syrian defence official said, as the Iran-aligned group steps up its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, killing three people at Saudi airports this week.

India’s Central Asia missile sales spark a new Great Game

A flurry of landmark arms deals is reshaping Central Asia’s strategic landscape, as regional states leverage alternative defense suppliers to assert their sovereignty amid Russia’s waning dominance and an intensifying Sino-Indian rivalry. Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar

China nominates health official Song Li as WHO head

The WHO will release the complete list of nominees after final regional committee meetings, expected in early November.

Israel votes again but the arithmetic hasn’t changed

TEL AVIV – Every Israeli election of the past decade has been sold as the last chance to save the country, and every one has ended in the same place: a long night of counting, followed by weeks of bargaining among men who swore they would never sit together. The vote on October

Batam residents protest against data centre expansion as water shortages worsen

But official denies claims, saying El Nino effect had triggered a prolonged dry season in the country.

Keeping global temperature gain in check is a matter of survival, COP31 president says

NADI, Fiji, Oct 8 - Restricting global warming is a matter of survival and too many countries are shirking their responsibility to cut emissions, the official presiding over the UN's flagship upcoming climate conference said on the final day of the meeting's precursor event on

Rare red carpet in KL for Myanmar’s leader sparks outrage, but signals shifting ASEAN stance

The Malaysia visit came amid deportation of thousands of Myanmar nationals.

Malaysia builds a new ‘Silicon Island’ to house its AI ambitions

The island is also expected to house office towers, hotels and waterfront apartments.

‘Fin-gilantes’: YouTubers pull night shifts to keep watch over stranded Busan shark

The shark had previously been disturbed by nighttime visitors who shone flashlights on her.

China militia boat spotted for first time off Taiwan's east coast, patrol finds

TAIPEI, Oct 8 - A Chinese militia boat was spotted along with two other vessels off Taiwan's Pacific coast in August, according to a surveillance report reviewed by Reuters, the first known sighting of such a craft in the sensitive area.

India’s rate hike a loud warning shot for Modinomics

It’s not often that events in Mumbai reverberate through global markets. But the Reserve Bank of India’s first interest rate hike in almost four years speaks volumes about the chaotic state of play. The inflation slamming Asia’s third-biggest economy and the rupee’s drop to

Indonesia committed to safeguarding all investments, president says

Indonesia has attracted massive investment into its metal industry and smelting, but recent policies have raised concerns from some business players.

Sold 3 times in 4 days: New details emerge of Chinese actor Wang Xing’s ordeal in Myanmar scam hubs

A new Chinese state documentary has also revealed how Beijing made three unsuccessful attempts to persuade powerful crime families in northern Myanmar to shut down their scam operations.

‘Irresponsible’: Foreigners diving into Seoul’s Han River from a bridge spark concern

The incident drew mixed reactions online, with some raising concerns over the risk of accidents.

South Korean youths who threw cash at cafe staff spark wider backlash against teenage boys

The videos drew outrage online, fueling resentment among small business owners towards teenage boys.

Bear kills man in Mongolian capital as sightings rise

Bear sightings have risen in Mongolia, with 24 confirmed sightings so far in 2026 in Ulaanbataar.

Indonesia should count the real cost of its mineral incentives

Every year, the Indonesian government forgoes taxes it could collect. Through tax holidays, rate cuts and exemptions, it courts investment while easing the burden on households and small businesses. Economists call this “tax expenditure” because giving up revenue is another way

Former Bachelor Australia star Sam Wood denied bail over domestic violence charges

The fitness coach is accused of strangling and assaulting a woman while on holiday in Queensland.

China’s funding of development institutions is up sharply, but its power still lags: Study

Beijing’s funding for development banks reached US$3 billion (S$3.84 billion) in 2024, says report.

China border town can’t shake the blues despite promise of bridge to North Korea

While China completed the bridge in 2014, North Korea left its Customs facilities unfinished.

India denies bias in satellite internet approvals after Musk’s ‘oligarchs’ jab

India’s telecoms ministry said 3 entities were at broadly the same regulatory stage.

Veteran Bollywood actor and filmmaker Nana Patekar dies at 75 after cardiac arrest

Patekar enjoyed a career spanning nearly five decades across Hindi and Marathi cinema, winning several National Film Awards and receiving the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in India, in 2013.

Bit by bit, the Taliban is losing control of Afghanistan

Five years after seizing Kabul, the Taliban’s strongest argument for international acceptance rests on control. The Taliban governs every provincial capital and faces no conventional army capable of marching on Kabul. It repeatedly cites improved security as proof that

Five flights, including Malaysian transport minister’s, disrupted by haze at Johor’s Senai airport

Several flights had to be diverted to Kuala Lumpur as well as to Changi Airport in Singapore.

North Korea demands South show ‘utmost respect’ to restore relations

North Korea has denied being behind the explosion.

US opens direct talks with Myanmar's generals, reversing years of isolation

Malaysia to work towards Myanmar's full reintegration into ASEAN, says Anwar

Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing is on a two-day visit to Malaysia as he looks for greater international legitimacy after being installed in April as civilian president.

North Korea demands South show 'utmost respect' to restore relations

DMZ blast exposes heightened dangers along North and South Korea border

Analysts warned that the North’s fortification of the DMZ raises the risk of an unintended crisis.