China leverages Taiwan’s reverence for Sun Yat-sen to promote ‘reunification’

Shared history fosters cross-strait kinship, but analysts say China’s framing sways only those already pro-Beijing.

5.5-magnitude quake hits Japan’s Chiba prefecture

The quake, measured lower 5 on Japan’s seismic scale, had a depth of about 52km and there was no tsunami threat.

Libya's eastern administration bars entry to Iranians, Afghans

TRIPOLI, Oct 28 - Libya’s eastern-based government banned the entry of Iranian and Afghan nationals through all land, sea and air ports, the government said late on Wednesday.

Election polls in New Zealand continue to show no clear outcome

WELLINGTON, Oct 29 - Nine days out from New Zealand’s general election on November 7, polls continue to show no clear winner or even coalition grouping.

Costa Rica drops bid to join Pacific trade pact, sacks trade minister

SAN JOSE, Oct 28 - Costa Rica's government has withdrawn its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a major trans-Pacific trade pact, and dismissed its foreign trade minister, president Laura Fernandez said on Wednesday.

Will Israeli opposition parties join forces to eject Netanyahu?

Israel’s opposition parties appeared to have secured enough Knesset seats in Tuesday’s elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power and end a four-year reign marked by genocidal war in Gaza and escalating terror and dispossession against Palestinians in the

Myanmar diplomat breaks down as he urges world to 'end our suffering'

Kyaw Moe Tun - Myanmar's representative to the UN - makes an emotional appeal after saying the international community had failed the country's people.

Did Takaichi make a bad bet on Donald Trump?

Of all the leaders of America’s allies, from Europe to Asia, no one has invested more in seeking the favor of Donald Trump than Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. She has met Trump three times in person during her first year in office and offered up tens of billions in

South Korean families demand removal of alleged Itaewon disaster footage in Call Of Duty game

The controversial three-second clip shows paramedics performing CPR on an injured person.

The Mecca pact goes to Tehran. Can it keep the region out of another war?

On Monday, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement did something a defense treaty is not usually built to do. Its members went to Tehran to talk. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın met

Germany weighs role in GCAP fighter jet programme, says Merz on Japan visit

TOKYO, Oct 28 - Germany is examining whether it could play a role in the GCAP fighter jet programme led by Japan, Italy and Britain, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Tokyo on Wednesday, after a rival Franco-German initiative collapsed earlier this year.

Over 370kg in pangolin scales seized in Negeri Sembilan raid

The total value of all items seized was estimated at RM401,700 (S$126,390).

US sanctions North Korean network accused of defrauding businesses

Oct 28 - The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday to target what the Treasury Department said were North Korean government-run schemes that use IT workers to defraud US businesses and generate revenue for Pyongyang's weapons programs.

Thousands of protesters rally in Jakarta against haze, rising living costs

The largely peaceful protest included participants from various universities and civil society groups.

Singapore, Indonesia committed at highest level to resolving bilateral issues: Vivian Balakrishnan

Both sides grappling with issues such as gas cuts, power exports and haze.

Singapore, Indonesia to move quickly on joint haze task force, says Vivian Balakrishnan

The task force would facilitate information-sharing and help authorities in their work.

Iranians cut essentials and put dreams on hold as war-hit economy bites

DUBAI, Oct 28 - Iranian families are cutting back on food, housing and education as the eight-month-old war with the United States fuels one of the country's worst inflation surges in decades, eroding incomes and pushing households to the brink.

Early winter chill grips South Korea

In Seoul, the morning low fell to 4 deg C.

Indonesian students protest rising prices, government’s handling of forest fires

Protesters flocked to two of Jakarta’s busiest thoroughfares, carrying banners critical of President Prabowo Subianto’s policies.

Could humanoid robots soon replace soldiers on the battlefield?

Battlefield robots were once thought of as the stuff of science fiction. But the Ukraine war has put paid to that view, with uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) – or ground robots – taking on an increasingly visible role. In September 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former defense

Hundreds permanently living on a cruise ship forced off in Cambodia due to high fuel prices

The operator of the Villa Vie Odyssey said high fuel prices had made operations prohibitively expensive.

Thailand vows to seize over $1.28 billion from accused scam money launderers

Confiscated assets will go towards compensating scam victims, says anti-money laundering official.

Analysis: As Iran war drags on, airlines pull back on fuel hedges and warn on fares

Airlines that hedge at current elevated prices risk being locked into expensive fuel if geopolitical tensions ease and prices retreat.

Haze in Malaysia: All schools in Selangor to open on Oct 29; use of face masks encouraged

Parents concerned about their children’s health can choose not to send them to school.

Asia’s AI boom could turn from hero to zero overnight

TOKYO — When America’s AI bubble bursts, it will be a bad day for Nvidia and Intel. In Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo, it will be a national crisis. AI has become, almost overnight, what China once was for Asia: the growth engine everyone depends on. Investors from South Korea to

Mbappe's Mao remarks expose costs of crossing China's red lines

SHANGHAI, Oct 28 - Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe's rapid fall from favour in China after remarks about Mao Zedong followed a familiar pattern: online outrage, corporate distancing, platform restrictions and official intervention.

Over 1,000 still in shelters 3 months after 7.1-magnitude quake hit Kumamoto

The quake occurred at around 4.27pm on July 28.

Singapore, Malaysia conclude field exercise to handle emergencies at the RTS Link

Philippines in talks with several countries, including Saudi Arabia, for oil storage

The Saudis announced this week an initial agreement to store crude in Singapore’s rock caverns.

Two more arrested over attack on Rohingya settlement in Johor, bringing total to 15

Police arrested the two local men, aged 27 and 28, around Johor Baru on Oct 27.

Philippine drug war enforcer says bounty puts life in danger

Former national police chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has been in hiding since May.

Devoid of options, flood survivors return to damaged homes in Nepal

Their return reflects the growing dilemma facing flood survivors in Nuwakot and neighbouring Rasuwa districts.

North Korean IP addresses detected probing South Korean financial networks: Report

The authorities urged companies to review their information security systems for anomalies.

Customs seizes over $300,000 worth of cannabis flowers, ketamine at Malaysia airport

Both cases involved shipments with incomplete and false recipient and sender addresses.

Israel’s inconclusive election reveals a sharply divided nation

Israelis turned out in numbers not seen in a generation, and handed both of their would-be prime ministers the same verdict: not enough. On the partial count this morning, neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot’s reaches the 61 seats needed to govern. Both men have

Iran sees only unacceptable ideas in latest mediation to end war, official says

Oct 28 - Qatari mediators have presented Iran with a new draft deal to end the war with the US and Israel, an official briefed on the negotiations said, but a senior Iranian official said Doha had only put forward unacceptable ideas that did not amount to an offer.

Hegseth reassures South-east Asia of US commitment, pledges stronger defence ties

Hegseth said the US would back that commitment with practical cooperation.

Real Madrid apologise to China over Mbappe comments

The clip of the video interview saw Kylian Mbappe talk about being amused by an internet meme of his face photoshopped onto "some guy, think he's a Chinese dictator", an apparent reference to Mao Zedong.

Singapore, Malaysia test emergency response to simulated fire on stranded RTS Link train

The joint field training exercise involved a firefighting operation and casualty evacuation. It comes ahead of the cross-border rail service’s opening in February 2027.

Hegseth proposes 'ambitious' US-ASEAN defence framework at Philippine summit

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged the formation of a new US-ASEAN defence cooperation framework and for strengthened maritime awareness and advanced naval coordination in the region.

Four years after deadly crowd crush, foreign victims’ families return to Itaewon for answers

The disaster on Oct 29, 2022, killed 160 people.

China’s new export curbs draw a line around its AI crown jewels

China is expected to adopt the proposals by the end of 2026 and issue guidelines on implementation later.

Water scarcity, land protests cast shadow over Bengaluru's AI ambitions

Residents in Bengaluru's Electronic City say nearby data centres are adding to pressure on local water supplies, while farmers outside the city oppose plans to acquire land for a township that would include AI-related industries.

Two hundred 'cruise for life' passengers stranded in Cambodia

More than 200 passengers leave Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey in Sihanoukville after the company suspends Cambodia operations and cites surging fuel costs.

Manila’s closer ties to Tokyo not aimed at containing Beijing

For decades after World War II, Japan was seen in Southeast Asia chiefly as an economic partner, a development donor and a source of investment. Security played a minor role in its relations with ASEAN. Today, Japan is a significant security partner for many Southeast Asian

'Nobody heard us' – why Gen Z are leading protests across Europe

BELGRADE/MILAN/BRUSSELS/TIRANA, Oct 28 - Maya Gourdel, a 19-year-old student in Brussels, sits at a desk writing slogans against those running her country: “If we burn, you burn with us!” The slogan, taken from the 2012 film \"The Hunger Games\" that has been adopted as a

Australia’s ABC tells far-right party to stop using ‘Bluey’ character

Bluey is the popular star of an Australian cartoon series featuring canines navigating childhood and parenting in the suburbs.

India vows action after first cheetah shot dead

Rain eases Indonesia's haze, but authorities warn fires could reignite

Two days of rain at the start of the week have eased the haze and improved visibility in parts of Indonesia after months of forest and land fires.

Under Houthi fire, Saudi Arabia looks to China for missile support

Saudi Arabia’s rapid expansion of a ballistic missile factory signals a transformative shift in its pursuit of strategic deterrence. Saudi Arabia is expanding its solid-propellant missile production complex near al-Duwadimi, approximately 200 kilometers west of Riyadh, to