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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. 2 Americans rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji prompt more calls for tougher rules
Two Americans have had to be rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji in separate incidents before the official climbing season began, prompting renewed calls for tougher penalties on rule-breaking hikers who endanger themselves and drain local resources.
2. ‘Do some homework’: Trump’s Singapore ambassador pick fails Senate grilling

US President Donald Trump’s ambassador-nominee to Singapore, orthopaedic surgeon Anjani Sinha, has drawn online backlash following a grilling at his confirmation hearing, with Senator Tammy Duckworth accusing him of not doing his “homework”.
3. Mahathir turns 100, still shaping Malaysia’s political landscape

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad turned 100, marking a rare milestone for any world leader while defying age with his sharp mind and relentless work ethic.
4. Secret Japanese life of North Korea Kim Jong-un’s mother exposed in new book
A new book published in Japan has shed fresh light on the life of Ko Yong-hui, the mother of Kim Jong-un, whose background the North Korean leader would prefer remains shrouded in secrecy.
5. Bali named world’s second most crowded island – residents aren’t cheering

Indonesia’s Bali is now officially the second most crowded island in the world after neighbouring Java, as residents feel squeezed out by the influx of tourists and even their compatriots in their backyard. Measuring 5,780 sq km (2,230 square miles) in size, Bali is home to 731 people per sq km, excluding tourists, according to national newspaper Kompas citing data from online market researcher Visual Capitalist.
6. Malaysia’s fighter jet deal to ‘quietly’ boost South China Sea defences
The United States’ approval of Malaysia’s purchase of dozens of fighter jets is set to bolster the Southeast Asian country’s air capabilities – especially in the South China Sea – as part of a strategy to “quietly” build deterrence while also preserving cordial ties with China.
7. Bangkok calling: Thailand’s digital nomad visa proves a runaway success
Since its launch on July 15 last year, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) has attracted more than 35,000 applicants, according to official figures – a rare policy success for a government struggling to kick-start economic growth amid political and external headwinds.


China doubts Musk’s Starship future; ex-TSMC chip prodigy returns: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Consort Wan’s dark story, the good and bad with GLP-1s: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Xpeng’s driverless cabs; Tesla launches FSD in China; Nio slams price wars: 7 EV reads

Singha beer dynasty scandal, Malaysia’s sunken missile deal: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

Mount Fuji rescue, Trump’s pick for Singapore envoy, Mahathir turns 100: 7 Asia highlights

Visitors to Bali watching a Kecak dance performance. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images

Mount Fuji in Japan seen from a mall in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture. Photo: AFP

Anjani Sinha at his Senate confirmation hearing. Photo: C-Span

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad (centre) joins a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Kuala Lumpur, on March 28. Photo: EPA

Malaysia’s ‘luxury’ tax; Singapore’s identity explored in new memoir: 7 Asia highlights

A nickel smelter in Indonesia. The proposed bauxite smelter would occupy about 400 hectares of land currently used by the Indonesian Navy on Singkep island. Photo: Reuters

A Malaysian woman shops for fruit at a market in Kuala Lumpur. New taxes on apples and oranges were rolled back soon after their introduction. Photo: AFP

Avocados being harvested at a farm in California. The “expensive, imported” fruits are subject to higher levies under Malaysia’s new tax regime. Photo: Los Angeles Times/TNS

Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former prime minister, greets his supporters next to his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra (right) in August 2023. Photo: AFP

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is in custody at The Hague. Photo: AFP

China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has criticised the heavy defence spending of some countries in an opinion article in The Australian newspaper. Photo: EPA-EFE

Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s new Aerotrain. Photo: Ministry of Transport Malaysia

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew delivers a speech at the opening of the Commonwealth Press Union conference on October 15, 1990 in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s Truong My Lan escapes death penalty, Philippine tourism slump: 7 Asia highlights

Students at The Hive learning hub at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Three NTU students were accused of academic misconduct over the use of generative AI. Photo: Shutterstock


Tourists at Chocolate Hills in Bohol province in the Philippines. Only 5.7 million tourists visited the country in 2024, well short of the government target of 7.7 million. Photo: Shutterstock


Vietnamese tycoon Truong My Lan was convicted last year of plundering US$12.5 billion from the Saigon Commercial Bank. Photo: EPA-EFE

People swim at White Beach on Boracay island, Philippines. Boracay was named the world’s leading luxury island destination at the 2024 World Travel Awards. Photo: Getty Images

Indian brides at a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai. Photo: AFP

Newly minted Lieutenant General Johnny Lim Eng Seng (centre) receives his stars from Armed Forces chief General Mohd Nizam Jaffar (left) and Army Chief General Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan. Photo: Facebook/Malaysian Armed Forces

Indonesia has reported eight cases of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), one of the diseases caused by the rodent-linked hantavirus. Photo: Shutterstock

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks on the phone at the presidential office in Seoul earlier this month. Photo: South Korean Presidential Office / EPA-EFE

Students at The Hive learning hub at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Three NTU students were accused of academic misconduct over the use of generative AI. Photo: Shutterstock

South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee hospitalised, Israel-Iran disinformation: 7 Asia highlights

Christina Lackmann, 32, died of a caffeine overdose after a series of ambulance delays. Photo: Handout


A vet developed symptoms of the tick-borne SFTS virus after treating a cat at his practice in Japan’s Mie prefecture in May. Photo: Shutterstock

Pakistani activists burn Israeli and US national flags during an anti-Israel protest in Islamabad on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Then-president Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee attend a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul on August 15, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

A packet of No-Doz caffeine tablets. Such tablets are used to treat migraines, and improve alertness or physical performance during exercise. Photo: EPA

A motorist pumps petrol at a Petronas gas station in Putrajaya. Malaysia is planning to go ahead with petrol subsidy cuts as early as July. Photo: Reuters

People gather at Beans&Beats, a daytime party collective in Singapore. Sober partying movements similar to Singapore’s are taking shape across Asia. Photo: Beans&Beats

North Korea test-fires a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in October last year. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Philippines’ ‘mole people’, 1 survivor in Air India flight AI171 crash: 7 Asia highlights

A woman is photographed emerging from a drainage hole along a street in Makati City in the Philippines. Photo: William Roberts

Debris of a plane that crashed in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state on Thursday. Photo: X / Central Industrial Security Force / AP

A man climbs out of a culvert in a creek in Makati City, apparently home to a small community of street dwellers in the Philippines. Photo: William Roberts

Tedy Teow being extradited to China on August 20 last year. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

Waves of a tsunami hit residences after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2011. Photo: AP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr addresses a press conference at the Malacanang presidential palace on June 4. Photo: AFP

China’s KJ-500 early warning aircraft (left) are being targeted for purchase by Pakistan’s military, analysts say. Photo: PLA Air Force

People walking in a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Xinhua

Megaquake scare in Japan, Philippines boosts air power: 7 Asia highlights

A damaged port in Anamizu, Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture, after a strong earthquake on January 1 last year. Photo: Kyodo

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing a sexual harassment suit filed by his former aide, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther. Photo: AFP

People walk along Nakamise shopping street in Tokyo’s Asakusa area. Photo: Kyodo

South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung takes the oath of office in the National Assembly building in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

News

Asia

From the secret past of Kim Jong-un’s mother to Mahathir Mohamad marking a milestone, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From the secret past of Kim Jong-un’s mother to Mahathir Mohamad marking a milestone, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Mount Fuji rescue, Trump’s pick for Singapore envoy, Mahathir turns 100: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From the secret past of Kim Jong-un’s mother to Mahathir Mohamad marking a milestone, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. 2 Americans rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji prompt more calls for tougher rules

From the secret past of Kim Jong-un’s mother to Mahathir Mohamad marking a milestone, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting