Asia - South China Morning Post

A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in central India on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a senior government official said.

The incident happened near Bilaspur, about 116km (72 miles) from Chhattisgarh’s state capital, Raipur.

Television channels showed images of one train colliding with another near the accident site. Rescuers are searching through the debris for survivors.

The local passenger train hit the goods train from behind, senior government...

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the United States will fully support Korea’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines, reaffirming US President Donald Trump’s prior approval of the initiative.

“President Trump has approved this historic step, and I want to reaffirm that decision. As defence authorities, we will, of course, do our best to actively and fully support it,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back after...

Australian households will be able to access three hours a day of free solar power under an energy-saving programme that the government unveiled on Tuesday and will begin next year.

“We want to see the benefits of renewable energy flow to all,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen told national broadcaster ABC.

In a statement, he said that the Solar Sharer scheme will be rolled out from next year in some jurisdictions, including New South Wales and South Australia, before a possible expansion.

“It’s not...

Indonesia’s anti-corruption watchdog has launched a preliminary investigation into the construction of the US$7.3 billion Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway that analysts say could implicate senior figures in the administration of former president Joko Widodo.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed last week that it was gathering evidence related to alleged irregularities in how the China-funded project, popularly known as “Whoosh”, was awarded and managed.

“The investigation into...

India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy.

The three-month voter registration overhaul – known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) – kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year.

Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete voter...

A remark by US Vice-President J.D. Vance expressing hope that his Hindu wife might convert to Christianity has drawn sharp criticism in India, where commentators see it as a troubling signal of his expected bid for the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

Speaking at the University of Mississippi last week, Vance said his children were being raised as Christians and that his wife Usha Vance also attended church with the family most Sundays.

“Do I hope eventually that she is somehow...

Kim Young-hoon, a 36-year-old South Korean man who claims to hold the world’s highest IQ of 276, has announced that he is seeking asylum in the United States, citing political and religious persecution in his home country.

Kim posted a 95-second video on social media last Thursday, saying in English, “As a Christian and as the world’s highest IQ record holder, I am applying for asylum in the United States.”

He said he could no longer stay in South Korea because it is “ruled by a pro-North Korean...

Malaysia’s football association said it was “deeply shocked” after Fifa rejected its appeal against the sanctions imposed by the sport’s global body over forged documents that allowed seven foreign-born players to represent the country.

The football-mad nation has been rocked by the scandal that unfolded in September when Fifa found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) guilty of falsifying ancestry documents to help the so-called “heritage” players become eligible to play for the national...

Recent raids on one of Myanmar’s most notorious internet scam hubs sparked a recruitment rush as fleeing workers scrambled to enlist at nearby fraud factories, according to experts and insiders.

Online scam hubs have mushroomed across Southeast Asia, draining unsuspecting victims of billions of dollars annually in elaborate romance and cryptocurrency cons.

Many workers are trafficked into the internet sweatshops, analysts say, but others go willingly to secure attractive salaries.

Late October...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines?

Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese...