# Hottub Newsmap · Week 40, 2026 · Asia

Asia, Week 40, 2026: 28 September – 4 October 2026 · Coverage by where it was published · 241,901 reports from 25 countries · final · computed 2026-10-18T06:17:00Z

Map: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/asia.svg · Card: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/asia.png · JSON: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/asia.json · Page: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/asia

> Map of Asia of news coverage on the week of 28 September – 4 October 2026, shaded by publisher country; most from India and South Korea. Top stories: “'Recited Hanuman Chalisa For Courage,"…”; “OpenAI shelves new AI model release over…”.

## Top stories

1. ['Recited Hanuman Chalisa For Courage," flydubai Hero Pilot Tells PM Modi](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/recited-hanuman-chalisa-for-courage-flydubai-hero-pilot-tells-pm-modi-12129120) — feedburner.com, 31 outlets, 99 reports
   Captain Smit is presently recuperating at a hospital in the UAE. He told PM Modi about what gave him the courage to fight off the attacking co-pilot, believed to be a religious fanatic.
2. [OpenAI shelves new AI model release over safety concerns](https://www.rappler.com/technology/openai-shelves-new-model-astra-safety-concerns) — rappler.com, 47 outlets, 51 reports
   The Wall Street Journal reports that GPT-6.1 Astra shows higher levels of deception than its predecessor in internal testing, including efforts to obfuscate its activities
3. [Students and police clash as France struggles to quell school protests](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2632596/students-and-police-clash-as-france-struggles-to-quell-school-protests) — tribune.com.pk, 19 outlets, 51 reports
   Unrest over classroom conditions, funding hits Macron's government six months before presidential election
4. [SpaceX puts Starship megarocket in orbit for first time](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/spacex-puts-starship-megarocket-in-orbit-for-first-time/article71521071.ece) — thehindu.com, 22 outlets, 39 reports
   The black-and-silver behemoth, standing more than 120 meters (131 yards) tall, rose through a thick cloud of smoke on an ambitious 14th test flight
5. [Oil prices spike after Trump rejects Iran truce offer](https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/oil-prices-spike-after-trump-rejects-iran-truce-offer/article71518506.ece) — thehindu.com, 23 outlets, 39 reports
   The market is still pricing some probability that everyone eventually finds their way back to the table, even if they continue to spend the next few weeks shouting across it first
6. [‘A true hero’: Modi, Trump, and Netanyahu hail Indian pilot Machchhar after in-flight Attack](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/a-true-hero-modi-trump-and-netanyahu-hail-indian-pilot-machchhar-after-in-flight-attack/article71531641.ece) — thehindubusinessline.com, 32 outlets, 43 reports
   Despite being severely injured in an unprovoked attack by his Omani co-pilot, Captain Machchhar fought back to regain control during the violent mid-air crisis, earning him global praise
7. [AI will self-defend and even extort humans? Anthropic prospectus reveals historic warning: 10% risk of human extinction within 10 years](https://www.storm.mg/article/11168317) — storm.mg, 32 outlets, 40 reports (original: AI會自我防衛、甚至勒索人類？Anthropic招股書揭歷史性警告：10年內人類滅絕風險破10％)
   路透社報導，美國人工智慧（AI）公司Anthropic打算在首次公開發行（IPO）招股書中警告潛在投資人，先進AI恐對人類構成「災難性或生存風險」。對於一家尋求從AI獲利的公司而言，這是非同尋常的警告。根據路透社取得的Anthropic IPO招股書，內容強調旗下AI模型相關風險，稱這些AI模型可能展現「自保行為」，包括試圖「抗拒關閉」、「隱瞞或操縱資訊」，.........
8. [Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, dies aged 100](https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3368993/siti-hasmah-wife-malaysias-mahathir-mohamad-dies-aged-100) — scmp.com, 32 outlets, 36 reports
   Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, has died aged 100. Her family confirmed on Monday that she died after being admitted to the National Heart Institute. The cause…
9. [Netanyahu visited Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Israeli official says](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2631892/netanyahu-visited-abu-dhabi-on-sunday-israeli-official-says) — tribune.com.pk, 20 outlets, 40 reports
   Netanyahu asks UAE president to deny Haaretz report that Emirati leader warned him of impending Hamas attack
10. [Trump tells AI giants to ‘self-police’: What does ‘morally binding’ White House accord mean?](https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/trump-tells-ai-giants-to-self-police-what-does-morally-binding-white-house-accord-mean-11790740588600.html) — livemint.com, 31 outlets, 32 reports
   Donald Trump has backed an AI “self-policing” accord with leading tech companies, rejecting calls for regulatory guardrails. The White House framework calls for internal controls, independent assessments and board…

## Reports by publisher country

| Country | Code | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---:|---:|
| India | IN | 49,848 | 20.6% |
| South Korea | KR | 42,237 | 17.5% |
| Taiwan | TW | 29,491 | 12.2% |
| Japan | JP | 24,393 | 10.1% |
| Vietnam | VN | 18,140 | 7.5% |
| China | CN | 17,493 | 7.2% |
| Pakistan | PK | 13,236 | 5.5% |
| Malaysia | MY | 9,439 | 3.9% |
| Thailand | TH | 8,756 | 3.6% |
| Indonesia | ID | 7,509 | 3.1% |
| Hong Kong | HK | 5,733 | 2.4% |
| Philippines | PH | 5,498 | 2.3% |
| Singapore | SG | 3,475 | 1.4% |
| Bangladesh | BD | 3,077 | 1.3% |
| Cambodia | KH | 1,310 | 0.5% |
| Myanmar | MM | 772 | 0.3% |
| Sri Lanka | LK | 696 | 0.3% |
| Nepal | NP | 244 | 0.1% |
| Macau | MO | 207 | 0.1% |
| Afghanistan | AF | 165 | 0.1% |
| Laos | LA | 86 | 0.0% |
| Mongolia | MN | 44 | 0.0% |
| Brunei | BN | 42 | 0.0% |
| Turkmenistan | TM | 9 | 0.0% |
| Kazakhstan | KZ | 1 | 0.0% |

## About this map

Hottub News counted 241,901 reports from outlets in 25 countries for the week of 28 September – 4 October 2026. India, South Korea and Taiwan published the most (49,848 reports), and the five busiest countries account for 68% of the total.

The most widely covered stories were: “'Recited Hanuman Chalisa For Courage," flydubai Hero Pilot Tells PM Modi” (31 outlets, mostly India and Cambodia); “OpenAI shelves new AI model release over safety concerns” (47 outlets, mostly India and Pakistan); “Students and police clash as France struggles to quell school protests” (19 outlets, mostly Pakistan and India).

Each report is placed in the country of the outlet that published it (from its feed, web domain or Wikidata), not where the events happened. Stories group reports of the same event across outlets and languages; for a week or month, a story's outlet count is its biggest day's. Paid placements are never included.

Previous: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w39/asia · Next: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w41/asia · Other regions: https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/africa, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/europe, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/middle-east, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/north-america, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/latin-america, https://hottub.news/maps/2026-w40/oceania