World
Seoul Michelin Restaurant Fined Over Ant Dessert in Landmark South Korean Food Safety Case
A South Korean court has fined the operator of Evett, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Seoul's Gangnam district, and its chief executive for serving a dessert topped with ants that are not approved for consumption under the country's food safety law. The company was fined 10 million won and chief executive Ginny Kim 15 million won, far below the one-year prison term and 20 million won fine prosecutors had sought. Judge Lee Se-chang of Seoul's western district court said the offence was by no means light, citing heavy metals found above permitted levels in the ants, but noted the restaurant appeared not to have realised ants were prohibited. Prosecutors said the restaurant imported dried ants from the United States and Thailand and served them to roughly 12,000 customers over nearly four years.
World
Asian Games Open in Nagoya Under Housing Crisis as Athletes Call Huts Worst Ever
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games open this weekend under the shadow of an accommodation crisis, after Japan's decision to skip a dedicated athletes village for the 17,000 competitors and officials left national teams scattering between a cruise liner, shipping container-style wooden huts and hotel rooms. South Korean officials have slammed the container huts as the worst-ever Games housing, with the Korea Basketball Association's vice president saying athletes over two metres tall cannot stretch their legs on the beds, while a player posted video of a leaking sink and a soaked floor with the plea: please help us. Chief organiser Hideaki Omura says everything is being improved as issues arise, and Japan's deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori revealed that room assignments have put coaches with athletes and men with women because numbers were matched on paper. The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, 290 metres long, arrived Tuesday to host 4,000 people, with 2,000 more assigned to the huts, and Tropical Storm Dujuan now threatens further disruption toward a possible September 21 approach.
World
IS Member Sentenced to 20 Years Over 2021 Kabul Airport Bombing That Killed 13 US Troops
An Islamic State operative has been sentenced to 20 years in a US federal court for aiding the ISKP affiliate that carried out the 2021 Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Kabul airport, an attack that killed 13 American service members and about 160 Afghans during the chaotic US withdrawal. Mohammad Sharifullah, 28, received the maximum term Wednesday after a Virginia jury convicted him in April of providing material support to the group, while deadlocking on whether he bore direct responsibility for the bombing itself. Grieving parents confronted him in court, a judge branded him a dedicated terrorist without remorse, and prosecutors revealed his suspected links to the 2024 Moscow concert hall massacre that killed roughly 140 people.
World
Indonesia Searches for 129 Missing After Virgo Transport 8 Ferry Capsizes in Java Sea
Indonesian rescuers are searching for at least 129 people missing after the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 overturned in rough seas in the Java Sea early on Sunday, September 13. The vessel was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo with 243 people on board, according to its manifest: 213 passengers and 30 crew, plus 89 vehicles. At least 108 people were rescued and six bodies were recovered by Sunday afternoon, officials said. The captain reported waves up to 3 meters before issuing a distress call saying the ship was listing. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said aerial searches showed the ferry floating upside down, still afloat, with search efforts concentrated around the hull.
World
Typhoon No. 24 Triggers Record Rainfall on Yakushima as Japan Issues Rare Level 5 Landslide Warning
Typhoon No. 24 and an autumn-rain front dumped record-breaking rainfall on Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture from September 4 to September 5, 2026, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a Level 5 Landslide Disaster Special Warning. The Onoaida station recorded 490.5 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, an all-time record for the site, while cumulative totals reached approximately 558 millimeters, nearly twice the station's normal rainfall for the entire month. Authorities ordered more than 6,200 residents across 3,574 households to evacuate as landslides struck multiple locations and floodwater cut drinking water to as many as 289 households. Kagoshima Prefecture activated its Disaster Response Headquarters and applied Japan's Disaster Relief Act as swollen rivers carried driftwood into Miyanoura Port.
World
Bangladesh Raises Garment Minimum Wage to 12,500 Taka After Weeks of Deadly Factory Protests
Bangladesh's Labour and Employment Ministry announced a revised monthly minimum wage of 12,500 taka, about 113 dollars, for the country's garment workers on Nov. 7, ending weeks of protests that left workers dead and drew international criticism. The new figure represents a 56.25 percent increase over the 8,000 taka paid since 2018, but it remains far below the 23,000 taka that unions demanded and the 33,368 taka that local researchers calculate as a living wage for Dhaka. Human Rights Watch and labour groups are now turning pressure on global fashion brands, arguing that unfair purchasing practices, not local wage boards alone, keep factory pay depressed across the world's second-largest garment exporting nation.
World
Over 100 US Water Systems Targeted by Hackers Using AI-Generated Attack Scripts
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reported that it observed malicious cyber activity targeting over 100 water and wastewater systems across the United States in July 2026. The attacks mostly targeted programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, which can monitor or control equipment. According to CISA, hackers are using AI to help generate scripts to attack the devices. A leaked industry memo tied the unprecedented wave of cyberattacks to Iran. The attacks have raised concerns about critical infrastructure vulnerability, particularly in communities that have connected industrial control systems to the internet for remote access.
World
Japan Central Bank Signals Shift Away From Ultra-Low Rates as Inflation Hits 3.2 Percent
The Bank of Japan announced on September 2, 2026, that it would raise its benchmark interest rate from 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent, marking the first rate increase in over a decade. Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that inflation has consistently exceeded the central bank target for 18 consecutive months, reaching 3.2 percent in August. The decision comes as Japan consumer price index rose 2.8 percent year-on-year, while wages increased by 4.1 percent for the first time since 1997. The yen strengthened to 138 against the dollar following the announcement, while the Nikkei 225 dropped 2.3 percent as investors adjusted to tighter monetary conditions. Bank of Japan officials emphasized that the move reflects sustainable inflation achievement rather than temporary price pressures.
World
Indonesian Haze Blankets Southeast Asia as Schools Close and Flights Disrupted
Thick haze from Indonesian wildfires has blanketed large parts of Southeast Asia, forcing school closures in Malaysia and flight cancellations across the region. Philippine authorities declared Manila air quality acutely unhealthy on September 1, with the Pollution Control Department recording an Air Quality Index reading of 187, well above the 100-point threshold considered harmful. The crisis, driven by slash-and-burn land clearing in Sumatra and Kalimantan, has affected an estimated 25 million people across six countries, according to the Southeast Asian haze monitoring network. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto deployed 12,000 military personnel to combat the fires, which burned through 134,000 hectares of land between January and August 2026.