PODCAST

Asia - South China Morning Post

Breaking news, analysis and opinion from the SCMP"s Asia edition.

All Episodes

Japan, US join forces to mine deep-sea rare earths...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/07

Japan and the United States are preparing to jointly tap deep-sea rare earth deposits near Minamitorishima, in what analysts see as a strategic bid to insulate their hi-tech sectors from China’s grip on critical minerals and fortify supply chains amid rising geopolitical rivalry.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed Tokyo’s intention to cooperate with Washington on seabed exploration and resource development after meeting US President Donald Trump in Tokyo on October 28. The two sides

Hong Kong leader John Lee to speak at family business...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is scheduled to speak in a fireside chat on Friday during the third Family Business Summit in Hong Kong, as the city burnishes its role as the offshore fundraising hub and ‘superconnector’ between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world. The speech is the highlight of the conference, curated by the South China Morning Post and Blue Pool Capital, with UBS as the presenting partner. The attendees – by invitation only – comprise about 150 private business...

Amid fragile markets, how to predict when the bubble...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Economist Paul Samuelson famously quipped that stock markets accurately predicted nine of the last five recessions. The same could be said of financial economists. So-called leading indicators like market sentiment swing with the daily news. Optimism is the default option but bull markets die hard. Still, most seasoned financial economists now recognise that stock markets are becoming more fragile. And so does the crowd. The frequency of online searches for “stock market bubble” has surged

Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines raises more...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

The latest deadly typhoon to tear through the Philippines has killed more than 100 people, raising fears among experts that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, and harder to prepare for.Typhoon Kalmaegi – the most recent in a string of late-season cyclones to batter the country in recent years – left a trail of devastation across the central Visayas region this week. The storm follows a worrying pattern of high-impact tropical cyclones that have struck the

US’ nuclear submarine nod gives South Korea massive...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

The United States has given South Korea the green light to build nuclear-powered submarines – a landmark decision that could significantly boost Seoul’s naval capabilities and place it among a select group of nations with such assets. Analysts say the move could reshape Northeast Asia’s strategic landscape in ways that not only strengthen deterrence but also reduce the risk of open conflict, as Washington recalibrates its alliance priorities under President Donald Trump. Trump announced the...

Malaysia to appeal against damages ruling for...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

The Malaysian government will appeal against landmark high court rulings ordering authorities to pay millions of ringgit in damages to the families of missing activists Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat. In two statements on Thursday, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) said it would challenge rulings that found the government and police liable for the enforced disappearances of Koh and Amri, two notorious cases which campaigners claim reflect Malaysia’s embedded culture of impunity. Koh,

UK woman offering ‘sacred sexuality’ classes in...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

A British woman allegedly teaching tantric yoga and “sacred sexuality” on Thailand’s Koh Phangan has been arrested for working illegally as authorities crack down on undocumented foreign workers on the island popular with foreign backpackers. Maria Shchetinina, 40, was in the middle of a class conducted at the back of a New Age restaurant when police raided the premises on Tuesday, local media reported. They had been tipped off by social media users reporting “risque” photos posted by a

‘Professor Kangkung’: Malaysian academic mocked for...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

An associate professor from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has raised eyebrows – and heckles – after a video of her suggesting that the Romans learned their shipbuilding techniques from the Malays went viral. Solehah Yaacob’s controversial statements, dubbed “pseudo-history” by critics, have prompted her academic colleagues to urge the university to take firm action against those who tarnish its reputation. “The Academic Staff Association expresses deep concern over

Is the Philippines seeking to formalise the ‘Squad’...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

An agreement between Australia, the United States, Japan and the Philippines to set up an Indo-Pacific defence council hints at a shift towards the “Squad” group of nations maturing into a formal minilateral grouping, analysts say. On Saturday, the four countries’ defence chiefs met on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting Plus in Kuala Lumpur, where they reportedly expressed support for a framework to establish an “Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Cooperation Council”. The Squad...

Tokyo man arrested for employing 12-year-old Thai...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

A Japanese man has been arrested on suspicion of illegally employing a 12-year-old Thai girl at a private-room massage parlour in Tokyo, where she is believed to have been forced to provide sexual services to male customers, police said on Thursday.Masayuki Hosono, 51, is suspected of employing a child under the age of 15 at “Relax Time” in Tokyo’s Yushima district in violation of labour standards laws, with police investigating the case as a possible incident of human trafficking. Police,

Rapper Namewee drops new song amid Taiwanese...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Malaysian rapper Namewee has released a new song, titled “Very Shuai” – which translates to “Very Handsome” – while being held in remand. The 42-year-old, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, is currently detained for six days to assist in investigations into the death of Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yun Hsi. According to China Press, the track – an old demo recorded back in 2014 – was released on Spotify on Wednesday, coinciding with the day Namewee surrendered himself to authorities. The...

Singapore to preserve 38 Oxley Road for history, not...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

The Singapore government is not seeking to memorialise founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and family by preserving his former home and instead is enabling future generations of citizens to understand their country’s struggle for independence, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has said. Detailing the reasons behind the government’s intention to preserve 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, Neo told parliament on Thursday that the space and its importance could not

Quicker, nimbler scammers outrun Asian banks in...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Banks across Asia are pouring billions into artificial intelligence systems to detect fraud, but regulators and analysts say the region is still losing ground to nimble and adaptable scam syndicates using the same technology to find new ways to steal money. AI is now central to how lenders monitor transactions, screen sanctions and verify customers, helping them flag suspicious activity faster. Yet experts say the systems remain limited by what data they are trained on and by how quickly...

US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan: ‘I...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

When American recording artist Brittany Porter met Sultan Muhammad V, ruler of the Malaysian state of Kelantan, she thought their fairy tale romance led to an engagement. A year later, she discovered that the Islamic nikah ceremony was in fact a religious marriage, a revelation that came only after the country’s former monarch had cut off contact. “In April 2024, we went on our first trip together to Oman. I thought we got engaged there, because in my culture the big ceremony is a wedding

Philippines declares state of emergency after typhoon...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr declared a state of emergency on Thursday after Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 140 people and left another 127 missing in central provinces in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year, as the storm headed towards Vietnam. Marcos’ emergency declaration, made during a meeting with disaster-response officials to assess the typhoon’s aftermath, would allow the government to disburse emergency funds faster and prevent food hoarding and...

Reign check: is North Korea’s Kim Jong-un preparing...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

South Korea’s intelligence agency has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter is consolidating her position as a potential heir, but analysts urge caution over the latest news as they point to Pyongyang’s silence on the 12-year-old’s name. They also voiced scepticism over the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) assessment that Kim could hold a fourth summit with US President Donald Trump around March next year. Observers say there is little sign the regime has begun laying

Singapore jails illegal brothel boss after Chinese...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

A woman who ran an illegal brothel under the guise of a massage parlour in Singapore was sentenced to 14 months’ jail after one of her sex workers lodged a police report. The police raided the unit along Carpenter Street and found a woman scantily clothed on top of a patron and another patron leaving. Mo Xuekui, 44, claimed trial to three charges of procuring a woman for prostitution, managing a brothel and living on immoral earnings. She claimed that she was just a cashier and that she had...

Japanese tourist’s death stokes outcry over Seoul’s...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

The death of a Japanese tourist in a drink-driving crash in Seoul has sparked criticism in Japan over what many see as South Korea’s lenient punishment for such offences. A post believed to be written by the victim’s family member has drawn wide attention online, questioning whether strong penalties are possible under South Korean law. A social media user with the handle abcz8756 wrote on Tuesday, “In Korea, my mother and sister were hit by a drunk driver. My mother died, and my sister is in...

Japan’s sumo-sized dilemma: centuries-old tradition...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is confronting an unexpected dilemma: whether she will be allowed to enter the country’s most sacred sporting arena – the sumo ring – to present the winner’s trophy that bears her office’s name. Just days before the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament opens on Sunday in Fukuoka, the all-male Japan Sumo Association (JSA) is reportedly weighing what to do if Takaichi wishes to perform the long-standing prime ministerial duty of handing over the

Japan’s welfare crackdown has foreign residents in...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/06

As Japan’s social contract comes under strain, Sanae Takaichi is moving swiftly on a campaign promise to make foreign residents shoulder their fair share of the health and pensions burden.The proposed reforms, set in motion just weeks after Takaichi’s historic appointment as the country’s first female prime minister, aim to address mounting public concern about inequality and the sustainability of its ageing welfare state. At her first ministerial meeting dedicated to issues regarding

5,538 results