Asia - South China Morning Post

A Chinese mother enrolling her toddler in an Islamic preschool, a move that remains uncommon in Malaysia, has sparked widespread attention and debate on social media.

Chan Zhu Er, 31, said she enrolled her three-year-old son, Low Zi Kang, at a Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam in Chaah, Johor, when she returned to her hometown in November to attend to personal matters.

“I brought my son along while my husband remained in Perak, so I needed temporary childcare support while I handled my commitments,” Chan...

At Seah Im Food Centre in southern Singapore, Nur’Ain Zainuddin is constantly on the lookout. Other than serving customers, the owner of hawker chain Aspirasi Chicken Rice has to make sure no uninvited visitors enter the stall.

“The birds like to pick up leftovers on tables and at the tray returning station, and even enter our stall sometimes. It’s concerning because we don’t know if they carry any viruses,” Nur’Ain said.

This concern is not hers alone. Singapore received more than 24,000...

Twenty-five years after the deaths of two rescuers trying to help a drunk passenger at a Tokyo station shocked Japan and spurred safety upgrades, platform doors and other safeguards have reduced alcohol-linked accidents in the capital, but experts say the problem is far from eliminated.

“The situation has improved and many stations now have automatic barriers on their platforms to stop people falling onto the tracks,” said Masaki Maezono, a social worker specialising in alcoholism at Kurihama...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would raise tariffs on imports from South Korea, accusing the country of “not living up to its deal” with the US. Tariffs had declined to 15 per cent but, assuming his threat is carried out, will jump back to 25 per cent.

“Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS,” he wrote on social...

Authorities in Batam have begun sending hazardous electronic waste back to the United States, a tentative breakthrough in a case that has clogged one of Indonesia’s busiest ports with hundreds of suspect containers and tested the country’s ability to police such illegal imports.

Four containers of electronic waste classified as hazardous and toxic materials were shipped out last week from Batu Ampar Port under the supervision of Batam Customs, according to Indonesian media reports.

The move...

India’s increasing engagement with Gulf nations is driven more by trade and energy security, even as it seeks to forge a defence partnership with the United Arab Emirates amid deepening rivalries in the region, according to analysts.

Last week, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made a brief stop in New Delhi, where both sides pledged to deepen trade ties and defence cooperation.

The trip has fuelled speculation that the UAE is seeking to diversify its strategic partnerships amid...

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month, judges ruled on Monday, rejecting arguments the 80-year-old was unfit to take part.

Duterte will face a so-called “confirmation of charges” hearing starting on February 23, where judges decide whether the prosecution’s allegations are strong enough to proceed to trial.

“Having regard to the relevant legal principles, the medical assessment of the independent experts … and all of...

The third wife of former Malaysian army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan has been mocked on social media after arriving at court in a wheelchair to face money laundering charges linked to a military procurement scandal.

Salwani Anuar, 27, was first seen in a wheelchair on Thursday at a special corruption high court in Kuala Lumpur, where she and her 58-year-old husband were each charged with four counts under Malaysia’s anti-money-laundering law.

Though Salwani initially walked to the court...

A 2024 letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has become central to a renewed attempt to impeach the Philippine leader over allegations that billions of pesos meant for public health were diverted into infrastructure spending linked to politicians.

Left-wing lawmakers and activists refiled an impeachment complaint against Marcos on Monday, accusing him of “betrayal of public trust” for allowing state health insurance funds to be channelled into flood...

The post-pandemic recovery in Asia’s hotel industry is patchy. While international tourist arrivals in some countries surpassed 2019 levels some time ago, most markets have yet to experience a full return to pre-Covid levels.

According to CBRE, only three of the 13 major markets in the Asia-Pacific region – Japan, Vietnam and South Korea – welcomed more overseas tourists in the first half of 2025 than in the corresponding period in 2019. All three have cheap currencies that made them more...