Shows / Asia - South China Morning Post
Asia - South China Morning Post
Breaking news, analysis and opinion from the SCMP's Asia edition.
Episodes
Asia - South China Morning PostCan a Brics invite mark a new chapter in India-Bangladesh ties?
India’s invitation to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend a Brics summit in New Delhi in September is being seen as a chance to repair ties…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia’s Anwar seizes on haj fund report ahead of Negeri Sembilan election
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has seized on the release of a long-delayed inquiry into the country’s Islamic pilgrimage fund to revive his…
Asia - South China Morning PostJapanese mall is rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. Then it collapses again
Japan’s Aeon Mall Kumamoto was rebuilt to withstand earthquakes after it was damaged in strong quakes in April 2016. Its June reopening was meant to be a fresh…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia’s ‘shocking’ deal to return 5,000 Rohingya to Myanmar triggers refoulement fears
Malaysia’s claim that Myanmar has agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya has raised hopes of easing pressure on its strained refugee system, but has also alarmed…
Asia - South China Morning PostSingapore Marmite fans salty as local distribution ends and online prices soar
For Singaporeans who grew up stirring Marmite into hot water, spreading it on toast or eating it in local dishes, the famously divisive yeast extract is easy…
Asia - South China Morning PostIndia’s West Bengal shells out for eggs in school meals after outcry
India’s West Bengal state will bring back eggs to free school meals after a backlash against a decision by its Hindu nationalist government to replace them…
Asia - South China Morning PostEast Timor’s Myanmar war crimes case puts Asean non-interference to the test
East Timor has become the unlikely venue for a war crimes case against Myanmar’s military leadership, as proceedings advance in Dili’s courts and test Asean’s…
Asia - South China Morning PostHeatstroke fears rise as Japan quake victims face El Nino weather without power, water
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Japan toppled houses and split open streets in the small city of Yatsushiro, but town official Akio…
Asia - South China Morning PostSingapore court fines French teenager US$465 for viral straw-licking prank
A French teenager who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine in Singapore was fined S$600 (US$465) for public…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia moves to protect local firms as cheap Chinese goods fill market
Malaysia is stepping up scrutiny of foreign-run businesses amid concerns from local operators over competition from China. The government wants to retain…
Asia - South China Morning PostSingtel weighs Optus stake sale as Australian watchdog launches court action
Singtel, Singapore’s largest telecommunications company, confirmed on Thursday that it was in discussions with multiple parties over a potential stake sale in…
Asia - South China Morning Post‘Negotiation fatigue’ risks stalling South China Sea code of conduct progress
Asean’s optimism in concluding a long-awaited code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea by year’s end is not shared by observers, who point to major…
Asia - South China Morning PostIn an era defined by AI, can work still be measured by the clock?
Hwaseong, South Korea, past midnight. An engineer watches a defect pattern surface on her screen – the kind that, caught now, saves a week of wafers. She is…
Asia - South China Morning PostBTS pulls out of Grammys after Asian pop category introduction
Global K-pop sensation BTS said on Wednesday they will not submit their music for next year’s Grammy Awards, following the Recording Academy’s introduction of…
Asia - South China Morning PostIndia seeks new anti-AI deepfake law to counter ‘weapons of mass distortion’
India is planning a new law to combat AI deepfakes and impersonation scams amid a surge in cyber fraud and fake videos targeting top military officers. The…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia clamps down on social media-fuelled hiking risks
Malaysia is tightening controls on high-risk hiking routes after officials linked a growing rescue burden to poor preparation, unauthorised trails and social…
Asia - South China Morning PostInside America’s US$1.5 billion play for Southeast Asian energy
The United States is pitching billions of dollars in investment to become Southeast Asia’s energy partner of choice, offering gas, grid technology and nuclear…
Asia - South China Morning PostLimited dual citizenship gives Indonesian diaspora hope of return, better future
Indonesia’s attempt to lure back its native talent scattered around the world through limited dual citizenship has highlighted a long-held demand of the…
Asia - South China Morning PostHow South Korea can ease Brazilian concerns to unlock trade in South America
If South Korea wants to unlock access to South American trade, it will need to prove it is not a competitor interested only in extracting natural resources but…
Asia - South China Morning PostVietnam to host US aircraft carrier despite Trump’s tariffs, Iran war chaos
An American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is set to dock in Da Nang this week, in a visit analysts say shows the durability of US-Vietnam relations despite…
Asia - South China Morning PostSingapore signals housing market stability by scrapping 15-month HDB wait
Singapore has signalled stability in the public housing market by scrapping a 15-month waiting period that barred private property owners from buying resale…
Asia - South China Morning PostBangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina vows to return despite believing she ‘may be killed’
Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to return to her country by December despite fearing for her life. “I may be…
Asia - South China Morning PostDelhi leads EV charge in India’s clean air push but not everyone goes with flow
In an affluent neighbourhood in New Delhi, electric vehicle charging stations near a popular shopping area were busy with drivers powering up their scooters…
Asia - South China Morning Post‘Take sides’? Malaysia insists on conditional neutrality amid US-China tech rivalry
Malaysia is finding it increasingly difficult to stay neutral in the US-China rivalry as the superpowers lock horns over trade, investment and the security of…
Asia - South China Morning PostAsian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency
The UN’s migration agency is warning that criminal networks have been trafficking hundreds of thousands of people – many of them educated English speakers – to…
Asia - South China Morning PostDeath toll in Japan quake rises to 18 as rescuers comb through rubble
Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping centre and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors on Wednesday after a powerful…
Asia - South China Morning PostEU’s US$17 million maritime aid for Philippines targets Asian ‘fault lines’
The European Union’s upgraded partnership with the Philippines signals the bloc’s intent to diversify its Indo-Pacific strategy beyond trade and into the…
Asia - South China Morning PostAI competition heats up as US targets Southeast Asia’s public sector
Washington’s new AI Spark initiative to promote American artificial intelligence systems in Southeast Asia’s public services and digital infrastructure is seen…
Asia - South China Morning PostSouth Korean scientists solve 250-year-old dementia-linked brain mystery
Researchers in South Korea say they have finally worked out how the brain flushes away waste – offering a clearer picture of the processes involved in dementia…
Asia - South China Morning PostCan China and Indonesia’s strong financial ties withstand ‘resource nationalism’?
Back in 2009, when China’s economy was expanding at about twice today’s pace, a little-known private firm made a quiet bet on uncharted territory: Indonesia…

Asia - South China Morning PostSingapore growth to hold firm but AI boom a ‘major uncertainty’: central bank
Singapore’s economic growth should remain firm in the second half of 2026 although a major uncertainty is the sustainability of the AI investment boom, the…
Asia - South China Morning PostThe Philippines, sovereignty and the Pax Silica Industrial Hub – how US’ Helberg sees it
The struggle between the US and China over who will lead in artificial intelligence is one of the defining competitions of our time. In the third part of our…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysian police raid online scam centres in Johor, arrest 335 people
Malaysian police have raided 32 premises hosting online scam activities in Forest City in the state of Johor, arresting 335 people and seizing assets worth…
Asia - South China Morning PostIndia’s ‘cockroach’ protests reveal a deeper social mobility crisis
India’s latest youth protests began after examination papers were leaked. They could ultimately be seen as a referendum on the country’s development model. The…
Asia - South China Morning PostAmerica declares international law for thee but not for me
In Orwellian totalitarianism, two plus two can equal five. But with American hegemony, things can be A and not A at the same time. Earlier this month…
Asia - South China Morning Post‘Micro-discrimination’ against Indonesians? Bali run club controversy revives concerns
A running club in Bali’s expatriate hub of Canggu has become the latest flashpoint in an enduring debate over whether Indonesians are being sidelined in parts…
Asia - South China Morning PostIndonesian central banker’s exit signals dilemma over rate policy, growth target
The sudden resignation of Bank Indonesia’s governor highlights a dilemma that he and his central bank peers in the region have faced in calibrating interest…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia crypto event drops Ms Pui Yi as DJ after backlash over adult-content past
A major Malaysian blockchain conference has dropped Siew Pui Yi, an influencer previously known for adult content, as the headline DJ for its official…
Asia - South China Morning PostPhilippines seeks coders, hackers for military – will it be ‘a career killer’?
The Philippines is targeting to recruit more coders, engineers and cybersecurity specialists into the military, as Manila confronts a battlefield increasingly…
Asia - South China Morning PostWhy a Chinese academic claim over Batanes has unsettled the Philippines
A university symposium in Guangzhou has placed the Philippines’ northernmost province of Batanes at the centre of a new argument over history, geography and…
Asia - South China Morning PostHow Philippines is reshaping South China Sea defence, 10 years after Hague ruling
A decade after a tribunal in The Hague ruled on July 12, 2016, that Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims had no legal basis, Philippine officials and…
Asia - South China Morning PostMyanmar edges out of isolation as Asean steps up engagement
Myanmar’s gradual return from the diplomatic deep freeze continued over the weekend as Southeast Asian foreign ministers met their counterpart from the…
Asia - South China Morning PostSaudi Arabia’s reforms fail to halt abuse of Filipino helpers, Amnesty warns
Filipino domestic workers continue to endure widespread labour exploitation and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia, according to a new Amnesty International report…
Asia - South China Morning PostEx-South Korea leader Yoon jailed 2 years over illegal polling
A South Korean court sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday to two years in prison for illegally receiving free opinion polls in exchange for…
Asia - South China Morning PostWhat happens when Indonesia’s top corruption buster is suspected of graft himself?
Rows of gold bars, stacks of US and Singapore dollars and seven suitcases found inside a locked safe have become the defining images of one of the biggest…
Asia - South China Morning PostSam Neill, known for roles in Jurassic Park and The Piano, dead at 78
Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in Jurassic Park to playing Holly…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia’s top court clears Syed Saddiq of corruption, ending 6-year legal drama
Malaysian lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman walked free on Monday after the Federal Court dismissed the prosecutors’ final appeal in his corruption case…
Asia - South China Morning PostNorth Korea’s Kim fires warning shot at own military with corruption purge
North Korea rarely airs its dirty laundry in public, but Kim Jong-un’s latest purge of a senior military official was staged for maximum visibility – a…
Asia - South China Morning PostBig Brother or big help? Japan trials AI facial recognition cameras to find missing people
A Tokyo ward has installed outdoor AI cameras with facial recognition capabilities to help locate missing children and elderly people, a move aimed at…
Asia - South China Morning PostSouth Korean sailor missing on patrol found dead near North Korea sea border
South Korea’s navy said on Monday it had recovered the body of a sailor off the east coast, a day after the seaman disappeared near the de facto sea border…
Asia - South China Morning PostMalaysia reaches snapping point as crocodile encounters rise
For regular anglers in the Malaysian coastal town of Port Dickson, the sighting of a crocodile in the water while fishing near the jetties is nothing new. “I…
Asia - South China Morning PostSouth Korea’s foreigner-only casinos hit jackpot as Chinese tourists return
South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos are gaining renewed momentum this year, triggered by a steady recovery in inbound tourism and expectations of a surge in…
Asia - South China Morning PostUK deal to serve as testing ground for India’s Western trade ambitions
India’s free-trade agreement with the United Kingdom takes effect on Wednesday, delivering immediate tariff relief to businesses on both sides while giving New…
Asia - South China Morning PostBangkok bar fire: 27 die as distraught relatives dread the worst
A blaze that tore through a packed Bangkok bar has killed at least 27 people and left nearly two dozen more in critical condition, with distraught friends and…
Asia - South China Morning PostAung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean
Foreign ministers from Asean were told on Sunday by their Myanmar counterpart that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and would be…
Asia - South China Morning PostSouth Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase
South Korea issued its first-ever emergency heatwave alert on Sunday under a new warning system launched this year, advising people to halt outdoor activities…
Asia - South China Morning PostWombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s baby trade
As the car bounces along a rural Thai road, a baby just a few months old watches the emerald green countryside rush by from Nicha’s* lap, oblivious to the…
Asia - South China Morning PostNasa knows how to deflect an asteroid. Can Japan’s Hayabusa2 pull it off?
Japan’s Hayabusa2 fly-by of Torifune marks a leap in asteroid defence, showcasing the country’s growing space prowess and “goodwill science” role vital for…
Asia - South China Morning PostSouth Korean ticket touts to face the music when new penalties come into play
For many K-pop fans in South Korea, the hunt for concert tickets has turned into a high-stakes battle, one where logging on early is no longer enough and…