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Six-year-old Chinese girl sets women’s Rubik’s Cube speed record

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What to know about USAID and the deadly impacts of U.S. foreign aid cuts

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The centuries-old Japanese art of ikebana draws those seeking calm

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From The Asian Reporter, V36, #10 (October 5, 2026), page 2.

Luxury facility inside prison for favored inmates razed

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities ordered the demolition of a luxury compound inside a prison that was allegedly providing preferential treatment for favored inmates. Workers removed furniture and appliances including large flat-screen televisions, air conditioners, gym fitness equipment, sofas, and refrigerators from the Cibinong Prison in Bogor, near the capital of Jakarta, and several of the prison’s buildings were demolished. The facility holds more than 1,800 inmates, making it one of the most heavily populated prisons on Java Island. It has come under intense scrutiny after an investigating commission from the government’s Ombudsman office reported finding luxury facilities during a surprise inspection on September 23. The deputy commission chairman, Sugiat Santoso, said the buildings should be torn down immediately to prevent further misuse. The discovery of the deluxe facility has drawn renewed scrutiny of Indonesia’s prisons, which have faced prior allegations that wealthy or well-connected inmates can obtain preferential treatment.

Nepal rescue teams search for 12 missing after avalanche

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescue teams searched for a dozen people swept away by an avalanche that killed at least four on a Nepalese mountain during severe weather. Rescuers from the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, which is leading the efforts, said they recovered two more bodies in addition to two others who were found the previous weekend. Twelve are missing. Eight experienced mountain guides from the association took advantage of improving weather to dig through the snow that had covered tents at base camp. Ten people were rescued from Mount Himlung, a 23,380-foot peak in north-central Nepal, after the avalanche hit. All those killed or missing were Nepali nationals.

Legal protection granted to human voices in AI clone case

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has awarded legal protection to the human voice in a landmark case in which a popular Japanese anime voice actor demanded that TikTok close an account over its unauthorized use of an artificial intelligence (AI) clone of his trademark baritone. The Tokyo District Court’s decision was the first acknowledgement of the right to one’s voice in Japan. The ruling was good news for many anime voice actors at a time when they are increasingly concerned about the use of AI-generated versions of their voices on social media. The plaintiff, Kenjiro Tsuda, is an actor best known for his "lustrous and deep" voice in starring characters such as Kento Nanami in "Jujutsu Kaisen," a popular anime series. In his lawsuit, Tsuda said that the anonymous operator of the TikTok account "Nanami" wrongfully profited by attracting viewers with his voice narrating in more than 180 videos about urban legends and paranormal phenomena, and asked for the material to be deleted. "The human voice is symbolic of individual personality, just like one’s portrait," presiding judge Aya Takahashi said, according to a court document seen by The Associated Press. It is appropriate to consider the unauthorized use with an obvious intention to take advantage of the commercial appeal of Tsuda’s voice "an infringement of publicity rights," Takahashi said. As of November 2025, the account had more than 200,000 subscribers, with viewers often noting the similarities between the narrator’s voice and Tsuda’s. The defendant argued that the videos used an AI-generated voice that sounded like Tsuda’s but was not his, and that the videos did not damage the actor’s reputation as a voice actor. The ruling dismissed Tsuda’s demand that all the videos using his voice be deleted, because the account had already been closed. The decision comes at a time of growing concern among Japanese voice actors about the AI cloning of their trademark voices in anime. In 2024, OpenAI announced plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after Her actor Scarlett Johansson said it sounded "eerily similar" to her own. Last year, Oscar-winning actors Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey made deals with voice-cloning company ElevenLabs to allow its AI technology to replicate their voices.

Beijing bans drone possession after efforts to tighten rules

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing is banning the possession of drones within city limits in new rules that further tighten its regulations on drones, which already include a May ban on sales of the devices. The ban on possession will come into effect in mid-November. Beijing has barred unauthorized drone flights, citing security reasons, and has designated the city’s administrative area as restricted airspace. The latest revised rules come after a fatal accident in late June when a small aircraft crashed into a Beijing skyscraper, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others. Under regulations approved in March and which came into effect May 1, existing drone owners in Beijing had to register their devices with their real names and identities, but owners have been allowed to keep their registered drones under strict requirements. However, according to the revised regulations approved in September, which will be effective from November 15, the possession or storage of drones or key components within Beijing’s city limits will also be banned. Authorities can confiscate the drones of those who do not comply and can impose fines on individuals and companies. Beijing authorities will be offering subsidies for existing drone owners to sell their devices at designated buyback locations, according to the state-owned newspaper Beijing Daily. Drone owners can also consider scrapping and recycling their drones with a small subsidy provided, or shipping them outside of Beijing before the new rules come into effect. Drone users can still fly drones outdoors in other parts of the country, but real name registrations are required. Beijing, the Chinese capital, often has more stringent security rules than other parts of China. Bringing drones into Beijing from outside the city, including by tourists, is already prohibited.

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