Asia - South China Morning Post

A Ukrainian man arrested in Thailand and extradited to Indonesia after seven months on the run was convicted on Thursday of producing illegal drugs on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali and sentenced to life in prison.

Roman Nazarenko, 40, became a suspect after police raided a villa in Bali in May 2024 and found a lab in the basement to grow marijuana and produce a precursor of the synthetic drug Ecstasy. As a fugitive listed by Interpol, he was arrested in December at Bangkok’s...

A massive sinkhole that swallowed a truck in a city just north of Tokyo earlier this year has triggered a sweeping government investigation into Japan’s ageing sewer network, uncovering 72km of pipes in “critical condition” and raising alarm over a broader crisis of neglected infrastructure.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ordered the investigation after the deadly accident in the city of Yashio, in Saitama prefecture, on January 28. Security cameras caught the moment...

China’s recent high-profile diplomatic activity, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and the Victory Day parade in Beijing in the same week, conveyed more than international headlines suggested.

Although much of the media spotlight focused on the optics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, I think the real story centres on pragmatic engagement, regional reassurance and the realignment of...

Indonesia’s beloved Indomie instant noodles are facing renewed scrutiny after Taiwanese regulators detected trace amounts of a banned carcinogen in a popular flavour variant.

Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it had found 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide in the seasoning packet of the Soto Banjar Limau Kuit variety imported from Indonesia – a level deemed non-compliant under Taiwanese regulations, which prohibit any detectable presence of the chemical.

“The seasoning...

Chinese tourism to Nepal is set to slump after days of deadly political unrest have left many travellers “scared” to visit, dealing a potentially lasting blow to a country that had been emerging as a trendy travel destination for young Chinese.

The eruption of anti-government protests in Nepal earlier this month sparked “mass cancellations” that wiped out about 50 per cent of Chinese travellers’ bookings for September, according to data compiled by the travel marketing and technology company...

The Make America Great Again (Maga) movement started in the 2010s, promising to bring back the old glory of the US empire, making the country a global leader in manufacturing, innovation and technology. However, at its heart, Maga was more than that. It focused on anti-immigration and anti-globalisation sentiments, as well as supposedly promoting Christian values.

Seeing the success of Maga movements in the US, similar movements took hold in countries such as South Korea and Japan.

In an attempt...

The eldest son of Samsung Group chairman Lee Jae-yong, heir to one of South Korea’s richest families, has enlisted to become a naval officer, one of the most demanding military roles in the country.

In doing so, Lee Jee-ho joins a growing cohort of scions of family-run conglomerates who are opting for longer, more demanding military service than the average conscripts in South Korea.

Some observers see the trend as a calculated effort by the chaebol heirs to counter opinions of their privilege...

India and the United States are exploring ways to tap Myanmar’s rare earth reserves, with New Delhi reportedly in talks with a powerful rebel group and Washington considering working with either opposing side of the country’s civil war, as they seek to diversify their sources for the crucial minerals.

But analysts say their plans face formidable challenges, including risks from the ongoing conflict, treacherous terrain, and potential resistance from China, the dominant global supplier of rare...

India has issued a health alert after infections and deaths caused by a rare waterborne “brain-eating” amoeba doubled compared to last year in the southern state of Kerala.

Numbers are still tiny but Altaf Ali, a doctor who is part of a government task force to arrest the spread, told AFP that officials were “conducting tests on a large scale across the state to detect and treat cases”.

Officials reported 19 deaths and 72 infections of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba this year, including nine...

Malaysians hoping for a boost from next month’s budget should brace themselves for disappointment, economists warn, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s room to hand out cash and subsidies shrinks with US tariffs starting to bite.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, is expected to present a budget on October 10 that bolsters small and medium-sized businesses and scales up Malaysia’s capabilities in the semiconductor, electric vehicles and rare earths sectors.

But the projected fall in US demand...