Asia

A newly opened shopping centre in Malaysia has reversed an attempt to brand its indoor space as pet-friendly after an online backlash, a reaction that underscores the sensitivities around dogs in public spaces in the Muslim-majority country. Sunway Square Mall in Selangor, which opened on December 12, said on Thursday that pets are banned from its enclosed retail areas. Instead, pets are allowed at a designated outdoor zone and supervised routes through a car park in the mall’s basement. The...

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Thursday formally removed the country’s impeached police chief for deploying hundreds of officers to support ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. The court said Cho Ji-ho “actively disrupted” legislative activities by deploying hundreds of police officers to the National Assembly and trying to block lawmakers from reaching the main chamber to vote to lift Yoon’s decree. Cho also infringed upon the...

Indonesia is pressing ahead with plans to restore parts of Sumatra devastated by a late November cyclone, pledging billions of dollars and a new coordinating body, even as experts warn that rebuilding in the same area risks a repeat of the disaster. Flash floods and landslides that hit Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra on November 26 killed more than 1,050 people and left 192 missing, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The disaster displaced about 577,600 residents...

Cambodia said Thailand’s military on Thursday bombed the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes. Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at around 11am on Thursday, the Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement. Thailand has not yet confirmed any strike on Poipet – a bustling casino hub popular with Thai gamblers. The renewed fighting between the...

Indonesian domestic worker Desi Widiana had spent half her life in Hong Kong, caring for other people’s families while her own waited thousands of kilometres away. Now, her relatives in Sambi village in East Java are waiting again – this time for her final homecoming. Widiana, 40, was among nine Indonesian domestic helpers killed in a massive fire that tore through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26, leaving at least 160 people dead and thousands homeless. She had come...

Japan’s top government spokesman on Thursday expressed concern over images posted online of the winner of a beauty pageant and some lawmakers in Finland showing them pulling back the corners of their eyes, a gesture widely regarded as racially offensive to Asian people. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also said at a press conference that Japan expects the Finnish government to “appropriately respond” to the matter, which has been dubbed the “slanted eyes” scandal by Finnish media. Kihara...

A 20-year-old air conditioner has suddenly become the hottest, most sought-after vintage find in South Korea after a video showing that its logo was made of pure gold went viral. The YouTube clip, titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”, shows a Seoul-based gold shop owner known as Ringring Unnie examining a handful of crumpled metal pieces brought in by a customer. “What is this?” she asks on camera. “It was removed from an LG Whisen air conditioner. It was the logo attached to the front of...

Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India’s air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told parliament earlier this month that India’s capital, New Delhi, has seen 200 days with good air quality readings, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he chose a figure that overlooked the worst pollution months. A week later, Delhi Chief Minister...

Japan will host the leaders of five Central Asian countries in Tokyo this week, a meeting analysts say is meant to show that “Japan is back” as an active player in a region where global powers are competing for influence, minerals and transport routes. The summit with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is also expected to consolidate Tokyo’s long-standing but “often underestimated role” in Central Asia as a trusted and non-coercive...

Despite an apparent lull yesterday evening, fighting continues to rage at various points along the two nations' 817-kilometer border.

A 25-year-old man was fined S$12,000 (US$9,300) on Wednesday for posting social media videos and photos of himself holding or using e-vaporisers in Singapore. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said this is the first time it has prosecuted someone for posting images of himself vaping on social media. Krish Khalifa, who uses the account name “Rapperboya”, had posted several of these videos and photos on his YouTube, Instagram and TikTok channels between November 2023 and September 2024. He was...

Dhaka’s already strained relationship with New Delhi has come under fresh pressure after a Bangladeshi opposition leader threatened to shelter separatists targeting India’s sensitive northeast region in retaliation for what he claimed to be election interference. Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), warned at a rally in Dhaka on Monday that he would carry out the move if Bangladesh believed India was trying to influence its election in February. “If...

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a sweeping crackdown on hate, division and radicalisation on Thursday after a mass shooting killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” Albanese told a news conference. The prime minister outlined a suite of measures to target extremist preachers, impose stiffer punishments and refuse or cancel visas for people who...

There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser said on Wednesday. In a statement, Eduardo Ano said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training. The alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah...

Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit. China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards. Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical...

As Australia’s new restrictions on social media use by children under 16 take effect this month, governments across Southeast Asia are rolling out or weighing their own measures aimed at protecting young users online. From platform licensing rules in Malaysia to age-based access limits in Indonesia, the moves reflect a broader global push to rein in tech companies over child safety, cyberbullying and harmful content. But analysts say such policies can also open the door to wider regulatory...

Aside from Singapore, which has executed 17 people so far this year, Southeast Asian nations are slowly retreating from the use of the death penalty.

In July, the junta passed a law aiming to prevent the "obstruction" of the election that is due to begin on December 28.

While the timing of the Australian attackers’ trip to the Philippines warrants scrutiny, the Islamic State’s presence in the country is much diminished today.

Given Thailand and Cambodia’s close ties with China, it is necessary to assess how Beijing views the conflict and how its influence could shape the outcome. 

The fire has stirred emotions that will not be easily contained.

Pakistan has stabilized under the latest IMF program. But can it break the crisis-bailout cycle once and for all?

Setting aside the conspiracy theories, the controversy exposes flaws in the legislature’s mechanisms for consulting and informing the public.

Finland’s prime minister apologised on Wednesday to citizens of Japan, China and South Korea after MPs sparked outrage by posting pictures of themselves making derogatory squinting gestures. The parliamentarians from the populist Finns Party, which is part of the right-wing coalition government, posted images on social media where they pulled back the corners of their eyes – widely seen as a racist gesture targeting East Asian people. They claimed to have shared the pictures in support of the...

The appointment follows a recent trend of the Modi-Shah duo opting for low-profile leaders for key posts.

Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore. Soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, between two parked cars, before barrelling directly towards one of the unsuspecting shooters. In footage that has been viewed millions of times around the world, the 44-year-old father can be seen...

Authorities in India’s capital Delhi rolled out strict measures on Wednesday in an attempt to curb pollution, including a ban on vehicles not compliant with the latest emission control norms and regulating attendance in private and government offices. The air quality index in the Delhi region, home to 30 million people, has been in the “severe” category for the past few days, often crossing the 450 mark. In addition, shallow fog in parts of the city worsened visibility that affected flights and...

An effort needs to be made to comprehend and counteract the political ideas, narratives, and movements that work like acid to erode social trust and encourage hate, division, and this week’s horrific violence.

Thirty-nine years after the protests that helped pave the way for Kazakhstan’s independence, the way the day is commemorated is quietly changing.

The paradoxical and selective U.S. posture of simultaneous disengagement and selective involvement evident in the new NSS could be particularly concerning for India.