https://www.scmp.com/rss/3/feed Breaking news, analysis and opinion from the SCMP's Asia edition. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Bolstering strategic partnerships and economic ties will be high on the agenda during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s six-day trip to India and Vietnam, as Seoul seeks to expand cooperation with the Global South amid the Middle East turmoil. Lee, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business leaders and Korean expatriates before concluding the visit on Tuesday. National security adviser Wi Sung-rak said South Korea will “comprehensively... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350621/south-korea-targets-india-vietnam-co-prosperity-push-trade-and-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350621/south-korea-targets-india-vietnam-co-prosperity-push-trade-and-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Across Asia, a revolution in how people move was already gathering speed. War in Iran just hit the accelerator. Prashant Tiwari was among the first people at his company to go electric when he swapped his petrol car for a Hyundai Kona five years ago. Now, his colleagues at Fusemachines Nepal – an AI firm in Kathmandu – are calling him a prophet. “They say you don’t have any problem,” the 36-year-old product manager said. “I think it is foolish to buy a petrol-run car now, and everyone generally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350481/asias-ev-revolution-shifts-overdrive-iran-war-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350481/asias-ev-revolution-shifts-overdrive-iran-war-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea on Sunday, its neighbours said, days after the UN’s nuclear watchdog warned that North Korea was making “very serious” advances in efforts to build nuclear weapons. The missiles fired from the North’s Sinpo area flew about 140 kilometres (87 miles) each towards the country’s eastern waters, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350644/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-un-warns-nuclear-advances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350644/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-un-warns-nuclear-advances?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:54:15 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Since America launched its “major combat operation” against Iran, several Nato allies have distanced themselves from Washington. Now America also risks losing ground in strategically important Southeast Asia to China. Could it face an erosion of influence similar to that suffered by Russia in Central Asia as a result of its “special military operation” in Ukraine? Soon after US President Donald Trump launched massive air and missile strikes on Iran on February 28, it became clear Washington... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350148/can-iran-fiasco-help-china-edge-out-us-key-arena-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350148/can-iran-fiasco-help-china-edge-out-us-key-arena-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thousands ⁠of people have been displaced after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island ‌on Sunday, the fire department said. Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at around 1.32am, the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung said in a statement. “Strong winds and ⁠the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to ‌spread rapidly, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to obtain an open ‌water... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350629/blaze-malaysias-sabah-destroys-1000-homes-displaces-over-9000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350629/blaze-malaysias-sabah-destroys-1000-homes-displaces-over-9000?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:59:56 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Lea Albritton’s mornings belong to the repair shop. Her afternoons belong to the camera. The 40-year-old from Leyte in the central Philippines has lived in the US state of Georgia since 2019 with her 62-year-old American husband, Timothy, running a recreational vehicle repair shop in the mornings. After lunch, she produces videos about Filipino food, migration advice for couples stuck in the fiancée visa queue and glimpses of domestic life for the 250,000 followers of her page, Pinay sa America... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao As the artificial intelligence race moves beyond language models into the physical world, Asia’s manufacturing and supply chain strengths could give it an edge over the US, says Granite Asia’s Jixun Foo. The veteran venture capitalist said the current wave of AI development, sparked by breakthroughs in foundation models over the past two years, had entered a new phase where physical applications – from robotics to industrial automation – were becoming increasingly important, playing to Asia’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3350609/asias-supply-chain-strengths-could-give-it-edge-over-us-ai-race-granite-asias-foo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3350609/asias-supply-chain-strengths-could-give-it-edge-over-us-ai-race-granite-asias-foo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:00:18 +0000 The Star The Star A single father has refused to accept any more donations from Malaysians following a viral video that appeared to show him having difficulty finding money to pay a mechanic after his motorcycle broke down in Kuala Lumpur. According to Sinar Harian, the man known as Dicky Yau was touched by the concern shown by social media users who had offered to extend financial help to him after seeing the situation he was in. “I would like to thank everyone who sent private messages to offer help. However, I... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350607/struggling-single-dad-and-kind-bike-mechanic-inspire-malaysias-generosity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350607/struggling-single-dad-and-kind-bike-mechanic-inspire-malaysias-generosity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:53:30 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The flags arrived before BINI did. They were already rippling across the Mojave Tent at Coachella in a sea of blue, red and white when the eight-member group took the stage on a recent Friday afternoon, carried by fans who had travelled across oceans and time zones for a moment that had never been seen before. The 45-minute set that followed made BINI the first P-pop act from the Philippines – and the first Southeast Asian girl group – to perform at one of the world’s most influential music... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350492/bini-made-history-coachella-can-philippines-build-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350492/bini-made-history-coachella-can-philippines-build-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Kolette Lim,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Kolette Lim,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian comedian Rizal van Geyzel keeps his three children – aged six, 14 and 15 – off social media. He calls it a “gateway drug” to fake news, pornography, stalkers and doom-scrolling. “Do I risk them resenting me? Sure, but these are the sacrifices of parents for their children’s mental health and physical safety,” the 43-year-old said. Across Southeast Asia, governments are increasingly siding with parents like him. Indonesia last month became the first country in the region to bar... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350487/southeast-asia-wants-children-social-media-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350487/southeast-asia-wants-children-social-media-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:00:10 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore has earned top marks for digital resilience in the Asia-Pacific, but a new study reveals a disconnect at the heart of its corporate world: its executives ranked 10th out of 11 for leadership on the issue. The findings, published on Wednesday by Economist Impact and Australian telecoms company Telstra International, drew on responses from 1,420 senior executives across 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Singapore ranked first overall –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350489/singapore-ranks-no-1-cyber-defences-boardrooms-are-weak-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350489/singapore-ranks-no-1-cyber-defences-boardrooms-are-weak-link?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Construction of a US$1 billion Chinese-invested hydropower station has begun in Cambodia to facilitate the Southeast Asian country’s use of renewable energy as the fallout from the Iran war constricts developing countries’ access to traditional fuel supplies. Work on the Upper Tatay pumped-storage hydropower project in the hilly southwestern province of Koh Kong started on April 10, Xinhua reported, describing it as a future “green power bank” for Cambodia’s national grid. It said the project... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350480/china-begins-building-us1-billion-hydropower-station-cambodia-amid-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350480/china-begins-building-us1-billion-hydropower-station-cambodia-amid-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Ryan Ip,Jason Leung Yeuk-ho,Wenhui Jia Ryan Ip,Jason Leung Yeuk-ho,Wenhui Jia For a Chinese enterprise venturing overseas, the first decision is often not which market to enter, but which city to launch from. And that choice increasingly narrows to Hong Kong or Singapore. Both offer deep capital markets, common law systems and Chinese-speaking talent. Both want to be the trusted first stop. But a gap has emerged – not in what the two cities offer on paper, but in how they treat the enterprises they both want. What does a “launch pad” deliver? It is where a Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350196/how-hong-kong-can-beat-singapore-launch-pad-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350196/how-hong-kong-can-beat-singapore-launch-pad-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan and Australia said on Saturday they have finalised contracts to jointly deliver the first three of 11 ships for the Australian navy based on the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate, as the two countries deepen their defence cooperation amid China’s growing assertiveness. The deal, announced by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Melbourne, comes ahead of Japan’s planned easing of its rules on defence equipment exports, which place... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350577/japan-australia-finalise-contracts-deliver-first-3-planned-frigates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350577/japan-australia-finalise-contracts-deliver-first-3-planned-frigates?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:08:57 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley East Asia’s “economic miracle” in the post-World War II period was predicated upon a number of factors, such as the region’s export-led growth model, but critically it also depended on an assured supply of capital to finance business investment. One source of such finance was bank loans, the supply and direction of which can be officially influenced by various means rather than being chiefly market-determined. Even today, bank loans account for most of the business financing in Japan, the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350329/why-japans-bond-moves-could-see-shift-east-asias-financing-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350329/why-japans-bond-moves-could-see-shift-east-asias-financing-model?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof On Monday afternoon, amid the heat and chaos of Thailand’s Songkran festival, Gavin Chow was crowned Mr Bear International 2026 – the first Malaysian to win the title at a pageant that has quickly become part of Thailand’s growing queer festival circuit. Back in Chow’s home country, the climate is very different. Malaysia criminalises same-sex intimacy under federal law, LGBTQ gatherings have faced police raids and the 34-year-old activist’s own national qualifier earlier this year struggled to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350517/bangkok-malaysias-first-mr-bear-winner-finds-spotlight-queer-life-rarely-gets-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350517/bangkok-malaysias-first-mr-bear-winner-finds-spotlight-queer-life-rarely-gets-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Two strong earthquakes jolted Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, with the first measuring a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 followed by another registering magnitude 5.1, the country’s weather agency said. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of aftershocks on a similar scale over the next week or so. No tsunami warnings were issued. The first major quake occurred at 1.20pm in Omachi and registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, according to the agency. At... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350559/magnitude-5-quake-hits-japans-nagano-prefecture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350559/magnitude-5-quake-hits-japans-nagano-prefecture?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:14:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near – although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence. Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person’s future based on the day and time they were born. Practitioners, known as mudang, wear long, colourful robes and perform dances and chants to commune with the gods – sometimes even walking on sharp blades... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350556/south-koreas-ai-shamans-foretell-new-take-old-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350556/south-koreas-ai-shamans-foretell-new-take-old-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:20:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rubber glove makers have raised prices and warned of production cuts as the Iran war chokes supplies of key inputs, raising concerns for the healthcare sector. Glove makers have already hiked the average price of synthetic rubber gloves by around 40 per cent to as high as US$29 for a box ‌of 1,000, according to Oong Chun Sung, an equity research analyst at CIMB Securities. Sustained disruption to supply chains from the conflict could lead to glove shortages by late May, analysts at Malaysia’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350554/hospitals-face-glove-shortage-malaysian-makers-hike-prices-40?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350554/hospitals-face-glove-shortage-malaysian-makers-hike-prices-40?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 03:47:52 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is hoping further US-Iran talks will ease tensions in the Middle East and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz permanently, but there is also mounting anxiety over what a failure could mean for the country as summer approaches. On Friday, Iran said it would reopen the strait for commercial shipping following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, while US ⁠President Donald Trump added that a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports would ‌remain until a deal with Tehran was struck. The fear in Japan,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350475/japan-warned-hellish-summer-energy-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350475/japan-warned-hellish-summer-energy-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travellers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks. The airline will soon open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travellers. Fliers will get cosy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are forbidden. The curtained... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350551/air-new-zealand-invites-economy-passengers-join-mile-high-sleep-club-world-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350551/air-new-zealand-invites-economy-passengers-join-mile-high-sleep-club-world-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:23:08 +0000 dpa dpa While many Europeans are considering putting long-haul flying on the back burner as jet fuel costs and airfares climb, those with a trip already booked for Malaysia may need to watch out if ambling around with a camera slung across a shoulder. Following an early April warning about unlicensed street photography, city authorities in Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, have confiscated equipment from six people, five of them non-Malaysians, pending payment of fines levied under street hawking... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350550/malaysia-unlicensed-street-photography-becomes-focus-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350550/malaysia-unlicensed-street-photography-becomes-focus-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:39:31 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is set to take another step away from its long-standing limits on arms exports, a move analysts say will strengthen the domestic defence industry, spur innovation, deepen security ties and reduce Tokyo’s reliance on the US at a time when Washington is increasingly seen as a less reliable partner. The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday that revisions to the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology would be approved at a cabinet meeting next week. The changes... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350486/japan-ditches-decades-arm-export-curbs-us-reliability-wavers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350486/japan-ditches-decades-arm-export-curbs-us-reliability-wavers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:00:18 +0000 Aidan Jones,Biman Mukherji Aidan Jones,Biman Mukherji The age of cheap oil is over and Thailand’s rooftops are reflecting that fact. Across homes, garages and warehouses in the sun-drenched kingdom, the blue-black sheen of solar panels is spreading, as the Iran war has done what years of climate summits could not: turn solar power into a necessity. Demand for solar panels has swamped companies like Wayso, whose managing director is colouring in Thailand’s rooftops as fast as he can find technicians to do it. “We can’t hire quickly enough,” Suwat... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350479/shock-therapy-war-forces-oil-addicted-asia-finally-go-green?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350479/shock-therapy-war-forces-oil-addicted-asia-finally-go-green?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:11 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Some exporters at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou report a modest return of orders to China from Southeast Asia, as energy-market volatility linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran prompts some Western buyers to prioritise supply chain stability. The shift is visible in buyer patterns on the exhibition floor, where the number from Europe and the United States appears to have recovered from last year’s levels, according to Chinese exporters, with more inquiries for home appliances, new energy products... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Even before Donald Trump returned to the White House, Vietnam’s military planners were already busy preparing for a possible second invasion by the United States and its allies. In the “Second US Invasion Plan”, secretly issued in August 2024, the Vietnamese military rejected playing any part in America’s China containment strategy in the Asia-Pacific. Rather, it sees the US promotion of “freedom and democracy” as a cynical ploy to maintain hegemony in the region. The document, released in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350254/vietnam-and-china-are-now-perfectly-aligned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350254/vietnam-and-china-are-now-perfectly-aligned?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had laid bare the urgency of long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. “We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens,” Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering.” At the three-day summit ending... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:43:43 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is usually seen in carefully choreographed meetings with presidents, kings and regional leaders in Putrajaya. So it was striking to see him instead riding through the city on a casual live stream with Sneako, the controversial 27-year-old American streamer and Muslim convert whose appeal to mainly young male audiences has made him an unlikely cultural figure. For more than an hour on Friday, the live stream gave Anwar a rare chance to sell Malaysia, his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:21:23 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asian airlines are cutting flights, raising fares and reshuffling networks as the Iran war sends jet fuel prices soaring, leaving carriers across the region scrambling to protect their margins and preserve key routes. The shock has hit Asia especially hard because many economies depend heavily on fuel flows from the Middle East, according to aviation analysts, and some regional carriers are less protected from sudden price spikes than their counterparts in Europe or the US. “The impact has been... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350497/asian-airlines-face-major-headwind-jet-fuel-costs-forcing-flight-changes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350497/asian-airlines-face-major-headwind-jet-fuel-costs-forcing-flight-changes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:49:33 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains. The Shalamar sailed just south of Iran’s Larak Island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of crude loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. The Aframax... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3350440/pakistan-oil-tanker-becomes-first-exit-through-hormuz-us-blockade-began?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3350440/pakistan-oil-tanker-becomes-first-exit-through-hormuz-us-blockade-began?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:38:21 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn As divorce rates continue to rise in Indonesia, more single mothers are bearing the brunt of financial hardship and struggling to collect court-ordered child support from former spouses. For some women, help comes from an initiative unique in the country: the East Java city of Surabaya bars men from accessing public services if they fail to pay court-ordered child support. First introduced in 2023, the scheme has been used to block administrative access to more than 8,000 men, according to Irvan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350439/indonesias-surabaya-bans-absentee-fathers-public-services-dodging-child-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350439/indonesias-surabaya-bans-absentee-fathers-public-services-dodging-child-support?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:30:21 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet Air has agreed to lease as many as 10 Chinese-made C909 regional passenger jets, giving a lift to their manufacturer’s goal of vying with Airbus and Boeing in overseas civil aviation. VietJet said in a statement on Thursday night it had agreed with SPDB Financial Leasing, a subsidiary of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in China, to finance the aircraft through operating leases. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) makes the jets that are the subject... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350431/vietnamese-airline-lease-10-c909-jets-boost-chinese-aircraft-maker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350431/vietnamese-airline-lease-10-c909-jets-boost-chinese-aircraft-maker?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:00:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two crew members and six passengers were killed when a private helicopter crashed in dense forest on Indonesia’s Borneo island, the transport ministry said on Friday. The Airbus H130 helicopter, owned by local firm Matthew Air Nusantara, lost contact with air traffic control about five minutes after take-off from an oil plantation in the West Kalimantan province on Thursday morning. It was on its way to another plantation in Kubu Raya district. All eight on board were men and one was a Malaysian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350430/malaysian-man-among-8-dead-indonesian-helicopter-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350430/malaysian-man-among-8-dead-indonesian-helicopter-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:56:14 +0000 Reuters,Agence France-Presse Reuters,Agence France-Presse Myanmar ⁠has freed former president Win Myint and reduced the sentence of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu ‌Kyi as part of an ‌amnesty that saw the release of 4,335 prisoners, according to state media. “The president has pardoned Win Myint,” said a statement on Friday from the office of newly elected president Min Aung Hlaing. Win Myint, an ally ‌of ⁠Suu Kyi, served as president ⁠from 2018 and 2021 but ‌was ousted ‌by a military coup and had been detained since. Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350424/myanmar-cuts-aung-san-suu-kyi-prison-term-4-1/2-years-broad-ranging-amnesty-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350424/myanmar-cuts-aung-san-suu-kyi-prison-term-4-1/2-years-broad-ranging-amnesty-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:27:44 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A South Korean woman in her thirties is facing child abuse charges after allegedly feeding her two-month-old infant tteokguk, or rice cake soup, with the case coming to light through photos she posted online. The dish, commonly eaten to mark the new year in South Korea, is considered inappropriate for infants, whose digestive systems are not yet developed enough to process semi-solid foods. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, the unidentified woman is being... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350407/south-korean-mum-faces-child-abuse-charges-feeding-rice-cake-soup-2-month-old-baby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350407/south-korean-mum-faces-child-abuse-charges-feeding-rice-cake-soup-2-month-old-baby?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:36:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Asian refiners have grown increasingly reliant on US crude as oil-starved fuel makers scour the globe to replace Middle Eastern supply and stave off shortages that could ripple through the broader economy. Buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the US early in the month, with South Korean, Singaporean and Thai processors also among customers, said traders familiar with the matter. At least 60 million barrels of grades from the US Gulf were bought for loading next... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350394/us-oil-floats-top-asia-looks-middle-eastern-alternatives-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350394/us-oil-floats-top-asia-looks-middle-eastern-alternatives-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:17:03 +0000 Agencies Agencies An Australian company will import 250,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser from Indonesia in the coming months, easing fears of a shortage that would crimp food production, Canberra said on Friday. Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of crops including wheat, barley and canola but relies on fertiliser imports that are threatened by ‌the war on Iran, which has cut supply from the Middle East, a major urea producer. The price of urea, a source of nitrogen that fuels plant growth, has risen... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350386/australia-acts-protect-winter-crops-emergency-indonesian-fertiliser-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350386/australia-acts-protect-winter-crops-emergency-indonesian-fertiliser-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:21:05 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills and missile tests to project confidence at home and defiance abroad. His heightened visibility suggests that Kim feels more secure in his country’s nuclear deterrence as Washington’s focus is pulled in several directions, analysts say. Kim has cast himself as increasingly assertive and is distancing himself from the symbolic rituals observed by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Mengzhen Liu Mengzhen Liu The decades-long negotiations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea may finally come to an end this year. Several parties involved, including China and the Philippines, have expressed confidence in reaching a final conclusion to the proposed set of rules in the contested waterways in the coming months. In March, Beijing signalled its hope of concluding negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by the end of the year while Manila has repeatedly expressed its intention to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Thursday night that a key suspect in a corruption scandal that has sparked public outrage in the Philippines has been arrested in the Czech Republic and that efforts were under way to repatriate the former lawmaker. Zaldy Co, who resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being implicated in financial anomalies involving flood control projects, was detained by authorities in Prague after crossing into the Central European... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350373/philippines-corruption-scandal-suspect-zaldy-co-arrested-prague-marcos-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350373/philippines-corruption-scandal-suspect-zaldy-co-arrested-prague-marcos-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:37:34 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Trade tensions between the US and China have made companies around the world less keen to invest in either country, with the United States almost twice as unpopular, according to a new report from Allianz Trade. The report, based on an annual survey by the Paris-based international insurance company, said US-China decoupling had not materialised, but investment intention towards China had dropped “significantly” to 24 per cent of survey respondents, down from 53 per cent a year ago. The survey... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:11 +0000 Neeta Lal Neeta Lal The quiet conclusion of US and Iranian backchannel engagements in Islamabad left more than diplomatic ambiguity. It crystallised a striking image: a financially strained, politically volatile Pakistan briefly positioning itself as a facilitator in one of the world’s most combustible rivalries. Substantive or symbolic, the episode underscores a deeper churn in West Asian geopolitics – one in which agility trumps credibility. Pakistan’s role was not incidental. Islamabad offered itself as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia and Australia pledged on Thursday to keep oil and gas flowing between them as the Iran war’s continuous squeeze on global fuel supplies compels regional countries to deepen energy trade cooperation. Across Asia, governments have been scrambling for alternatives after crude oil and gas shipments from the Middle East were disrupted following Tehran’s move to choke access to the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli strikes against Iran that began on February 28. The disruption has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350345/malaysia-and-australia-strike-energy-supply-pledge-bypass-iran-war-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350345/malaysia-and-australia-strike-energy-supply-pledge-bypass-iran-war-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:32:50 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The recent discovery of a Chinese underwater drone in Indonesia’s waters serves as a wake-up call for Jakarta to strengthen its undersea defence capabilities, analysts have said. Indonesia, however, is likely to remain silent on the find and resolve the issue through “quiet diplomacy”, according to observers. Last week, an Indonesian fisherman found a Chinese unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Lombok Strait, a key waterway leading to Australia. Marked with the letters “CSIC”, the drone is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350349/chinese-drone-exposes-indonesias-insufficient-undersea-capabilities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350349/chinese-drone-exposes-indonesias-insufficient-undersea-capabilities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:24:05 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s push to bring thousands of unlicensed tourist stays into the legal fold is running into a familiar administrative obstacle in Bali, with operators saying the government wants faster compliance than the bureaucracy could allow. In December, the Ministry of Tourism said unlicensed accommodation providers in Bali, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara and West Java had until March 31 to register their hotels, guest houses, villas and homestays, in a move meant to improve service quality,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350328/indonesias-bali-wants-illegal-rentals-be-legitimate-operators-flag-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350328/indonesias-bali-wants-illegal-rentals-be-legitimate-operators-flag-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:48:22 +0000 CNA CNA A man was charged in Australia on Tuesday with sexually assaulting a female passenger on board a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth on Monday. The 52-year-old Indian national committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on a woman he was seated next to during the flight, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Western Australia Police Force said in a joint statement on Monday. The woman sought help from airline staff members and was later moved to another seat, the police said in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350324/indian-man-charged-sexual-assault-passenger-singapore-perth-scoot-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350324/indian-man-charged-sexual-assault-passenger-singapore-perth-scoot-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:42:19 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro At first glance, the rupee is staging a recovery. India’s battered currency has gained around 1.5 per cent since March 27, making it the best-performing currency in Asia, according to Bloomberg data. However, the recent bounce belies vulnerabilities in India’s economy that have been exacerbated by the energy shock emanating from the war in Iran. India is one of the most exposed among Asia’s leading economies, importing 90 per cent of its oil and more than half its liquefied petroleum gas.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350249/bullish-narrative-around-indias-economy-odds-struggling-rupee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350249/bullish-narrative-around-indias-economy-odds-struggling-rupee?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korea welcomed a record 2.06 million foreign visitors in March, led by Chinese arrivals, government data showed on Thursday, with tourism spending lifted ‌by the comeback tour of K-pop supergroup BTS after a years-long hiatus. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the monthly record helped lift first-quarter arrivals by 23 per cent from a year ago to 4.76 million, also a record for a first quarter. It attributed the trend to the “worldwide popularity of [Korean] culture”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350291/bts-comeback-drives-record-206-million-tourists-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350291/bts-comeback-drives-record-206-million-tourists-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:37:01 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Thai police arrested seven French tourists after a viral Songkran confrontation in Phuket in which revellers surrounded a van, sprayed its driver with water and later ignored police orders to disperse. The incident came during Thailand’s annual new year festival, whose street water fights draw huge crowds across the country but have also sparked complaints this year about more aggressive behaviour in some tourist hotspots. Video shared on social media showed a crowd in Patong, a beach town on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350285/7-french-tourists-arrested-after-viral-songkran-spray-clash-van-driver-phuket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350285/7-french-tourists-arrested-after-viral-songkran-spray-clash-van-driver-phuket?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:20:55 +0000