Asia - South China Morning Post

Regardless of the outcome of the challenge to US President Donald Trump’s powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act now before the Supreme Court, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has made clear the administration will continue to use national security rationales to enact its disruptive trade measures.

It was not always thus. Nations have always had national security interests. Major powers have always engaged in espionage targeting adversaries – even allies. But since the...

Singapore has recorded its largest-ever seizure of rhinoceros horns after discovering 20 pieces worth S$1.13 million (US$867,000) in an air cargo shipment labelled “furniture fittings”, transshipped from South Africa to Laos through the city state’s Changi Airport.

The smuggled parts, totalling 35.7kg (78.8lbs) in weight, were detected in four cargo batches bound for Vientiane and seized on November 8, Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and air cargo handler SATS said on Tuesday.

This...

Mary Jane Veloso’s lawyers have asked the Philippine Supreme Court to explain why the woman who once narrowly escaped execution in Indonesia remains behind bars in the Philippines nearly a year after her return, despite facing no criminal charges under local law.

The petition has revived international attention on a case that for years sat at the intersection of labour migration, human trafficking and Southeast Asia’s harsh drug laws – and continues to raise questions about how Manila protects...

One of the frothiest stocks in the Philippines has plunged in recent days, erasing more than US$16 billion of its founder’s fortune and raising new questions about its remarkable ascent and sudden nosedive.

Property developer Golden MV Holdings began falling on Thursday after regulators lifted a six-month trading suspension on the stock, continuing through Tuesday morning. So far it is down 76 per cent, its worst streak as a public company.

It has also knocked Golden MV founder Manuel Villar off...

Japan’s government is weighing the introduction of penalties for men who buy sex, marking a potential sea change in the country’s approach to prostitution.

Lawmakers and women’s advocacy groups argue that current legislation, dating back to the 1950s, fuels exploitation and risks the country being branded a sex tourism hotspot.

The issue was thrust into centre stage last week, when a member of parliament pressed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to address what he called the “asymmetric” nature of...

Simply tasting Australia’s Vegemite spread might seem like cruel and unusual punishment to some, but one prison inmate from the land down under argues he should be allowed to enjoy the toast topping as a basic human right.

Convicted murderer Andre McKechnie has sued the prisons commissioner in the state of Victoria in a novel bid to eat the quintessentially Australian condiment.

McKechnie argued that he had a right to eat Vegemite because it was “his culture as an Australian”, according to court...

Thailand’s insistence that trade negotiations with the US can proceed separately from talks over a fractious border dispute with Cambodia has been met with deep scepticism given Washington’s increasing use of economic policy as a political instrument and US President Donald Trump’s personal stake in the ceasefire deal.

Bangkok announced on Saturday that tariff talks with the United States would “remain separate from border issues”, a pledge government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said...

Singapore has 20 electric public buses by Chinese manufacturer Yutong Group, and none of these vehicles support any remote control functions, the Land Transport Authority said on Monday.

LTA’s response came after Norway’s public transport operator Ruter found that Yutong had access to the buses’ control systems for software updates and diagnostics.

This could allow the manufacturer to turn them off remotely.

The discovery has also raised cybersecurity concerns, with Ruter saying earlier this...

A sweeping election victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar has raised fresh questions about the future of India’s political opposition.

Analysts say the landslide outcome – which defied predictions of a close race – highlights an increasingly lopsided political landscape, with a dominant BJP facing a fragmented opposition, particularly a Congress party struggling with internal drift and unresolved leadership issues.

The BJP, its main regional ally,...

Malaysia’s state broadcaster has suspended the animated Nickelodeon children’s series Santiago of the Seas following viewer complaints that an episode contained an LGBTQ scene.

The controversy erupted after viewers reported seeing the character Rio, a mermaid, kiss his partner Martin on the cheek in an episode that aired on Sunday on TV2.

RTM, which operates the channel, said an internal review had found no evidence of any such display of same-sex affection but halted the show “to avoid public...