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Asia - South China Morning Post

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

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While Trump boasts about ending wars, China quietly...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

With US President Donald Trump’s unabashed claim of ending eight wars in eight months hogging the limelight, China’s handling of both intrusions along its border with Myanmar and the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute has gone relatively unnoticed. In stark contrast to America’s dramatic and forceful brokering of peace deals, Beijing has adopted a calibrated and generally reactive response to Myanmar’s border intrusions and supports Asean taking the lead on the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute...

‘Badhai!’ In India, a celebration for Mamdani’s New...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

Indians lit up social media on Wednesday to celebrate Zohran Mamdani’s election win as New York mayor after he thanked his Indian-born parents, quoted a historic speech by India’s first prime minister and turned the victory rally into a Bollywood-style street party. “We are proud of him. He has done a great job,” Mamdani’s maternal uncle Vikram Nair said. He said he was flooded with requests from friends and family to throw celebratory parties. “We will plan it soon,” he said, adding that the...

UK seizes US$15 million in dinosaur bones from...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

British police have seized more than £12 million (US$15.6 million) of dinosaur skeletons after agreeing to a settlement with a Chinese national suspected of being part of a huge money-laundering scandal. Su Binghai agreed to forfeit three complete fossilised skeletons, along with nine London apartments, bought for around £15 million, but he will be able to keep 25 per cent of all the sale proceeds, a lawyer for the National Crime Agency said at a court hearing on Tuesday. Su was previously...

Uproar at Miss Universe event in Thailand over local...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

A ceremony meant to welcome this year’s Miss Universe delegates descended into turmoil after a Thai pageant organiser publicly berated Miss Mexico, prompting a walkout led by the competition’s reigning title-holder from Denmark and a last-minute postponement of the event.“I think that the world needs to see this because we are empowered women,” said Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch, addressing the media after she was escorted out of the room by security. “This platform is meant for our voice, and no...

‘Smartphones make it easy to cheat’: Indonesia...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

Indonesia’s religious affairs minister has warned that smartphones and social media are facilitating adultery and eroding marital bonds, describing the nation as being in a “yellow light” phase of family instability. “Smartphones make it easy to flirt or cheat,” Minister Nasaruddin Umar told a gathering of marriage counsellors on October 30, as quoted by the Jakarta Globe. “If we’re not careful, we’ll end up being slaves to social media.” The warning comes as nearly 400,000 couples divorced

Illegal mining tests Indonesia’s resolve on new...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

Indonesia is struggling to stamp out illegal mining that has ravaged forest land around its new capital Nusantara, in a challenge environmentalists say will test the government’s resolve to enforce the law and rein in powerful mining interests. The crackdown comes as doubts persist over the future of the 466 trillion rupiah (US$27.8 billion) project – a centrepiece of former leader Joko Widodo’s legacy that now faces waning political support under his successor, President Prabowo Subianto, and

Taiwanese influencer’s death: Malaysian rapper...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

Malaysian rapper Namewee was detained by Kuala Lumpur police on Wednesday in connection with the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, in a stunning twist to a tale that has gripped the country. Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, took to his social media on Tuesday night to confirm his voluntary surrender to city authorities after returning from his southern home state of Johor, vowing to fully cooperate with the police investigation. “I will not run away. I voluntarily reported

South Korean bill aims to limit English education for...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

A bill restricting private English tuition for young children is gaining traction in South Korea, with both liberal and conservative authorities uniting to tackle excessive academic pressure on preschoolers. Representative Kang Kyung-sook of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who is leading the legislative effort, said passage of the bill appeared likely amid rising support from superintendents of education offices across the country. “We are viewing the possibility of passing this

Student spider smuggler hit with massive fine in...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

An international student has been fined A$35,000 (US$22,700) after he was caught trying to smuggle 125 spiders and insects out of Australia, as the country continues to crack down on a growing illegal wildlife trade with links to organised crime. Australian Border Force officers detained Zhang Qiran, a 22-year-old Chinese national, at Sydney International Airport on January 26 after they found 34 packages hidden inside his checked-in and carry-on luggage, the Department of Climate Change,...

Road to 2026 runs through Bihar: why Indian state...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is bracing for a fiercely contested state election in Bihar starting on Thursday, in a race analysts say could determine the stability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition and reveal the limits of his influence in key battleground states. Voting in Bihar will take place in two phases, on Thursday and next Tuesday, with results due next Friday. The outcome will not only decide Bihar’s leadership but could also set the tone for a series of key...

South Korea grapples with medicine shortage as flu...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

South Korea is grappling with an intense influenza season, with infections more than tripling from a year ago and showing pronounced peaks among school-aged children and adults over 50. Official data suggests a potentially severe season ahead. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the national outpatient influenza-like illness rate for the 43rd week of the year (October 19-25) climbed to 13.6 cases per 1,000 patients, a significant leap from the previous week’s

Frenzy over Seoul eatery table used by Nvidia CEO...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

A fried chicken restaurant in South Korea has introduced a one-hour time limit for the table used by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during his casual dinner with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun last week.“The table occupied by Jensen Huang can be used for only an hour,” said a notice posted in front of the store near Samseong station in southern Seoul. Since Huang’s visit last Thursday, crowds have lined up in front of the

Why experts are sceptical about Trump’s nuclear...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

US President Donald Trump’s claim that Pakistan has resumed underground nuclear testing – alongside China, Russia and North Korea – has been met with scepticism by arms control experts and denials from the countries named, raising concerns about the credibility and consequences of Washington’s nuclear posture. Pakistan, which has not conducted a nuclear explosion since 1998, issued a firm rebuttal, with a senior security official telling CBS News the country “was not the first to carry out...

Investors go wild for Japan spray, rifle stocks amid...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

A spate of fatal bear attacks across Japan has dominated local news for weeks, prompting the government to send soldiers to one of the most affected areas. Meme traders have piled into the shares of two little-known companies whose products offer some protection for hikers and rural residents. At least 12 people have been killed by bears so far in the year starting April, exceeding the previous high of six in 2023, according to government data. Most of the victims have been elderly people in

Typhoon Kalmaegi devastates Philippines as death toll...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines climbed past 90 on Wednesday as the devastating impact on hard-hit Cebu province became clearer after the worst flooding in recent memory. Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through towns and cities, sweeping away cars, trucks and even massive shipping containers. On Wednesday, Cebu spokesman Rhon Ramos said that 35 bodies had been recovered from flooded areas of Liloan, a town that is part of provincial capital Cebu

Takaichi mulls ‘any means necessary’ to bring North...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s vow to use “any means necessary” to bring home Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea has reignited a debate over how Tokyo intends to break the long-standing deadlock with Pyongyang. Takaichi has also pledged to take “proactive action” – language that analysts say marks a clear departure from the cautious tone adopted by her predecessors. Some have interpreted her remarks as a potential switch to high-pressure diplomacy targeting Pyongyang,

Cambodia resumes military drills with US to rebalance...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/05

The revival of US-Cambodia military exercises after an eight-year hiatus signals Washington’s renewed interest in Southeast Asia and offers Phnom Penh a chance to rebalance its strategic ties beyond Beijing, according to analysts. The long-frozen Angkor Sentinel drills will resume following a meeting between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Cambodian counterpart on the sidelines of a regional security summit in Malaysia last week. The drills were suspended in 2017 after Washington...

Murder hornet swarm kills US father and son ziplining...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

The American director of an elite private school was stung to death by a swarm of murder hornets alongside his teenage son while they were ziplining in Southeast Asia, local officials confirmed. Daniel Owen and his 15-year-old son, Cooper, were visiting Green Jungle Park – an eco-adventure resort near the city of Luang Prabang – when the incident occurred, the according to The Times of London. The pair were suddenly bombarded by hundreds of Asian giant hornets as they were descending from a

How China and Asean can ensure their upgraded pact is...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

At last month’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, China and the bloc upgraded their free trade pact in the areas of environmental protection, product quality and support for small businesses. Premier Li Qiang contextualised the agreement in light of “greater development challenges” facing Asean nations, as they are “unfairly subjected to steep tariffs”, an indirect criticism of the erratic measures unleashed across the region by US President Donald Trump. Another

US targets Chinese in North Korea-related sanctions...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned eight individuals and two entities who it said were involved in a variety of North Korean cyber-related money-laundering schemes. The Treasury said the move was aimed at cutting off funding for North Korea’s weapons programmes. “By generating revenue for Pyongyang’s weapons development, these actors directly threaten US and global security,” John Hurley, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a...

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