Asia - South China Morning Post

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr refused to respond on Monday to an allegation by his estranged sister, a senator, that he has been a long-time drug addict whose cocaine dependence has undermined his governance, saying with a sombre tone that he did not want to discuss a family rift in public.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro has said that Senator Imee Marcos’ accusations against her own brother before a huge religious rally in Manila last week were “a web of lies”, and may...

New satellite imagery suggests North Korea has spent the past year steadily enlarging and modernising its main fissile material site, in what analysts call a concrete response to leader Kim Jong-un’s demand for his nuclear arsenal’s “exponential growth”.

Commercial satellite images of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Centre from October and November show renovation and large-scale expansion across the complex, according to 38North, a website from US think tank the Stimson Centre devoted...

The Trump administration said on Monday it is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Myanmar in the United States, arguing they can safely return to the war-torn Southeast Asian country and citing the military junta’s planned elections as evidence of an improving situation.

The move sparked concern for individuals who may be forced to return to Myanmar, which has been in political turmoil since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting a civilian government and sparking a...

A woman in Thailand shocked temple staff when she started moving in her coffin after being brought in for cremation.

Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in the province of Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted a video on its Facebook page, showing a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving temple staff bewildered.

Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, said on Monday that the 65-year-old...

North and South Korea are in a “very dangerous situation” where an accidental clash is possible any time and it is crucial for Seoul to engage Pyongyang in dialogue, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday.

Lee, who has taken several steps to ease tensions since taking office in June, has offered discussions with the North without preconditions, in contrast to his hawkish conservative predecessor.

Pyongyang has yet to respond to Lee’s overtures.

“Inter-Korean relations have,...

Eight officials from the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been arrested, marking a more assertive phase in President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s response to the sprawling flood control corruption scandal.

Analysts, however, have described the step as narrowly focused on minor players, noting that investigators have yet to confront the high-profile lawmakers and contractors accused of driving the scheme, raising doubts about how far the inquiry is prepared to reach.

The...

As a political dispute between Beijing and Tokyo continues to inflame relations, Chinese media reports indicate some domestic airlines have cancelled flights on 12 of their routes to Japan – including paths to popular tourism destinations Kyoto and Osaka – with analysts predicting cancellations to rise within the week.

As of Monday morning, flights on these routes had been put on hold, according to a report from financial news outlet Yicai that cited Chinese aviation data platform DAST. Domestic...

A Singapore private-hire driver has denied responsibility for a vulgar anti-Chinese slur that was seen flashing across an LED panel on the back of his car, insisting the message was remotely altered by someone hacking into his display system.

The footage, filmed on Thursday along Woodlands Centre Road – a route leading to the checkpoint connecting Singapore and Malaysia – went viral after being posted by the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page.

The clip shows a Honda Stepwagon Spada repeatedly...

India’s hugely popular star Dharmendra was lovingly known as the “He-Man” of Bollywood, thanks to his roles in a string of action films that cemented his legacy spanning more than six decades and 250 films.

Born Dharam Singh Deol on December 8, 1935, in Punjab, he also served as a member of parliament and was honoured with one of India’s highest civilian awards.

He struck stardom after becoming the first Bollywood actor to bare his chest on screen, prompting a flood of love letters from female...

A Singapore court has cleared the way for a US$2.7 billion lawsuit against Standard Chartered Bank over its alleged role in 1MDB fraud, liquidators seeking to recover the funds said on Monday.

Singapore High Court dismissed an application by the bank to strike out a suit filed against it by liquidators, the liquidators said in a press release, calling it “a significant legal victory” allowing the case to continue.

Liquidators trying to recover money from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1MDB...