Asia - South China Morning Post

A college student stranded in the mountains of Vietnam reportedly survived for 37 hours on just Orion Choco Pies. The South Korean snack, already beloved across Vietnam and often exchanged as a gift during the Lunar New Year, is now drawing attention as a survival essential in emergencies.

According to Vietnamese news outlet VnExpress, Nguyen Tuan Anh, a 19-year-old student at Dai Nam University, had joined friends for a hike on Tam Dao Mountain north of Hanoi.

The group set out from Vinh Ninh...

As impeachment looms, Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio and her spouse are firing back at allegations of ill-gotten wealth, with the couple’s combative responses seen as damage control over what critics say will be “smoking gun” evidence to be presented to the Senate.

A handful of lawmakers are expecting the House of Representatives to submit Articles of Impeachment against Duterte-Carpio to the Senate soon. “I think she will be impeached by the first week of May. My guess is 160 to...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

2. Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

3. 3 killed in Japanese Type 10 tank blast that has military baffled

4. This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an...

Catalytic converter theft is rising across Malaysia amid strong demand for rare metals used in automotive emission systems.

Most of these thefts were reported to have occurred in residential areas, public car parks and transit hubs.

Vehicles left unattended, especially overnight, are among the most vulnerable.

A senior manager at a car service centre said thieves were targeting catalytic converters, which are components beneath the car along the exhaust system, because they contain rare,...

Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan state was pushed deeper into crisis after Barisan Nasional (BN), a key ally in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government, declared it had secured a simple majority to form a new state administration with the opposition.

The move turns an extraordinary palace dispute into the sharpest state-level test yet of Anwar’s fragile ruling alliance, ahead of a national poll due in less than two years.

BN, the former ruling coalition led by Umno that ruled Malaysia for...

A heatwave sweeping across Southeast Asia is making offices even warmer, as workers continue to adjust to energy-saving measures put in place by governments due to the war in Iran.

Many countries have imposed temperature controls at government workplaces since the war began, among other measures to conserve energy. As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming any time soon, with parts of the region set to bake in abnormally hot...

Across Southeast Asia, governments are seeking Russian oil and gas to ease fuel shortages triggered by the continuing chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a crisis that has sent energy prices higher and forced import-dependent countries to look beyond their usual suppliers.

But analysts say the scramble for Russian fuel also raises a bigger question for the region: whether Moscow can turn a short-term role as an emergency energy supplier into longer-term influence there.

Member states of the...

“Balikatan 2026” is meant to reassure allies and deter adversaries. But the military exercise hosted by the Philippines also reveals a harsher truth: the Indo-Pacific is drifting into a security logic in which deterrence no longer contains risk but multiplies it. Every move taken in the name of stability now invites a countermove. Every display of resolve is answered by another. The result is not equilibrium, but a trap.

That is why diplomacy has to return to the centre of regional strategy...

Indonesia’s president ordered an investigation on Tuesday after a long-distance train smashed into a stationary commuter train overnight, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.

Officials ended a nearly 12-hour rescue effort near Bekasi Timur station, east of the capital Jakarta, which saw crews prying open mangled carriages following the Monday night collision.

“And this morning … it is all finished,” Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), told a news...

India and New Zealand on Monday signed a free-trade agreement to deepen economic ties and expand market access, as both countries navigate mounting global trade disruptions.

The deal comes as New Delhi moves to diversify export markets to offset the impact of steep tariffs imposed by the United States and instability in shipping and energy routes due to the Iran war. For New Zealand, the agreement is part of a broader push to reduce reliance on China, its largest trading partner.

The agreement...