Asia

A buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its flowing blond hair has been spared from sacrifice after shooting to fame, and will instead be cared for at the national zoo. Muslim-majority Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million people, celebrates Eid al-Adha, the “feast of the sacrifice”, on Thursday. The 700kg (1,500-pound) bull, a rare albino buffalo with a flowing helmet of light hair resembling the signature look of the US president, was due to be slaughtered to mark the...

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday. Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his so-called “war on drugs”. The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world’s worst...

A wave of AI-generated deepfakes and fake endorsements has pushed Indian celebrities, from cricket stars to Bollywood actors, towards the courts seeking stronger protection for their name, image, voice and likeness. Lawyers say the litigation has exposed a widening gap in Indian law, with courts increasingly recognising personality rights even though the country lacks a dedicated statute to enforce them. The campaign gained momentum last December, when Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar...

Five of the seven villagers trapped deep in a flooded cave in Laos for a week were found alive cramped on a rocky ledge on Wednesday afternoon, rescuers said, in a mission that included some of the same expert cave divers who saved a Thai youth football team in 2018. Around 4.30pm, a Thai-led rescue team finally broke through to an area where they found five of the missing villagers perched on the ledge just above the floodwaters, after diving for four days and navigating swamped narrow passages...

At least six newborn babies died in the same hospital ward in Bangladesh within hours of each other on Wednesday, said health officials, who launched an investigation. The newborns, aged between one and three days, were in the post-delivery ward of Ad-Din Hospital, a private facility in the capital Dhaka. “An investigation is under way, and we need some time to determine the cause of the deaths of the newborns,” Nahida Yasmin, a director at the hospital, told reporters. Prabhat Chandra Biswas,...

One of the two Samoan men arrested by Vietnamese police over the killing of an Australian with reported links to Sydney’s criminal underworld outside a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City has admitted that he was hired to carry out a hit on a rival. Lorenzo Lemalu, 24, was gunned down outside the restaurant last Thursday, in a rare gangland murder involving foreigners using Vietnam as a base for their crime. Shocking images of the shooting caught on CCTV show flashes from a gun wielded by a hooded...

As India and China work to steady their relationship after years of border tension, Indian filmmakers say projects inspired by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes are being reworked, delayed or shelved following official warnings against “China-bashing”. Bollywood heavyweight Salman Khan’s war drama, initially titled Battle of Galwan, was reportedly asked to change its name to Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, with several scenes requiring reshoots. A separate film, The Lion of Galwan, has been...

Japan’s parliament enacted a law on Wednesday to establish a new National Intelligence Council to centralise information gathering in response to overseas threats, marking a first step in plans to boost capabilities that have raised concerns over civil liberties. Establishing the council is a key aim in the governing agenda of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a security hawk who has pledged to strengthen intelligence and counter-espionage capabilities in response to what her government calls the...

The unravelling of a S$1.43 billion (US$1.12 billion) merger between Singapore mobile operators M1 and Simba has highlighted the city state’s brutally competitive telecoms market, revealing a potential regulatory minefield around scarce radio spectrum. The foiled deal would also mean Singapore’s mobile network operators – Singtel, StarHub, M1 and Simba – will continue to operate in a cutthroat price war environment while M1’s owners look for new ways to divest, according to experts. Singapore...

At a sprawling bazaar ⁠on the outskirts of Vietnam’s capital, the trade in counterfeit goods is bustling despite government crackdowns and the threat of US tariffs over the issue, two visits by Reuters journalists to the market found. “Police come once a year with a TV crew. They film the seizure of a shop, and then it’s business as usual,” said a seller at her stall displaying fake Ralph Lauren polos at Hanoi’s Ninh Hiep ‌wholesale market. Ninh Hiep is among about 30 “notorious markets”...

For two years, some of them never touched the ground. Locked in tiny wire cages and destined for a life of being drained of bile through syringes or surgically implanted taps, the 27 Asiatic black bears rescued in northern Laos this week had known almost nothing of what it means to be a bear. Now, for the first time in years, some are finally drinking clean water freely. Others are feeling solid earth beneath their paws for the first time. The rescue, completed this week by conservation group...

A year after South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun broke down in tears at a high-profile press conference over allegations involving late actress Kim Sae-ron, the controversy has entered yet another dramatic phase. Kim Se-ui, head of controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, was taken into custody this week, as police reportedly concluded that audio files previously presented as evidence against Kim Soo-hyun were generated using AI technology. According to the Seoul...

Malaysia’s recently retired anti-corruption chief, Azam Baki, is under police investigation for allegedly threatening a whistle-blower linked to a mineral licence scandal involving politicians in Sabah. Azam accused Albert Tei of “playing games” and spreading misinformation after the businessman lodged a report earlier this month, which prompted the police to pursue the case under criminal intimidation provisions. Officers also recorded statements from Tei and his lawyer, who was allegedly used...

Japan’s call to maintain “impeccable” defences on its northern frontier reflects Tokyo’s deepening concern over growing Russian military activity in the region, analysts say. They also point to rapid north-south troop deployment exercises as preparation against a potential “diversionary operation” around Hokkaido: a scenario in which Russia could open a second front if Japan were already focused on a crisis with China in the south. During a visit to military bases in Hokkaido on Saturday,...

South Korea’s push to acquire its first nuclear-powered submarines is moving back up President Lee Jae Myung’s defence agenda, but analysts say delayed US consultations, non-proliferation concerns and budget pressures still stand in the way. Lee on Tuesday urged faster efforts to secure the submarines, describing them as core strategic assets for the country’s future defence capabilities. “We need to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and drone technologies, while speeding up the...

At 2am, Kim, a 25-year-old office worker, opens a site designed to look like a food delivery app, though he has no plan to order. He chooses menu items, drops them into a cart and simulates the experience of placing an order. “It somehow feels like I actually ordered something,” he said. Kim said the habit helps him resist late-night cravings. “There are many times when I crave food late at night but hold back to save money. It feels like a real delivery app, so I somehow keep looking at it,”...

The collapse of UN talks on the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has sharpened concern in Japan that outer space could become the next arena for nuclear and military rivalry. With Russia accused of developing a nuclear anti-satellite capability, China and Russia advancing weapons that can disable satellites and the US pursuing space-based missile defence systems, some in Tokyo are calling on Japan to take the lead in drawing up new rules for the peaceful use of space. Analysts say...

When Washington, Beijing and Moscow begin to treat one another as bargaining partners again, northeast Asia feels the pressure. Taiwan, Korea, sanctions, energy routes, nuclear risks and missile defence are no longer separate theatres. They increasingly belong to one strategic conversation between the US, China and Russia. Northeast Asia itself is already being reorganised through three trilateral structures with different purposes, degrees of institutionalisation and strategic effects. Thus the...

The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, nations gathered in New Delhi on Tuesday in a coordinated display of unity aimed at reaffirming the bloc’s relevance amid recent shifts in geopolitical dynamics. The Quad, comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India, aims to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific and balance China’s expanding influence in the strategically vital region. With US President Donald Trump fresh from talks with Chinese President Xi...

Indonesia has blocked predictions market ⁠Polymarket as part of its crackdown on online gambling, its communications and digital ministry said, days after the site took bets on a premature end to Prabowo Subianto’s presidency. Gambling is illegal in Indonesia and authorities have been clamping down on online betting. “The government will not allow any form of online gambling in Indonesia,” the ministry said in a statement. Ministry official Alexander Sabar late on Friday said Polymarket was...

James Bernardo, 30, was delivering food on Teodoro street in Angeles City in the Philippines when a nine-storey building under construction on the opposite side of the road collapsed behind him. “What I heard behind me sounded like an aeroplane landing. The sound was unlike anything normal. When I looked at my side mirror and then turned around, what I saw were pylons falling and power lines sparking,” Bernardo told This Week in Asia. In just seconds, the structure had morphed into a twisted...

Malaysian police have arrested 51 men in a drug raid at a luxury Kuala Lumpur hotel, describing the scene as a “gay party” with “immoral activities” committed. The language has drawn scrutiny from lawyers and rights advocates who say the terms risked prejudicing suspects and stigmatising LGBTQ people. Bukit Aman narcotics chief Hussein Omar Khan said four raids were carried out between 2.35am and 5am on Sunday after police received intelligence about what they described as a “drug party” and...

The Indonesian government’s decision to accept a US proposal to turn an underused airport into a maintenance hub for Lockheed C-130 Hercules military aircraft has stirred up a familiar debate: how far can Jakarta deepen defence ties with Washington while preserving its non-aligned stance? The plan, which would make Indonesia home to the first facility of its kind in Southeast Asia, emerged alongside a separate discussion over allowing US military aircraft to access Indonesian airspace, adding to...

A ⁠section of ⁠an overpass under demolition in the South Korean capital of Seoul collapsed on Tuesday, killing three people who were ‌conducting a safety inspection and injuring three others, fire and city officials said. Television footage showed emergency workers conducting a search-and-rescue operation as a long segment ⁠of the structure lay collapsed on the street below, near a railway crossing in central Seoul. Workers noticed that a part of the structure had slightly sunk while concrete...

Malaysia’s jailed former prime minister Najib Razak has become the unlikely face of a new prison food campaign, after an animal rights group urged Kajang Prison to serve him and other inmates vegan meals. In a letter sent on Tuesday to Kajang Prison Director Mohd Sharin bin Hj Sabtu, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said a vegan meals policy could help reduce costs, improve inmate health and promote “empathy and non-violence” inside one of Malaysia’s best-known...

Malaysia has seen growing numbers of sexual harassment complaints involving male victims in recent years, reflecting what advocates describe as the slow erosion of the stigma that has long kept many men silent. More than 1,000 complaints involving male victims have been lodged through the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s complaints mechanisms since 2024, Minister Nancy Shukri said, describing the figure as a sharp increase in reports. The complaints involving male victims...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India this week will give Washington an opportunity to “get the optics right” regarding ties between the two sides, amid friction over unresolved trade issues and broader international cooperation. Rubio stressed cooperation on trade, energy, defence and maritime security in meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday as he arrived in New Delhi. Jaishankar said that the two...

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. Did US restrictions sink Malaysia’s US$147 million Norway missile deal? Norway’s revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States’ ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations...

Shinnosuke Abe – manager of the Yomiuri Giants, Japan’s oldest and most storied professional baseball team – stepped down on Tuesday following his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his daughter. Abe, 47, resigned as manager of the team, viewed as Japan’s closest equivalent to the New York Yankees, and apologised for “tarnishing the proud tradition of Giants managers”. He was taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department for allegedly grabbing his 18-year-old daughter and forcing her...

Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin on Tuesday apologised to the public in person, eight days after Starbucks Korea, run by the conglomerate, sparked controversy with its “Tank Day” marketing event, which critics say inappropriately referenced South Korea’s pro-democracy movement of the 1980s. “Regardless of the reason, the fact that we have hurt the hearts of our citizens carries a heavy responsibility,” Chung said during a press conference. “I will make no excuses. All responsibility for...