Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul fined over ant dessert

Dried ants were imported and used as a garnish on a sherbet dessert.

AI military risks spark concern at China security conference

BEIJING, Sept 17 - A range of delegates to China's flagship defence conference this week expressed fears over the potential for unchecked AI development and technology rivalries to further heighten risks across the global security environment

Fatal Malaysian school stabbing: Victim’s mother urges public to back petition for appeal

The mother also appealed to legal professionals to provide the family with guidance and assistance.

Russia taps North Korean workers to make drones under fake visas

The move gave Pyongyang a key source of revenue to fund its unlawful weapons programmes.

Asian Games chief defends 'functional' rooms after backlash

Japan PM reshuffles Cabinet, keeps key ministers, coalition ally gets post

The reshuffle signalled prioritising continuity as Sanae Takaichi enters the second year of her premiership.

Should China really be teaching Indonesia how to negotiate?

Last week, Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs sent 32 officials to China for a 14-day training course on how to negotiate international economic deals. The Academy for International Business Officials, a school under China’s Ministry of Commerce, is running

India faces 100% tariff threat over Russian oil after US House vote

Trump’s tariff threat puts India’s Russian oil strategy- and its access to the US market - in a new bind.

Indonesia president calls for stricter sanctions against forest fire perpetrators

The country is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with El Nino weather conditions parching forests and fields.

Climate change likely to have helped trigger Nepal glacier collapse, scientists say

Rapidly warming temperatures in the region have caused glaciers to thin and have melted ice and permafrost buried deep in the bedrock of the Himalayas, according to the researchers.

Climate change likely played role in Nepal-Tibet flood, study finds

More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the deluge on 26 August.

Indonesia cash-for-photos scheme turns animal hunters into protectors

The KentahiKu project deters hunting by making animals worth more alive than dead.

Australia cracks down on student and backpacker visas to curb migration

The reforms are expected to bring annual net migration down to about 225,000 by 2028.

International students, 'visa hoppers' and backpackers targeted in Australia migration crackdown

The government wants to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 people by 2028.

US, China security experts propose nuclear-style safeguards for AI risks

BEIJING, Sept 17 - An AI system that interferes with a nuclear command network or launches a military cyber operation could leave Washington or Beijing with minutes to decide whether the other government attacked, according to U.S. and Chinese security experts.

'We simply want to help people': Indonesia army chief on why it is building thousands of bridges, wells

General Maruli Simanjuntak tells CNA in an exclusive interview why the building of bridges and digging of wells by the military is consistent with Indonesia’s defence philosophy.

More than 1,000 children dead in Bangladesh measles outbreak

Until March this year, Bangladesh had made "substantial progress" towards eliminating measles.

Tropical storm set to drench Tokyo over long holiday weekend

The system will likely bring heavy rainfall to a part of eastern Japan, including Tokyo.

Houthis have further tightened their grip on the Red Sea

In recent days, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have moved with lightning speed along the Red Sea coast, taking control of the vital port of Mocha and strategic islands in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This strait is an important chokepoint along the sea route that

Fiji declares HIV a national emergency as cases surge

One in 60 adults in the tiny Pacific nation of less than a million people are living with the virus.

Resistance airbase hit heralds a wider drone war in Myanmar

It was an operation far too long in the making, but even if late in the fight, Myanmar’s armed opposition finally achieved the coup their supporters had almost despaired of seeing: a concerted drone attack on one of a network of air bases that for nearly six years have served

North Korea says US-led arms buildup justifies expanding nuclear force

Sept 17 - North Korea's vice defence minister said on Thursday that a growing U.S.-led military buildup and what he called an expanding nuclear alliance among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo justified Pyongyang's efforts to strengthen and expand its nuclear forces.

North Korea says US-led arms build-up justifies expanding nuclear force

Pyongyang accused the US of turning trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan into a nuclear alliance.

China’s EVs, LLMs and the stopping power of the real world

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see. – Queen Shortly after moving from Hong Kong to Beijing in 2022, yours truly saw a BYD Han with a deep crimson metallic paintjob and thought

Indonesian rescuers plan to right capsized ship as weather hampers search for 129 missing people

Turning the ship upright would normally take about 24 hours, but it could take longer with complications.

Samoa charges two over killing of Australian in Vietnam

The two appeared in court on Sept 16 and were granted conditional bail.

Casinos posing as beauty salons spur Philippine digital payment review

Mom and pop stores were also among the enterprises used by over 8,000 merchants for allegedly illegal activities.

Fiji declares HIV a national crisis as diagnoses surge

WELLINGTON, Sept 17 - Fiji has declared HIV a national crisis after new diagnoses climbed 27% last year, intensifying concern that an epidemic once concentrated among people who inject drugs is spreading more widely through the Pacific island nation.

US allies fret over how Trump might play his Taiwan hand with Xi

TOKYO/TAIPEI, Sept 17 - US allies in Asia are growing anxious that President Donald Trump may be tempted to soften Washington's support for Taiwan in return for an economic win with Beijing as he prepares to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week.

Kyoto mayor who became Japan’s first mayor to take maternity leave gives birth to baby girl

Shoko Kawata is said to be Japan’s first sitting mayor to take maternity leave.

Kim's sister says only 'idiots' believe North Korea will give up nukes

Sarawak steps up monitoring of orangutans as haze and heat persist

At the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, rangers have stepped up surveillance in recent weeks, using drones to monitor hotspots and assess how the haze and hot weather could be affecting the primates, a major draw for Sarawak’s ecotourism industry.

Impoverished by war in Iran, Afghan migrants return to Taliban rule

ISLAM QALA, Afghanistan, Sept 17 - Mohammad Saeed had just turned 18 when he fled to Iran with his parents and younger brother and sister, escaping the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Indonesian govt prepares fines in digital child safety rules

Officials say social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok have yet to fully meet obligations.

Timeline: From budget-airline pioneer to financial strain - how did AirAsia get here?

Bought for RM1 in 2001, AirAsia grew from a struggling Malaysian carrier into one of Asia’s best-known low-cost airline groups, but more than two decades later, it is facing mounting financial pressure from debt and rising fuel costs.

Thai protest leader who seized Bangkok airports in 2008 launching ‘Take Back Thailand’ campaign

His campaign seeks to harness anger over living costs and corruption, among other issues.

Viral moment for Manila showcases South China Sea dispute, but status quo remains

Experts say that increased awareness of Philippines’ legally-backed maritime claims may not yield concrete results.

Australia to bar foreign students from bringing partners, children while they study

SYDNEY, Sept 17 - Australia will stop foreign students from bringing their partners and children to accompany them while they study and tighten rules for temporary migrants to switch visas, media reported on Thursday, ahead of a minister's speech on immigration changes.

China considers BYD to join Xi’s CEO entourage for Trump summit

Senior officials are reviewing a list of Chinese business titans for Xi's state visit to US slated for Sept 24.

Fiji declares a national emergency as HIV cases skyrocket

Surging drug use has contributed to the epidemic in the Pacific island nation.

Japan's Takaichi set to signal policy continuity in cabinet reshuffle

TOKYO, Sept 17 - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to retain key ministers in a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, while looking to shore up political support to push through her flagship spending plans amid jittery financial markets.

Japan PM Takaichi set to signal policy continuity in Cabinet reshuffle

The reshuffled Cabinet will enter Parliament debate over key fiscal issues such as sales tax cuts.

Kim Jong Un’s sister says only ‘idiots’ believe North Korea will give up nukes

North Korea has legally enshrined its status as a nuclear weapons state.

Ahead of Xi’s US visit, Jimmy Lai’s son urges release of media mogul

Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for foreign collusion and seditious publication.

Australia to target family visas to curb migration, says report

The plan will focus on those who move from one visa class to another, students and temporary workers.

Inside Singapore's 'Fort Knox' for city's $2bn dirty money auction

The BBC goes inside a fortified storage facility to view luxury goods seized by police that are now up for auction.

No fire alarms or sprinklers at Pakistan hospital ward where 14 babies died, report finds

A firefighter tells the BBC that rescuers had said many doors near the unit were locked, obstructing their route to the babies.