Asia - South China Morning Post

Japan’s exotic animal cafes – where visitors can pet owls, hold otters and sip coffee surrounded by sloths – are under fresh scrutiny after a study found troubling lapses in hygiene and infection control, including the presence of harmful bacteria.

The joint study, carried out by WWF Japan and Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, surveyed 25 establishments in Tokyo and surrounding areas that allowed direct interaction with non-domesticated animals. It found multiple...

Sabah’s state poll is expected to be a critical gauge of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s popularity beyond his traditional base in the peninsula, analysts say, as the country enters the election season marked by fears over an economic slowdown, job insecurity and culture wars.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor announced the dissolution of the state assembly on Monday, paving the way for the first in a series of state elections over the next two years that could influence Anwar’s presumed...

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has appointed an ally to lead the nation’s independent anti-corruption watchdog, as his administration continues a clampdown on corruption in infrastructure projects.

As ombudsman, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was “expected to uphold transparency, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and ensure that justice is administered fairly and efficiently,” Marcos’ communications office said in a statement on Tuesday.

“There will be no sacred cows, no...

A new chapter in Pacific security began this week as Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a mutual defence agreement that draws the strategically vital yet volatile Melanesian nation further into Canberra’s sphere of influence – as China watches closely.

The “Pukpuk Treaty”, signed in Canberra on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape, is Australia’s largest Pacific security pact in seven decades.

Named after the Tok Pisin...

A Vietnamese woman was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for murdering her boyfriend along a corridor of a public housing block in Singapore’s Ang Mo Kio four years ago.

Nguyen Ngoc Giau, 43, was found guilty of the charge on Tuesday, with Justice Dedar Singh Gill saying he was satisfied that the elements of the charge had been established beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I also find that the accused has not succeeded in establishing, on a balance of probabilities, either the defence of...

Thailand has seized a lion that escaped from a social media influencer’s home and attacked two people, as officials reminded owners of exotic pets to strictly comply with the law by maintaining secure enclosures and posting warning signs.

The female big cat, raised by Parinya Parkpoom, was transferred to a wildlife care centre in Suphan Buri province on Sunday after it mauled a boy and a man the previous day in the city of Kanchanaburi.

The one-year-old lion was chained to a steel pole at...

Fifa has launched a scathing rebuke of Malaysia, accusing the country of “cheating, pure and simple” by forging citizenship documents for seven footballers who played in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam, despite the national football association’s denials.

The scandal erupted late last month when the sport’s world governing body imposed fines and bans on the Football Association of Malaysia and the implicated players, alleging falsification of citizenship documents.

The seven players –...

Singapore’s teachers are working some of the longest hours in the world and are shouldering higher levels of work-related stress than their peers in other developed nations, a major international study has found.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), conducted every five years, is the world’s largest comparative survey of teachers and school leaders.

Last year, TALIS canvassed 55 education systems, including 3,500 lower secondary teachers across all 145 public secondary...

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. Anwar’s Trump card: why Malaysia wants US president at Asean summit

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has prioritised pragmatism over ideology in sticking to his guns on inviting US President Donald Trump to attend the Asean summit this month, observers say.

2....

Malaysia has raked in over 6 billion ringgit (US$1.4 billion) from durian exports to mainland China in just seven years, and now the government is eyeing new markets in Taiwan and Peru to keep the momentum growing.

The agriculture and food security ministry said durian exports to China amounted to 115,359 tonnes or 6.37 billion ringgit between 2018 and June this year, with the figures based on the issuing of phytosanitary certificates.

“The ministry, through the agriculture department, is...