Asia - South China Morning Post

Singapore’s acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim resigned about a month after the prime minister learned of his improper interactions with a woman, a move observers say shows Lawrence Wong’s swift handling of the first scandal under his watch to contain any political fallout.

They told This Week in Asia that while there was no affair in Faishal’s case, it made sense for the party to deal with the consequences quickly in case of leaks as the woman was a member of...

Malaysia is stepping up surveillance on its eastern flank, pushing ahead with plans for a long-range radar at a frontline South China Sea outpost and launching newly operational drones.

The upgrades reflect Kuala Lumpur’s bid to improve its ability to detect threats as the Philippines revives its claim over Sabah state in Malaysian Borneo and Chinese patrols persist near its offshore energy fields.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said on Sunday that the radar would be installed on Swallow...

India’s riot police baton-charged protesters in New Delhi as they tried to march to parliament on Monday, escalating a protest over irregularities in major examinations.

Protesters ran for cover as police in blue riot gear charged at them near the Jantar Mantar protest site.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches. “We want the government to hear us, not silence us,” said...

North Korea’s top diplomat was in Moscow this weekend for talks analysts say likely focused on fresh ammunition and missile shipments to feed Russia’s war in Ukraine, while also laying the groundwork for a possible visit by Kim Jong-un.

Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Vladimir Putin on Sunday, more than two years after Russia’s president had invited Kim to Moscow during their landmark summit in Pyongyang in June 2024.

On Sunday, Putin expressed fresh gratitude for North Korea’s assistance in...

Former Malaysian actress Zizie Izette Abdul Samad walked free on Monday after a Kuala Lumpur court acquitted her of abetting her late husband, senior Barisan Nasional (BN) politician Bung Moktar Radin, in an alleged 2.8 million ringgit (US$685,000) bribery case linked to a government investment.

Sessions Court judge Rosli Ahmad ruled that the defence had successfully raised reasonable doubt over all three charges faced by Bung’s 48-year-old widow.

Following her acquittal, Zizie said she felt...

Singapore’s acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from the cabinet and parliament following inappropriate interactions he had with a woman that resulted in harassment accusations by both parties.

Faishal, 58, who was also senior minister of state for home affairs, handed in his resignation on Monday after the Prime Minister’s Office received notice of the interactions from the woman.

Faishal is married with two children.

“This matter came to our...

Malaysia is expected ⁠to see record high ⁠temperatures next year ⁠as El Nino strengthens, its meteorological department has said.

The El Nino phenomenon is a natural part of the weather cycle, characterised by weakening trade winds and ‌warmer sea currents in the Pacific Ocean.

Climate experts have warned of a strong or super-strong El Nino this year, raising risks of severe weather such as droughts, floods and heatwaves.

Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, director general of Malaysia’s Meteorological...

An intensifying El Nino and global warming are driving a shift in India’s monsoon rainfall, creating more erratic weather patterns that threaten to dent agricultural output and strain power grids.

This year’s monsoon opened with India’s fifth-driest June on record and rainfall almost 40 per cent below normal levels, followed by a sudden deluge early this month – when about a month’s worth of precipitation was dumped on cities like Mumbai in a single week.

Since then, the weather system has...

As Malaysia pushes to welcome 47 million international visitors under this year’s travel campaign, the country is setting its sights on bringing South Korean arrivals back above pre-pandemic levels by promoting authentic local experiences beyond its well-known beach resorts and city attractions.

“South Korea is one of our priority markets,” Kamilia Hani Abdul Halim, director of Tourism Malaysia Seoul, said in an interview.

Last year, about 558,000 South Koreans visited Malaysia, making it the...

For South Korea’s young budget-conscious consumers, finding a meal for less than 8,000 won (US$5.40) – at a time when a typical meal out in major cities can easily cost 12,000 won or more – has become more than a money-saving exercise.

Crowdsourced platform Geoji Map has turned the search for ultra-cheap meals into a viral online activity. Its name, which literally translates as “Beggar Map”, reflects a broader Korean slang trend of using “beggar” humour to describe surviving on a tight...