Anuga Cologne, Germany, Oct 16 – An associate professor at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Shahrim Karim, 50, took trade visitors at the Anuga food fair of Cologne by storm with his cooking prowess and knowledge of the intricacies of Malaysia’s cuisine. He is no ordinary chef and has a versatile academic background that caps with a doctorate in the human environment science discipline from the Oklahoma State University, his doctoral thesis being on Food, Tourism, and Malaysian Heritage Food. Indeed, his real passion is food because, as he puts it, “it is truly the best way to a man’s heart”. At the recent ANUGA Food Fair here,Shahrim attracted crowds of inquisitive trade visitors, food experts and the public who kept pouring into the Malaysia Pavilion where he was giving live cooking demonstrations in Malaysian cuisine and, in effect, also showing his immaculate skills in rustling up a variety of Malaysian dishes, much to the amusement of the onlookers who simply could not take their eyes off the mouth-watering food items that were being prepared before them. Shahrim, who was raised in Melaka, attended culinary school in Shah Alam. He has also worked at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore and attended the New York University’s course in Hotel and Restaurant Management.Some of the food and drinks he prepared during the live demonstrations included shrimp and pineapple curry, mee mamak (Malaysian fried noodles), Malaysian tropical salad, salmon and tamarind, chicken and vegetable soup, sweet and sour shrimp, teh tarek, chicken curry and coconut punch. Malaysian cuisine is unique and represents all the flavours of Asia, he says, praising Matrade and the Frankfurt-based Malaysian Trade Commissioner, Badrul Hisham Hilal, for their “strong and active support” to him. Story and photo courtesy by Manik Mehta

Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Oct 15 – Chung Eui-sun, executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Co., announces strategies during a ceremony to declare a national vision of future cars at the carmaker’s Namyang R&D Center. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Seongnam, Seoul, Oct 14 – This file photo shows South Korean singer and actress Sulli, who was found dead at her residence in Seongnam, south of Seoul today. A probe into the cause of her death is currently underway. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Seoul, South Korea, Oct 14 – A variety of military airplanes, including F-35A stealth fighters, and ammunition are on display at Seoul Airport, south of Seoul, during a press day event, for the 2019 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) the following day. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

West Azarbaijan, Iran, Oct 13 – Chapel of Dzordzor- a historical building registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List – is located in Maku County, West Azarbaijan Province, northwest Iran. Photo courtesy of IRNA / Mehdi Rahnavard

Chaldoran County, Iran, Oct 13 – Kara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, in Chaldoran County, northwestern Iran is one of the oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that carries great significance for the country’s Armenian Orthodox community. Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world’s first church and was constructed in 68 BC by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus, who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach the teachings of Christ. Photo courtesy of IRNA / Mehdi Rahnavard

Kashan, Iran, Oct 14 – A historical Iranian city- is the cradle of oldest world urban settlement in Sialk Hills dating back to over 7,000 years ago. Photo courtesy of IRNA / Mojtaba Soltani

South Jeolla Province, South Korea, Oct 11 – Colorful grasses cover a salt marsh on a mudflat in Sinan off South Korea’s southwestern tip, amid deepening autumn. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul, Oct 9 – A group of foreigners learns Korean during an event to celebrate Hangeul Day. Hangeul is the Korean alphabet invented by King Sejong in 1443. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Yazd, Iran, Oct 8 – Zoroastrians’ Dakhmeh is one of the main tourist attractions of Yazd which is on the southeastern part of the city. It is the place where the Zoroastrians kept their corpses after death with a special ceremony. Although there are other Dakhmeh in Tehran, Kerman, Sirjan, Isfahan, Ardakan, Taft, and Ashkezar, the Zoroastrians’ Dakhmeh of Yazd is the main one thanks to being religious capital of the Zoroastrians, and also has more visitors today. It is also registered in the Iranian National Sites. Photo courtesy of IRNA / Amin Rahmani.

Izmir, Turkey, Oct 8 – According to WWF data, the Mediterranean region is the world’s fourth-largest producer of plastic goods, and its residents and visitors generate 24 million tons of plastic waste per year. Photo courtesy of Anadolu Agency

Chilgok, North Gyeongsang, 8 Oct – Tourists take photos at a field of pink muhly grass in Chilgok, about 290 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Oct. 6, 2019, as autumn deepens in South Korea. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Seoul, Oct 7 – South Korea’s agriculture ministry said Monday it has nearly completed the culling of pigs potentially exposed to African swine fever (ASF) in border areas as it struggles to prevent the disease from reaching southern parts of the country. Photo courtesy of YONHAP

Antalya, Turkey, Oct 7 – Iranian athletes Soroush Ghaderi Zeinabi, Samin Yahyavi and Sobhan Abbasi received bronze medals in the 2019 World Youths Muay Thai Championships. Photo courtesy of IRNA

Seoul, North Korea, Oct 4 – Protestors take part in a demonstration in southern Seoul on Sept. 28, 2019, to voice their support for Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his drive to reform the prosecution. Photo courtesy of Yonhap

Shahrekord, Iran, Oct 4 – Iran’s Second National Handicrafts and Tourism Exhibition opened by Pouya Mahmoudian, Deputy Director of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts affiliated to Ministry of Culture, Tourism and handicrafts and other provincial officials at the permanent site of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari International Exhibits. Photo courtesy of IRNA / Ahmad Riahi Dehkordi.

Kajang, Malaysia, Oct 4 – Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (fourth, right) joins United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (third, right) visiting Rohingya children at the Rohingya Integrated School of Excellence (RISE) today. Photo courtesy of BERNAMA.

Yazd, Iran, Sept 26 — Pomegranate orchards in the first days of Fall create beautiful scenes in garden alleys of Taft Country, Yazd, central Iran. Photo courtesy of IRNA/Hadi Fallah Tafti

South Korea: This photo provided by a Yonhap reader on Sept. 26, 2019, shows autumn hues around Jungcheong Shelter on Mount Seorak on the east coast the previous day. The Korea Meteorological Administration says that the start of the changing of the leaves is pronounced when 20 percent of the mountain’s trees from its peak are tinged with color. Photo courtesy of YONHAP.

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 25 — While the haze continued to cloud parts of Malaysia, some areas reported a bit of relief following rain and the situation is expected to ease with the transition of the monsoon winds this week. Besides strong winds, the transition is expected to bring more rain and clearer skies. Photo courtesy of BERNAMA.

Rome, Italy, Sept 24 – Barcelona’s Lionel Messi speaks after receiving the best men footballer award during the FIFA Best Football Awards 2019 ceremony at Teatro La Scala. Photo courtesy of Bernama/Marco Alpozzi/Lapresse via ZUMA Press/dpa

Narathiwat, Thailand, Sept 24 – Birds sit in their cages during the annual bird-singing competition in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat. Over 1,800 birds from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore took part in the contest. Photo courtesy of Madaree Tohlala

Manila, Philippines, Sept 24 – Rescuers search for victims after a budget hotel which is undergoing demolition, collapsed in Manila, Philippines. Rescue efforts are still ongoing to free another victim after one of the workers was retrieve after almost six hours following the incident, according to Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso. Photo courtesy of PTI

Meghalaya, India, Sept 24 – Indian and Thailand Army personnel show their operational skill during Indo-Thailand Joint Military Exercise MAITREE-2019 at Umroi Military station, in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The Joint Military Exercise MAITREE-2019 runs untill 16-29 Sep 2019. Photo courtesy of PTI

New York City, Sept 24 – A view of billboards showcasing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Times Square, New York City. In order to highlight the need for more ambitious action on the SDGs and to continue to engage with the general public, the 17 Goals are being showcased in Times Square this week, inviting everyone to stand behind the Sustainable Development Goals in advance of the UN General Assembly high-level week. Photo courtesy of UN Photo

Seoul, South Korea, Sept 23 – Sunflowers are in full bloom in a field along a river in Jangseong, 308 kilometers south of Seoul. A festival of yellow flowers is slated to run there from Oct. 1-13. Photo courtesy of Yonhap

Busan, South Korea, Sept 23 – Officials work to repair damage caused by Typhoon Tapah at a residential complex in the country’s southeastern port city of Busan. Thirty people, including three police and fire officials, were injured when this year’s 17th storm hit the country’s southern regions over the weekend, according to the anti-disaster government agency. Photo courtesy of Yonhap

Ahmedabad, India, Sept 23 – Woman wearing colorful attire practice Garba, a traditional dance of Gujarat state, ahead of festival Navratri in Ahmedabad. The festival of Navratri or nine nights will begin from Sept. 29. Photo courtesy of Ajit Solanki

Students from various colleges and schools participate in the Global Climate Strike rally in Chennai, India. Photo courtesy of PTI

Tirana. Albania, Sept 23 – Damaged cars outside the Faculty of Geology building after an earthquake in Tirana. Albania’s government and news reports say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 shook in the country’s west and injured at least two people. Photo courtesy of PTI