Asia - South China Morning Post

Thai caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s conservative party, which won a stunning election victory at the weekend, agreed to form a coalition with jailed ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s party, both announced on Friday.

Anutin’s pro-military and pro-monarchy party had its best electoral performance ever in polls that took place after two rounds of deadly border clashes with Cambodia last year.

Thailand’s most successful party of the 21st century, Pheu Thai had its worst election result...

Public anger in the Philippines over the multibillion-peso flood-control scandal has reopened a debate that has simmered for years: will this finally force politicians to tackle a tax system many Filipinos see as unfair, inefficient and tilted against them?

A Senate inquiry late last year heard that politicians and local officials had worked with contractors to siphon off at least 200 billion pesos (US$3.5 billion) earmarked for flood-control projects across the country, with some structures...

Cleaning up his act through a court-ordered community service in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law had a simple message for others: follow the rules and do not litter.

Mohamed Nuh Qurasaini Kayat, 25, performed the community clean-up work in the heart of Malaysia’s capital, near the famous Dataran Merdeka, along with three others.

He told reporters that he was in Kuala Lumpur to catch the new year celebrations and fireworks and was...

Thailand has sought to counter perceptions of rising holiday budgets, maintaining that the country is not “too expensive” for South Korean tourists looking for cost-effective indulgence and comprehensive wellness.

According to officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the perceived squeeze on the wallet cited by some South Korean visitors is a result of exchange rate volatility rather than the kingdom’s inflation.

“Our inflation rate is not that high. In fact, Thailand’s internal...

In the Philippines, cheating comes easy in a relationship – but so does forgiveness, according to a recent survey.

Though one in four Filipinos had seen or experienced infidelity, about 43 per cent said they were willing to trust their partner again if the latter were to cheat, The Inquirer newspaper reported, citing the latest survey by social research institution Social Weather Stations.

About 36 per cent said they could not trust their cheating partner, while 19 per cent were undecided.

The...

India’s approval on Thursday of a 3.6 trillion rupee (US$40 billion) purchase of defence equipment – including 114 French-made Rafale fighter jets – will significantly boost the capabilities of the country’s armed forces amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, analysts say.

The move comes as the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter squadron strength has declined to 29, well below the 42 considered essential in the event of simultaneous conflicts with Pakistan and China.

French President Emmanuel...

North Korea on Friday threatened a “terrible response” if it detects any more drones buzzing across the border from the South.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticising his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang.

But North Korea said it shot down a surveillance drone just last month, an incident which threatens to blight Lee’s efforts to patch things up.

Kim Yo-jong, the...

Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisations appear to be recalibrating their stance on Palestine by softening earlier criticisms of President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, in what analysts describe as a shift from prioritising Palestinian independence to broader security issues.

The adjustment, which followed a closed-door meeting at the presidential palace earlier this month, has fuelled a debate on whether major Muslim groups are being nudged...

Jealousy has been identified as the main motive behind the brutal murder of a woman found dismembered in Indah Permai, Malaysia’s Sabah state, following the arrest of two suspects.

The suspects, a father and his son, were held to facilitate investigations just hours after body parts were found in several dump sites in Indah Permai near Kota Kinabalu on Thursday.

The main suspect, a 70-year-old, was first arrested in the city at around 5pm while his son, in his 20s, was caught about 11pm from a...

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh was visibly moved when she was honoured for her lifetime achievement during the opening of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday evening.

“Please allow me this one personal moment,” the 63-year-old, who won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023, told the audience in the German capital as she collected the festival’s Honorary Golden Bear award.

“A part of me is still that young girl who simply wanted to make her parents proud,”...