Thai police hunting financier behind $3.8m counterfeit cough medicine ring

Items seized include production machinery, mixing tanks and packaging materials.

'Failing, chaotic, musical chairs': Teams slam Asian Games organisers

Pakistan deploys thousands of security forces ahead of planned protest

Authorities in Islamabad blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers.

Man, 85, fined for molesting 16-year-old girl in Penang

Yong Lip Fook pleaded guilty to using criminal force with intention of outraging the 16-year-old's modesty.

Malaysian woman, 62, loses $238,500 to scammers in a bid to attain Singapore PR

The woman made 123 transactions over about three months to various bank accounts.

Ukraine war speeding lethal race toward fully autonomous drones

A battlefield dominated by fully autonomous drones capable of selecting and engaging targets without human intervention sounds like a dystopian sci-fi plot. And while that scenario has not yet arrived, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has moved modern warfare a notch

India takes battle against junk food to shops near schools

No shop within 50m of schools can carry products high in fat, salt and sugar.

Teen rocker Nene Royal becomes first Thai to win America's Got Talent

Her heavy metal performance trumped nine other finalists, including magicians and even a robot crew.

Poland suspects fire at Starlink station was act of sabotage

WARSAW, Sept 24 - A fire broke out on Wednesday evening at a ground-based Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland providing connectivity for the region, including Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said, adding the systems were now operational.

Indonesia court reduces Gojek founder’s sentence to 9 years in appeal hearing

Nadiem Makarim was found him guilty of abusing his authority during the procurement of Google Chromebooks for schools.

Turkey's Erdogan says equal climate pace unrealistic due to financing gaps

ANKARA, Sept 24 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said it was unrealistic to expect all countries to make the same progress on climate policy while inequalities in access to financing and technology persisted, adding he expected support from all nations for Turkey's COP31

Stop mad Donald’s Iran war: open letter to the US Congress

Dear Members of Congress, In truly deranged remarks to world leaders at the UN, Donald Trump declared that “I have a big decision to make,” whether to negotiate a deal with Iran or instead to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” and drive Iran “into hell with no chance of

Najib Razak’s crowdfunding drive draws support and ridicule, including one-cent donations

The “Najib Razak Solidarity Fund” by UMNO party has raised more than RM1 million (US$244,530) for the former premier to pay a fine required to serve his remaining jail term at home. A legal expert says there are no specific laws in Malaysia governing crowdfunding of this nature.

How US blindly ceded its rare earth dominance to China

Look around you, and you’ll see rare earth elements at work. A phone vibrates because a magnet moves a weight. Its screen was polished with cerium powder. Its connection to the rest of the world crosses oceans on cables amplified with erbium. If you drove today, a rare earth

Trump welcomes Xi to Washington looking for a trade win

WASHINGTON, Sept 24 - US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a lavish state summit expected to be heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with both leaders keen to showcase stable ties despite a deep underlying

A diplomatic split screen as Trump and Xi meet

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 - While world leaders gather at the United Nations for their annual diplomatic ritual, the two biggest power brokers in global politics will sit down in a different venue on Thursday: the White House.

Philippines bets on Luzon corridor to fix its jobless growth

The Philippines has a growth problem that GDP statistics miss. Although the economy has expanded rapidly for most of the past decade, many Filipinos still cannot find work— or work that matches their skills. The most recent labor statistics make the point plainly. In July 2026,

Turkey's Erdogan tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy that Black Sea attacks are inexplicable

ANKARA, Sept 24 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy that attacks by Russia and Ukraine on commercial vessels in the Black Sea were inexplicable and steps must be taken to stop these, according to a readout from his office on Thursday.

Taiwan thanks US for its support ahead of Trump-Xi summit

China considers Taiwan a "red line" issue and Xi aims to stop US arms sales to Taiwan during the summit.

North Korea to keep nuclear weapons ‘forever’: Foreign minister

Choe Son Hui dismissed the South Korea’s renewed calls for a denuclearised Korean peninsula.

Pakistan says it launched air strikes on Afghanistan over drone attacks

Sept 24 - Pakistan conducted airstrikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan that it said were being used to launch and store drones, some of which had been used against Pakistan a day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday.

China is holding sensitive F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong: Sources

At least two US congressional committees are investigating how the parts fell into Chinese hands.

US and Indian top diplomats discuss Russia sanctions bill signed by Trump

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar discussed on Wednesday US measures that could be leveled against countries that engage economically with Russia and Iran, with New Delhi reiterating concerns over a sanctions bill

Trump offers warm welcome as China's Xi arrives for US visit

The US treasury secretary said that the US and China had reached an agreement to extend a trade truce as Xi began his visit.

North Korea to keep nuclear weapons 'forever', says foreign minister

Nana apologises over lip filler controversy in Netflix’s The Scandal

Critics said the look felt out of place for the historical setting and did not suit her character.

Taiwan upgrades maritime patrol capacity for vulnerable South China Sea outpost

Taiwan's Coast Guard said its patrol and enforcement capacity has been “comprehensively upgraded”.

Malaysia’s migrant return plan chills Myanmar Rohingya

The majority of Rohingya now live over the Bangladesh border, while Malaysia is the second-largest host nation.

Nepal flood victims look to PM Shah to press climate case at UN

Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah will press for international support at the UN General Assembly after the disaster that killed more than 1,400 people in his country and China's Tibet.

Saddam Hussein used James Bond director to tell Iraq story

From the beginning of his brutal reign in Iraq, Saddam Hussein could claim an unusual credit: film producer. After Saddam became president in 1979, his cousin played him in “The Long Days.” The film dramatized Saddam’s role in a failed 1959 attempt to assassinate Iraq’s

On the ground in Washington: MAGA hats, protests and Chinatown hopes as Trump and Xi meet

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that younger Americans rate China more warmly than older Americans.

S Korea shouldn’t apply double standard to inherited political guilt

When South Korean actress Ha Young spoke on television in August about four generations of doctors in her family, she praised the medical accomplishments of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho. Subsequent scrutiny linked Ahn to the Daejeong Friendship Association, an

New jihadist coalition pushes Pakistan-Afghanistan to crisis point

The suicide bombing and gun attack that killed dozens in northwest Pakistan on September 18, 2026, highlighted the fragile security situation in the South Asian country. But it also shone a light on the complex and evolving extremism landscape there and the strained

North Korean IT contractor found remote work in New Zealand

The worker reportedly used a false persona including fake identity documents.

Ukraine sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskiy says

UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL, Sept 23 - Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Indians are discovering the thrill of shopping without paying

Dopamine sites mimic shopping’s thrill without the spending, turning the ritual of consumption into a digital game.

Photos: China’s Xi Jinping receives rare welcome as Trump summit begins

The greeting broke with normal protocol, where U.S. presidents receive State Visit guests at the White House.

A red carpet and military flyover - How Trump welcomed Xi

The two B-1 bombers that flew overhead are a key part of the US's combat arsenal, and produce a notoriously loud roar when they pass by.

Lee Jae Myung discussed warship construction with Trump: South Korea

Lee expects tangible results from bilateral cooperation, his office said.

As Xi lands in Washington, Uyghurs and Tibetans press Trump for human rights showdown

Exile advocacy groups are hopeful that summit will include talks on religious freedom and ending genocide.

North Korea conducted test of upgraded rocket launcher system: State media

The rockets are able to strike targets 100km away in a trajectory flight mode.

North Korea conducted test of upgraded rocket launcher system, KCNA says

SEOUL, Sept 24 - North Korea conducted a test firing of an upgraded 240mm guided multiple rocket launcher system on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday.

Trump should press Xi to stop support for Iran, Democratic senator says

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 - US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said on Wednesday President Donald Trump should press Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit this week over China's support for Iran, saying that Chinese firms were helping Tehran economically and militarily.

AI superpower ambitions take centre stage as Trump and Xi meet

The US and China are vying for AI supremacy while seeking to keep it under human control.

‘Fire after fire’: What Sumatra reveals about Indonesia’s recurring haze problem

Wildfires in Indonesia have caused transboundary haze and disrupted livelihoods in Sumatra. In the last of a three-part series, CNA looks at why the fires persist despite bans and crackdowns - and what it will take to stamp them out for good.

Commentary: Return of tensions in the South China Sea was a matter of time

Clashes on the water between China and the Philippines have become sharper and more frequent after two years of relative quiet, says Andrew Chubb from the Asia Society Policy Institute.