Asia - South China Morning Post

A mermaid-themed sales gimmick has landed two drinks traders in hot water in Malaysia’s conservative east coast state of Kelantan, after religious authorities launched an investigation into a viral video that drew outrage during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The 25-second clip, which shows one of the traders prancing about in front of their drinks stall dressed in a rainbow-coloured mermaid costume complete with a bikini top, triggered a wave of online condemnation.

Widely described as...

A nationwide mural contest backed by Philippine government agencies has been launched in Manila, the latest in a string of cultural initiatives aimed at shaping public narratives around the South China Sea dispute.

Organised by a Manila-based maritime think tank and supported by state institutions including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the competition invites artists, students and ordinary Filipinos to create large-scale works inspired by the “West Philippine Sea” – Manila’s...

Concerns about the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) abound. At the end of last year, uncertainty over the monetisation of AI was the dominant theme in stock markets. Many investors are worried about the mismatch between the vast sums of money being spent on computing power and the relatively meagre revenues from AI companies and services.

While monetisation remains a major concern among investors, fears about AI tools undermining the viability of established business models have...

Chinese travellers are outspending their Asian peers at the region’s airports in search of gifts, food and luxury purchases, a trade association has found.

Passengers from China have led the recovery in Asia’s airport retail since the Covid-19 pandemic, spending twice the regional average on luxury goods, according to a study by the Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East released earlier this month.

China’s travellers have logged the “highest spend per passenger of any...

A packed bus on its way to Nepal’s capital drove off a mountain highway in Nepal early on Monday, killing 19 people including Chinese and British nationals and leaving another 25 wounded.

There were dozens of people on board the bus, which was heading from the resort city of Pokhara to Kathmandu when it drove off the Prithvi highway after midnight, police said.

The bus rolled down a mountain slope and landed on the banks of the Trishuli River near Benighat, about 80km (50 miles) west of the...

A Supreme Court ruling that gutted the legal foundation for much of US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime has left Asian trading partners scratching their heads about the future of trade deals struck with Washington over the past 12 months.

America’s apex court ruled on Friday that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – which Trump had used to impose sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs since his “Liberation Day” proclamation last April – did not grant the president the power to...

Twenty people were trapped inside a lift at Tokyo Skytree tower from Sunday night for more than five hours, the operator said, adding that the facility, which is Japan’s tallest broadcasting tower and a popular tourist spot, will be closed throughout Monday for safety checks.

The passengers, including children, were stranded when the lift came to a sudden stop about 30 metres above street level, according to police. They were all rescued and no one was injured.

An emergency call was made at...

South Korea has protested to Russia after its embassy in Seoul unfurled a giant banner declaring “Victory will be ours”, an apparent reference to the anniversary of the Ukraine war.

South Korea opposes Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its recruitment of soldiers from North Korea, with which Seoul remains technically at war.

The red, white and blue banner, written in Russian, was first spotted over the weekend and remained in place at the embassy on Monday morning.

Its appearance has...

China’s leading planemaker is redoubling its efforts to boost the international profile of its home-grown jets in 2026, injecting a sizeable amount of capital into a subsidiary carrier as it attempts to widen its planes’ coverage area and attract more overseas buyers.

The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), manufacturer of the C909 regional airliner and the company’s flagship narrowbody C919, recently infused 634 million yuan (US$91.76 million) into C909 launch customer...

Japan’s reputation as a nation where employees put in brutally long hours may have to be reassessed, according to recent official statistics showing that Japanese workers now clock fewer hours on average than Americans, Canadians and Italians.

At first glance, the numbers suggest that government efforts to curb karoshi, or death by overwork, have paid off. But analysts and employees caution that the figures may not be directly comparable with those from other nations.

According to figures...