Mum's viral barefoot race sparks debate over India's education crisis

The 47-year-old ran - and won - a 3km race where she hoped to win enough prize money to buy study books for her daughter.

Our head teacher was an abuser. We joined forces to get justice - now we're married

Students spent years collecting evidence against their Indonesian principal, before falling in love.

‘I can only wait and hope’: Haze hits livelihoods in Sumatra as workers toil in unhealthy air

Wildfires in Indonesia have caused transboundary haze and disrupted livelihoods in Sumatra. In the first of a series, CNA speaks to locals about the toll on their incomes and health.

Commentary: Regional haze casts a pall on ASEAN’s influence

ASEAN’s credibility will ultimately depend on whether it can translate regional commitments into practical results, says an ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute fellow.

Indonesia’s wildfires and haze in Kalimantan cost billions: Families pay the price

One farmer’s losses show how Indonesia’s haze crisis hits households far beyond the smoke.

How to catch a baddie: Inside China’s booming police tech industry

Robotics and embodied AI are strategic priorities in the government’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

A decade after Indonesia’s worst fires, the haze is back. Why does the problem still persist?

A decade of reforms has curbed Indonesia's fires, but cheap burning and patchy enforcement remain.

Turkey says it could help meet Saudi military needs under defence pact

ANKARA, Sept 19 - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia may have military needs due to the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthis and that Turkey was ready to help under a trilateral defence pact that also includes Pakistan.

ASEAN to roll out upgraded trade pact ahead of schedule: Gan Kim Yong

The agreement was due to take effect mid-2027, but the grouping is now moving to bring forward its implementation.

Indonesia extends search for dozens still missing in ferry accident

Search-and-rescue operations typically last for seven days in Indonesia.

Asian Games offer 'deepest apologies' for South Korea anthem blunder

The Asian Games organisers played the North Korean national anthem as South Korea’s hockey team lined up to face Bangladesh.

Jalan Jim Quee, near Johor Bahru checkpoint, will close to private vehicles in 2027

The move aims to ensure smoother traffic flow when the RTS Link begins operations.

Camera drone crashes into Nagoya city building during Asian Games light show

The drone was operated by an organisation whose secretariat is run by the local governments.

Canada optimistic about concluding trade talks with India by year-end, minister says

MUMBAI, Sept 19 - Canada is optimistic about concluding negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with India by year-end, the country's minister for international trade said on Saturday.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke to resign over house arrest granted to ex-PM Najib

Other DAP ministers stay in the Cabinet to prevent further destabilisation of Anwar Ibrahim’s government.

Anthony Loke to resign as Malaysia’s Transport Minister after ex-PM Najib granted house arrest

Japan weather agency warns of landslides, floods as typhoon draws near

Typhoon Dujuan is forecast to make landfall east of Tokyo on Sept 21 with winds of up to 162kmh.

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke resigns over former PM Najib’s conditional pardon, other DAP ministers to stay on

The decision was reached during an emergency meeting of Democratic Action Party's central executive committee on Saturday (Sep 19), a day after Najib Razak’s pardon was granted by the Malaysian king.

Malaysian angling group claims second red-bellied piranha found in river in Pahang

The group could not confirm if the discovery indicated that the species had begun breeding in Sungai Klau.

Malaysian Prisons Department to issue SOPs for Najib’s house arrest, says attorney-general

Najib, 73, has been serving his prison sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022.

Croatian climber fined $7.8k for illegal entry into Mount Kinabalu, apologises to local community

He was injured after falling from the slopes of Mount Kinabalu.

China investigates Meituan and Alibaba units for suspected antitrust violations

China has been cracking down on monopolistic behaviour as Beijing struggles to bolster consumption.

Indonesia accepts Malaysia’s help to tackle Kalimantan wildfires

Indonesia has been battling wildfires for weeks in Borneo and Sumatra.

China state TV affiliate flags Anthropic data and privacy risks

Anthropic has revised its privacy policy 13 times since 2023.

Cloud seeding set for Klang Valley to combat worsening haze in Malaysia

The operations will be led by the National Disaster Management Agency.

Drone owners rush to offload devices ahead of Beijing ban

The new rules – sparked by airspace safety fears – also ban the possession or storage of drones.

The careful calculus behind Vietnam’s BRICS hedge

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Le Minh Hung traveled to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, where he met bilaterally with Narendra Modi and laid out Hanoi’s vision for international cooperation. The visit drew heavy coverage at home, but it did little to change an underlying

Where is the oil money Trump stole from Venezuela’s people?

At any other time in American history, it would end the career of somebody like Scott Bessent, our limited-intelligence Treasury Secretary. It came out yesterday when Illinois Congressman Sean Casten was questioning him about the “billions of dollars” that Trump keeps claiming

When Russian drones show up in North Korea

North Korea is sending increasing numbers of workers to Russia’s premier drone factory located at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. Alabuga is located in the Yelabuzhsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The Yelabuga Drone Factory produces Geran drones (Geran 1,

Death toll from attack at police HQ in Pakistan rises to 31

Attackers had stormed the Old Police Lines complex in the town of Kohat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sep 18.

US-Saudi F-35 fighter deal runs into a China-sized problem

A potential multi-billion-dollar transfer of advanced US stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia has thrust US Middle East policy into a delicate balancing act between regional deterrence, Israeli air superiority and rising geopolitical skepticism. The US State Department approved a

Defence firm Anduril says US delay on Taiwan arms sales affecting its business

TAIPEI, Sept 19 - US defence tech firm Anduril's founder Palmer Luckey said on Saturday that President Donald Trump's delay in approving arms sales to Taiwan is affecting its business and that he has discussed this with Trump.

South Korea justice nominee withdraws in Lee's second cabinet setback as polls slide

Kim Seung-won's exit is the latest fallout from President Lee Jae Myung's cabinet reshuffle in late August.

The liberal Zionist dilemma

There is a particular kind of essay that appears every few years, usually after some fresh convulsion in Jerusalem or Gaza, asking whether “liberal Zionism” can still hold together as a coherent political project. The question is not new. It has haunted the Israeli left since

South Korea justice nominee withdraws in Lee’s second Cabinet setback as polls slide

A Gallup Korea poll released on Sept 18 put Lee's public approval at 37 per cent, the lowest since 2025.

India finds Nestle baby food sample substandard, takes legal action

The scrutiny is the latest in a crackdown on India’s US$100 billion (S$127 billion) food industry which has included surprise factory visits and product testing.

Fund to help ex-Malaysian PM Najib pay fine raises over $198k in 3 hours

His remaining jail term has been commuted to house arrest on the condition that he pays a fine.

Xi Jinping’s US visit will be a test of his power among China’s elite

Xi's leadership will be on full display in Washington ahead of a major political reshuffle next year.

North Korea says its nuclear status is ‘irreversible’ after UN atomic agency rebuke

Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of double standards after it adopted a resolution criticising Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

Beaches on Australia’s west coast to remain shut after fatal shark attack

The victim, a male swimmer, died on Sept 18 after being mauled at Sorrento Beach.

Trump extends push for $100,000 H-1B visas by another year

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 - President Donald Trump has extended an executive order that would impose a fee of $100,000 for H-1B non-immigrant visas by another year, the White House said on Friday.