Asia

Indonesia could gain critical defence technology, investment and export opportunities through a new multi-nation defence pact with Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan, but analysts warn its success hinges on turning high-level ambition into concrete projects. The four Muslim-majority nations signed the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha on Wednesday. The agreement outlines a framework for defence “cooperation and integration” across joint research and development, training exchanges and industrial...

The collision of two Philippine Air Force training aircraft that killed four pilots has raised questions about whether the service’s training, maintenance and safety systems can keep pace with Manila’s ambitions to acquire more advanced combat aircraft. The crash, which occurred during a fly-by rehearsal at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province, south of Manila, on Friday has renewed calls for a comprehensive review of the Air Force’s ageing fleet, pilot instruction, maintenance...

South Korea’s embrace of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs appears particularly pronounced among younger adults, with roughly one in six Gen Z respondents reporting they had used or been prescribed the medication in 2025, according to a new report. The 2026 Korea Wellness Report, released by KB Financial Group on Sunday and cited by The Korea Times, surveyed 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 between July and August. Across all age brackets, the overall uptake stood at 10.3 per cent. Gen Z adults – defined...

A bus fitted out ⁠with oxygen tanks is ⁠providing a sanctuary in a ⁠city on Indonesia’s Borneo island, where people are choking from forest-fire-induced haze and the blazes show no sign of letting up. Indonesia regularly battles seasonal forest fires, predominantly on Sumatra and Borneo islands, but this year the infernos are the most intense in ‌more than a decade. An intense El Nino weather phenomenon has driven up temperatures, leaving the country’s vast forests and peatlands more vulnerable...

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has been urged by critics to play the latest instalment in the blockbuster Call of Duty video game franchise to better appreciate the need for defences against an invasion by the North. The call from opposition lawmakers follows the release on Friday of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, a first-person shooter depicting a full-scale surprise attack by North Korea on the South. Players fight North Korean troops as Park Hyun-jun, a private in the South Korean...

As the sun sets over Fiji’s tiny Serua Island, its climate-threatened inhabitants soak in one of the reasons they have rejected attempts to relocate their village – the “US$100 million views”. The island looks like a utopia from the mainland, two steep palm-covered knolls sandwiching its low-lying centre, flanked by coral reefs and rich fishing grounds. But it is on the island itself that the risk from rising seas becomes clearer, with a concrete sea wall providing the only defence against waves...

More than one in 10 Malaysian men have borrowed money to pay for dates, while nearly six in 10 usually pick up the entire bill, a survey has found. The findings come as rising living costs place a financial strain on romance in Malaysia, where money worries are increasingly complicating plans for marriage and starting a family. According to the Dating Expenditure Survey in Malaysia, released on Tuesday by independent policy research firm LEGASI Research, 13.2 per cent of male respondents...

The estranged half-brother of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has called their father a “disgusting monster” after handing over a trove of alleged child abuse material belonging to their shared parent to police in the Philippines. The four boxes containing mobile phones, computer equipment and other personal belongings were handed over to the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Centre last week by Thomas Markle Jnr, who was previously his father’s full-time carer. Markle...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Filipinos split on Marcos’ sea handling amid row over Chinese envoy’s remarks Filipinos are almost evenly divided over the Marcos administration’s handling of the maritime dispute with China, even as nearly three in four favour diplomacy over confrontation, according to...

South Korean medical drama Doctor X: Mafia in White has become the latest target of political controversy over how fictional works portray history, after a National Assembly petition demanded a halt to its airing over its depiction of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. The petition, posted on Saturday on the National Assembly’s petition website, calls for a review of the drama’s production and a halt to its broadcast. It has gathered the 100 supporters required to be made public. The petitioner said...

A Myanmar citizen living in Denmark on Monday filed a complaint with Danish authorities against the country’s ruling military junta for alleged war crimes committed against minorities. The complainant, Ngun Siang Dim, who is from the Chin minority, claims she saw 40 houses burn down in her village in Chin State, in western Myanmar, and that several members of her family and friends were killed or left permanently disabled by landmines laid by the junta. The military junta “has done so many...

A decision by Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar and Indonesia to jointly develop and produce weapons systems marks a major push to reduce reliance on Western armaments that come with political strings attached, observers say. Following the signing of the Badr memorandum of understanding in Doha on Wednesday, the four governments separately said they would work towards integrating their defence industries and supply chains to meet military needs. “By leveraging the capabilities of each country in the field...

The Pentagon has assigned the USS Colorado as the first US nuclear-powered attack submarine to join a rotating force to be based in Western Australia. The 115-metre (380-foot) Virginia-class submarine, armed with land-attack missiles and sophisticated torpedoes, would sail to the new Australian base in late 2027, officials said on Tuesday. The deployment was a “significant milestone” in building up a joint US-Australia-UK deterrence in the Pacific under their Aukus defence pact, the allies said...

In parts of Southeast Asia, unsold homes are piling up as developers struggle to clear housing stock – yet young buyers hoping to land their first property still cannot find an affordable home. The paradox reflects a growing mismatch between the homes being built and what aspiring buyers can afford, according to analysts, who point to speculative investment, financing hurdles and poor locations as factors leaving properties empty even amid demand for affordable housing. In Vietnam, the problem...

A Singaporean woman pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiring with a friend and the friend’s boyfriend to abuse four-year-old Megan Khung, and helping to dispose of the child’s body after she died following months of abuse. Nouvelle Chua Ruoshi, 36, pleaded guilty to three charges, including conspiracy to commit child abuse, intentional disposal of a corpse and methamphetamine consumption, The Straits Times reported. Three further charges for conspiracy to commit child abuse will be considered when...

The Philippines faces the highest climate-driven port damage costs in Southeast Asia, with annual losses projected to hit US$70.2 billion by 2100, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned. Analysts say the damage could cripple supply chains, drive up food prices and threaten livelihoods, urging Manila to adopt a more coordinated approach to flood protection rather than simply strengthening port infrastructure. In its latest report titled “Asia-Pacific Climate Report 2026: Coastal Risks on the...

Indonesia has defended its decision to cut natural gas exports to Singapore, citing domestic electricity and industrial needs and arguing that the reduction remains within contractual limits. The cuts came days after Indonesia’s energy minister warned that his country could stop exports to nations that “did not respect” it. On Monday, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia defended the reduction of 31 million standard cubic feet per day in pipeline gas exports to Singapore, saying it represented about...

South Korea earned US$116.63 billion more from the world than it spent in the second quarter of this year – exceeding the combined current account surpluses of Germany and Japan for the first time on record. The current account measures a country’s trade and income with the world. It counts goods and services sold abroad, money earned on overseas investments and payments flowing the other way. A surplus means more foreign currency is coming in than going out. Surging demand for semiconductors...

For decades, China was one of the world’s largest sources of migrant labour. Its workers staffed factories at home and built infrastructure abroad. But demographic decline may eventually force China to contemplate a striking reversal: importing workers on a meaningful scale. That change is not imminent. China still has a vast labour force and substantial youth unemployment. It is investing heavily in industrial automation, extending working lives through a gradual increase in the retirement age,...

A Malaysian ruler is demanding accountability over the mismanagement of a pilgrimage fund, after a government rescue package, criminal proceedings against former officials and half-hearted reforms have fuelled concerns about political influence in an institution entrusted with the savings of millions of the country’s Muslims. Tabung Haji holds the savings of more than 9.8 million depositors and helps Malaysian Muslims finance and undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca, a religious obligation for...

Sydney’s new multibillion-dollar airport has already confused some travellers, with passengers mistaking the new facility for the Australian city’s existing airport and even booking flights to the wrong side of the country. Western Sydney International Airport, which opened at the weekend after decades of planning, is about 60km (37 miles) from the city centre, compared with just 8km for the existing Kingsford Smith Airport. The new airport operates around the clock, while most passenger flights...

The villagers who first spotted the five baby orangutans in a casuarina forest in India in early September were puzzled by their reddish hair and unfamiliar faces. The three males and two females, aged six to eight months – were left on a plantation in eastern India’s Odisha, over 2,700km (1,700 miles) from their native rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra, evidence of a growing illicit trade of apes being trafficked into India. They are now at an Indian zoo, where keepers reportedly have been...

The death of a 21-year-old delivery rider at an underground gig in Malaysia, now being investigated as murder, has highlighted concerns over crowd safety and regulatory flaws in the country’s independent live music scene, industry players say. Police reclassified the case on Sunday, four days after the man died from head injuries sustained at the gig in the southern state of Melaka, where the event was reportedly held without the necessary permits and local authority approval. The...

Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who used ⁠his brief period ⁠in office to seek ⁠closer ties with Asian neighbours, particularly China, has died at the age of 90, according to the Nikkei business daily on Monday. The Japanese politician, the first son of a prime minister to become one ‌himself, died on Thursday from heart failure, the Nikkei reported. Following news of his death, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed “deep sorrow” when speaking to reporters in Tokyo, praising him as...

As days of dangerous heat become more frequent in Japan, Sendai has emerged as the most comfortable city, with a climate that is “not too hot and not too cold”. The Miyagi prefectural capital, about 300km (186 miles) from Tokyo, has the best weather, according to the Asahi newspaper, with the lowest number of midsummer and midwinter days among 11 major cities in the nation. Citing Japan Meteorological Agency data, the newspaper reported that Sendai had only 31 midsummer days and no midwinter...

Four years ago, party-goers dressed as police officers were reportedly mistaken for the real thing amid a deadly crowd crush in South Korea’s capital. Now, as Seoul prepares for its fourth Halloween since the disaster, police have launched a week-long nationwide crackdown on imitation police uniforms and equipment, aiming to stop any such confusion from happening again. The nationwide operation, announced by the National Police Agency on Sunday, runs until Monday next week. More than 4,500...

Japanese companies are moving to pay compensation to ⁠users following waves ⁠of cyberattacks that have disrupted internet ⁠services and raised concerns about economic stability. GMO Internet Group, a leading provider of online financial services, said customers would be compensated for losses stemming from unauthorised access following a cyberattack on its foreign exchange trading service, and all customers would receive 5,000 yen (US$32) ‌as “an initial gesture of good faith”, CEO Masatoshi...

Singapore has expanded its investigation into haze-creating fires in Indonesia that have blanketed the city state in smog, requesting information from 10 locally registered companies. The National Environment Agency (NEA) sent notices seeking documents and details of land concessions in Indonesia owned by the firms, their firefighting and blaze prevention measures, and their relationship to other relevant companies, according to a Friday statement. All 10 Singapore-registered companies were...

North Korea sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council accusing Seoul of fabricating a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers, its state media reported on Monday. Tensions between the two Koreas have soared since the South last month blamed the blast inside the heavily fortified demilitarised zone that separates the countries on landmines laid by the North, an accusation it has fiercely rejected. The North Korean permanent representative to the UN sent a letter on...

“How can South Korea’s law be this weak? Twenty-three people died!” Those were the words of Chinese mother Li Shun-ji after South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a reduced four-year prison sentence for Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan over a 2024 factory fire that killed 23 workers, including Li’s then 24-year-old daughter, Yan Jing-jing. The blaze at the lithium battery manufacturer’s factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi province, killed 17 Chinese nationals, one Laotian national and five South Koreans,...