News from Asia
- Man, 73, jailed for molesting 4 women on Singapore Airlines flightby CNA (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 3, 2025 at 2:16 am
Balasubramanian Ramesh molested one of the cabin crew members four times and targeted the three others once each because he found them ‘attractive’.
- Japanese politician gets 8,000 death threats over call for sanitary pads in public toiletsby Julian Ryall (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 3, 2025 at 1:30 am
Experts say abusive messages reflect a deeper pattern of gender-based harassment aiming to silence outspoken women and are frequent occurrences.
- Australia blasts Trump’s tariffs, rules out retaliation against ‘unwarranted’ dutiesby Reuters (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 3, 2025 at 12:55 am
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Trump’s measures are ‘not the act of a friend’ and have ‘no basis in logic’.
- How Malaysia’s data centres became the engine powering China’s AI ambitionsby Ralph Jennings (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 3, 2025 at 12:45 am
China’s tech giants are rushing to build data centres in Malaysia, which offers cheap energy and access to cutting-edge chips.
- Southeast Asia Slammed By President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffsby Sebastian Strangio (The Diplomat) on April 3, 2025 at 12:27 am
Nine of the region's 11 nations have been hit with reciprocal tariffs that could devastate local industries – and create a strategic opening for China.
- India and Sri Lanka set to sign defence pact amid China’s rising regional cloutby Maria Siow (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 3, 2025 at 12:00 am
Both sides are also expected to sign agreements on the development of solar power plants and trade cooperation in several sectors.
- Trump’s Subtle Shift on China: From Economic Coercion to Military Confrontationby Jiachen Shi (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 6:29 pm
Trump may not entirely rule out a deal with Beijing, but the ongoing stalemates in Ukraine and Gaza are pushing him to seek breakthroughs elsewhere.
- Myanmar junta declares temporary ceasefire for quake relief as death toll tops 3,000by Associated Press (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 2:44 pm
The truce, to show compassion for people affected by Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, will run until April 22.
- Capitalizing on PLA Vulnerabilities: Taiwan’s Opportunities for Enhanced Defenseby Holmes Liao (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 1:41 pm
Over the past few decades, the world has seen the military balance shift in China’s favor. Yet, Taiwan is not without its opportunities.
- Frontline Failure: Pakistan’s Climate Vulnerability and Leadership Gapby Abdul Waheed Bhutto (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 1:13 pm
Despite being an extremely climate-vulnerable nation, Pakistan remains conspicuously absent from global climate leadership.
- No Time to Waste for Asia-Pacific Leadership by Christoph Nedopil, Dian Tjondronegoro, and Gloria Ge (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 12:49 pm
The Asia-Pacific stands at a crossroads amid geopolitical, economic, and environmental volatility, but this turbulence presents an opportunity for transformative leadership.
- India’s Lacking Attempts to Contain Pollution: Bridging the Climate Commitment Gap by Shanthie Mariet D’Souza (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 12:32 pm
As India’s attempt to represent the Global South in conversations with the Global North on climate change takes center stage, there is a clear need to take action at home.
- South Korea mulls giving Indonesian wildfire hero a long-stay visaby SCMP’s Asia desk (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 11:31 am
He carried elderly villagers on his back to a sea wall about 300m from the hamlet as the fast-moving flames approached.
- Singapore detains boy, 17, allegedly planning to kill ‘at least 100’ Muslimsby Agence France-Presse (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 10:09 am
The boy, 17, had decided on five mosques across Singapore for his post-Friday prayer attacks.
- ‘Earthquake drunk’ Thais given advice on how to deal with post-quake dizzinessby SCMP’s Asia desk (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 9:51 am
The syndrome, caused by an overstimulated nervous system, is more common among those with anxiety disorders and migraines, experts say.
- Tearful Philippine influencers grilled over Duterte ‘fake news’ admit errors, but change neededby Alan Robles (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 9:46 am
Some critics welcomed the accountability for social media figures, while others felt the hearing focused more on settling scores than addressing structural issues.
- Tokyo girl, 16, found dead with over 10 stab woundsby Kyodo (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 9:26 am
The suspect, Masaki Eguchi, 21, said the frenzied attack stemmed from a dispute over an online game.
- Deaths from future big earthquake in Philippines may surpass 50,000: seismologistby SCMP’s Asia desk (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 9:11 am
The forecast comes after a 7.7-magnitude quake in Myanmar last week left over 2,700 people dead and caused a building in Bangkok to collapse.
- Air India’s ‘whitetail’ plane windfall from China dries upby Bloomberg (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 8:22 am
Boeing’s surplus jets, originally built for Chinese carriers, fuelled growth – but with those exhausted, the airline faces delivery delays.
- ‘Malicious’ Japan TV interview claiming Chinese eat crows ruffles feathers in Chinaby SCMP’s Asia desk (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 8:10 am
A freelance producer had manipulated the clip for maximum entertainment value, network claimed.
- Shirtless TikTok stunt lands Sydney Airport baggage handler in legal troubleby SCMP’s Asia desk (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 7:24 am
Despite facing criticism for being unsafe, the bodybuilding influencer defended his actions, stating he had taken adequate precautions.
- Australia urges diversifying from US universities: ‘we live in a different world’by Bloomberg (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 6:09 am
Hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding is on the line amid the Trump administration’s threats of cuts.
- Malaysians angry over Selangor gas pipeline fire, blame ‘haphazard’ worksby Joseph Sipalan (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 5:52 am
More than 100 people were injured in the huge blaze that happened near a residential area, with 65 of them hospitalised.
- Making ‘Loot,’ a Film About Cambodian Crimes and Redemptionby Luke Hunt (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 5:26 am
A conversation with director Don Millar.
- Bangkok tower collapse: Chinese contractors under scrutiny amid ‘tofu building’ claimsby Aidan Jones,Agencies (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 5:00 am
The Chinese embassy in Bangkok has called for full cooperation with the Thai authorities’ investigation into the State Audit Office collapse.
- How Indonesia’s Revised Military Law Could Impact Regional Security Dynamicsby Edna C. Pattisina (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 4:40 am
The legal changes are a sign of Jakarta's increasing concern about the potential for conflict in the region, especially over Taiwan.
- Beyond the Barracks: Indonesia’s Military Edges Back Into Civilian Affairsby Carolyn Nash (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 4:26 am
Recent revisions to the country's 2004 National Armed Forces Law have broken down the firewall between the military and civilian spheres.
- China’s Xi to Visit Three Southeast Asian Nations This Month, Report Claimsby Sebastian Strangio (The Diplomat) on April 2, 2025 at 4:18 am
The Chinese leader will visit Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia at a time of great uncertainty about the course of U.S. policy toward the region.
- Japan’s US missile venture draws flak from North Korea after Hegseth visitby Reuters (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 4:10 am
A North Korean defence ministry official chastised the US for aggravating security risks and ‘conniving’ to make Japan a ‘military giant’.
- Thailand braces for US$7 billion or more in losses from Trump’s tariffsby Reuters (Asia - South China Morning Post) on April 2, 2025 at 3:31 am
Thailand has offered to try to increase imports of corn, soybeans, crude and ethane to narrow its trade surplus with the United States.