Asia - South China Morning Post

Two siblings allegedly racing each other in luxury cars have sparked fresh outrage in Malaysia after a multivehicle crash in Johor state killed five people – including four members of the same family – reigniting debate over what the government itself has called a “serious public health challenge” on the country’s roads.

Police arrested the 19-year-old driver of a Mercedes-Benz A250, identified by local media as a Singapore university student, in connection with Monday’s crash on the Kluang –...

South Korea has emerged as a rare bright spot among East Asian economies trading with China, as booming demand for memory chips pushes its balance with its largest trading partner back into a surplus.

The country’s trade position with China had strengthened steadily this year, swinging from a US$764 million deficit in December 2025 to a US$1.1 billion surplus in February, before widening further to US$3.8 billion in May, according to data from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and...

Three men have been arrested after they allegedly robbed a woman and locked her and her child on a balcony at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore.

The police said on Tuesday that they were alerted at about 7pm the day before to a case of robbery with hurt along Bayfront Avenue.

According to preliminary investigations, a 45-year-old woman visited the area after agreeing to exchange S$50,000 (US$39,000) worth of cash for foreign currency with someone she spoke to on a messaging platform.

The...

A Japanese lawmaker’s claim that China has its eyes on “a treasure trove” of resource wealth hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has been dismissed by a polar law expert as a misreading of international obligations.

But the claims made in parliament by Mitsuhiro Yokota, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, have also raised questions about what might happen to the world’s last great wilderness in future.

“Beneath Antarctica lies a treasure trove of oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold and...

The measles outbreak in Bangladesh is one of its deadliest health crises in decades, and experts are warning that the lack of measures to increase vaccinations and enhance immunisation across the country could lead to a further spike in cases.

There have been over 60,000 suspected cases of measles, and nearly 600 people have died from the disease since mid-March, according to media reports.

The outbreak has been particularly severe among malnourished children and communities with limited access...

Indonesia’s deepening ties with France have given President Prabowo Subianto a chance to advance Jakarta’s defence modernisation, strengthen relations with Europe and expand its international footprint.

But analysts say the Paris visit has also fuelled a debate at home on whether deals and diplomatic goodwill arising from Prabowo’s frequent foreign trips can translate into benefits for ordinary Indonesians.

Prabowo, who has visited France four times as president, met his French counterpart...

Australian beef will soon be subject to an additional 55 per cent import duty in China, with shipments of the meat about to surpass an annual quota set by Beijing, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Tuesday.

Imports of Australian beef have already reached 90 per cent of this year’s quota, meaning that a tariff adjustment will soon be triggered, the ministry announced via an alert.

Until recently, most imports of Australian beef were subject to low or even zero tariffs in China under a...

Cambodia said on Tuesday it had launched a compulsory conciliation process under international law aimed at resolving a long-running maritime boundary dispute with Thailand and had informed the United Nations and Bangkok.

The move follows a Thai government decision last month to unilaterally terminate a 2001 agreement with Cambodia that provided ‌a framework for negotiations over the disputed area in the Gulf of Thailand where the two countries’ maritime claims overlap.

“We have taken this step...

For decades, Umno was the party that defined power in Malaysia. Now, after years of scandal, defeat and uneasy coalition politics, it is turning to its birthplace of Johor to prove it can still win on its own terms.

The southern state’s snap election will test whether the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) can still attract Malay voters, defend its strongest remaining state government and hold off both Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s allies and the Malay-Muslim opposition, analysts...

The arrest of Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada has deepened a stand-off in the Senate, leaving the chamber split between two 11-member blocs and raising the risk of a wider political crisis, analysts told This Week in Asia.

They warned the stalemate could stall legislation, delay military appointments and complicate Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial, leaving the Senate’s basic ability to do business hostage to a factional power struggle.

Estrada, chairman of the Senate...