North Korea on Thursday unveiled a new facility believed to produce fuel for nuclear weapons, with leader Kim Jong Un pledging to expand the country's nuclear forces “at an exponential rate”. Photos suggested the site may be a uranium enrichment facility. Kim has repeatedly cited US-led military threats as underpinning the need for his country to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal. 

After almost three months of being cut off from the world, internet access was partially restored in Iran starting on Tuesday. While some rejoice at finally being reconnected and able to check in on their loved ones, many complain about the persistent slowness in connectivity and doubt a complete restoration will happen any time soon.

A 700-kilo albino buffalo in Bangladesh dubbed "Donald Trump" for its sweeping cowlick of strawberry-blond hair has been saved from sacrifice after achieving viral fame. The bull was slated to be slaughtered as part of the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha on Thursday.

When an Indian student at a US university used AI to create the “Cockroach Janta Party (CPJ)”, a parody political party, it sparked a viral sensation, hitting the zeitgeist in a country that has been particularly affected by the Iran war. As India's youth circumvent bans to express their economic discontent online, it could pose a threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Pakistan on Wednesday launched deadly air strikes on Afghanistan after a period of relative calm following months of fighting at the beginning of the year. Pakistan's government said 26 "militants" were killed while Afghan authorities said at least 12 people, including children, died in provinces near the border.

Hundreds of mostly young Indians gathered in New Dehli on Saturday for the first street protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party – a movement which began as an online joke but has quickly gained momentum among Indian youth disillusioned with their education, employment and economic prospects. 

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 19 people, toppling buildings and prompting tsunami warnings across parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as authorities ordered coastal residents to evacuate and rescuers searched for victims amid strong aftershocks.

Taiwan said that Chinese vessels "openly intruded" on disputed waters around Itu Aba island in the South China Sea on Thursday, staying for 15 minutes before the Taiwanese coast guard expelled them. The island is claimed by Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Dozens of men on Tuesday took to the streets of the western Afghan city of Herat to protest the multiple arrests of women in recent days. The women were detained by the morality police for not properly adhering to the Taliban-ordered dress code, which requires them to fully cover themselves when in public. According to several protesters, security forces used sticks and whips to disperse them, and “even fired shots in the air”.

South Korea on Friday sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for sending military drones into North Korea in 2024 in a bid to "heighten inter-Korean military tensions and manufacture a national crisis" enabling him to declare martial law. Yeol was in February given a life imprisonment sentence – which he is appealing – for leading an insurrection with his martial law declaration.

Samsung union members on Wednesday signed a deal securing massive annual bonuses – averting a major strike in South Korea where Samsung Electronics alone accounts for around 12.5 percent of gross domestic product. Global demand for the memory chips that power AI data centres has turbocharged Samsung's earnings in recent months.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said that China world not swerve from its commitment ​to safeguarding common interests with North Korea or waver in its support for Kim Jong Un during a rare summit between the two leaders in Pyongyang. The summit comes at a time when China's economy, strengthened by growing trade and military ties to Russia, could boost ⁠North Korea's confidence in talks.