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Asia - South China Morning Post

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

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The Philippines’ political chameleon: Juan Ponce...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/18

The death of Juan Ponce Enrile has brought an end to one of the most complicated lives in Philippine politics – a man I covered for decades, whose brilliance, ruthlessness and endless reinventions shaped the country as much as they confounded those who tried to understand him. A central figure in the Philippines’ modern history, Enrile served as Ferdinand Marcos Snr’s defence minister during martial law, defected during the 1986 People Power revolt, and eventually reclaimed power as Senate...

Cambodian tycoon linked to scam empire owned luxury...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/18

The chairman of a Cambodia-based conglomerate indicted by US authorities over alleged large-scale investment fraud and money laundering had acquired a luxury property in Tokyo as his residence, Japanese corporate registration documents showed on Monday. Chen Zhi, a Cambodian national of Chinese descent who heads Prince Holding Group, established Prince Group in the Japanese capital in 2022 and is believed to have sought long-term residence status in Japan by starting his own business. The US...

South Korea indicts Japanese woman for forcibly...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/18

A Japanese woman in her 50s has been indicted without detention for forcing a kiss on Jin of BTS during a public fan event last year. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office said that the suspect was charged on Monday with indecent assault. She is accused of approaching Jin (real name Kim Seok-jin) during a fan meeting held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul’s Songpa district in June last year, shortly after he completed his military service. She forced a kiss on Jin’s cheek without...

South Korea’s nuclear sub deal signals shift from...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/18

Washington’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines has become a turning point in the alliance, analysts say, one that is already pushing Seoul towards a more explicit role in the United States’ broader Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China. As the US military reframes the region around a “strategic triangle” linking South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, observers say Washington has begun naming its price for its endorsement of the submarine project – pressing Seoul

Thailand court orders Thaksin to pay US$540 million...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/17

Thailand’s Supreme Court ordered jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday to pay back taxes over the sale of his telecoms firm, the judiciary said, with reports putting the sum due at around half a billion dollars. In 2006, Thaksin was dogged by corruption allegations and mired in controversy over the tax-free sale of shares in his company, Shin Corporation. Later that year he was ousted as prime minister in a coup and then went into exile for more than a decade. The

EU’s investment bank to work with Australia on...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/17

The EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Australian government said in a joint statement on Monday they would deepen cooperation on critical raw materials, as Western powers scramble to cut their reliance on China. With the exception of Japan, Group of Seven (G7) countries and the EU are heavily or exclusively reliant on China for a range of materials from rare earth magnets to battery metals. European officials and industry sources say financing remains a key hurdle in the bloc’s

2 top Philippine officials in Marcos’ cabinet quit...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/17

Two of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s most senior cabinet members have resigned, as mass protests and corruption allegations intensify pressure on his embattled administration over the widening flood control corruption scandal. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman quit late on Monday, days after being implicated in the scandal by fugitive ex-lawmaker and former Marcos ally Zaldy Co. The resignations came as a rally, which started on Sunday

45 Indian pilgrims killed in devastating Saudi bus crash

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/17

A fatal accident involving a bus filled with Indian pilgrims killed at least 45 people near Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Medina, Indian police said on Monday, one of the deadliest crashes in the Gulf kingdom in years. “The tragic bus accident involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is deeply distressing,” V.C. Sajjanar, police commissioner for the city of Hyderabad, where many of the Indian citizens were reported to have come from, told reporters. “According to preliminary information, 46...

Trump exempts Indian items from tariffs amid rising...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Indian agricultural exporters are among the winners from US President Donald Trump’s exemption of dozens of food items from his reciprocal tariffs, which some analysts say could help revive lost demand. Trump on Friday removed tariffs he had imposed on more than 200 food products, including beef, as consumer concerns mount over rising US grocery prices. Unlike EU and Vietnamese suppliers facing 15-20 per cent duties, Indian exporters of tea, coffee, spices and cashew nuts were hit harder

How does China’s modernising navy stack up against...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

When President Xi Jinping commissioned the Fujian on November 5, China became only the second nation to have an aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult system. It is also notable that, last month, two navy aircraft from the USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea. These events crystallise a strategic reality often obscured by aggregate force comparisons: the relevant naval balance is not between the 11 US aircraft carriers and China’s three, but between what the United States

Samsung, Hyundai announce US$310 billion domestic...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and other major South Korean manufacturers on Sunday unveiled domestic investment plans, as a US trade deal raised concerns that investment in the US could weaken manufacturing at home. Samsung Electronics will add a chip production line at its plant in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek to meet rising demand amid the global boom in artificial intelligence, as part of the parent group’s 450 trillion won (US$310.79 billion) investments at home over the next...

Can Bhutan’s Singapore-inspired ‘mindfulness city’...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Bhutan is a nation that prides itself on happiness over productivity, being the only net negative emission country and reluctantly democratising only after its monarch introduced the system in a time of peace, but the tides are changing for the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Amid high youth unemployment and an exodus of talent – especially to Australia – the landlocked kingdom of just under 800,000 people bordering giants India and China, is banking on a new “one country, two systems” special...

Philippine church rallies over corruption scandal,...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Thousands of members of an influential religious group started gathering in Manila on Sunday for a rally to call for accountability in the Philippine government over a widening corruption scandal. Iglesia ni Cristo members, wearing white shirts, assembled in the historic Quirino Grandstand and nearby streets in Manila city. Police estimated the crowd at 14,500 as of 8am local time. Some camped out overnight for a programme expected to start late in the afternoon. The Christian religious group...

Can ‘passive’ Philippine body deliver accountability...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

A new Philippine commission tasked with investigating alleged corruption in thousands of public flood control projects has begun issuing its first findings, but analysts warn the body was designed with too little power and independence to deliver real accountability. Created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in response to mounting public anger over so-called ghost projects – flood control works that were paid for but either poorly built or did not exist at all – the Independent Commission

Singer Nana hospitalised with injuries after...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

K-pop star Nana helped overpower a home intruder and is recovering in hospital after suffering injuries during the tussle, South Korean police said on Sunday. The intruder, a man in his 30s, broke into the K-pop star’s home early on Saturday before being taken down by Nana with the help of her mother and arrested. The 34-year-old celebrity and her mother, who suffered serious injuries and lost consciousness, are being treated in hospital, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The

Can Danantara’s haj village bid reshape Indonesia’s...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Indonesia’s newest sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, is making a bold entrance onto the world stage with ambitious plans ranging from bidding to construct a haj village in Mecca to launching one of the world’s largest waste-to-energy initiatives. At the heart of these ambitions is Pandu Sjahrir, chief investment officer of the state-backed fund established by President Prabowo Subianto in February to manage strategic investments and improve governance across public assets. In an interview

Australia draws mainland China, Hong Kong homebuyers...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

Australia, with its stable political and economic landscape, is likely to attract more property investors from Hong Kong and mainland China in the coming year, according to agents. The luxury property segment of the world’s sixth-largest country is also expected to see increased interest from affluent investors looking for cost-efficient safe havens amid changes in the immigration and residency requirements of the US and the UK, among other jurisdictions. “For many years, Australia has been a...

Japan battles drug crisis as youths get hooked on...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

The abuse of a sedative-laced vape liquid called “zombie cigarettes” has been increasing among youths in southern Japan, with investigative authorities stepping up vigilance against its potential spread nationwide. By the end of September, 10 people, mostly in their teens and 20s, had been arrested in Okinawa prefecture for possessing etomidate. In May, the Japanese government designated the substance, which is known to depress cerebellar neuronal activity essential for body coordination, as

Japan’s ‘monster parents’ heap misery on teachers...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/16

When the cherry blossoms fail to bloom on cue or a lunch menu falls short of expectations, teachers in Japan know what to expect: a barrage of late-night emails, angry phone calls and, increasingly, a sense of despair. The problem has reached such proportions that authorities in Tokyo are planning official guidelines intended to protect educators from parental harassment and establish boundaries around what schools can be asked to do. According to a draft released this month by the Tokyo...

How Baumkuchen ‘tree cake’ survived disasters to...

Asia - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/15

Baumkuchen originated in Germany but has become a wildly popular sweet in Japan, where a prisoner of war on a small western island started making the treat that has thrived in its new homeland. Today, the confectionery known as “tree cake” because of the resemblance to a trunk with rings is considered a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Japan, where Baumkuchen festivals are regularly held. Japanese adaptations, including those using matcha and sweet potatoes, are popular gifts at weddings...

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