Asia - South China Morning Post

The head of the Philippines’ flag carrier said the Southeast Asian country may need to resort to fuel rationing amid tight supplies due to the war in Iran.

“We have countries saying, ‘we need to ration our fuel, we want people to tank fuel in and out.’ The reality is we’re going to have to do the same thing probably in the Philippines,” Philippine Airlines president Richard Nuttall said in an interview on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Aviation Festival Asia conference in Singapore, Nuttall said the...

A father of seven is in jitters as loans taken from illegal moneylenders in Malaysia by his ex-wife led to loan sharks knowing details of his entire family.

“What’s most concerning is that they have information on all my children, including my six-month-old baby,” said the man who only wished to be known as Tang, 33.

He believes that his 28-year-old former wife had debts of about 130,000 ringgit (US$32,871) with loan sharks.

The couple, who divorced seven years ago, have five children.

“Four of...

BTS member Jin’s absence from the credits of the group’s latest album has sparked a debate among fans after what has been seen as a tense moment during a live broadcast went viral.

BTS held a full-group live stream last Friday to celebrate the release of their fifth full-length album, Arirang, where members discussed the production process and revealed some behind-the-scenes stories.

During the broadcast, RM said, “Everyone’s colour is in the album”, before adding, “If Jin’s tour had ended a bit...

The sacred deer that have been a fixture of the ancient Japanese capital of Nara for centuries are beginning to wander far from the city’s famous park, where they have been fed and adored by millions of tourists and locals over the years.

A male deer was recently spotted in the Zengenji district of Osaka, around 40km (25 miles) from its normal habitat and 3km from the city’s bustling main station.

The appearance of wild deer in one of the most urban areas in Japan has attracted crowds of curious...

A state-sponsored forced labour programme that has escalated in recent years generates up to US$500 million annually for North Korea, according to a report by a global rights group.

The report also warns that workers are trapped in “brutal” conditions where they are subjected to “control, abuse and coercion”.

Published on Wednesday by Global Rights Compliance – an international human rights foundation – the report contains first-hand testimonies from North Koreans exploited in the programme and...

Gulf exporters are scrambling to bypass the Strait of Hormuz after Iran choked off most of the maritime traffic in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rushed to divert exports through overland pipelines; officials warned that even naval escorts could not guarantee safe passage. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade passed through this narrow waterway.

The immediate shock was felt in the Gulf. The strategic...

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will arrive in Hong Kong on Thursday for a three-day visit, meeting the city’s leader, politicians and businesspeople, and will also examine key sites in the Northern Metropolis megaproject to explore collaboration opportunities.

It will be Wong’s first working visit to Hong Kong since he assumed office as Singapore’s fourth prime minister in May 2024.

The visit will follow Wong’s attendance at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in Hainan province,...

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday Islamabad was prepared to host negotiations to stop the US-Israel war with Iran, after mounting speculation it could act as a mediator.

“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he wrote on X.

“Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and...

Malaysian users are among victims targeted by a newly uncovered iPhone spyware operation that researchers say was used by multiple threat actors across countries, in a sign that sophisticated mobile-hacking tools are spreading through a murkier commercial and criminal ecosystem.

The spyware, known as DarkSword, was observed targeting entities in Malaysia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and was uncovered by investigators shortly after they exposed another exploit kit, Coruna, linked to the...

The Japanese government said it will start releasing 30 days’ worth of state-held oil from Thursday to cushion the impact on the economy as concerns over supply mount and oil prices soar amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.

On Tuesday, the industry ministry announced that the government plans to sell a total of about 8.5 million kilolitres of oil from 11 storage bases across the country, following the private sector’s release of 15 days’ worth of oil stockpiles last week.

According to the...