Asia - South China Morning Post

When online outrage torpedoed the latest episode of One‑Punch Man, few saw past the animation flaws. But what followed exposed a creative industry buckling under impossible expectations.

The sixth episode of the long-awaited third season of the Japanese superhero saga – once praised for its sharp humour and kinetic style – stumbled onto screens under the weight of its own hype in October.

Viewers flooded social media with complaints about its uneven pacing and “rushed” storytelling. On reviews...

A young man from Australia with a huge social media following has given an 88-year-old US supermarket worker the gift of retirement.

Ed Bambas from Michigan was presented with an oversized cheque for US$1.7 million on Friday – the result of an extraordinary online fundraising drive.

“No, no,” Bambas said, wiping away tears in front of reporters. “Thank you. Oh, my God.”

Sam Weidenhofer, 22, from Melbourne, is using his online influence to spread kindness – and financial support – during a visit...

The tarpaulin barely held against the wind, sagging under days of ceaseless rain.

For the earthquake survivors of San Remigio, in the central Philippines, it was all that remained – a thin sheet of plastic above a patch of mud, standing in for the homes a 6.9-magnitude quake had reduced to rubble weeks earlier.

Then, in early November, Typhoon Kalmaegi barrelled through.

The storm, known locally as Tino, drenched thousands of families still huddled in their makeshift shelters. Roads vanished...

For nearly two years, six nights a week, performers from mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia have drawn crowds to the HaveFun Live Show in Singapore, but its organisers but its organisers now find themselves in a bind as new work permit rules loom.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Monday that it would scrap a long-running scheme allowing foreign performers to work for up to six months at public entertainment outlets. The programme, in place since 2008, will end in June after...

President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to New Delhi since the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the clearest sign of India’s determination to balance between bolstering its long-standing defence ties with Moscow and managing trade tensions with the United States, according to analysts.

On Thursday, Putin was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi’s airport for his two-day state visit, before they were driven in the same car to a dinner hosted by Modi at his residence.

Behind the...

IndiGo’s flight interruptions began on December 1, 2025. So far, more than 1,200 flights have been cancelled, leaving thousands stranded.

Malaysia’s government is under mounting pressure to explain the fatal police shooting of three men in the southern state of Melaka, after an audio recording and forensic claims released by the families appeared to contradict the police account of a violent confrontation with the suspected robbery gang members.

In the latest case, the three – Puspanathan Murulitharan, 21; Poonesvaran Tiagarajan, 24; and Logeswaran Georgie, 29 – were killed on November 24 during a police operation in Durian...

TikTok said on Friday it will comply with Australia’s imminent ban on under-16s joining social media on the day it comes into force, but told users the changes “may be upsetting”.

Australia’s world-first legislation comes into effect December 10, curbing the world’s most popular social media platforms and websites, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

Companies face fines of A$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.

TikTok will block under-16s in...

There are some days when stay-at-home mother of three Lynn Lee finds her 15-year-old daughter watching drama programmes or playing games on her phone for hours on end, unaware of how much time has passed.

The 49-year-old, whose children are aged between 10 and 15, calls it an addiction and says her teenager’s screen time can be between eight and 10 hours a day despite parental controls that shut off her internet at 10.30pm.

According to Lee, the addiction has caused her daughter’s temperament to...

New Zealand Police said on Friday they have recovered a James Bond-inspired Faberge pendant after six days of closely watching the man accused of swallowing the jewellery in an Auckland store.

They said the pendant was recovered on Thursday night after it exited the suspect’s gastrointestinal tract naturally without medical intervention.

The limited-edition Faberge egg pendant was inspired by the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy in which a jewel-smuggling operation involves a fake Faberge egg.

A...