Asia - South China Morning Post

Five young Pallas’s cats, dubbed the world’s grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday.

Kobe Animal Kingdom put the four males and one female, all born in May at the facility, on public viewing last week.

The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia.

They are not commonly displayed at zoos as they are relatively more sensitive to infections, the Kobe zoo said...

Malaysia has won a small victory in Washington’s tariff wars, securing a 10 per cent rate that leaves it better placed than four of its Southeast Asian neighbours in the scramble for US orders.

Economists warn the narrow advantage may prove fleeting, however, as it hinges on Kuala Lumpur fulfilling its promised trade reforms.

The new duties, which fall under Section 301 of the US Trade Act and took effect on Friday, keep Malaysia in the lower tier of a new American tariff regime alongside...

Indonesian police are investigating the unexplained death of a man whom local media reported managed the household of detained former anti-corruption prosecutor Febrie Adriansyah, adding a new layer of scrutiny to one of the country’s most sensitive corruption cases.

The man, identified only as Sutrimo, was found unconscious on Thursday on the grounds of Mordent Beauty Clinic in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, before being taken by ambulance to Muhammadiyah Taman Puring Hospital where he was...

A South Korean ⁠court on Monday sentenced former ⁠president Yoon Suk-yeol ⁠to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of violating the election law by making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign.

The sentence, if upheld through appeals, could force Yoon’s People Power ‌Party to return 39.7 billion won (US$27.1 million) in election expenses reimbursed by the National Election Commission following his presidential election victory.

The Seoul...

A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan.

Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia’s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of “illegal migrants” and enhanced free speech protections.

Hanson took aim at Pakistan-born Australian lawmaker Mehreen Faruqi in 2022 over comments made in the wake...

Myanmar’s military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since a new administration took office in the war-torn country, a conflict monitor said on Monday, even as regional governments ramp up diplomatic engagement.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said the onslaught was a result of the tactics deployed by Myanmar’s ‌new military chief who took over in late March as his predecessor prepared to become the country’s president.

“Since the ruling junta in Myanmar...

Singapore tightened monetary policy on Monday for the second time in three months, as the fallout from the US war against Iran keeps global energy markets volatile and inflation risks elevated.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it would increase the rate of appreciation of the local dollar’s trade-weighted value.

The move comes as oil prices remain elevated owing to tensions in the Middle East, sparked by the US-Israel attacks on Iran that began on February 28, and continue to cast...

North Korea is rumoured to be sending tens of thousands more troops to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine, marking a deepening of the two countries’ defence ties and a major escalation of Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict, if confirmed.

Late on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that preparations had been under way in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive another 30,000 North Korean troops since last month.

He also claimed Pyongyang was planning to send additional...

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr heads into Monday’s State of the Nation Address facing a legacy-defining question: can he balance his anti-corruption drive with sustaining economic growth and the needs of ordinary Filipinos?

The address, known locally as the Sona, opens the final two years of Marcos’ presidency. Analysts say his administration must show tangible results from its investigation into the alleged billions of pesos in discrepancies relating to flood-control projects while...

Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo has stepped down from his role, Indonesia’s State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi said on Monday, a surprise move analysts said could rattle investors worried about the central bank’s independence and ‌the country’s fiscal management.

President Prabowo Subianto has accepted Warjiyo’s resignation, the minister said ahead of the opening of financial markets in Jakarta.

Destry Damayanti, a senior deputy governor at BI, has been appointed as interim governor....