Asia - South China Morning Post

The mild responses by America’s Asian allies over the US military strike on Venezuela stem from a desire not to “bite the hand that feeds” them, analysts have said, noting that some countries were buying time by claiming to monitor the situation.

Following the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday to face narcoterrorism charges on US soil, US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that Washington was “in charge” of the South American nation, including its oil...

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1. Malaysia’s tourism minister urges warmer welcomes after ‘less than friendly’ complaints

2. Japan’s shoplifters hate a simple ‘hello’ more than cameras

3. Debate on Singapore’s elite schools flares as ex-student recalls ‘privileged’ years

4. Netflix-Warner deal sparks...

The man who went viral for allegedly refuelling a Singapore-registered car with subsidised RON95 petrol at a fuel station in Johor has come forward, Malaysian police said on Monday.

Kulai Assistant Commissioner Tan Seng Lee said that the 63-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife arrived at the Kulai police headquarters to assist with the investigation.

“The investigation paper is still being processed and will be referred to the deputy public prosecutor as soon as possible for further...

A blunt White House social media post following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has drawn unexpected attention among South Koreans online, where users quickly identified the photo’s background as a South Korean airport and began speculating about whether its use carried a hidden message.

The post, uploaded on Saturday to the White House’s official social media accounts, featured a black-and-white image of US President Donald Trump walking up the stairs, stamped with the acronym...

The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan said on Monday its employees may have used cherry-picked data for a potential earthquake in quake-resistance tests at the plant to pass the regulatory screening for restart.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the same day it found “wrongdoing” by Chubu Electric Power in the screening process and halted the review.

The incident is a major setback for the Japanese government. Concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants grew strong in...

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has hailed the sudden arrest of retired air force general Romeo Poquiz over inciting to sedition as within the “rule of law”, after a video surfaced of him openly urging the military chief to withdraw support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom he described as a drug addict.

The country’s leader is grappling with a spiralling corruption scandal over billions of pesos squandered on anomalous flood control projects.

Amid mounting public outrage, the...

A photo of newly nominated member of parliament (NMP) Haresh Singaraju in a shirt sporting the design of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has raised eyebrows and reignited debate over the non-partisan nature of the scheme in Singapore.

The scrutiny over the now-removed photo of the family physician comes after critics questioned the effectiveness of the NMP scheme in February last year in the lead-up to the city state’s general election in May.

Two NMPs at the time made the unprecedented...

Vietnam welcomed a record number of foreign tourists in 2025, as a resurgence of Chinese visitors and relaxed visa policies helped lure travellers.

The Southeast Asian nation received around 21.2 million international visitors last year, up 20 per cent, according to the National Statistics Office. Its previous peak was 18 million, recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.

Vietnam’s surge is part of a broader realignment in Southeast Asia’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry, largely at the expense...

The Philippines’ long-standing alliance with the United States has come under fresh scrutiny after Washington’s move against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with critics in Manila warning the action had complicated the country’s claim to champion a rules-based international order.

Opposition lawmakers and analysts said the US operation, which resulted in Maduro being captured and brought to the United States to face charges, had left the Philippines “compromised” and exposed to charges of...

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said his government would seek parliament’s nod to impose a term limit on the country’s prime minister tenure, in a move seen as an attempt to regain the support of his core voter base ahead of the national polls in two years.

Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has been battered politically since he took power in 2022, as supporters censured his administration for failing to live up to its reform pledges by accommodating corruption-tainted former...