Asia - South China Morning Post

The separate moves by three Southeast Asian countries to block the AI chatbot Grok over sexually explicit deepfake images are “emergency brakes” that analysts say may avert immediate harm, but they fall short of coordination at the regional level needed to curb the risks of manipulated artificial intelligence.

On Friday, the Philippines said it was restricting access to Grok, following similar steps by Malaysia and Indonesia, after users complained that doctored sexual images of women and minors...

The gunman charged with killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty and jailed for life on Wednesday, more than three years after the broad daylight assassination shocked the world.

The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church.

As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, Judge Shinichi Tanaka said...

North Korea is producing enough nuclear material a year for up to 20 weapons, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday.

The North carried out its first atomic test in 2006 in violation of UN resolutions and is now believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads.

“Even now, nuclear materials sufficient to produce 10 to 20 nuclear weapons a year are still being produced” in North Korea, Lee told reporters at a new year news conference.

At the same time, the North is continuing to...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s public dismissal of a vice-minister during an inspection tour of a major industrial zone reflects growing anxiety within the leadership as Pyongyang prepares for a pivotal ruling party congress amid persistent economic strain, according to analysts.

By firing the official on the spot, Kim appears to be signalling zero tolerance for delays and mismanagement while reinforcing his authority ahead of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea to be held early...

French shipbuilder OCEA is looking for a local partner and site in the Philippines to establish its first shipbuilding venture in Asia, under a France-backed patrol boat programme that Philippine Coast Guard leaders say could be a “game changer” for maritime enforcement.

The project, which combines local shipbuilding, French-backed financing and technology transfer, is expected to significantly expand the coastguard’s fleet at a time of growing operational demands in Philippine waters.

“OCEA …...

An effort to prod Malaysian employers into hiring more locals for white-collar jobs by doubling the minimum salary for foreign staff has caught expatriates cold and stirred anxiety among some firms over a reduced labour talent pool.

From June, the salary threshold for expatriate Employment Pass (EP) holders will be substantially raised as the Ministry of Home Affairs tries to reduce reliance on foreign labour and open pathways to work for its own citizens who are plagued by low wages and...

A generation ago, the people of Okinawa in Japan were recognised as among the longest-lived in the world, fortunate residents of one of just five “blue zones” around the planet where a combination of healthy diet, lifestyle and positive attitude enabled them to live to a ripe old age.

Today, that longevity has been turned on its head. Life expectancy for both Okinawan men and women is expected to tumble again when the results of a new study, conducted every five years, are released in the coming...

China could launch anti-dumping investigations into Japanese imports, impose more export bans and discourage consumption of the country’s goods if it escalates a dispute with Tokyo that began in November, according to Morgan Stanley.

Beijing might also expand a temporary ban on the sale of rare earth metals – crucial components in hi-tech hardware and automobiles – to target civilian manufacturing, the New York-based multinational investment bank said in a note by a team of researchers, led by...

Japan is entering one of its most unpredictable election cycles in decades after the surprise formation of a new centrist political alliance that could redefine the balance of power and potentially restore a two-party system to the country’s long-stagnant political landscape.

On Thursday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, once a loyal coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, announced they would merge into a new force called the Centrist Reform...

Australia passed tougher hate crime and gun laws on Tuesday, weeks after gunmen targeting a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach killed 15 people.

Lawmakers in both houses of parliament voted in favour of the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at Sydney’s most famous beach.

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly attacked a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.

The shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism,...