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 Reuters Reuters Protesters outside a ballot-counting site in ⁠South Korea on ⁠Saturday rallied for a second ⁠day, demanding a re-run of local elections held earlier this week. Around 10,000 citizens were estimated to have gathered at the SK Olympic Handball Stadium as of 5.30pm local time, where votes were counted from Wednesday’s elections to pick mayors and local government officials and assembly members, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing an unofficial police estimate. Representatives at Seoul Metropolitan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356218/south-korean-protesters-demand-election-re-run-after-ballot-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356218/south-korean-protesters-demand-election-re-run-after-ballot-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley What is in effect Japan’s version of the Belt and Road Initiative is being rolled out at an accelerating pace. But unlike China’s global infrastructure initiative, which mainly takes the form of highways, railways and sea lanes, Japan’s project is all about energy networks and supply chains. It poses a further challenge to America’s waning economic and strategic influence in Asia, the world’s most populous, resource-rich and potentially powerful region. What is more, it is a cooperative venture... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355995/problem-japans-bid-strengthen-energy-security-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355995/problem-japans-bid-strengthen-energy-security-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:30:05 +0000 CNA CNA Three social media platforms have been ordered to block access to 14 posts which “target the Indian community and undermine Singapore’s model of multiculturalism”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Saturday. The police have issued disabling directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to block access to the posts on YouTube, Facebook and X, MHA said in a statement. The direction required the platforms to “take all reasonable steps to disable access by Singapore users to these posts”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356202/singapore-orders-social-media-platforms-block-foreign-posts-targeting-indian-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356202/singapore-orders-social-media-platforms-block-foreign-posts-targeting-indian-community?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:15:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online joke that drew millions across India, gathered for the first time in the national capital on Saturday, taking the social media movement off screens and into its biggest real-world test yet. The protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, marks the movement’s first foray into street politics after weeks of dominating social media feeds and news headlines, attracting millions of online followers and widespread support among young... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356192/viral-indian-youth-movement-cockroach-janta-party-hits-delhi-streets-first-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356192/viral-indian-youth-movement-cockroach-janta-party-hits-delhi-streets-first-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 05:13:53 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The Quad’s newly announced US$20 billion critical minerals framework aims to loosen China’s near-monopoly on the materials that power modern defence, technology and clean energy industries. But analysts say its success will depend on the ability of Australia, the United States, India and Japan – the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’s four members – to move beyond policy declarations and deliver measurable outcomes. The initiative, announced after a meeting of Quad foreign ministers on May 27, has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3356128/past-failures-haunt-quads-us20-billion-critical-minerals-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3356128/past-failures-haunt-quads-us20-billion-critical-minerals-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 05:00:08 +0000 The Star The Star FamilyMart in Malaysia has taken immediate disciplinary action by suspending an employee who allegedly threw hot soup at a delivery rider, as seen in a viral video. The popular Japanese convenience store chain has apologised for the employee’s actions and for the delay in providing an update. “We have attended to the well-being of the delivery rider, cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation and continued our own internal investigation and Domestic Inquiry in accordance with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356189/familymart-malaysia-apologises-suspends-worker-filmed-throwing-hot-soup-grab-rider?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356189/familymart-malaysia-apologises-suspends-worker-filmed-throwing-hot-soup-grab-rider?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 03:57:30 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times As South Koreans brace for another sweltering summer, a grim joke has taken hold in casual conversation: “This will be the coolest summer for the rest of our lives.” For many young people, that line is no longer dark humour but a blunt summary of how the climate crisis feels – relentless, immediate and deeply personal. Among South Korea’s young generations, a wave of what experts call “climate anxiety” is reshaping their daily lives, from how they exercise and shop to whether they plan to marry... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356185/young-south-koreans-embrace-plogging-cope-climate-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356185/young-south-koreans-embrace-plogging-cope-climate-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 02:36:34 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un’s recent display of nuclear-processing capabilities appears timed with reports of an impending visit by China’s leader and fuelled by insecurities about Seoul’s nuclear submarine talks with Washington. Analysts also say that mounting trilateral talks involving the United States, Japan and South Korea have galvanised Kim into doubling down on Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear-armed state. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on Friday that Xi... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356181/why-north-koreas-kim-doubling-down-nuclear-might-xi-visit-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356181/why-north-koreas-kim-doubling-down-nuclear-might-xi-visit-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:30:14 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo Listening to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I thought of the iconic Sichuan opera act of face-changing, where performers switch masks in an instant. Last year, Hegseth’s speech at the event was filled with blatant attacks on China. This year, he put on a completely different face, declaring that: “Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years.” Why this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Japanese homemaker Maki Watanabe carefully ⁠pours into a plastic bottle the oil she used to cook her ⁠deep-fried aubergines, doing her part in her Tokyo kitchen for a national effort to ramp up production of eco-friendly jet fuel. “It would take a tremendous amount to make an aircraft fly, so I hope we can collect more,” said Watanabe, whose penchant for cooking allows her to donate about 40 litres (10 gallons) a year. Her contribution is pooled at a nearby supermarket that is among roughly 300... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356183/how-everyday-cooking-oil-helping-japan-fight-aviation-fuel-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356183/how-everyday-cooking-oil-helping-japan-fight-aviation-fuel-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:07:23 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang For Beijing-based METiS TechBio CEO Lai Tsai-ta, ageing is comparable to bugs building up in a complex software system – it happens once errors begin to accumulate in the genetic code of human cells, such as their DNA sequences. “Those errors can be reprogrammed. It becomes possible to use AI to read, rewrite and reverse cells, or at least slow the ageing process,” Lai said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. The process could begin by fixing “immune cells, such as T cells, as... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3356154/targeting-us610-billion-longevity-market-biotech-firms-race-reverse-ageing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3356154/targeting-us610-billion-longevity-market-biotech-firms-race-reverse-ageing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:20 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Waves break along Cenang Beach as the sun drops over the Andaman Sea, washing Langkawi’s white sand in gold. Tourists sip fresh coconuts beneath rows of bright umbrellas, gazing out at the “Jewel of Kedah”: a duty-free archipelago long sold as one of Malaysia’s premier tropical escapes. Out on the water, meanwhile, small boats traverse the 8km (five miles) of open water that separates Langkawi from Thailand’s Koh Tarutao. On fast boats, the crossing takes a matter of minutes. No navigation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356122/how-malaysias-langkawi-became-paradise-smugglers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356122/how-malaysias-langkawi-became-paradise-smugglers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Albee Zhang Albee Zhang Indonesia is considering buying hi-tech policing equipment from China, setting out a shopping list for technology ranging from drones to tactical armoured vehicles at a police equipment trade show in Beijing. The Indonesian National Police is particularly interested in counterterrorism equipment, including intelligence technology, tactical weapons, bomb disposal gear and special purpose vehicles, according to a list of requirements released at a forum held at the expo on Thursday. Most of this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3356160/indonesian-police-market-hi-tech-chinese-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3356160/indonesian-police-market-hi-tech-chinese-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim While a wave of job cuts across Asia’s finance and other industries due to wider use of artificial intelligence has spurred concerns, a new study shows that the technology’s net impact on employment is not as clear-cut. Recruiters and industry observers say many companies are adding AI-related roles without having to lay off workers. A study by professional services firm Aon released on Wednesday shows that 74 per cent of 504 companies surveyed across industries in the Asia-Pacific region have... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3356163/most-asia-pacific-firms-use-ai-tasks-without-cutting-jobs-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3356163/most-asia-pacific-firms-use-ai-tasks-without-cutting-jobs-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:16:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand said on Friday it will join a UN arbitration process chosen by Cambodia to resolve a festering maritime boundary dispute, but put on hold for now other two-way efforts to settle their contested borders. This week Cambodia launched a compulsory conciliation process under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), after Bangkok decided last month to unilaterally end a ‌2001 framework pact for talks on a disputed maritime belt. For more than 25 years, both have claimed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356157/thailand-join-un-maritime-arbitration-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356157/thailand-join-un-maritime-arbitration-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:59:19 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo China-Canada relations are undergoing a thaw after years of estrangement and recrimination. China and India are seeking a rapprochement despite deep-seated distrust and sometimes violent border disputes. Both cases share a common element: Donald Trump. Meanwhile, following the US president’s visit to Beijing, his defence secretary Pete Hegseth avoided mentioning Taiwan at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He sounded almost conciliatory by hailing ties with Beijing as “better than they’ve... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3355960/trump-turning-allies-and-partners-friends-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3355960/trump-turning-allies-and-partners-friends-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Asia’s governments have spent years promising to protect the seas that feed their people, shelter their coasts and support some of the world’s richest marine life. World Ocean Day on Monday will put those promises back in the public spotlight, but the more consequential test will come days later in Mombasa, Kenya, where governments, donors, companies and conservation groups will gather for the 11th annual Our Ocean Conference from June 16 to 18. The conference has become a key stage for global... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356153/asias-marine-pledges-face-credibility-test-global-ocean-conference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356153/asias-marine-pledges-face-credibility-test-global-ocean-conference?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:35 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ landslide defeat to Kyrgyzstan for a UN Security Council seat has dealt a blow to Manila’s long-running campaign to raise its international diplomatic profile through the prestigious body, prompting questions about President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s foreign policy legacy. Analysts said the loss reflected the appeal of having under-represented Central Asia play a role in the council, Kyrgyzstan’s perceived neutrality and the geopolitical baggage attached to the Philippines as a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356150/why-philippines-political-circus-may-have-led-un-loss-kyrgyzstan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356150/why-philippines-political-circus-may-have-led-un-loss-kyrgyzstan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:23:25 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Pig farmers in the central state of Selangor have spent years trying to keep their business out of Malaysia’s culture wars. A royal decree has dragged them straight into one. The state’s decision to shut down pig farms, prompted by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Selangor’s hereditary ruler, has transformed a long-standing local dispute over pollution and odour into a flashpoint touching on royal influence, the livelihoods of a minority community and the delicate balancing act facing Malaysia’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356127/how-pig-farm-dispute-exposed-fault-lines-malaysias-multiracial-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356127/how-pig-farm-dispute-exposed-fault-lines-malaysias-multiracial-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:11:29 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China and South Korea will allow 70 more flights per week between the two countries in view of fast-growing, two-way tourism and a drop in Chinese group travel to Japan. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Seoul said in a statement Thursday that passenger flight capacity would grow from 608 to 664 per week and that maximum air freight flights would expand from 54 to 68 per week. These expansions, the first since before the Covid pandemic, reflect a surge in two-way tourism,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3356103/china-south-korea-boost-commercial-flights-tourism-increases-between-2-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3356103/china-south-korea-boost-commercial-flights-tourism-increases-between-2-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:00:43 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A proposal by the Quad to build a port in Fiji, seen by analysts as a move to counter China’s rising economic clout in the Pacific region, has fuelled doubts about whether the four-member security bloc is committed to completing the project amid differing policy priorities. At a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, in New Delhi last week, the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States – Penny Wong, S. Jaishankar, Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356101/another-empty-promise-quads-proposed-fiji-port-project-raises-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356101/another-empty-promise-quads-proposed-fiji-port-project-raises-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:58:33 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones A race to dig rare earths and metals in the mineral-rich mountains of eastern Myanmar is polluting waterways that millions of people living downstream depend on after a new tungsten mine reportedly began operations near the Thai border, according to environmental groups. Myanmar is among the top three producing nations of rare earths and other critical minerals used to make magnets and other components that power products ranging from smartphones to electric vehicles, with most of its output... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356085/race-rare-earths-myanmars-borders-fuels-pollution-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356085/race-rare-earths-myanmars-borders-fuels-pollution-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:07:46 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia is heading into a run of state elections, including two triggered by early assembly dissolutions, after Negeri Sembilan became the latest state to call a snap poll amid fraying ties inside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling alliance. While the polls will not directly affect Anwar’s parliamentary majority, they will test whether his federal partners can keep their coalition functioning at the state level or whether local disputes will deepen the fractures between them. On Friday,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356084/malaysian-state-polls-loom-negeri-sembilan-snap-vote-tests-anwars-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356084/malaysian-state-polls-loom-negeri-sembilan-snap-vote-tests-anwars-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:51:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has named one of his youngest sons as foreign minister in a major cabinet reshuffle – largely seen as a move to prepare for the next generation of leaders in the oil-rich kingdom. As the 10th child and fourth son of the sultan, Prince Abdul Mateen is down the line of succession, but his matinee idol looks have earned him more than 3 million followers on Instagram, providing a modern face to the royal family. Another younger son, Prince Abdul Malik, was also... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356063/brunei-picks-helicopter-flying-prince-abdul-mateen-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356063/brunei-picks-helicopter-flying-prince-abdul-mateen-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:27:11 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The threat by the US to impose additional tariffs on imports from India over forced labour supply-chain concerns is a “pressure” tactic deployed by Washington to drive a harder bargain in its trade talks with New Delhi, according to analysts. Following a Section 301 unfair trade practices investigation, the Trump administration proposed that products from India, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland would be subject to a 12.5 per cent levy, while a 10 per cent rate would apply to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356049/us-wielding-new-tariff-threat-secure-big-bargain-india-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356049/us-wielding-new-tariff-threat-secure-big-bargain-india-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:27:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Homes in New Zealand’s capital were flooded with faeces and sanitary products on Friday after an overnight storm blocked waste water pipes, the city’s utilities company said. Wellington Water said the waste water overflow in the picturesque suburb of Island Bay was the result of a blocked main. It said five properties were affected by the overflow and its crews were working to remove the faeces and sanitary products and disinfect the homes. “There is a suction truck on-site at the overflow,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3356031/new-zealands-wellington-hit-disgusting-deluge-faeces-sanitary-items-after-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3356031/new-zealands-wellington-hit-disgusting-deluge-faeces-sanitary-items-after-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:29:23 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele A revision to Malaysia’s public university admissions rules has reopened one of the multicultural country’s most sensitive political debates: how far its national education system should accommodate Chinese-language schooling. Malaysia’s government on May 15 said students from Chinese independent secondary schools could apply to public universities through specified pathways using the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the school-leaving qualification used by those institutions. The decision... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3356005/malaysias-new-university-rules-rekindle-multilingualism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3356005/malaysias-new-university-rules-rekindle-multilingualism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:02:03 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asia-Pacific is expected to drive global retail sales over the next five years, even as the Middle East conflict is hurting consumer confidence, according to business analysts. The war could continue to weigh on consumer and business sentiment for now due to higher energy prices and supply chain disruption, Anand Ramanathan, Deloitte Asia-Pacific’s retail and consumer products sector leader, said in an interview. “As borrowing costs rise and financial conditions tighten, consumers and businesses... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355990/asia-pacific-lead-global-retail-sales-weather-middle-east-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355990/asia-pacific-lead-global-retail-sales-weather-middle-east-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:00:18 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times South Korea’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday sought to defuse criticism over a 1.2 billion won (US$779,162) plan to install air conditioning in prisons, clarifying the equipment will cool corridors, not inmates’ cells. The ministry framed the installation as a minimal measure to protect vulnerable inmates and correctional officers from extreme heat, while online critics condemned the taxpayer-funded project as an unfair convenience for criminals. The ministry said the equipment will be installed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356020/south-koreans-sweat-over-us779000-air-conditioning-plan-prisons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3356020/south-koreans-sweat-over-us779000-air-conditioning-plan-prisons?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 01:10:51 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn The recent deaths of two men from crocodile attacks in North Sumatra have put a spotlight on Indonesia’s record as the country with the world’s highest number of such killings annually, raising questions over whether habitat destruction is pushing people and wildlife into increasingly dangerous contact. Environmental groups said the deaths reflected a wider pattern across the archipelago, where logging, plantations and other land-use changes had destabilised ecosystems. The first incident was on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356002/fatal-crocodile-attacks-indonesia-put-spotlight-habitat-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356002/fatal-crocodile-attacks-indonesia-put-spotlight-habitat-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting India early next month to meet with her counterpart Narendra Modi to discuss cooperation on strengthening supply chains of critical goods given concerns about China’s economic coercion, government sources said on Thursday. Takaichi aims to deepen bilateral collaboration in a wide range of fields covering defence, economic issues and cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355986/japans-pm-takaichi-eyes-india-trip-talks-leader-modi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355986/japans-pm-takaichi-eyes-india-trip-talks-leader-modi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:35:27 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju A new India-US pact on critical minerals has put the spotlight on New Delhi’s potential as an alternative to China, but analysts say despite the country’s significant resources, it is unlikely to dent Beijing’s dominance in the sector any time soon. Delhi and Washington signed a framework agreement on May 26 during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earths, including their mining and processing. According to a US embassy statement,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355981/india-rises-critical-minerals-race-can-it-dent-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355981/india-rises-critical-minerals-race-can-it-dent-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:15:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters A ⁠dozen people ⁠have died in a fire at a home for older people in ‌Sri Lanka, police said on Thursday, while another eight have been hospitalised. The fire, which broke out at ⁠a home in Anguruwatota 55km (34 miles) from the commercial capital Colombo, ‌has been put out and ⁠the ⁠director of the establishment has ‌been arrested, police said. “A total of 51 ‌people were ‌rescued from the ‌home and they are being ⁠looked after by the military ⁠and public officials in the area,” police... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355974/sri-lanka-nursing-home-fire-kills-12?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355974/sri-lanka-nursing-home-fire-kills-12?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:09:04 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3355958/japan-philippines-maritime-talks-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3355958/japan-philippines-maritime-talks-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:27:14 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s ruling party swept most of the country’s major local elections, but a narrow defeat in Seoul has given conservatives a foothold to challenge his reform agenda. The loss in the capital, South Korea’s political and property-market centre, has taken the shine off an otherwise dominant performance by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), dealing a blow to Lee’s plans for tougher real estate taxation, according to observers. Across the country, the DPK won... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355947/south-korean-ruling-partys-flawed-landslide-election-win-dents-lees-reform-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355947/south-korean-ruling-partys-flawed-landslide-election-win-dents-lees-reform-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:14 +0000 Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Thailand’s shrimp industry is reeling from the latest blow to its once market-dominant business after Malaysia this week suspended imports from its northern neighbour, triggering fresh despair from a sector whose revenue has nosedived in the 15 years since it claimed the crown as the world’s largest exporter. Malaysia’s temporary ban on five shrimp species – as well as tightened import requirements for Thai sea bass – came into force on Monday. The trade row comes as Thailand’s fisheries sector... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355950/thailands-shrimp-industry-lowest-point-it-reels-malaysia-import-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355950/thailands-shrimp-industry-lowest-point-it-reels-malaysia-import-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:54:26 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For a sign of how the fierce demand for memory chips triggered by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) is benefiting technology-driven economies, look no further than South Korea. Last month, exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew at a blistering rate of 53 per cent in annualised terms, the fastest pace since 1984. Shipments of semiconductors, which are used to store and funnel the huge amounts of data for AI services, increased nearly 170 per cent to a record monthly high of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355904/how-ai-chip-boom-has-made-south-korea-victim-its-own-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355904/how-ai-chip-boom-has-made-south-korea-victim-its-own-success?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:30:06 +0000 The Star The Star AirAsia X has called recent media reports claiming its Philippine operations were being grounded “coordinated and sensationalised” and part of a “deliberate smear campaign”. In a statement, the airline group said the smear campaign had long been occurring in an attempt to undermine fair competition in the Philippine aviation sector. “Such narratives serve only the interests of those seeking to limit consumer choice and create conditions that could lead to a monopoly in the market,” it said. “A... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355929/airasia-denies-philippine-flight-grounding-claims-slams-smear-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355929/airasia-denies-philippine-flight-grounding-claims-slams-smear-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:15:05 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof For Chinese parents worn down by exam pressure, the solution now being offered by many creators on RedNote is not another tutoring strategy but another country: Malaysia. On the Chinese lifestyle app, mainland creators living in Malaysia are pitching the country as a softer landing for family life. They highlight international schools, Mandarin-speaking clinics, familiar food and lower living costs in Malaysia, speaking directly to compatriots anxious about schooling and affordability – and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355931/why-malaysia-winning-praise-rednotes-chinese-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355931/why-malaysia-winning-praise-rednotes-chinese-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:03:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Nepali climbing guide who went missing on Mount Everest for six days and was feared dead has been found alive after crawling alone almost to Base Camp, officials said on Thursday. His wife had even begun to offer last rite prayers for his soul, she said at the hospital in the capital Kathmandu, where he is recovering from “some frostbite”. Mountaineer Dawa Sherpa – who is in his 50s, and is better known as “Hillary” after famed climber Edmund Hillary due to his experience – vanished on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355922/missing-mount-everest-guide-feared-dead-crawls-back-base-camp-after-6-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355922/missing-mount-everest-guide-feared-dead-crawls-back-base-camp-after-6-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:55:11 +0000 Johannes Nugroho Johannes Nugroho Indonesia’s free meals programme has long been beset with governance problems, quality issues and mass food poisoning cases. Now, corruption allegations and the arrests of top former officials overseeing Prabowo Subianto’s flagship scheme risk turning it into a political hot potato for the president. Prabowo sacked former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana and his two ex-deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, on Tuesday. The trio were charged with corruption and taken into... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355916/will-prabowos-free-meals-scheme-survive-amid-indonesia-corruption-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355916/will-prabowos-free-meals-scheme-survive-amid-indonesia-corruption-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:26:24 +0000 CNA CNA Details of how a Cambodia-based scam syndicate allegedly targeted victims in Singapore through a three-level scheme emerged in court on Wednesday, as a woman went on trial over her alleged participation in the operation. De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, 35, a Filipino, allegedly belonged to a criminal group that carried out government official impersonation scams, in which victims were tricked into believing their bank accounts had been compromised before being persuaded to transfer money to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355892/suspected-filipino-scammer-reveals-how-cambodian-ring-conned-singaporeans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355892/suspected-filipino-scammer-reveals-how-cambodian-ring-conned-singaporeans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:00:13 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Just over a year after consolidating its status as Singapore’s main opposition, the Workers’ Party (WP) is grappling with internal fissures as chief Pritam Singh’s role is being questioned by his own members. Singh, who has led the WP since 2018, is facing a special conference later this month called by 25 cadre members pushing for him to step down as secretary general for breaching the party constitution, according to local media. Sources say there is a generational divide in the party, with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355875/singapores-pritam-singh-facing-cracks-his-party-what-does-say-about-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355875/singapores-pritam-singh-facing-cracks-his-party-what-does-say-about-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, Asia has been watching conflict as if enrolled in a study course. We have heard every argument: Nato enlargement, Russian insecurity, Ukrainian sovereignty, European fear, American power, energy politics, sanctions, nationalism and resistance. We have watched Gaza burn. We have watched the United States capture Venezuela’s president and defend the act as lawful. We have watched Iran absorb attacks and retaliate. For Asians, these are no longer distant events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A citizen watchdog has been launched in the Philippines to monitor Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial, as turmoil inside the Senate threatens to deepen public doubts over whether the politically explosive proceedings can be handled fairly and constitutionally. Members of civil society launched the coalition, called Bantay Senado (Senate Watch), on Monday, saying it would “help ensure that the impeachment trial is conducted transparently, fairly and forthwith, in keeping with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355857/citizen-group-press-transparency-philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355857/citizen-group-press-transparency-philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:13:37 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Typhoon Jangmi on Wednesday ripped through the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan after making landfall in the morning, causing flooding and mudslides and leaving dozens of people injured. The typhoon made landfall around 4.30am in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, after it passed near Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures the past two days. At one point, the weather agency issued its highest level 5 flood warning for the Koza River in Wakayama Prefecture, meaning the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355856/typhoon-jangmi-churns-along-japans-pacific-coast-leaves-dozens-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355856/typhoon-jangmi-churns-along-japans-pacific-coast-leaves-dozens-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:12:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesian officials arrested on Wednesday the former head of the country’s free school meals programme, blighted by mass food poisonings and corruption claims, a day after he was fired. The much-hyped billion-dollar feeding scheme was the flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign. Prabowo fired Dadan Hindayana, an entomologist who had led the National Nutrition Agency since its inception in August 2024, along with two deputies on Tuesday. All three were taken into... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355853/indonesia-arrests-sacked-head-free-meal-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355853/indonesia-arrests-sacked-head-free-meal-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:53:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is projected to make sweeping gains in local elections on Wednesday, an exit poll showed, but a close race in the key city of Busan left it unclear whether President Lee Jae-myung’s party could claim a landslide victory. Voting had ‌largely closed in the first nationwide ballot since Lee’s snap presidential election victory last year. Voters were choosing mayors and governors in 16 cities and provinces in a contest widely seen as an assessment of Lee’s first... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355846/south-koreas-ruling-party-set-local-election-gains-exit-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355846/south-koreas-ruling-party-set-local-election-gains-exit-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:38:15 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian power systems specialist has struck a deal with a Hong Kong battery storage firm to pursue large-scale projects aimed at helping the country prepare its electricity grid for more renewable energy. The two-year agreement between Mikro MSC Berhad and Hong Kong Cospower Technology Co Ltd (HKCT) makes the company HKCT’s exclusive strategic partner in Malaysia for utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects. Such battery systems are meant to address one of solar power’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355831/malaysia-taps-hong-kong-battery-expertise-power-ambitions-electricity-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355831/malaysia-taps-hong-kong-battery-expertise-power-ambitions-electricity-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:30:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A fire ripped through a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, many of them foreign nationals, police and local media said. Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and routine disregard for safety regulations. The fire broke out in the morning at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in a congested neighbourhood in the south of the city, Delhi Police said in a statement. “It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355829/india-hotel-fire-kills-least-21?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355829/india-hotel-fire-kills-least-21?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:28:51 +0000