Asia - South China Morning Post

A dispute over a familiar Arabic phrase has erupted in Malaysia’s parliament this week after an opposition MP challenged a Malaysian Chinese minister over his repeated use of “Alhamdulillah” (“praise be to God”) in a debate.

The row flared during Nga Kor Ming’s speech in response to the king’s address for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, when Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, an MP from the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), took issue with his use of phrases associated with...

One of Australia’s most famous gangsters walked free on Friday after prosecutors said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges.

Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel – a key figure in Melbourne’s years-long gangland war – was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate.

But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-profile lawyer at the time, Nicola Gobbo, was feeding information to police while supposedly defending her...

Filipino actress and fashion influencer Heart Evangelista’s reappearance at Paris Fashion Week following scrutiny over her lavish lifestyle in previous months has drawn sharp criticism amid “unprecedented” public outrage linked to an unfolding corruption scandal plaguing the country.

Public sentiment in the Philippines has been particularly negative against influencers such as Evangelista and other “nepo babies”, a term referring to flamboyant family members of wealthy politicians, officials and...

Australia and Indonesia’s leaders signed a security deal on Friday, one of a series of agreements that Canberra has secured with neighbouring countries to reinforce ties and limit China’s influence in the region.

At a signing ceremony, President Prabowo Subianto met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said before he travelled to Jakarta that the pact was a “watershed moment” in ties. It “represents a major extension of our security and defence cooperation and demonstrates that our relationship...

Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa pushed back at Moody’s Ratings’ decision to lower the country’s outlook, saying that the nation’s improving growth and controlled deficit were unlikely to result in a credit rating downgrade.

“Our economy is improving, deficit is still under control – compared to other countries, we are still in a better position,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. “There are not strong enough reasons for a downgrade. In fact, we should gradually see...

Japan’s hay fever sufferers have been warned to brace themselves for significantly higher levels of pollen this spring, with some already reporting having runny noses and itchy eyes for days.

Hay fever season typically starts in Tokyo and eastern parts of the country in early February, peaks towards the end of the month and eases from mid-March. It affects the southern and other parts of the country slightly later.

According to Weathernews, a weather information company which monitors the...

Bangkok restaurateur Sorathep Steve said he was told off last Saturday by customers who had just flown in from the United States and ordered a bottle of wine, only to be told of Thailand’s election-linked ban on alcohol.

“They were frustrated and I had to explain the law,” Sorathep said, recalling how the four guests at his Thai cuisine restaurant complained that they had not come to the country to vote, before finally ordering lemon sodas.

Under Thai law, it is illegal to sell, pay for or give...

Fears over the weakening of global momentum to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have mounted with the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) between the United States and Russia, with observers warning that an emboldened Pyongyang could also spark a domino effect regionally.

For 15 years, the treaty functioned as a stabilising force between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, setting limits on deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems while...

Relations between long-time allies South Korea and the United States have hit another unexpected flashpoint even as Seoul struggles to iron out tariff talks with Washington – the uproar over a data breach involving online giant Coupang, dubbed the Korean Amazon.

The US-listed company that provides e-commerce, entertainment streaming and food delivery services to nearly 34 million South Koreans – more than 60 per cent of the population – last November disclosed a massive data leak exposing the...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, praising the Asian country’s first female leader ahead of weekend snap elections she is expected to win.

Takaichi “has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country”, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social as he announced her visit next month.

The United States and Japan have been working to strike a “very substantial” deal on...