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Asia - South China Morning Post

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Singapore’s caning of scammers reaffirms ‘moral’...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday passed a law that introduced caning as a punishment for scammers and money mules, as the country battles a scourge of fraud cases. Under the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, scammers as well as members and recruiters of scam syndicates will be punished with six to 24 strokes of the cane. The harsher penalties aim to enhance deterrence against scams, which are the most prevalent form of crime in Singapore, according to Senior Minister of State for...

Deadly collision on India’s rail network kills 7

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in central India on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a senior government official said. The incident happened near Bilaspur, about 116km (72 miles) from Chhattisgarh’s state capital, Raipur. Television channels showed images of one train colliding with another near the accident site. Rescuers are searching through the debris for survivors. The local passenger train hit the goods train from behind, senior

Hegseth confirms Trump support for Seoul’s nuclear...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the United States will fully support Korea’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines, reaffirming US President Donald Trump’s prior approval of the initiative. “President Trump has approved this historic step, and I want to reaffirm that decision. As defence authorities, we will, of course, do our best to actively and fully support it,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back

Australia offers free solar power to households in...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Australian households will be able to access three hours a day of free solar power under an energy-saving programme that the government unveiled on Tuesday and will begin next year. “We want to see the benefits of renewable energy flow to all,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen told national broadcaster ABC. In a statement, he said that the Solar Sharer scheme will be rolled out from next year in some jurisdictions, including New South Wales and South Australia, before a possible expansion. “It’s

Indonesia’s China-funded ‘Whoosh’ railway faces...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Indonesia’s anti-corruption watchdog has launched a preliminary investigation into the construction of the US$7.3 billion Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway that analysts say could implicate senior figures in the administration of former president Joko Widodo. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed last week that it was gathering evidence related to alleged irregularities in how the China-funded project, popularly known as “Whoosh”, was awarded and managed. “The investigation

India begins controversial voter revision in 12...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul – known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) – kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete

Outrage in India over Vance’s wish for his Hindu wife...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

A remark by US Vice-President J.D. Vance expressing hope that his Hindu wife might convert to Christianity has drawn sharp criticism in India, where commentators see it as a troubling signal of his expected bid for the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nomination. Speaking at the University of Mississippi last week, Vance said his children were being raised as Christians and that his wife Usha Vance also attended church with the family most Sundays. “Do I hope eventually that she is

‘World’s smartest man’ seeks US asylum, says Seoul...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Kim Young-hoon, a 36-year-old South Korean man who claims to hold the world’s highest IQ of 276, has announced that he is seeking asylum in the United States, citing political and religious persecution in his home country. Kim posted a 95-second video on social media last Thursday, saying in English, “As a Christian and as the world’s highest IQ record holder, I am applying for asylum in the United States.” He said he could no longer stay in South Korea because it is “ruled by a pro-North

Malaysian football shocked by Fifa’s appeal rejection...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Malaysia’s football association said it was “deeply shocked” after Fifa rejected its appeal against the sanctions imposed by the sport’s global body over forged documents that allowed seven foreign-born players to represent the country. The football-mad nation has been rocked by the scandal that unfolded in September when Fifa found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) guilty of falsifying ancestry documents to help the so-called “heritage” players become eligible to play for the

Why many in raided Myanmar scam hub chose US$1,400...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Recent raids on one of Myanmar’s most notorious internet scam hubs sparked a recruitment rush as fleeing workers scrambled to enlist at nearby fraud factories, according to experts and insiders. Online scam hubs have mushroomed across Southeast Asia, draining unsuspecting victims of billions of dollars annually in elaborate romance and cryptocurrency cons. Many workers are trafficked into the internet sweatshops, analysts say, but others go willingly to secure attractive salaries. Late

What Europe sees in Philippines, Malaysia’s Bukit...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines? Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese...

This AI model’s US$10,000 investment has the best...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

An artificial intelligence model developed by Alibaba Group Holding has emerged as the top performer in a high-profile “real money, real market” experiment that pitted six leading US and Chinese systems against one another in cryptocurrency trading. In the first round of testing on US research firm Nof1’s Alpha Arena, which concluded on Tuesday, Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen3-Max model generated a 22.32 per cent return on an initial investment of US$10,000 over two weeks. Alibaba owns the South China...

‘Kill them all’: South Korea’s ex-president aimed to...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

South Korea’s most dramatic political trial in decades took an extraordinary turn on Monday when a former special forces commander testified that Yoon Suk-yeol had directed the capture of political opponents so the ex-president could “shoot and kill them all” himself. The claim, delivered under oath at the Seoul Central District Court, stunned the chamber – marking a pivotal moment in a case testing the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions against the re-emergence of

Malaysian family awaits answers 1 month after boy...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

The Malaysian family of the primary Four pupil who was found dead in his school toilet in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan state, is seeking updates from authorities on the case. Lawyer Muhammad Yazid Mohamad Salim said it has been more than a month since the incident happened. “The family has only received information from the pathologist who conducted the postmortem [examination]. There has been no official explanation from any other authorities,” he told a press conference on Monday. Muhammad

South China Sea: does new US-Philippine task force...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

The United States and the Philippines have launched a new military task force designed to expand joint operational planning and coordination – a move analysts say underscores both countries’ determination to strengthen deterrence against Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. While the initiative formalises years of expanding defence ties, observers view it as a turning point in how Washington and Manila intend to manage maritime tensions – shifting from symbolic shows of...

Singapore’s Pritam Singh appeals against conviction...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on Tuesday launched an appeal against a conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee, for which he was fined S$14,000 (US$10,735). In February, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief, 49, was found guilty of two counts of giving false testimony to a committee scrutinising a lie told by Raeesah Khan, a former member of parliament for the party. Singh, who pleaded not guilty, received the maximum fine of S$7,000 for each charge following

China pushes for trilateral trade pact with Japan,...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

As Beijing continues advocating for deeper regional economic cooperation in East Asia amid ongoing tensions with Washington – including by working towards a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Japan and South Korea – analysts say that making substantial progress remains challenging, given the existing trade framework and conflicting interests. In a meeting with South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation...

Refuel row: Japan rescinds airbase access to South...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/04

Tokyo has rescinded a plan to allow South Korean military jets to refuel at a base in Okinawa after learning the aircraft had recently flown near contested islets in the Sea of Japan, a revelation that triggered nationalist anger and concerns about the political risks of closer defence ties between the uneasy neighbours. The now-scrapped refuelling operation would have seen South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team stop over at Naha Air Base in Okinawa en route to an air show in Dubai in

‘I’m ashamed’: friend of Iris Hsieh regrets Namewee...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

Canadian influencer Vivian Hsieh has accused Malaysian rapper Namewee of “not being forthcoming” following the death of her friend, Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh. According to Sin Chew Daily, Namewee – whose real name is Wee Meng Chee – and Iris had been working on filming a video together and were discussing matters in a hotel room. Iris later went to the bathroom to take a shower alone, but allegedly did not come out after half an hour, prompting Namewee to check on her. The 42-year-old

US wants UN sanctions on 7 ships over North Korea...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

The United States will in the coming days ask a UN Security Council committee to impose sanctions on seven ships suspected of violating UN sanctions on North Korea, a State Department official said on Monday. The seven vessels have illegally exported North Korean coal and iron ore to China, which traditionally earns Pyongyang between US$200 million and US$400 million a year, said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “These nominations are not just bureaucratic exercises.

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