Asia - South China Morning Post

Kathmandu awoke to a drizzle on Wednesday, but it could not wash away the smouldering wreckage left by unprecedented arson and looting a day earlier that followed anti-corruption protests in Nepal’s capital.

Fires consumed public institutions, historic buildings and private businesses – including the Supreme Court, the Singha Durbar government complex, the Kantipur media house and a luxury hotel – as what began as Gen Z-led peaceful protests spiralled into attacks that observers fear may be part...

The newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth’s sharp-tongued posts about her country’s deepening flood control corruption scandal have earned her both praise and warnings that she could lose her crown.

Joy Barcoma has become an unexpected commentator on the growing political controversy, weighing in with biting humour and fierce advocacy that has won her a legion of new fans who refer to her as “my queen”.

Some have urged Barcoma to stay silent to preserve her shot at the international title, but...

A zookeeper was killed in a lion attack in Thailand, officials said on Wednesday, raising questions over safety and the legitimacy of the safari park’s lion ownership.

The mauling happened at Safari World Bangkok, which calls itself one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos and offers lion and tiger feeding trips for around 1,200 baht (US$37) per person.

“The deceased is a zoo staff member who usually fed the lions,” said Sadudee Punpugdee, wildlife protection director of the Department of National...

Malaysia’s bid to become Southeast Asia’s top aircraft maintenance hub hinges on how fast it can ramp up capacity, industry players say, as the country races to secure a greater share of the region’s booming aviation support market.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government has set a high bar: it wants Malaysia to capture 50 per cent of Southeast Asia’s aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market by 2030 – overtaking current leader Singapore.

The target is seen as ambitious but not...

A high-ranking Cambodian official said on Wednesday that China’s Belt and Road Initiative – an infrastructure-focused strategy to accelerate regional trade – has, contrary to claims that the plan creates a “debt trap” for struggling nations, supported his country’s economic development.

In a keynote speech delivered to an audience of hundreds at the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol said the roads, airport, expressway and a future canal – projects funded by...

A dramatic video of a 16-year-old driver in Malaysia defying an order to stop his car by police officers pointing their submachine guns at him has gone viral, with the incident raising concerns about reckless underage drivers in the country.

The teenager was arrested after the high-speed pursuit on a road in Kuala Terengganu on Monday afternoon, according to district police chief Wan Mohd Zaki Wan Ismail.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon during a routine patrol, when policemen became...

Singapore will acquire four Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft from the United States to counter submarine threats and refresh its maritime security capabilities, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing has said.

Chan was in Washington this week to meet his counterpart, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon and shared Singapore’s decision to procure the aircraft that would replace the existing Fokker 50s, which had been in service since 1993.

The P-8A maritime patrol aircraft is designed...

Pacific Island leaders issued a call for an “ocean of peace” on Wednesday, urging respect for their sovereignty at a summit clouded by China’s alleged meddling and great power competition in the strategically vital region.

After a day of largely closed-door talks in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, the 18 Pacific Islands Forum leaders endorsed a Fiji-backed push for a statement proclaiming the region’s cohesion and its desire for peace and climate action.

A heavy police presence guarded...

A US proposal to train Filipino fishermen as informants, tasked with reporting illegal fishing and environmental degradation by foreign vessels, has triggered concern that civilians could be thrust into the front lines of the South China Sea dispute.

Jonathan Fritz, US principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, outlined the initiative during a round-table discussion at the US embassy in Manila on Thursday.

Despite Washington’s recent overhaul of its foreign...

A cockroach found in a bowl of ramen at a restaurant in Kyoto has drawn attention to Japan’s food and beverage sector, where an insecticide-resistant species known as the American cockroach is spreading fast and unnerving businesses and diners.

Until recently, the insect had been largely confined to Okinawa and southern Japan. Larger than the domestic species typically found in Tokyo, the American cockroach is distinguished by a pale band across its back. Pest control specialists warn that the...