Asia - South China Morning Post

Indonesia’s pledge to send troops to Gaza as part of a US-backed international stabilisation force (ISF) has prompted warnings by analysts that the Muslim-majority nation could be drawn into combat operations or accused of abandoning the Palestinian cause.

They said Jakarta’s long-standing support for Palestinian statehood was in contrast with the ISF’s mandate – particularly if the latter involves disarming Hamas – and the move could spur claims that Indonesia is siding with the US and...

As China’s tourists scrap plans to visit Japan en masse amid an ongoing diplomatic feud, many appear to be pivoting to an alternative destination: Russia.

Chinese travel firms have reported a surge in Russia-related flight and hotel bookings in recent weeks compared with the same period last year, with analysts saying the country’s winter scenery made it a natural replacement for Japanese hotspots like the northern island of Hokkaido.

Russia hotel bookings made by Chinese travellers in the two...

A constitutional challenge against Australia’s social media ban on children younger than 16 has been filed in the nation’s highest court, two weeks before the world-first law is set to take effect.

A campaign group called the Digital Freedom Project said on Wednesday it launched proceedings in the High Court of Australia in a bid to block the law, with two 15-year-olds, Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, as plaintiffs in the case.

More than one million accounts held by teenagers under 16 are set to be...

South Koreans have slammed a major Canadian sports broadcaster for “ignorance” after it labelled a clip featuring high-flying taekwondo martial artists as “ninja training”.

Taekwondo is South Korea’s most famous martial art, while ninjas – the black-clad spies and assassins of Japan’s feudal era – are known for secrecy and stealth.

The controversy erupted after TSN, which bills itself as Canada’s sports leader, shared a clip of taekwondo practitioners performing acrobatic jump kick routines on...

A court in Thailand said on Wednesday that it has issued an arrest warrant for a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization in connection with a fraud case.

Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip was charged with fraud then released on bail in 2023. She failed to appear as required in a Bangkok court on Tuesday. Since she did not notify the court about her absence, she was deemed to be a flight risk, according to a statement from the Bangkok South District Court.

The court rescheduled the hearing for...

India and Afghanistan will launch direct air cargo flights in a move that deepens their economic ties and signals a strategic shift in South Asia’s power dynamics, as both countries grow increasingly estranged from their mutual neighbour Pakistan.

Analysts say the initiative reflects Kabul’s push to diversify trade routes and reduce dependence on Islamabad following deadly border clashes, while also underscoring New Delhi’s effort to reassert influence in a country where it once played a key...

Thailand has begun enforcing tougher controls on repeat visa-exempt entries, with immigration officials saying the move is not to target genuine tourism but to curb abuse by foreigners who overstay or operate illegal businesses or scams.

Immigration officers across Thailand have been instructed to scrutinise travellers who make multiple short-term visits under the country’s visa-free policy, following a nationwide order issued on November 12.

Officials said the new approach targeted foreigners...

An artificial intelligence-enabled teddy bear sold by a Singapore-based company is back on the shelves after researchers discovered it chats unprompted about sexual fetishes and other unsuitable topics.

FoloToy earlier this month pulled Teddy Kumma – along with the rest of its AI-enabled plushie toys – from its website after the US PIRG Education Fund flagged the inappropriate conversations that included talk about sexual role-play, fetish spanking and how to light a match, CNN reported.

The...

The United States and the Philippines are preparing to hardwire advanced cyber operations into the heart of their annual war games, signalling a shift from merely talking about digital threats to practising how to fight through them.

Jennifer Schmidt, head of the US embassy’s information and communications technology unit, said specialised training ranges and sophisticated threat-emulation software would be incorporated into next year’s Balikatan drills so troops could rehearse defending...

Singapore has ordered TikTok and Meta to block access in Singapore to the accounts of an Australian man authorities say has contributed to the radicalisation of two of its citizens, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday.

Former Singaporean citizen Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff “called on Muslims to reject the constitutional, secular, democratic state in favour of an Islamic state governed by sharia law”, said the ministry in a press release.

“He believed that violence should be used to...