Asia - South China Morning Post

Bangladeshi prosecution lawyers demanded on Thursday that fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina receive the death penalty in her trial for crimes against humanity.

Hasina has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to face charges of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed attempt to crush a student-led uprising.

Up to 1,400 people were killed in the clashes between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations.

“We demand the highest punishment for her,”...

Japan’s stock market is expected to extend its rally if the next government continues efforts to boost economic growth and prevent the country from returning to deflation, investment managers at Fidelity International said on Thursday.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index reached a record high of 48,580.44 on October 9, surpassing the 1989 Japanese economic bubble-era peak, as political parties vied for influence ahead of a parliamentary vote next week to elect the country’s next leader.

Whether the...

Indonesia could become an unlikely mediator in reconciling the two Koreas on their troubled peninsula, according to observers who cite a recent meeting between its foreign minister and his North Korean counterpart.

Analysts also say Jakarta could play the middleman in strengthening ties between Pyongyang and Southeast Asia, given that North Korea is looking to expand its global diplomatic footprint.

The visit by Foreign Minister Sugiono to Pyongyang last week on the invitation of his North...

The youngest sister of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has expressed her wish for the military to construct a barrier along the Thai-Cambodian border, after a territorial dispute between the two countries escalated into deadly clashes earlier this year.

“Please help consider how we can build a permanent wall between Cambodia and Thailand – not something temporary, but a long-lasting structure,” Princess Chulabhorn told army officials during a meeting in Bangkok this week. She also asked the...

The revelation of a second alleged gang rape in a Malaysian school has heaped pressure on the education ministry to get to grips with alleged failures in child protection, especially after mounting speculation that videos of the sexual assaults are being sold over the dark web.

Eight teenage boys have been arrested by police in two separate cases over the past fortnight. In both cases, the suspects were caught after videos of the alleged rape were discovered by teachers in their schools.

In the...

Indonesia’s top defence official says his country is set to acquire China’s J-10 fighter jets, possibly making it the second foreign military to operate the model after Pakistan.

Such a deal would also mark the first purchase of Chinese-made warplanes by Indonesia as it seeks to modernise its military.

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on Wednesday that Indonesia would soon buy the J-10 fighter jets as part of its plans for military modernisation, according to the country’s national news...

US and UK authorities unveiled sanctions this week against Chen Zhi, a British-Cambodian tycoon accused of running cyber scam operations where workers, some trafficked, carry out transnational fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars.

Here’s a look at the man, indicted in the US, and his sanctioned company, Prince Holding Group.

Who is Prince Group’s Chen Zhi?

One of Cambodia’s largest conglomerates, Prince Holding Group, has operated across more than 30 countries with interests in...

Top Seoul officials are visiting Washington amid signs of major progress in tough trade negotiations, although analysts warn that a coerced deal could severely damage South Korea’s economy.

Kim Yong-bum, policy chief of the presidential staff, and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan left for Washington on Thursday to join Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.

The delegation plans to meet US counterparts to finalise details of South Korea’s US$350 billion investment...

The mother of the teenager who was stabbed to death at a Bandar Utama school in Malaysia’s Selangor state summoned up the courage to speak out in a heart-wrenching post.

Describing her 16-year-old daughter as very sweet, kind and disciplined, the mother took to social media to express her despair.

“She was a beautiful child, but yet met with something so cruel … I am speechless and heartbroken,” she wrote in her post on Wednesday.

“I hope she rests well in the other world, and her soul finds...

Researchers in Australia say they have developed a wetsuit that could protect swimmers from deadly shark attacks.

The new material is said to significantly reduce blood loss, increasing the victim’s window of survival.