Asia - South China Morning Post

Australia and Singapore are in discussions to boost bilateral defence ties, including enhanced reciprocal access to naval and airbases, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday.

Under the deal, Australia will be able to deploy more of its forces in Asia and “will mean stronger facilitation for Australia to participate in Asia”, Wong said during a joint press conference in Canberra, adding that the details are still being worked out.

“We see Australia as a resident power in Asia and your...

Malaysians who joined a multinational flotilla seeking to break Israel’s sea blockade of Gaza have returned home with disturbing allegations of mistreatment in Israeli custody, including the confiscation of hijabs and being forced to drink toilet water.

The group of 34 Malaysians, ranging from musicians and actors to rappers and influencers, had joined hundreds of international activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail this summer on a humanitarian mission to the besieged...

The United States Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee Anjani Sinha as ambassador to Singapore.

The orthopaedic surgeon was among a slew of nominees voted in by a 51-47 simple majority for various positions.

Others on the list include Sergio Gor, who will become the ambassador to India, and Sean O’Neill, who is set to be the ambassador to Thailand.

Sinha is a surgeon on the east coast specialising in orthopaedics and sports medicine.

The US State Department previously...

As the midday sun blazes over India’s capital, the rooftops shimmer like hot coals, radiating heat back into streets already gasping for relief.

Inside this urban furnace of concrete and asphalt, the air hangs heavy – not just because of rising global temperatures, but due to the very materials from which New Delhi is built.

The causes of this searing urban heat are complex, but some solutions are “surprisingly straightforward and urgently overlooked”, according to Kiff Gallagher, a climate...

Malaysia’s tourism, arts and culture ministry has pledged to learn from the recent gala dinner controversy and ensure that such incidents do not happen again.

The ministry said it took full responsibility for the confusion and misunderstanding that had caused unease among the public following the viral event.

“The ministry takes this as a lesson and will make sure that similar incidents do not happen again.

“The ministry will also ensure that all programmes under its supervision comply with...

With his days in power numbered, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba appears poised to make one final, politically risky stand by invoking the country’s wartime past, a move that could complicate the agenda of his incoming, more hardline successor.

Ishiba has resisted pressure from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is expected to deliver a speech on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II – a politically fraught subject that has stirred...

BTS leader RM is once again making headlines – not for his music, but for his unfiltered take on marriage, parenthood and the pressures facing millennials and Gen Z in South Korea.

During a live broadcast on the group’s global fan platform Weverse on Sunday, the 31-year-old K-pop star spoke openly about his current state of mind, revealing that he has been reflecting deeply on relationships and life choices while working on a new album.

“I’ve been feeling some anxiety and depression again...

Tokyo is facing growing calls from regional tourism sectors to relax visa rules for Chinese travellers, but rising political wariness towards foreign arrivals and public frustration over overtourism are keeping the plan on ice, despite its economic promise.

A long-anticipated proposal to grant 10-year multiple-entry visas to high-income Chinese tourists, extend group tour stays from 15 to 30 days, and ease paperwork for elderly travellers has yet to be implemented.

As the roll-out was expected...

As the global order fragments, India’s foreign policy orientation has become a question of consequence far beyond South Asia. For three decades, “Look East” has been New Delhi’s mantra, positioning itself as an emerging player in the broader region.

The strategy has included engaging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, deepening India’s presence in Asia-Pacific institutions and eventually leaning into the “Indo-Pacific” frameworks shaped by the United States, Japan and Australia. It...

On Bali, an island thick with beach tourists, surfing instructor Amri Anjulius is holding out for a 60km (37.3-mile) urban subway to relieve pressure on a maze of two-lane streets, where cars crawl and motor scooters weave between them.

Like many Indonesians, he believes China will be at the forefront of efforts to expand the travel network across the archipelago nation’s 6,000 inhabited islands, home to 285 million people. That confidence stems from China’s role in building Southeast Asia’s...