Asia - South China Morning Post

Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday, while snapping power links to tens of thousands.

Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancellations were still widespread after authorities said most morning flights were disrupted.

Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease...

Nepalese candidates launched their campaigns on Monday for next month’s parliamentary election, the first since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government last year.

“This election will draw the future of the country,” Sushila Karki, who is serving as interim prime minister until the March 5 vote, said ahead of the launch.

The youth-led protests were triggered by a brief social media ban but were fuelled by anger at economic stagnation and an ageing elite seen as out of...

Income earned by single-person media creators such as YouTubers in South Korea has risen by more than 25 per cent over the past four years, surpassing 70 million won (US$49,000) annually on average, while the top 1 per cent made nearly 1.3 billion won each, highlighting stark income polarisation, data showed on Monday.

According to Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party, YouTubers reported combined earnings of 2.47 trillion won – averaging around 71 million won per person – in...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to accelerate the roll-out of rooftop solar power is falling short of targets despite heavy subsidies due to loan delays and limited support from state utilities, vendors and analysts say.

The shortfalls represent the latest challenge to India’s efforts to nearly double clean energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, and come as the government plans to suspend clean energy tendering targets amid a mounting backlog of awarded projects yet to be...

Hundreds of black-clad Malaysians gathered in the capital on Sunday, calling for the arrest of anti-corruption chief Azam Baki after reports alleged he had improper shareholdings and that abuse of power took place in the commission he leads.

The crowd of mainly young people waved black flags and placards as they assembled outside a shopping centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with a major road temporarily shut to accommodate the demonstration.

“We are gathering because the dignity of the law...

After deadly floods and landslides swept through Sumatra last year, Indonesia’s government has moved to revoke permits blamed for damaging forests – ensnaring a flagship China-backed hydropower project and rattling investor confidence in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing renewable energy markets.

The decision, unveiled last month by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, has been welcomed by environmental groups as a long-awaited show of teeth. But it has also raised questions about...

Last month, in the same week that Chinese and Philippine diplomats restarted political dialogue for the first time in over a year, the People’s Liberation Army bombers conducted combat patrols over Scarborough Shoal. China then released a video marking the fifth anniversary of its coastguard law, emphasising the force’s legal mandate and role in maritime governance. It also features footage of the June 2024 confrontation with the Philippines.

In the South China Sea, conference rooms and...

A Filipino man awaiting the result of a deportation order has been released from Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Centre following a federal court order that called the man’s detention unconstitutionally “punitive”.

US District Judge Tana Lin granted the release requested in Greggy Sorio’s habeas corpus petition on Friday, saying the Tacoma detention centre’s “unreasonable treatment” of Sorio brought about “extreme consequences” for his health.

While in Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

Australia unveiled AU$3.9 billion (US$2.8 billion) in spending on Sunday as a “down payment” on a new facility to build nuclear submarines under the tripartite Aukus security pact with Britain and the United States.

The Aukus pact aims to arm Australia with a fleet of cutting-edge submarines from the United States and would provide for cooperation in developing an array of warfare technologies.

The submarines, the sale of which will begin in 2032, lie at the heart of Australia’s strategy of...

Malaysia has drawn a hard line against becoming a dumping ground for the world’s toxic scrap, but enforcing that pledge means sifting through millions of shipping containers each year – a daunting challenge shared by ports across Southeast Asia.

Last week, Kuala Lumpur imposed an immediate ban on e-waste imports, reclassifying the material under an “absolute prohibition” and declaring the country would not be a “dumping ground” for the world’s waste, in an effort to curb a trade that often blurs...