Asia - South China Morning Post

A bakery in Malaysia’s Sarawak state has set tongues wagging with its premium cake offerings sold at eye-watering prices, as Muslims countrywide this week stock up on sweets and delectable treats to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Cakes, chocolates and sweet biscuits are must-haves in the homes of the nation’s 20 million Muslims to host family and friends during the festival.

Among the favoured snacks are the colourful kek lapis or layered cake, a...

The smoke rising from Babitha Sivadasan’s kitchen in rural Kerala carries a scent that belongs to her grandmother’s era.

“I have started cooking with firewood,” said Babitha, who began rationing her half-empty cooking gas cylinder after failing to secure a refill from her Indian Oil distributor. “The agency hasn’t taken bookings in a week.”

As the Iran war enters the third week and cooking gas becomes scarce amid a conflict-driven supply shock, some Indian homemakers are turning to practices of...

A framework proposed at an Asean ministers’ meeting is set to propel disaster management to the top of the bloc’s agenda, further easing cooperation and decision-making in a region facing nearly US$18 trillion in disaster risk exposure.

Analysts say the proposal, if implemented, would strengthen anticipatory action – potentially enabling the bloc to act before a formal request from a member state is even made.

At the 35th Asean Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Manila on March 5, bloc...

China’s leading planemaker is seeking to replicate the C909 regional airliner’s success in Laos, drawing on the experience as it steps up its sales pitch in Southeast Asia – a vital step in its effort to eventually rival Boeing and Airbus.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has ambitious plans in the region and beyond and is laying the groundwork through technical adjustments and regulatory adaptations, according to a company document seen by the South China Morning Post.

To...

Malaysian police in Melaka are tracking a 22-year-old man after a video showing him attacking his pregnant wife outside a karaoke centre in Kota Shahbandar went viral on social media.

State police chief Deputy Commissioner Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said a report on the incident was lodged by the victim’s mother at 1.17am on Monday.

He said preliminary investigations showed that the 20-year-old victim was attacked by her husband in front of a family karaoke centre in Kota Shahbandar at about 4am on...

A Japanese government agency has opened discussions on imposing a ban on children accessing social media, potentially following Australia’s lead in prohibiting under-16s from the most popular online platforms.

Experts say it is far too early to determine whether the Australian experiment is a success and can be replicated in Japan, although there is a widely held belief that more needs to be done to limit the negative consequences of unfettered internet access for young people.

In January,...

The apparent docking of two light US combat ships in Penang over the weekend has raised eyebrows among Malaysian government critics regarding the country’s position on the US-Israel war on Iran, and questions over the deployment of de-mining vessels thousands of miles from the conflict zone.

The USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara were seen on Sunday at the North Butterworth Container Terminal, according to social media images and the Financial Times, which cited a US Fifth Fleet spokesperson...

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has kicked off his visit to Japan, where he is expected to address strategies with counterpart Sanae Takaichi on enhancing cooperation against a backdrop of economic uncertainty brought on by the Iran war.

Both leaders are likely to tread cautiously in discussions to avoid antagonising any superpower, analysts say.

The three-day trip, which began on Tuesday, marks Wong’s first official visit to Japan since he became Singapore’s prime minister in May...

Worsening fuel shortages resulting from the war in the Middle East are threatening sacred funeral ceremonies in Thailand, where Buddhist temples are scrambling to obtain diesel for cremations.

The abbot of Wat Saman Rattanaram in Chachoengsao province, about 80km (50 miles) east of Bangkok, warned that a suspension of cremation services was a real possibility. Some petrol stations have run out of fuel, while others allow sales only to vehicle operators.

“In more than 50 years, I’ve never seen...

Indian investigators have arrested seven foreigners – six Ukrainians and an American – on suspicion of illegally crossing into neighbouring Myanmar to train armed militia groups, the public radio broadcaster reported on Tuesday.

Myanmar descended into civil war after a junta seized power in a 2021 coup, with pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic-minority armed groups fighting for control of large parts of the country.

India has long been suspicious of certain Myanmar factions that have the same...