South Korea

Two fires in Seoul’s Gangnam district leave 19 injured

SEOUL: Two buildings caught fire in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, in southern Seoul, on Tuesday, leaving two people seriously injured and 17 others with minor injuries.

Japan

Japan launches mission to collect samples from Martian moon

MINAMITANE, Japan; Japan launched an uncrewed spacecraft towards the Martian moon Phobos on Tuesday on a mission intended to become the first to collect samples from the small rocky body and return them to Earth for analysis.

AseanPlus News

Australian barber hailed as hero for running to lawmaker's rescue during attack

SYDNEY: Australian barber Ricky Jefferies has been hailed as a hero for running out of his store to detain a man who authorities allege deliberately drove a car into lawmaker Helen Haines in the small town of Wangaratta, an incident that has shocked the country.

Vietnam

Vietnam mobilises troops after heavy rains trigger flash floods and raise risks of landslides

HANOI: Heavy rains lashed much of central Vietnam on Friday and caused flooding in parts of the historic city of Hue, a day after floods and landslides hit the coastal port city of Danang. Troops were mobilised and amphibious armoured vehicles readied for rescue operations, state media reported.

Social media

Why less social media isn’t always better for your mental health

Maybe the answer isn't logging off, but scrolling smarter.

Vietnam

Phu Quoc tops Traveloka’s destination rankings ahead of APEC 2027

HANOI: Phu Quoc has emerged as the leading destination in Traveloka's regional rankings for the third quarter of 2026, ahead of Hangzhou, London, Nagoya and Paris, as the island prepares to host APEC Economic Leaders' Week 2027.

Nation

AKPS chief Shuhaily to be charged at Sepang court tomorrow, confirms A-G

KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney General has confirmed that Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain will be charged at the Sepang Magistrate's Court tomorrow over an incident with two policemen at the airport.

Nation

M'sia in talks for overland route to cut durian export costs to China

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is negotiating with Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to establish overland transit routes for fresh durian exports to China, in a move that could reduce shipping costs and improve access to the lucrative market.

Nation

PN to challenge deregistration

KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional will challenge the validity of its deregistration by the Registrar of Societies (ROS), says its secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.

Philippines

Super Typhoon Rosal enters Philippine territory, wind signal raised in five areas

MANILA: Super Typhoon Rosal (international name: Champi) entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday morning, with Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 raised over parts of Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon, according to the state weather bureau

Aviation

KLIA Aeropolis set to attract aviation, logistics, data centre investments

KUALA LUMPUR: The 3,454-hectare Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Aeropolis development in Sepang is expected to attract more aviation-related industries, logistics operators, hotels and data centres over the next decade, according to Juwai IQI.

Thailand

Thailand arrests 10 South Korean and Chinese nationals in alleged scam network

BANGKOK: Thai immigration officers and South Korean police arrested 10 suspects in Bangkok on Monday (October 19, 2026), in raids targeting an alleged scam network that preyed on South Koreans. Police put the losses at hundreds of millions of baht

Nation

PM: Govt to tighten procedures after weaknesses found in KWAP’s Jakarta investment

KUALA LUMPUR: A recent investment in Jakarta exposed weaknesses in the Retirement Fund, Inc (KWAP) investment process as it relied too heavily on international trends, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nation

Border control chief Shuhaily says ‘ready to face court’ over alleged assault on two cops

KUALA LUMPUR: Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain says he is prepared to face any decision by the country's legal system as he is expected to be charged on Wednesday (Oct 21) over the alleged assault of two policemen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Nation

No evidence to back RM9.5mil graft allegation against minister, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: A claim that a minister received RM9.5mil in connection with a purported corporate crime-linked matter is a political allegation not supported by evidence, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Brunei

Red tide persists in three of Brunei's four districts

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The red tide phenomenon continued to affect the coastal waters of the Belait, Tutong and Brunei-Muara districts as Pyrodinium bahamense, the organism responsible for red tide was still being detected at the affected areas following monitoring conducted by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in collaboration with the Marine Police, Operations Department of the Royal Brunei Police Force, and the Joint Force Headquarters of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), together with laboratory analyses from October 16 to 19, 2026.

Singapore

Brother of convicted money launderer jailed for 12 months, forfeits S$10 million Sentosa property

SINGAPORE; The brother of one of the 10 foreigners convicted in the S$3 billion money laundering case has been found guilty of one count of possessing more than S$17 million in criminal proceeds.

Social media

Australia to sue Facebook, TikTok for alleged breaches of ban

Australia's government is set to sue Facebook, TikTok and other major digital platforms for alleged non-compliance with a nationwide social media ban for under-16s.

Nation

RM4.3bil in assets frozen in financial crime probes since 2022, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Enforcement agencies have frozen RM4.3bil in assets and seized a further RM1bil in their efforts to tackle money laundering and corporate-related offences over the past four years.

Cambodia

Cambodian jet ski legend rides through injury to make World Series history

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian jet ski star Saly Oumouet has become the first Asian competitor to win gold in the top-level Pro AM Runabout Endurance category at the Jet Ski World Series. He achieved the historic feat despite competing with an injury that was later diagnosed as a fractured rib.