BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Sept 21 — Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.

TOKYO, Sept 21 — Record rains in central Japan's Noto region, still recovering from a major New Year's Day earthquake, killed at least one person on Saturday.

CAIRO, Sept 20 — Israeli forces killed at least 27 Palestinians in tank and air strikes on north and central areas of the Gaza Strip today, medics said, as tanks advanced further into northwest Rafah near the border with Egypt.

VIENTIANE, Sept 20 — Participants at the second round of talks between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in Laos have committed to resolving water security challenges across the Mekong and Asean regions, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

TAIPEI, Sept 20 — Taiwan's Constitutional Court has ruled that the death penalty is constitutional but only for the most serious crimes with the most rigorous legal scrutiny, after considering a petition brought by 37 people who are on death row.

CHENNAI, Sept 20 — Samsung Electronics has warned its striking workers in southern India that they will not receive wages if they continue protesting and also face the risk of termination, a company email showed, escalating a dispute between the company and its employees.

YANGON, Sept 20 — Myanmar has received 2.45 million doses of oral cholera vaccines from the World Health Organisation (WHO), reported Xinhua, quoting state-run daily The Myanma Alinn today.

BEIJING, Sept 20 — China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Chinese state television CCTV reported today.

PHNOM PENH, Sept 20 — Cambodia's National Assembly has approved a minor reshuffle of Prime Minister Hun Manet's Cabinet today, with two ministers swapping their portfolios, reported Xinhua.

BUONES AIRES, Sept 20 — A court in Brazil on Thursday fined tech billionaire Elon Musk's companies after some users in the country were able to briefly access the social media platform X, the German news agency (dpa) reported.

JERUSALEM, Sept 19 — The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon today, shortly before the movement's leader was due to give a speech.

DAKAR, Sept 19 — The mpox outbreak in Africa is still not under control, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned today, adding that cases are still increasing in several countries.

SINGAPORE, Sept 19 — A recent survey commissioned by Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) indicates growing support among residents for the death penalty in cases involving “the most serious crimes” like murder and trafficking a significant amount of drugs.

VIENTIANE, Sept 19 — Leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) gathered to exchange views and provide guidance on work plans for the continued development of the region, as well as facilitate trade activities, reported Xinhua, quoting a local news report.

JAKARTA, Sept 19 — Indonesia's tax agency is investigating an alleged data breach that exposed the taxpayer identification numbers of millions of Indonesians, including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, his ministers and his two sons.

SONGKHLA, 19 Sept — The Malaysian Consulate in Southern Thailand has urged Malaysian travellers to remain vigilant about the potential effects of the unpredictable weather conditions in the country.

BANGKOK, Sept 19 — Thailand wants to work with warring sides in Myanmar to repair a key highway cutting through the conflict-ridden country as it seeks to stabilise borders areas and keep trade routes open, Thailand Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said today.

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 — The United States Justice Department yesterday sued the owner and operator of the cargo ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge, in order to recover more than US$100 million (RM424.9 million) in costs, reported the German Press Agency.

BEIJING, Sept 19 — China Development Bank Financial Leasing said its aircraft leasing unit would order 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets, in a boost to the planemaker that has been grappling with a slowdown in Chinese orders and a strike by factory workers.

SÃO PAULO, Sept 19 — Social media platform X became accessible to many users in Brazil yesterday as an update to its communications network circumvented a block order by the country’s Supreme Court.