Asia - South China Morning Post

India’s parliament is debating a draft law that would give employees the right to ignore work calls, emails and messages outside official hours, weeks after a tycoon’s call for a 72-hour work week sparked a furore on social media.

The Right to Disconnect Bill 2025, introduced on December 5 by MP Supriya Sule, would empower authorities to impose penalties on non-compliant firms.

Supporters argue the proposal recognises workers’ rights in an era of always-on corporate culture. Critics, however,...

A group of civilians including two former government officials, filed a corruption complaint against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, in a fresh political challenge for the estranged deputy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

The complaint, filed with the Ombudsman’s office on Friday, alleged that Duterte and 15 other officials, misused 612.5 million pesos (US$10.4 million) in public funds through “coordinated schemes” implemented across both the Office of the Vice-President and the...

A man fell and hit his head, suffering a traumatic brain injury, after seeing his neighbour’s dog exit a lift at their condominium in Singapore.

His daughter later sued the neighbour for negligence in how he had handled the dog and for breach of the condo by-laws.

A court dismissed the suit, finding that the estate of the man, who died after the trial commenced, had failed to prove negligence or breaching of the condo’s by-laws.

According to a judgment on Thursday, Tan Kut Fai was waiting on...

The decision to keep details of a recent US review into the Aukus defence pact under wraps is seen as a deliberate move to shield the three-nation submarine deal from any doubts over its viability that could undermine political or public backing, analysts say.

The Pentagon announced last Thursday it had completed its assessment of the programme and identified ways to place it on the “strongest possible footing”, citing US President Donald Trump’s push to drive the arrangement “full steam...

A British backpacker has been sentenced to four years in prison after a fatal collision with a father-of-two while riding an electric scooter in Australia.

Alicia Kemp, 25, from Redditch, Worcestershire, appeared at Perth District Court, Western Australia, on Friday, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol.

Judge Wendy Hughes handed Kemp a four-year prison term, backdated to June 2025 for time served, with a non-parole...

Malaysia’s home minister has urged senior clerics to lodge formal complaints over claims that a mysterious South Korean Christian “cult movement” has been attempting to spread its teachings among Malaysian Muslims.

The controversy surfaced after religious leaders in Perlis – a conservative northern state where Muslims form the overwhelming majority – reported that a South Korean group had been proselytising there under the banner of a peace initiative.

Malaysia is a multi-faith nation but Islam...

Malaysian prosecutors have dropped their appeal against the acquittal of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, in a case involving money laundering and tax evasion, saying they saw no prospect of success.

Since 2018, the couple have been subject to multiple corruption investigations surrounding Najib’s alleged role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Both have repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.

Rosmah, widely scorned in Malaysia for her extravagant lifestyle...

A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Friday, the weather office said, days after an even larger tremor shook the region and injured at least 50.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded Friday’s quake to a 6.7 magnitude and warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) could hit the northern Pacific coastline.

In the end, waves of up to 20cm (7 inches) were recorded on the main northern island of Hokkaido and in the Aomori region, the JMA said, before...

Families of victims of karoshi, or death from overwork, on Thursday protested against the recent selection of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark emphasising work as this year’s catchphrase, saying the choice hurt their feelings and exacerbated their pain.

Takaichi declared, “I will work, work, work, work and work”, during comments shortly after being chosen as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The phrase topped this year’s buzzword list but has drawn criticism from...

Bangladesh’s national security adviser recently made a low-profile visit to New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart, in what many in Dhaka saw as a sign that the neighbours might reset ties following months of tensions over the self-exile of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India.

The meeting was the highest-level contact since Bangladesh’s interim government took office. But analysts say that the path to normalising relations remains uncertain, even if India is willing to work...