Asia - South China Morning Post

Indonesia is looking to take a bite out of the lucrative durian trade to China following stronger bilateral cooperation in the sector, according to the Indonesian Durian Plantation Association.

Since Indonesia signed a frozen durian export protocol with China’s General Administration of Customs last May, eight local companies have passed the verification process, according to an Antara news agency report on Wednesday.

This means that Indonesian producers can export directly to China, bypassing...

The death toll from flooding and landslides in Thailand climbed steeply on Friday, heaping misery on a country struggling with a deep economic slump and triggering criticism of the nation’s roughly 10-week-old government.

There have been 145 fatalities across southern Thai provinces, with 110 deaths in Songkhla province alone, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a briefing in Bangkok. That’s almost double the toll reported early on Friday. More than 1.25 million households and...

Alex Lee, a Singaporean parent-blogger who has spent years documenting his children’s lives online, recently posted a video of his 12-year-old son opening the results of his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) – a high-stakes test that shapes most pupils’ secondary school paths.

In the clip, which has now drawn more than 3 million views, it cuts from his son, Daken, looking at his scores to him in his father’s arms as Lee asks, “Not as good as you expected?”

Daken agrees as his father...

The deadly blaze that engulfed a densely populated Hong Kong residential complex has prompted scrutiny in South Korea over whether its high-rise residential and commercial buildings are adequately prepared to prevent and respond to similar disasters.

High-rise living in South Korea has skyrocketed in the past decade. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of buildings with 25 or more floors climbed from 8,268 in 2013 to 21,033 in 2023.

Of South Korea’s 11.67...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss all aspects of their countries’ “privileged strategic partnership” when Putin visits New Delhi next week, the Kremlin said.

India, a major buyer of Russian oil, has also bought its weapons for decades, though a top defence official said the country had bought US arms worth nearly US$30 billion in the past decade and aims to produce more of its own equipment.

“They [the Russians] have been our friends through...

As fears over the artificial intelligence bubble bursting linger in global markets, one Southeast Asian tech founder thinks it could be a much-needed reset to a crowded space.

Dylan Tan, founder of replyr.ai, a Singapore-based start-up that creates AI WhatsApp sales agents for its clients, said there was a disconnect between the investor hype driving up tech stocks and an understanding of how AI would transform the future of businesses. Replyr.ai was founded with venture capitalist funds in...

Gavin Lee was on Friday named as permanent head coach of the Singapore men’s national football team.

The 35-year-old was officially unveiled at a press conference at Jalan Besar Stadium.

He is the Lions’ first Singaporean permanent head coach since V Sundramoorthy was appointed in 2016.

Earlier on Thursday, reports said that Lee had been offered the full-time role and was expected to put pen to paper.

This move comes hot on the heels of Lee leading the Singapore men’s national football team to a...

An advertisement offering lucrative pay and citizenship to South Koreans willing to join Ukraine’s army has been rejected by Kyiv as a “Russian hoax”, even as Seoul confirmed for the first time the death of a citizen who fought against Moscow in the long-running war.

The conflict-stricken nation’s response came after photographs of posters plastered on a lamp post in Seongnam, South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, circulated online, detailing supposed enlistment benefits including high wages and...

A Malaysian police chief has called for the wider imposition of caning in schools, arguing that the “fear factor” among students has eroded at a time when violent incidents, including bullying-related deaths, are drawing alarm in the country.

Selangor state police chief Shazeli Kahar said caning should be considered in a phased and “controlled” manner to prevent teacher abuse, and was needed to address what he described as a worrying rise in student-related crime across the state.

His remarks...

A Thai mother bitten by a deadly snake endured a desperate 32-hour wait for rescue after being trapped by floods that have devastated southern Thailand for more than a week.

The woman, stranded in her submerged Hat Yai home, turned to social media at 3am on Wednesday after 24 hours of excruciating pain. She and her boyfriend had spent the previous day calling at least 10 rescue agencies, but floodwaters kept emergency crews from reaching them, according to the Thai Examiner news site.

Her plea...