Over a dozen of the world's leading artificial intelligence firms made fresh commitments to ensure the safety of their technology on the opening day of the AI Seoul Summit, The event is co-hosted by the United Kingdom and South Korea. The agreement builds on consensus reached at the inaugural global AI safety summit in the UK last year. The 16 firms include US tech titans Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and IBM, as well as France's Mistral AI and China's Zhipu AI. Olly Barratt reports from London.

Taiwan is bracing for further blows to its global presence, with Beijing looking likely to intensify efforts to sway the island's remaining diplomatic allies. China has ramped up efforts to woo these allies since new President William Lai's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party first took power in 2000. But, Taiwan's international isolation began even before that. There are only 12 countries in the world that still call Taiwan friend.

Disorder in Taiwan's parliament proving to be a major hurdle for the island's new president William Lai -- a day after his inauguration ceremony. Lawmakers held protest signs and engaged in rowdy arguments, following the opposition's attempt to expand the powers of the legislature to scrutinise the government. Thousands of protesters also gathered outside the parliament to protest the reforms. The ruling Democratic People's Party had lost its parliamentary majority, while securing victory in January elections.

Chef Dylan Ong of casual Franco-Asian restaurant The Masses and formerly Saveur has a new restaurant offering “Singapore soul food”. He named it Choon Hoy Parlor as a tribute to his mother, a former hawker who worked three jobs to support the family. Read more: https://cna.asia/3WOXVLd

More than S$5 million worth of vape products were seized in a warehouse raid at Woodlands Industrial Park on Apr 24 - the second-largest seizure after a S$6 million haul in March. Two Thai men were also arrested at the warehouse and charged with staying in Singapore illegally.

Heard of the new FLiRT COVID-19 variants? Here's how they got their nickname.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday (May 20) applied for arrest warrants against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu called the arrest bid "absurd", while Hamas said it "strongly condemns" what they called attempts to "equate the victim with the executioner". https://cna.asia/3yoXP35 Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash will not have a significant impact and he was widely considered to be a puppet of the supreme leader, says Georgetown University Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics Nader Hashemi. He tells CNA’s Asia First that his death is not going to make a huge difference in terms of where Iran is headed, and what policies it is pursuing. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

There might be tensions and challenges among political factions to find solutions for a successor, following the death of Iran President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, says Associate Professor Maziyar Ghiabi, director of the Centre of Persian And Iranian Studies at University of Exeter. He tells CNA’s World Tonight that Iran, which will hold a presidential election on Jun 28, has a shortage of viable political candidates. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

India's long election is nearing its end, with just two more phases to go. Nearly 380 of 543 constituencies have already voted and that includes the northern state of Uttar Pradesh -- where India's main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is on the ballot. But as Neha Poonia reports, the stakes are high in the battle to win this round.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday (May 20) he rejected "with disgust" an application by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for his arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan also applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and 3 top Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday (May 20) he rejected "with disgust" an application by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for an arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. "The prosecutor in the Hague, with what audacity do you dare compare between the Hamas monsters and the soldiers of the IDF, the world's most moral army?" https://cna.asia/3WK7tHz Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

On Monday (May 20), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected “with disgust” an application by the International Criminal Court prosecutor for his arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The Israel-Hamas conflict has raged on more than seven months, with ceasefire talks recently coming to a stalemate after Israel attacked the far-southern Gaza city of Rafah. Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, told CNA’s Asia First that the ICC’s move is “probably a setback” for a proposed truce, and could further embolden Netanyahu to continue military operations. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia

A Philippine convoy last week launched the biggest ever display of maritime solidarity in the South China Sea, in an attempt to reach the Scarborough Shoal. Experts said it was part of efforts to assert the Philippines' rights amid China's militarisation of the disputed waters. CNA's Buena Bernal was onboard one of the boats in the convoy and has this report.

Indonesia is building more dams to address food and water security concerns in the country. Its Public Works and Housing Ministry has a target to build a total of 61 dams by the end of this year. These dams also provide low-carbon hydroelectric power, contributing to the clean and renewable energy mix in Indonesia. Saifulbahri Ismail reports.

Prostate cancer patients getting radiation treatment can now have fewer side effects, thanks to a new technique. Doctors at the National University Hospital are using what's called a "rectal spacer" to protect the rectums of patients from over-exposure to radiation. Dr Arshvin Kesavan, Associate Consultant at the Department of Urology at NUH, and Mr David Peter Dowdell, a patient who underwent the treatment, shared more about the procedure.

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers across the island paid their final respects this morning to the second officer in their history to die in the line of duty. Captain Kenneth Tay died after fighting a fire in the engine room of a marine tanker last week. His casket was fitted onto a Red Rhino fire truck for his ceremonial funeral. As the hearse ambled past, around 150 SCDF officers stood in full salutes. Investigations over Captain Tay's death are still ongoing. Rachel Teng reports.

Local production of eggs in Singapore grew 12% last year, as compared to the year before. About 685 million eggs were produced. The Singapore Food Agency said this is because a few farms have improved their production processes, following upgrading works. On the flip side, seafood production fell by about 8% last year, compared to 2022. Similarly, production of fresh and chilled vegetables dipped by about 15%. Singapore continues to import over 90% of its food from abroad. It targets to locally produce 30% of its food by 2030.

A convergence of technologies is helping some of Singapore's wholesalers to reach new consumers. Businesses that rely on refrigerated deliveries are benefiting from advancements in logistic transportation, allowing them to tap new markets while saving on cost. One pharmaceutical wholesaler is even helping chronic patients get more relief by using 3D-printing technology.