Asia - South China Morning Post

With rumours swirling of a fourth face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un later this month, analysts say it is the North Korean leader who is now dictating the terms.

Buoyed by deepening alliances with Russia and China, and commanding a nuclear arsenal larger than ever before, Kim approaches the prospect of diplomacy with the United States from a position of distinct strength.

The US president – who is expected to visit the Korean peninsula from October 30 for this month’s Apec...

South Korean singer Soyou, 34, formerly of girl group Sistar, has denied online claims that she was drunk on a US flight where she said she experienced racial discrimination, clarifying that the incident stemmed from a language misunderstanding rather than alcohol consumption.

In a social media post on Monday, Soyou said she only had “a small amount of alcohol served with a meal” at the airport lounge before boarding. “I was not intoxicated, and I boarded without any issue or restriction,” she...

A woman in her 30s died after saving her two-month-old baby from a fire accidentally started by a neighbour attempting to kill a cockroach using a lighter and spray in Osan, South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, police said on Monday.

According to Osan police station, the fire broke out around 5.35am on Monday in a mixed-use building where a woman in her 20s, identified only by her surname A, lived on the second floor.

She tried to catch a cockroach by spraying flammable mist and igniting it with a...

Japan’s proposed increase in visa fees and departure tax is an attempt to balance between dealing with overtourism and deterring misbehaving visitors at “the bottom of the pyramid”, according to industry observers.

The government believes the present fees for visas and departure taxes are low in comparison with international standards, with the Asahi newspaper reporting that the additional funds would be used on improving tourism infrastructure and the education sector.

If implemented, the...

India and Brazil are doubling down on economic and climate cooperation in a bid to strengthen Brics and bolster the Global South’s negotiating power as both nations face rising trade tensions with the United States.

Analysts say the push – announced during Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin’s visit to New Delhi last week – is not just about shielding their economies from punitive US tariffs, but also about asserting influence on multilateral issues ranging from energy security to global...

Nepal’s interim prime minister on Monday draped a national flag over the coffin of returned Gaza hostage Bipin Joshi, released under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

“Bipin is a son of all Nepali mothers,” Sushila Karki said at a ceremony held at the airport in Kathmandu, after his body was flown back to the capital from Tel Aviv.

“The name Bipin will be immortal, no one can forget him for his bravery and the hardships he had to face.”

Joshi, an agriculture student who was 22 when...

Mongolia’s president vetoed the dismissal of the country’s prime minister on Monday, days after parliament had voted to remove him.

A majority of lawmakers voted to dismiss Gombojav Zandanshatar on Friday after weeks of political infighting and a dispute over a policy that changed how mineral exporters are taxed.

The prime minister is a member of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, along with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, who blocked the sacking.

Parliament did not have a quorum when it began...

Japan’s centre-right opposition Innovation Party (JIP) has thrown its support behind a controversial new ruling coalition led by Sanae Takaichi, paving the way for her to be elected the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, despite concerns the alliance may quickly unravel.

The surprise deal with the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Takaichi, marks a dramatic shift for the Osaka-based JIP. Instead of joining other opposition groups to challenge the LDP’s grip on...

India’s capital New Delhi was shrouded in a thick, toxic haze on Monday as air pollution levels soared to more than 16 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum.

New Delhi and its sprawling metropolitan region – home to more than 30 million people – is regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals, with acrid smog blanketing the skyline each winter.

Cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories...

Malaysia has raised the alarm over potential misuse of subsidised petrol in its states bordering Thailand, with data showing some motorists rapidly exhausting their monthly quotas – raising suspicions that a new fuel aid scheme is being exploited to feed smuggling networks.

Under the Budi95 scheme that was rolled out nationwide on September 27, eligible Malaysians pay 1.99 ringgit (42 US cents) per litre for RON95 petrol instead of the unsubsidised 2.60 ringgit.

The subsided amount of fuel is...