Asia - South China Morning Post

Joseph McGrail-Bateup, an Australian professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier, has been recognised as the world’s loudest person.

Guinness World Records last week acknowledged the 58-year-old Canberra resident recorded the loudest ever shout by an individual. He yelled “now” at 122.4 decibels.

That broke the previous record of 121.7 dB set by Northern Ireland teacher Annalisa Flanagan in 1994.

She had yelled an ear-piercing “quiet”.

That is in the noise range of a chainsaw, a...

Malaysia’s rare postponement of a meeting of its royal council has pushed a throne dispute in the state of Negeri Sembilan beyond palace walls, threatening to turn a customary succession row into an electoral liability for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s uneasy governing alliance ahead of snap polls.

The June 23–25 meeting of the Conference of Rulers – a council of Malaysia’s hereditary Malay rulers and state governors – was called off at the eleventh hour amid concerns that allowing Negeri...

Indonesia’s efforts to woo back Chinese investors may be gaining traction after Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa returned from Beijing with a multibillion-dollar funding commitment and political backing for the Southeast Asian country’s debut yuan-denominated sovereign bond.

Whether the bilateral talks translate into lasting investor confidence in Indonesia’s economic fundamentals remains to be seen, as global companies continue to weigh Jakarta’s shifting rules, challenging budget outlook...

Australia has refused to release internal papers about a trust fund for a climate-vulnerable Pacific nation, telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the documents could inflict diplomatic “damage”.

Gravely threatened by rising seas, low-lying island nation Tuvalu relies on a US$200 million trust fund to help foot the ballooning costs of climate change.

The trust has been invested on Tuvalu’s behalf in funds exposed to coal mining, gas exploration and the world’s largest crude oil refinery, an...

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s two-day visit to India this week could bring both sides closer to clinching a broad trade bargain after months of tariff wrangling, even as the South Asian nation’s protected farm sector remains a major sticking point.

Analysts say the visit could centre on finalising tariff rates and giving the relationship a political reset after a year of strain over trade, Indian workers and the Strait of Hormuz.

A statement from the Office of the US Trade...

The US has overtaken South Korea as the Philippines’ top source of foreign tourists this year, helped by diaspora travel and closer ties between the long-time allies, giving Manila a boost as it tries to close the gap with more popular destinations in Southeast Asia.

Figures from the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) showed that between January and May, 531,859 visitors came from the US, while 501,789 were from South Korea – comprising 19.4 per cent and 18.3 per cent of the total tourism...

Hotel bookings in Singapore are surging ahead of K-pop boy band BTS’ highly anticipated concerts in December, with some reporting demand jumping by as much as 50 times.

The spike mirrors a broader trend across Asia, where cities on BTS’ tour schedule have recorded significant increases in accommodation searches. Some booking platforms reported search volumes rising by up to 10 times in certain concert destinations like Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

All tickets for the Singapore leg of BTS’ Arirang tour...

Malaysian lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has responded with a thinly veiled jab at Tunku Ismail Ibrahim after the Johor crown prince hinted at the former sports minister being the “most Hollywood” among populist politicians.

Tunku Ismail told a podcast show over the weekend that he “liked people who carry out their duties and show full care and concern for the people”.

“Before making any decisions, make an assessment first because we have many ‘Hollywood’ types among us. The most...

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s pushback against China signals a calculated bid to fend off accusations of Tokyo’s “new militarism” by Beijing to ensure that the label does not stick and slow Japan’s security reforms.

His comments in recent weeks on separate instances are aimed at shaping the perceptions of Tokyo’s state partners, according to analysts.

Speaking in his first published interview with foreign media as defence chief on June 17, Koizumi questioned the accuracy of...

The breaking point for former Singaporean lawyer Dominic Low was when he had just got home past midnight and his boss asked him to respond to an international client. This meant he had to return to the office and work till 2am.

He was into his second year of a corporate law career and decided that very night that the job was not for him.

“Everyone was under so much pressure and just expected to deliver at the cost of their personal life and mental health,” Low, 35, said.

Despite leaving the...