Asia - South China Morning Post

A total of 201 men have been detained in Malaysia during a joint enforcement operation at a wellness centre after authorities suspected the premises in Kuala Lumpur were being used for illicit activities.

The men, aged between 19 and 60, were picked up around 8pm on Friday in a surprise raid involving Kuala Lumpur police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi).

Of those detained, 17 were identified as civil servants, including a surgeon, a deputy...

Tokyo’s hotel sector is fighting plans to replace the city’s long-standing flat-rate lodging tax with a percentage-based levy that could significantly increase costs for tourists and short-term visitors.

Analysts and industry groups argue the proposed three per cent tax unfairly targets overnight guests and could dampen Japan’s domestic travel market at a time when locals are already squeezed by a weak yen and rising living costs.

Under the current system introduced in 2002, travellers are...

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal coalition was dealt a disastrous blow in Malaysia’s Sabah state, where a key partner was completely wiped out in a state election seen as a referendum on his leadership.

Saturday’s polls were widely seen as a decisive contest that could set the political trajectory for Anwar’s federal administration with just two years before a national election must be called by early 2028 at the latest.

Early on Sunday, the Election Commission...

Singapore’s long-frustrated football fans are daring to hope again after a landmark Asian Cup qualification win and the appointment of a home-grown coach they believe can restore pride to a national side long eclipsed at home by English Premier League fandom.

On Friday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced that Gavin Lee, the interim coach that secured the Lions’ qualification for the Asian Cup on merit for the first time, has been given the head coach job on an 18-month...

Centuries ago, Indian merchants rode monsoon winds across the seas, their cargoes stitching together a maritime world stretching from East Africa to Southeast Asia.

Today, as container ships queue outside clogged ports and great powers quarrel over access and tariffs, India is trying to sail back into that history – this time as a modern shipping and shipbuilding power.

Standing before global investors late last month, a day after presiding over a glittering maritime industry showcase in Mumbai,...

The Cop30 UN climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, concluded with a package of decisions that champions implementation and finance, yet its success is nuanced, marked by both institutional progress and political compromises over the core issue of fossil fuels.

The conference, framed as the “implementation Cop” by the Brazilian presidency, turned attention away from purely text negotiations to implementing action. The world is grappling with the complex realities of executing a systemic...

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Friday detained a former senior aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for further investigation amid bribery allegations.

Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who resigned as Anwar’s senior political secretary this week, was held after being questioned by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, Chief Commissioner Azam Baki said.

MACC will apply for a court order on Saturday to extend Shamsul Iskandar’s detention beyond 24 hours, Azam said in a...

Indonesia has unveiled a long-awaited permanent residency scheme aimed at strengthening ties with its diaspora and attracting global talent, but analysts warn that lingering restrictions could still deter the very people Jakarta hopes to bring home.

The Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI) programme, announced on November 19, is widely seen by observers as Jakarta’s attempt to resolve a decades-old dilemma over dual citizenship – an option the government has repeatedly considered but ultimately...

Heavy monsoon rains have pummelled Indonesia’s Sumatra island over the past week, causing widespread flooding and landslides, and leaving at least 174 dead with 79 missing.

Villagers and residential areas were swept away or buried by mudslides, affecting more than 2,000 homes in North Sumatra, according to Indonesia’s Disaster Management Agency.

Some 5,000 people across the province had taken refuge in government shelters, the agency added.

In the city of Medan, the provincial capital of North...

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will remain in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after appeals judges on Friday rejected a request to release him on health grounds.

The 80-year-old is facing charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs when in office, first as the mayor of a southern city and later as president.

Duterte’s lawyers failed to show that an October decision by the lower chamber...