Asia - South China Morning Post

India’s cabinet on Wednesday called this week’s deadly car explosion in the capital a terror attack carried out by “antinational forces”, though it did not release any new evidence linked to the blast.

Earlier on Wednesday, authorities said several suspects had been arrested in the disputed Kashmir region as part of the investigation into the blast on Monday near the historic Red Fort monument that killed eight people and injured several others.

Authorities on Tuesday announced that they were...

Asean should rethink its principle of non-interference so that the long-held policy does not become “an excuse” for non-action, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has said.

The minister, a career diplomat who served in a range of leadership positions before his latest appointment in September, said the 11-member bloc had to embrace a fresh approach to consensus-building amid intensifying rivalry between China and the United States.

“We have to be agile. We have to draw on the...

A year after her childhood friend died in a mass methanol poisoning incident in Laos, British traveller Bethany Clarke is still grappling with grief and a lack of answers.

On November 12 last year, Clarke had joined 28-year-old lawyer Simone White and another friend for a spontaneous side trip to Vang Vieng, a riverside party town popular with backpackers.

After a night out at a hostel serving complimentary shots, all three fell dangerously ill. White would not survive.

Six tourists died in...

A Malaysian English teacher living in Yokohama has gone viral in Japan after sharing photos of a hate-filled message taped to his front door and car, sparking both outrage and an outpouring of support amid growing concern over anti-foreigner sentiment in the country.

Written in Japanese and signed “Yokohama City Conservative Faction”, the flier read: “To foreigners, please leave Japan. You are not welcome here. Japan doesn’t need immigrants. Japanese taxes are not paid for you. Go back to your...

The signing of the Asean-China free trade agreement upgrade last month looked procedural. It wasn’t. The protocol adds chapters on digital trade, the green economy, supply chain connectivity, and the nuts and bolts of trade facilitation. These elements matter more than tariff cuts.

As US tariffs on Chinese goods remain high, including on electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and solar cells, agreements that reduce friction, harmonise standards and streamline certification are becoming strategic...

After last month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) events in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province – which saw up to 19,000 police officers deployed daily from across South Korea – Kim Keon-pyo, director of the Korean National Police Workers Council, said the reports he received from officers on the ground were far from commendable.

“They said they were treated like homeless people,” Kim said.

Angered by their accounts, Kim began collecting photos of the poor working conditions officers...

India has secured a contract with the US to supply engines for its indigenous Tejas fighter jets, reinforcing defence ties despite trade tensions – even as military analysts say that Pakistan’s superior Chinese-supplied warplanes remain a formidable threat.

State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday announced it had signed an agreement with US-based General Electric Company (GE) for the supply of 113 F404-GE-IN20 engines and a support package for India’s Tejas Mk1A light combat...

Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer, posted a 17 per cent rise in third-quarter profit on Wednesday, beating market forecasts, on sustained strength in demand for artificial intelligence servers.

Net profit for the July-September period for Nvidia’s biggest server maker and Apple’s top iPhone assembler was T$57.67 billion (US$1.89 billion), higher than the consensus estimate of T$50.4 billion compiled by London Stock Exchange Group.

Taiwan-based...

Malaysia’s election season kicks into full gear this weekend, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration forced to juggle national priorities with a push for greater autonomy in Sabah, as “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiment gains momentum in the make-or-break state.

The November 29 election in Sabah, one of two states on Malaysian Borneo, is widely seen as a gauge of Anwar’s popularity beyond his strongholds in the peninsula and a potential indicator of how well he could do in his presumed...

Australia and Indonesia agreed on Wednesday to sign a new security treaty, which includes closer military cooperation, the two countries’ leaders said following talks in Sydney.

Canberra has drawn ever nearer to long-time ally Washington, bolstering its military in an attempt to deter the might of a rising China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jakarta has walked a more neutral path, wary of drawing too close to Washington and far less willing to needle Beijing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,...