Indonesian police have arrested the captain of the ship that capsized last month in the ​Java Sea, an incident that killed at least ‌78 people and triggered a long and difficult search for passengers that is still ongoing.

South Korea's factory activity grew in September at the strongest pace ​in four months, as export demand ‌hit the fastest pace in 15-1/2 years led by the chip and auto sectors, a ​survey showed on Thursday.

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Rae Wee

EU officials are questioning ​crypto platform ‌Binance over its use of ​a legal ​exemption to continue ⁠serving customers ​in the region ​despite an order to wind down ​its ​business in the bloc, ‌the ⁠Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people ​familiar ​with ⁠the matter.

Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan killed ​9 people and injured 11 more ‌on Thursday, the Afghan Taliban government said, amid an escalation in fighting between the South ​Asian neighbours after three months ​of relative calm.

Australian fuel retailer Ampol said on Thursday it had agreed to buy ​electric vehicle charging company Evie Networks ‌for A$225 million ($156.26 million), bolstering its footprint in the fast-growing domestic public EV charging market. Here ​are some more details:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called on ​North Korea to help restore trust and resume dialogue, a day ‌after Seoul and Pyongyang traded barbs over a landmine incident that South Korea's military and the UN Command said amounted to an armistice violation.

A senior Taiwan naval commander has ‌been transferred to the Coast Guard to boost coordination at a time China has ramped up its maritime presence around the island, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te announced on Thursday.

The dollar held near a two-month high on Thursday, supported by ​an extended rise in US Treasury yields partly driven by concerns over persistent global price pressures ‌stemming from the Middle East war.

Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] unveiled its Mate 90 smartphone series on Thursday, betting on its in-house ​operating system and redesigned chip architecture to boost its performance in the face of US curbs on shipments of advanced semiconductors.

China's Tencent has ​signed its ‌largest overseas lease ​deal with ​US cloud provider ⁠Oracle ​to access about ​100,000 advanced AI chips that ​were ​not available in ‌China, ⁠the Financial Times reported on ​Wednesday, ​citing ⁠people familiar with ​the ​matter.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Wednesday called for G20 major economies to refrain from coercive actions ​on food trade, tackle industrial overcapacity and re-examine the prevailing post-World War Two tariff system.

Oil prices were nearly flat in early Asia trade on Thursday, following the previous day's gains and steep monthly rises, as investors assessed the outcome ​of US-Iran peace talks and the outlook for Middle East crude exports.

Mynt, the parent of Philippine mobile wallet GCash, has priced its initial public offering at 6.60 pesos ($0.1053) per ​share, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on ​Thursday, in a deal that will raise about 53 billion ⁠pesos.

Indian equities were set for a weak start on Thursday as persistent foreign fund outflows continued to weigh on sentiment, although easing ​crude oil prices on prospects of US-Iran peace talks provided ‌some relief.

Factory activity across Asia expanded in September thanks to the global AI ‌boom, private surveys showed on Thursday, offering some relief to policymakers who are concerned about nagging cost pressures attributable to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

AI agents tried to hack into a Canadian ​government website, an AI ​research firm said on Wednesday.

Malaysian state ​energy firm Petronas said on ‌Thursday that Trans Thai-Malaysia (Thailand), its joint venture with Thailand's PTT , ​had temporarily shut the ​Songkhla Export Pipeline after identifying ⁠an issue during a ​routine inspection.

Asian stocks were subdued on Thursday and global bonds remained under pressure after a brutal September as investors weighed a slower-than-expected rise in US inflation ​in August that lessens the probability of a rate hike later this month.

US President Donald ​Trump said on Wednesday that he has conversations about banning ‌diesel exports "every day" as the White House races to curb soaring energy prices.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis ​President Neel Kashkari said on Wednesday that he expects the central bank to raise rates again depending ‌on how the economy performs, amid a very necessary effort to bring inflation back to target.

A US immigration judge ruled the US government can deport Palestinian American Salah ‌Sarsour, who is the president of Wisconsin's largest mosque and a US permanent resident, under a Cold War-era law.

Japanese business confidence improved in the three months to September, a quarterly central ​bank survey showed on Thursday, suggesting the economy ​was weathering the hit from the Middle East ⁠conflict and bolstering the case for more rate hikes.

South Korea's exports jumped 83.5% in September ​from a year earlier to ‌post a record monthly high, customs data showed on Thursday. Semiconductor ​shipments, fuelled by global spending ​on artificial intelligence, also set ⁠a record.

South Korea has ​been ordered to ‌pay US hedge fund Elliott ​about $48.49 million ​plus interest after a ⁠tribunal ruled ​the government's ​involvement in the 2015 merger of Samsung ​C&T and ​Cheil Industries was causally ‌linked ⁠to Elliott's losses, Seoul's Justice Ministry said ​on ​Thursday.

A second federal judge on Wednesday blocked an unprecedented $100,000 fee ​that US President Donald Trump has imposed on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration conducted a "subsurface, non-nuclear chemical ​high-explosive experiment" on Wednesday that the ‌Energy Department said aimed to improve the United States' ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions.

Bank of America's Merrill Lynch unit will pay $39 million to settle a class ​action claiming it paid brokerage customers near-zero interest ‌rates instead of market rates on idle cash in their retirement accounts.

Belgium has agreed to extend negotiations to buy the nuclear utility ​assets owned by French power ‌utility Engie in the country to November 4.

Rwanda had held preliminary discussions with some EU member states about potentially hosting facilities for migrants transferred from those countries, two European Parliament lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing discussions with Rwandan ​officials.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directed the largest US grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to postpone and revise its "backstop" procurement proposal to ensure ​that large energy users like data centers cover the costs associated with the ‌process, according to a filing by the regulator.

Swiss glaciers are ​shrinking rapidly after suffering one of their worst years of ice loss during ‌a record-breaking European heatwave.

The head of the US Transportation Department said on Wednesday that he wants to speed certification of new airplanes from ​Boeing and other manufacturers, citing competition concerns from China.

Synopsys , a maker of software used in designing computing chips, said on Wednesday that it has struck a deal to share ​revenue with OpenAI as the two develop an AI model for the chip ‌business.

Supervisors at BHP's Escondida copper mine, the world's largest, ​rejected a collective contract offer on Wednesday, paving ‌the way for a potential strike at the Chilean mine.

An experimental weight-loss drug being developed by Regeneron used in combination with Novo Nordisk's semaglutide reduced the loss of muscle mass by 50% compared with the loss seen with semaglutide alone ​in a study of patients with obesity, according to data being presented at a medical meeting.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future was plunged into ​doubt on Wednesday when he abruptly left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen shortly after coach Jorge Jesus acknowledged tensions between the ‌pair.

Free-agent wide receiver Tyreek Hill may just have dropped a clue as to his next NFL landing spot.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on ​Wednesday announced the creation of a new military command that would be dedicated to building and providing ‌autonomous and robotic capabilities across the US military.

Anthropic is planning what could be the largest initial public offering in history. But if AI continues on its current trajectory, humans may not be around much longer to enjoy it.

Brazilian digital lender Nubank said on Wednesday ​it is not pursuing a ‌transaction with Monzo, after media reports had said Nubank was in early-stage ​talks to acquire the British ​digital bank.

Constellation Energy and Amazon.com on Wednesday announced a 20-year power purchase agreement that ​will support the expansion of the Calvert ‌Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland.

YouTube video by Reuters

The website used by ShinyHunters, the group that claimed responsibility for a recent hack of thousands of FBI agents' personal and sensitive ​data, went offline on Wednesday, a day after the group's deadline ‌for the FBI to retract or modify a statement about the group's tactics and track record expired.

US President Donald ​Trump said on Wednesday he discussed the release of ‌political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met last week.

Automaker Toyota Motor will invest $1.34 billion to develop a plant ​to produce a fully electrified vehicle in ‌Argentina, Economy Minister Luis Caputo said on Wednesday.

South Korea officially unveiled ​comprehensive implementation plans on Thursday for ‌three major energy initiatives in the US, advancing ​a $350 billion strategic ​investment package designed to ⁠secure critical exemptions ​from punishing US ​import tariffs.

CScale, a Silicon Valley startup developing a way to connect AI chips with fiber-optic cables instead of fiber, said on Wednesday it ​has raised $145 million in venture capital, with backing from Nvidia and ‌Intel .

The White House is considering regulatory relief that would expand sales of red-dyed diesel, a tax-exempt fuel typically used for farming, as prices surge following supply disruptions linked to the US conflict with Iran, Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and declining global inventories.

The US securities regulator on Wednesday charged Meyer Global Management and its CEO ​Owen Meyer over the private fund adviser's ‌schemes that allegedly took advantage of retail investors seeking exposure to SpaceX and other pre-IPO shares.