Asia - South China Morning Post

Four weeks into the US-Israeli war on Iran, the crisis is beginning to bite in Malaysia, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has cut the monthly quota for subsidised petrol and food manufacturers are warning that surging diesel costs could force them to close or raise prices.

The move reflects how a distant geopolitical shock is beginning to feed directly into Malaysia’s fuel bill, food supply chain and inflation outlook, analysts note.

In a special televised address on Thursday, Anwar said the...

Philippine lawmakers have implored President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to postpone this year’s Asean summit, as the country grapples with soaring fuel prices amid a global energy crisis.

Analysts warn, however, that such a move would undermine Manila’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Leaders in the Philippine Senate have backed calls to study the postponement option, originally proposed by ex-finance secretary Gary Teves to cut government spending and redirect funds...

In recent weeks, Singaporean Cindy has been troubled by an odour lingering in the air during her evening walks to the gym.

“It’s the same situation every year, but I would say that the fogginess and burning smell have been getting stronger for the last year or so,” said the 33-year-old resident who lives in the southern estate of Telok Blangah.

“I have a baby, so it concerns me a lot, and I know many other families feel the same,” she said. “I always keep our windows closed, which is not very...

North Korea and Belarus’ strongmen leaders signed a “friendship and cooperation” treaty on Thursday after Kim Jong-un gave a lavish welcome to President Alexander Lukashenko on his maiden visit.

Besides supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine - around 2,000 North Korean soldiers are thought to have died - both nations are under Western sanctions and are accused of gross human rights violations. The two men met last year in China.

“In the modern realities of global transformation - at a time when...

At least 1,000 Japanese armed combat troops will set foot on Philippine soil next month for the first time in 81 years since World War II.

Their return, as part of the joint Philippine-US Balikatan military training drills, also signals a dramatic shift in the development of the Indo-Pacific security architecture from a “hub-and-spoke” strategy to one of multiple, overlapping minilaterals, with the region seen as one undivided theatre, experts say.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff...

Japan’s cherry trees are in full bloom, heralding the arrival of spring and the beginning of hanami picnics filled with food, festivities and fun.

But stubborn inflation, the economic fallout from the war in Iran and looming unsettled weather have muted excitement for this year’s gatherings – a time-honoured tradition that is also popular with tourists.

A survey by Intage found that 38 per cent of Japanese were planning to attend a cherry blossom viewing event with family, friends or colleagues,...

A man brandishing a knife stabbed a woman in a Pokemon store in downtown Tokyo before turning the knife on himself, leaving both dead, Japanese police said on Thursday.

Officers rushed to the scene in a popular shopping centre after receiving an emergency call reporting a rampage by a knife-wielding man.

Police said the woman, who was stabbed in the neck, was in her 20s and believed to be an employee at the Pokemon store on the second floor of the Sunshine City building, which houses shops and...

Even as the Philippines thrashes through the throes of an energy crisis born of the Iran war, Filipinos themselves largely appear uninterested in blaming the man who started it.

Instead of Donald Trump, public ire has instead coalesced around Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his administration for failing to quell soaring prices.

Fuel costs have rocketed across the archipelago since the United States and Israel first struck Iran on February 28, following the near-total closure of...

Malaysia’s Prime Minister ⁠Anwar Ibrahim said ⁠on Thursday he had spoken to the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other regional countries and said Malaysian vessels were now being allowed ‌to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Anwar in a televised address thanked Iran’s president for allowing the passage of Malaysian ships.

“We are now in the process of releasing the Malaysian oil tankers and the ⁠workers involved so that they may continue their journey home,” ‌he said.

Anwar said he talked...

A high-level inquiry in Nepal has held former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and other senior government officials responsible for criminal negligence over the shootings in last year’s deadly youth uprising that killed 76 people, as the leak of the crucial report to a local publication triggered criticisms due to its sensitive nature.

The committee, led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, has recommended investigation and prosecution of Oli, his home minister Ramesh Lekhak, and former Inspector...