Asia

Philippine police are investigating a laptop found alongside images of child abuse at the former home of Meghan Markle’s estranged father, with “full results” expected in a week, the country’s interior minister told reporters. Thomas Markle, whose daughter is married to Britain’s Prince Harry, had been living in Cebu in the Philippines until reportedly returning to the US earlier this year. Philippine interior minister Jonvic Remulla said the country planned to take “appropriate legal actions”...

Prosecutors indicted a 20-year-old US Marine on Sunday on suspicion of robbing and murdering a woman in Okinawa earlier this month as the case renews anti-base sentiment among locals burdened with hosting the bulk of US military installations in Japan. Devin Ballard, who is stationed at Futenma Air Base, is charged with killing the woman by wrapping a phone cord around her neck at a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southern island prefecture, and taking her backpack containing a wallet on...

The appearance of K-pop singer G-Dragon on electronic billboards in major Chinese cities despite Beijing’s K-pop ban points at a contrast between political shadows clouding international relations and actual commercial linkages in East Asia. Amid tensions over Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and other issues, G-Dragon featured in eight McDonald’s products across more than 8,000 outlets in mainland China. The penetration and appeal of Korean cultural icons show how transnational...

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 a new survey. That preference has taken on added significance after recent remarks by China’s ambassador to Manila sparked a diplomatic row ahead of November’s Asean summit. The feud underscored the challenge of managing tensions with Beijing, and increasingly hostile rhetoric could make the diplomatic...

The tanker detained by Indonesian authorities that was used in an attempt to smuggle 1.16 tonnes of ketamine is owned by a Malaysian-registered company. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan said the two directors of the company that owns the MT Global 168 are Malaysians. He said the company’s office is located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia’s Johor state. According to Hussein, the tanker had previously applied for registration under the Malaysian flag but had...

Tran Dai Thang spotted two young people who had picked up their drinks at a pop-up cafe beside his travelling bookstore and were about to leave, so he called them over. One of them said they did not read books, Thang recalled. But he kept the conversation going and eventually persuaded the visitor to buy a book for 10,000 dong (US$0.40) – heavily discounted from its original price of 45,000 dong. For Thang, an artist and publisher, the small sale mattered far less than the fact that someone who...

Singapore expects all parties who have signed commercial contracts for gas supplies to “honour their commitments”, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday after Indonesia cut its exports. Speaking at the People’s Action Party (PAP) convention, Wong added that Singapore’s gas importer will take the necessary steps to protect its rights and interests. Indonesia began reducing natural gas exports to Singapore on Saturday. Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas said the move was to...

Ayumi lives alone in a spacious suburban house originally bought to raise a family, her two cats now her only full-time companions. Her two daughters have grown up and left home, and her husband of more than two decades moved out nearly a year ago as they finalise a divorce. For the 62-year-old Kawasaki resident, who spoke on condition that her surname be withheld, this was not how she envisioned her later years. “He worked very long hours, including on weekends, and I was always busy taking...

Singapore is turning to major technology firms to strengthen its cyber defences, even as it presses them for greater transparency over security breaches – a balancing act facing regional governments as they seek to harness artificial intelligence while guarding against the risks it introduces. Those risks were highlighted by an AI agent linked to OpenAI that gained unauthorised access to files on an Australian government website earlier this year, raising questions over how quickly companies...

On October 18, Anthropic, the artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory preparing one of the largest listings in history, committed 5 per cent of its shares to a public benefit fund. The next day, Elon Musk promised one SpaceX share, next year, for “every kid in America” – about US$10.6 billion for some 73 million children. The offers differ in who holds the shares. Anthropic’s will sit in an entity the company owns, spent on the public’s behalf; Musk’s would land, by a route he has not explained,...

A Japanese fashion style inspired by historical European clothing is finding a growing following in Europe, where enthusiasts are embracing its elaborate designs and forming communities around their shared passion for lace, frills and intricate outfits. Gothic Lolita, often shortened to “Goth-Loli,” blends elements of European clothing styles with Japanese fashion sensibilities. Japanese brands are now looking to expand their presence in Europe, bringing the style back to the continent that...

Indonesia cut exports of natural gas to Singapore on Saturday to prioritise domestic demand, an official said, with the two countries at loggerheads over regional air pollution emanating from wildfires on the vast archipelago. The head of SKK Migas, a state agency supervising the oil and gas sector, said Indonesia would cut a total of 31 million standard cubic feet per day from its supply to Singapore. Fifteen million standard cubic feet per day was being cut from Natuna in Indonesia’s Riau...

The anxiety gripping Seoul is palpable. Under US pressure, South Korea signed a US$350 billion investment deal last November for a 10-percentage-point tariff reduction, billing it as a strategic alliance. Barely a year on, the facade has crumbled. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced a US$200 billion tranche of the deal with no South Korean official present. Blindsided, Seoul restated its “commercial viability” clause. Trump’s response was blunt. “If they don’t want to do it, that’s...

Two Philippine air force planes collided during a training flight and crashed at an airbase south of Manila, killing all four pilots on board, Philippine officials said on Saturday. The two SF-260 aircraft collided while flying at a low altitude on Friday afternoon then crashed at Fernando Air Base in Lipa city in the coastal province of Batangas south of the capital. There were no injuries on the ground, the officials said. The air force did not provide details of what it called an accidental...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged his military to train to become the strongest in the world at a two-day meeting of company commanders in Pyongyang, state media said on Saturday. Kim’s call for what he dubbed a “Korean-style military revolution” came the same week Seoul’s military proposed talks to clarify the border after an explosion inside the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) further strained inter-Korean ties. Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean...

At this time of year, Fatima Ramos would normally be preparing her balikbayan boxes. Overseas Filipinos typically fill these boxes with gifts, clothes, food and household items to send to their loved ones back home in the Philippines for Christmas. Ramos has previously sent the tax-exempt parcels to her family and Philippine charity organisations from Abu Dhabi, where she is a domestic worker. Now back in the Philippines, Ramos is seeking answers about the parcels she sent last year, some of...

A revised Imperial House Law took effect on Saturday to address Japan’s shrinking imperial family while retaining the traditional male-only succession system despite public support for female emperors. The legislation, enacted in July in the first major revision of the 1947 law, allows the imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older from 11 former imperial branch families who are descended from emperors through the male line. The revised law also allows female members to retain their...

Fiercely proud of its culinary traditions, India is increasingly open to foreign influences, with French cooking schools attracting students eager to make their mark on the country’s growing fine-dining sector. “Ten or 15 years ago, there were far fewer young people dreaming of becoming chefs,” said Aabhas Jain, director of bakery and pastry training at Ecole Ducasse, a French culinary school also operating in India. “But with the rise of social media … today’s students have greater ambitions in...

Japan’s centuries-old festivals are facing renewed scrutiny after a series of fatal accidents in recent weeks, raising questions over how communities can preserve their cultural traditions without putting lives at risk. Three people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in accidents at autumn festivals across the country in recent weeks. Meanwhile, organisers of another major festival, where two men died in February, have cancelled next year’s event, citing public safety concerns. The...

When 35-year-old Bekasi resident Ika Kartika voted for Prabowo Subianto in Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election, she hoped the former general would restore a “Suharto-like” era of stability, when everyday essentials were affordable and life felt more predictable. Growing up, she had often heard her parents reminisce about the “good old days” under the late strongman, whose rule had brought a sense of order to their lives. Two years into his presidency, however, rising food prices have left Ika...

In late September, Singapore’s Reddit community erupted over the government’s new dating platform, FirstDate. Curious to get an insider’s perspective, I visited the site, connected to my Singpass account and watched as my name, age and marital status auto-populated the fields on the page. I entered my Gmail address and hit submit. The email field turned red: “Please sign up with your official work email. Personal email addresses will not be accepted.” I resubmitted the form with my work email,...

Authorities in the Philippines are investigating Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, the ⁠wife of Britain’s Prince ⁠Harry, the Philippine justice undersecretary said ⁠on Friday, after allegations he possessed child sexual abuse images. “Our Anti-Trafficking and Anti-OSAEC (online sexual abuse and exploitation of children) task force in Cebu is currently investigating the matter,” Nicholas Ty, Philippine justice undersecretary, said. Thomas Markle could not be immediately reached for comment but he...

Fatimah Zainal had already paid for her flights and accommodation when videos of the unrest in France made her jittery about the Paris leg of her European holiday. “The videos definitely made me panic,” said Fatimah, who plans to visit the French capital solo from October 31 to November 3 after travelling through Belgium. The press officer for an international organisation said the Malaysian government’s travel advisory gave her second thoughts, and changing her flight would cost up to an...

Indonesia’s warnings of curbing energy exports to countries it deems disrespectful amid regional tensions have put Singapore and other Southeast Asian buyers on notice, exposing the risks of relying on a neighbour increasingly protective of its resources. On Thursday, Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia said he would not hesitate to consider halting exports to countries that did not respect Indonesia. “Don’t come asking for help only when you’re in...

Recent youth-led protests in New Delhi and other cities in India have fuelled allegations that they are connected to unrest in France and elsewhere in Europe, with an influential Hindu nationalist organisation warning of foreign forces seeking to destabilise societies. While analysts caution against concluding that foreign interference played a role in demonstrations in India, they say protesters in Europe and India share similar concerns, reflecting their mounting anger that education and hard...

The Philippine government put a bounty on Friday on the head of the top enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-drug crackdown, nearly a year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered his arrest. Former Philippine police chief and sitting Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had mostly been in hiding for months before The Hague-based tribunal unsealed the November 2025 arrest warrant against him in May and put him into flight. The bounty comes just over a month before...

Paper straws, widely promoted as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic, may actually have a greater environmental impact than conventional plastic straws, according to a South Korean government-commissioned study that has renewed debate over whether switching materials truly reduces waste. The Comprehensive Study on Single-Use Straws, commissioned by South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, was disclosed on Wednesday by opposition People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, The...

The Philippines is turning to the United States to build its oil stockpile amid the global energy crunch, with observers saying the move could also serve Washington’s military interests and deepen strategic ties. A bilateral deal could deliver more immediate benefits than a broader Asean stockpile, which would entail coordination hurdles, analysts said, but questions remain over how quickly Manila could establish such a reserve and whether it would meaningfully reduce long-term dependence on...

Malaysia’s oil-rich Sarawak state will dissolve its assembly on Monday in a test of political strength for a powerful regional coalition whose support has become crucial to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government. Anwar is facing growing pressure following electoral setbacks for his own coalition in Peninsular Malaysia, while over in Borneo, ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) continues to press for greater autonomy and control over the state’s vast oil and gas resources. Sarawak Premier Abang...

The world’s oldest cave paintings on the Indonesian island ⁠of Sulawesi are under threat ⁠as heat and smoke from the ⁠country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade risk accelerating the deterioration of the more than 67,000-year-old works of art, according to researchers. Indonesia is battling its most intense forest and land fires since 2015 as a severe El Nino drives up temperatures and reduces ‌rainfall, leaving its forest and peatland vulnerable to fire. While the islands of Sumatra and...