A French 18-year-old is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore after he posted a video to social media of him licking a straw from a vending machine and putting it back. The teen, who has not entered a plea, was charged after the company operating the juice machine filed a police report.

The 4,000-year-old Linear Elamite script from what is now Iran has long eluded archaeologists hoping to unlock the secrets of a near-forgotten age. French archaeologist François Desset's work on deciphering the writing system now has some comparing him to Jean-François Champollion, the famed philologist who deciphered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

Australia unveiled draft laws on Tuesday that would force Meta, Google and TikTok to pay local publishers for news content or face a levy worth 2.25 percent of their Australian revenue in a major push to support struggling media outlets and curb the dominance of global tech platforms.

Tibetans living outside Chinese control vote on Sunday for a government-in-exile in a ballot seen as increasingly significant as they prepare for an eventual future without their revered spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The India-based Central Tibetan Administration remains central to the exile community.

Government workers in Tokyo have new dress code rules that allow them to wear shorts to the office in a bid to cut air conditioning costs, an official said on Friday, as the Middle East war drives up energy costs around the world.

The International Criminal Court on Thursday confirmed crimes against humanity charges against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, paving the way for a landmark trial. Duterte is accused of murder and attempted murder linked to his anti-drugs campaign, in a major test for the court amid mounting political pressure.

The United States on Wednesday accused China of pressuring African nations to block a planned visit by Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, after several countries revoked overflight permits. Beijing denied the claims while expressing "high appreciation" for the states in question as tensions over Taiwan’s international engagement continue to heighten.

A 7.5 magnitide earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday triggering tsunami warnings in the region, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. The tremor was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres away.

Armenians are set to head to the polls in June for their parliamentary elections, which the EU and Russia are closely watching. With support for joining the bloc at an all-time high, this could be a sign that the former Soviet country is moving away from Moscow, one of its closest allies. But foreign interference from both sides could result in the election being stolen from the Armenian people, according to some observers.

South Korea’s military said Sunday that North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles, marking the latest in a string of weapons tests in violation of UN sanctions.

Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s junta and last week installed as the country’s civilian president, has issued a blanket order to commute all death sentences. The military junta resumed executions after ousting Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a coup in 2021. Critics say the sitting transition government is merely a civilian rebranding of military rule.