Asia - South China Morning Post

Japan’s health ministry panel on Thursday approved the commercialisation of two regenerative medicine products prepared from iPS cells, the first of their kind in the world.

The two drugs, ReHeart developed by Cuorips, a start-up originating from the University of Osaka, and Amchepry by Sumitomo Pharma and Racthera, will be used for patients with severe heart failure stemming from ischemic cardiomyopathy and Parkinson’s disease, respectively.

“I am very happy to see the first big step towards...

Singapore has no substantiated information that any Singaporean is or was fighting as part of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) during the war in Gaza, its Ministry of Home Affairs has said, after several media reports claimed two passport holders from the city state were among 200 Southeast Asians who had fought with Israeli troops.

Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera reported on Sunday, citing information obtained by Israeli non-governmental organisation Hatzlacha under Israel’s Freedom of Information...

Thai police donned a lion dance costume during this week’s Lunar New Year festivities to arrest a suspect accused of stealing about US$64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts, police said Thursday.

Officers dressed as a red-and-yellow lion made the arrest on Wednesday evening after receiving a report from a police superintendent earlier this month that his home in the suburbs of the capital, Bangkok, had been broken into.

Bangkok police said the reported break-in involved “numerous Buddhist objects...

The United States’ plan to expand deployments of advanced missile systems and unmanned platforms in the Philippines is less about hardware than geography and what it signals about Washington’s long-term strategy in the region, analysts said.

Announced after the 12th Philippines–US Bilateral Strategic Dialogue this week, the move reflects a steady effort to reinforce the so-called First Island Chain and bolster the US–Philippines alliance’s defensive posture in both the South China Sea and the...

Attracted by the element of surprise, Faye Jimeno is a regular buyer of blind boxes – toys or merchandise sold in sealed packaging, with consumers unaware of their design until after a purchase.

The 33-year-old creative executive from Singapore said her passion for blind boxes began in 2021, and their attractiveness and mystique had led her to buy them weekly, mainly in shops located in shopping centres.

“They are compact, relatively affordable and easy to purchase on a whim… Beyond that,...

India and France have agreed to strengthen links between two of their largest ports and others, giving fresh momentum for a proposed commercial corridor stretching from South Asia to Europe that analysts say could rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The agreement between India’s Adani Ports and France’s Port of Marseille Fos marks a key step towards realising the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

The memorandum of understanding, signed on Wednesday, calls for the creation of...

More people in China are choosing to stay away from their villages and families during Lunar New Year, according to Chinese national and businessman Xue Gang, 44.

“Our parents do not mind, and even my parents are currently travelling around China.

“Maybe next year I will bring them to Penang to witness the celebrations here,” he said.

Xue, who was in Malaysia’s Penang state with his wife, daughter and friends, said festive performances were no longer common to enjoy back home.

“If we want to...

A South Korean court on Thursday found former president Yoon Suk-yeol guilty of insurrection and sentenced him to life in prison over his short-lived martial law decree that plunged the country into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades.

The verdict, delivered by a three-judge panel of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 25, was the harshest and most consequential ruling yet stemming from Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024, and the events...

When told that her taxi fare was S$24 (US$19), a woman said she had no cash and refused the payment options suggested by the cabby.

After the woman challenged him to take her to a police station, the elderly taxi driver did so – and she then slapped him.

Shalini Devarajan, a 36-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on Thursday for one count of voluntarily causing hurt.

The court heard that the victim, a 73-year-old man at the time, was driving a taxi that was flagged down by...

Australian OnlyFans model Gemma Doyle has faced a torrent of online abuse and death threats after being caught stealing a bikini from a boutique “for fun” while holidaying in Bali.

Doyle, 26, apologised and admitted to shoplifting the garment from a boutique on the Indonesian resort island after CCTV footage of the incident circulated on social media.

“I am aware of the stories going around and it’s true, I was on one and I was being a bit silly and I stole a swimsuit,” she said in a video...