Asia - South China Morning Post

Malaysia’s unity government will remain intact until the end of its term amid speculation of snap elections, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

“Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak have given their commitment that they will support this government till the end of its term,” Fahmi said on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting.

“This commitment reflects the priority given to the interests of the people and the country, while enabling the government to...

For generations of Indian tech workers, the H-1B visa has been a golden ticket, turning ambitious engineers from Hyderabad and Bengaluru into Silicon Valley professionals, as it transformed Indian IT firms into global powerhouses.

Now, a Trump administration proposal to sharply raise the minimum salaries required to qualify for the programme threatens to close that door to the United States, redirecting Indian talent towards Europe, Australia, New Zealand and beyond instead.

Under the new...

The Philippine Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to block the arrest of a fugitive senator wanted by the International Criminal Court over his role in the nation’s deadly drug war.

The interim ruling clears the way for the potential arrest of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the former national police chief who was the main enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown.

“The Supreme Court, in a vote of 9-5-1, denied the prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or status quo ante order filed...

Two years after severe turbulence left one passenger dead and dozens injured on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight, investigators have released their final report, addressing major questions about what caused the disaster.

Flight SQ321, travelling from London to Singapore, was diverted to Bangkok so passengers and crew could receive medical treatment.

In the immediate aftermath, multiple analysts attributed the incident to clear-air turbulence – invisible pockets of air that can occur at high...

When South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met on Tuesday, they had energy security atop the agenda – and something harder to name top of mind.

It was their fourth meeting in six months, a pace of leaders’ encounters that analysts say reveals much about the uncertainty the two US allies are united in feeling, despite their historical grievances.

The formal pretext of their latest summit was energy security. Japan and South Korea, heavily export-driven...

Viral “zombie vape” videos of young Malaysian men appearing dazed and disoriented after vaping have intensified concern that drug-laced liquids are spreading through the country’s booming e-cigarette market.

The clips, shared widely on social media over the past month, showed local men slumped on the ground or behaving erratically after allegedly inhaling piu-piu or piao-piao (online slang for drug-laced vape liquids).

At least two viral cases triggered arrests and fresh police warnings...

Allegations of sexual assault by an heir to a beer fortune against his own older brother have thrust one of Thailand’s richest families into an uncomfortable spotlight, stunning a public unaccustomed to seeing prominent households air their affairs in public.

The scandal erupted last week when Siranudh Scott, better known as “Psi” – a fourth generation heir to the Bhirombhakdi family’s beer-to-real estate empire – shared allegations of historic sexual abuse by his older brother, Sunit, on...

Governments across Asia are tightening border screening and quarantine preparedness as health authorities work to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.

Several governments have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travellers arriving from affected countries, though officials say the likelihood of local transmission remains low and no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia.

In Hong Kong, a Lantau Island isolation facility used for quarantine during the Covid-19...

Norway’s revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States’ ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations simply by restricting components its own industries supplied.

Analysts suspect a gyroscope used in the guidance system of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s Naval Strike Missile and other US-made components are the reason Malaysia’s navy will not be receiving the weapons it contracted for – and paid nearly...

Samsung Electronics workers’ union said late on Wednesday that a planned strike had been put on hold until further notice after negotiations with management resumed with the participation of South Korea’s labour minister.

The company’s management and workers’ union had resumed talks earlier in the day in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike.

The labour union at the world’s top memory chipmaker had said it would begin a strike on Thursday after talks over bonuses broke down, raising concerns...