Asia - South China Morning Post

After two teenagers opened fire at a Philippine high school this week, the first question lawmakers asked was not about gun control, but the internet.

Three pupils were killed and 20 injured at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte province, on Monday – the highest total casualty count of any Philippine school shooting.

It has renewed calls to restrict Filipino children’s access to social media and online games, coming months after police said they had disrupted a school shooting...

Upset with the way that her domestic worker had performed tasks such as hanging the laundry or cleaning bottles, a 67-year-old woman slapped, punched and scratched her, drawing blood.

The victim, who earned S$470 (about US$360) a month, told staff members from Singapore’s Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) during a routine call about the abuse, and a police report was made.

Hazel Phang Fong Yen, a 67-year-old Singaporean woman, was sentenced to four months’ jail on Wednesday.

She was also...

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an investigation into allegations of mass cheating in civil service exams to attain government jobs, after thousands of tests were allegedly tampered with to boost scores in exchange for fees of up to US$24,000 each time.

The scandal erupted after police and anti-corruption officials raided a company address in Nonthaburi outside Bangkok on Tuesday and found at least 10 officials on site tampering with computerised scores “to help...

A Pentagon decision to strip “Indo” from the name of its largest unified military command eight years after it was initially added has raised questions about the United States’ continuing commitment to India.

In a statement announcing the Indo-Pacific Command’s name change on June 16, US officials portrayed the move as a matter of “honour”, “pride” and respecting “historical roots”.

But analysts told This Week in Asia that New Delhi would likely read the reversion to Pacific Command (PACOM) as...

Malaysia’s police chief has opened a disciplinary inquiry into a police officer who posted viral videos showing Malaysian tourists mocking people in China as “smelly” after the clips triggered anger in both countries and prompted a public apology.

Inspector General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail said on Tuesday authorities had begun an internal investigation into the personnel involved, identified by her lawyer as Nur Asyiqin Mohd Dalil.

“I have received information on the matter and we have...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was heckled at a World War II memorial event by protesters angry about Tokyo’s further shift away from its decades-long pacifist stance, television footage showed.

Close US ally Japan in April loosened rules on lethal arms exports and Takaichi, long seen as a security hawk who last year riled mainland China with comments about Taiwan, has said she wants to revise the constitution.

A small but vocal number of demonstrators shouted slogans throughout...

Just a short ⁠stroll from Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, auctioneer Clarence White struggles to drum up bids for an ⁠airy three-storey home that boasts five bedrooms and an alfresco lounge – price tag, A$5.2 million (US$3.64 million).

“We know everyone’s cagey at the moment, but that’s OK … all power to those who are registered and those who take action,” the veteran auctioneer tells a small group of prospective buyers and onlookers, none of whom bids.

Failed auctions like this were once the...

India’s private defence companies are poised to expand their footprint in the sector, but analysts warn they still lack the technology and capabilities needed to produce cutting-edge weapons for the country’s military or export markets.

In the 2025-26 financial year, the private sector accounted for 24 per cent of India’s defence output, or US$4.4 billion out of a record US$18.7 billion, according to a defence ministry statement released last week.

The figures reflect a gradual shift away from a...

Malaysia’s durian lovers are in for a treat as prices for the “king of fruits” will remain low from now until August.

This is due to a bumper harvest, leading to a situation known as “durian tsunami” where an oversupply in the market causes prices to tumble.

Administrative executive Lim Mei Ling, 34, said the price drop is a welcome surprise.

“Normally, I would think twice before buying Musang King. But now, I can enjoy this premium durian and keep some for later,” she said.

Engineer Kelvin Tan,...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country was “equipping the navy with nuclear weapons”, state media reported on Wednesday, as he also unveiled plans to build 10,000-tonne warships.

The remarks came at the commissioning of the Choe Hyon – one of two 5,000-tonne class warships the nuclear-armed state launched last year – in the port city of Nampo on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

“The programme of equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned...