Asia - South China Morning Post

China has completed one of Southeast Asia’s largest solar power projects in Laos, at a time when regional economies are stepping up efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels amid global energy disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

The initial phase of the 1 gigawatt (GW) solar project was officially connected to the grid on Tuesday, becoming the country’s first large-scale mountainous photovoltaic installation.

Located in northern Laos, the installation is expected to generate about 1.65 billion...

North Korea conducted a slew of new weapons tests, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, including one involving an electromagnetic weapon system and a carbon fibre bomb.

The tests, which were conducted over three days from Monday to Wednesday, were overseen by General Kim Jong-sik, the KCNA report said.

The weapons tests come at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

Pyongyang has moved closer to Moscow in recent years, supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, and is now...

As Asia grappled with the impact of the Iran war, a major pharmaceutical milestone quietly made the headlines.

On March 20, the patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, expired in several countries, crucially India and China – two countries renowned for their production of generic drugs, which are drugs with the same active ingredient as the branded original but typically sold at much lower prices.

Ozempic, first approved in 2017 by the US Food...

The US and Japan have an ambition to transform the Philippines into a critical minerals powerhouse and cut their reliance on China as part of a broader economic partnership, but analysts warn that a lack of commitment by Manila to introduce comprehensive reforms and tackle corruption could hamper the goal.

A report by the US-based think tank Centre for a New American Security (CNAS) said cooperation between the three countries was central to leveraging the Philippines’ vast potential as a source...

The first tankers that turned away from the Strait of Hormuz did not just redraw shipping maps. They redrew grocery lists, too. After Iran’s partial closure of the strait disrupted a chokepoint that carries roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil, traders priced in something they know too well: war is not only about missiles; it’s about the bill that lands on kitchen tables months later.

Brent crude climbing back above US$100 a barrel, and touching roughly US$120 on the worst days, is already...

Thailand’s foreign minister confirmed on Wednesday the deaths of three Thai crew members of a cargo ship struck by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz a month ago.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February prompted Tehran to respond by effectively closing the strait, a crucial artery for global oil supplies, and launching attacks on vessels.

The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was struck on March 11 while travelling through the Gulf waterway, after departing a port in the United Arab...

As Nasa’s Artemis II crew loops around the moon, the mission involving four astronauts from the US and Canada is set to reignite India’s ambition to grow its space sector and launch future lunar missions.

The Orion spacecraft used in the Artemis II mission reached a maximum distance of 406,780km (252,760 miles) from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The close approach to the moon was the climax of the mission launched on April 1, with the astronauts scheduled to return to...

Myanmar’s weak economy is being brutally exposed to the fuel crisis, with farmers unable to fill up tractors to work their fields and a fertiliser shortage caused by the throttling of the Strait of Hormuz threatening food security just as the planting season begins.

Battered by civil war and runaway inflation, and with a quarter of its population already lacking sufficient food, Myanmar is poorly positioned to absorb the oil shock and its cascading effects on an economy that is among the most...

The head of a body representing global airlines said on Wednesday that even if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, it would take months for jet fuel supply to recover given disruptions to Middle East refining capacity.

Oil fell below US$100 per barrel after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran ‌that was subject to the immediate and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil trade.

Iranian Foreign...

Philippine lawmakers have voiced hope that joint oil and gas exploration deals with China could proceed amid the global energy crunch, despite a former Supreme Court justice warning that accepting Beijing’s terms would be tantamount to “suicide” for Manila.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier this week backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s intention to resume talks with China on such ventures, given the impact of the Middle East conflict.

In 2023, Marcos Jnr and Chinese President Xi...