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SCMP

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. Anger in Malaysia as Liow pays fine, has money-laundering charges dropped
The revelation that an alleged Malaysian scam kingpin was released after paying 10 million ringgit (US$2.4 million) fine has sparked public outrage over claims of preferential treatment for a man at the centre of a controversial photo-op with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
2. Thai teen kills at least 5 in school, after shooting grandparents at home

At least five people were killed at a school near Thailand’s capital Bangkok after a student went on a gun rampage, with the tragedy shocking the nation and reopening questions over access to firearms.
3. North Korea advises citizens to eat dog meat to beat the summer heat

North Korea’s state media has recommended dog meat soup as protection against summer heat, reviving Pyongyang’s long-running effort to promote the controversial dish as record-high temperatures grip both sides of the Korean peninsula.
4. Philippine sailor on South China Sea outpost under investigation for drug use
A Philippine Navy personnel who previously served aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, one of Manila’s most sensitive military outposts in the South China Sea, is under investigation over alleged illegal drug use, sources have told This Week in Asia.
5. Vietnam pays the price at home for sending workers abroad
Vietnam’s seafood and garment sectors are facing a labour shortfall even with raised wages, as Hanoi expands a drive to send more workers overseas for higher-paying jobs.
6. Lee Kuan Yew’s fountain pen valued at US$23,000-US$39,000 up for auction

A silver Montblanc fountain pen owned by Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is up for auction with a starting bid of S$20,000 (US$15,600).
7. Are Indonesia’s Prabowo and ultra rich ‘9 Dragons’ on a collision course?
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s push to reorganise Southeast Asia’s largest economy around a stronger, more interventionist state has put him increasingly at odds, analysts say, with the country’s so-called Nine Dragons.


Malaysian scam kingpin walks free; Lee Kuan Yew’s pen up for auction: 7 Asia highlights

Beijing urged to win Indian hearts, Hong Kong’s hottest day: 5 weekend reads you missed

China retaliates on US sanctions; North Korea’s dog meat advisory: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Hong Kong’s dining battle; TV host fights insomnia, depression: 7 Lifestyle highlights

SCMP Highlights

Malaysian fugitive businessman Nicky Liow is brought to court in 2021. Photo: Weibo

Family members of a teacher who was killed in a school shooting are led to an ambulance in Bang Kruai district, Thailand’s Nonthaburi province, on Friday. Photo: TNS

A waitress shows dishes made of dog meat at a restaurant in North Korea in 2018. Euphemistically known as “dangogi”, or sweet meat, dog has long been believed to be a stamina food in North and South Korea and is traditionally eaten during the hottest time of the year. Photo: AP

A silver Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen belonging to Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is valued at S$30,000 (US$23,000) to S$50,000 (US$39,000). Photo: Handout

Discovery of almost 1,000 weapons in Indonesian school fuels safety fears

A total of 995 airsoft guns and one live firearm at Harapan Ibu Islamic School Foundation were seized by Indonesian police. Photo: YouTube/Trijaya FM

Maldives’ plea to restart South Asian bloc hits India-Pakistan brick wall

Pakistani hardline organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa supporters burn a poster of then Indian home minister Rajnath Singh as he arrives in Lahore for a Saarc summit in Lahore on August 3, 2016. Photo: AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the 18th Saarc summit in Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 26, 2014. Photo: AP

An activist holds the national flag in front a banner praising the Indian defence forces for their military operation, code-named Operation Sindoor, in Mumbai on May 10, 2025. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 26. Photo: Xinhua

As record heatwave hits Asia, fears of energy crisis and health risks mount

Two tourists use a hand fan and an umbrella to seek relief from the extreme heat in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Visitors pass by the cooling fog device at Gwangmyeong Cave tourist site in South Korea on Thursday. Photo: AP

One of the three lions that died of suspected heatstroke at Tama Zoological Park in Hino, western Tokyo. Photo: EPA

A man rests in an air conditioned shelter on a hot day in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

From North Korea’s dog meat advice to Prabowo at odds with Indonesia’s rich, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From North Korea’s dog meat advice to Prabowo at odds with Indonesia’s rich, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Malaysian scam kingpin walks free; Lee Kuan Yew’s pen up for auction: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From North Korea’s dog meat advice to Prabowo at odds with Indonesia’s rich, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. Anger in Malaysia as Liow pays fine, has money-laundering charges dropped

From North Korea’s dog meat advice to Prabowo at odds with Indonesia’s rich, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting