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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. Singapore PM Lawrence Wong to visit Russia, first since Ukraine war sanctions

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set to visit the Russian city of Kazan in a trip that would mark the first high-level talks between leaders from both sides since the city state imposed sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, sources have confirmed.
2. Racist gesture at Korean World Cup fan costs Mexican guild chief his post
A Mexican man who led an engineering guild has apologised after losing his position over a video showing him making a racist gesture at a South Korean fan during a World Cup match in Guadalajara.
3. India’s military revamp to counter China and Pakistan gathers pace
India is moving closer to undertaking its biggest military revamp since independence, with the army, navy and air force placed under commanders overseeing specific theatres of conflict, amid concerns over whether such a set-up can simultaneously counter China and Pakistan.
4. How Nvidia’s South Korean AI deals could fuel ‘the next industrial revolution’

A spate of agreements Nvidia has reached with South Korean companies presents a long-term road map for the country to expand its role in the semiconductor and physical AI industries, observers say.
5. Viral video of Indonesian helper being beaten in Malaysia prompts calls to act

Four people have been arrested in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor after videos circulating online appeared to show an Indonesian domestic worker being slapped, punched and verbally abused inside a private home.
6. Why Bangladesh’s new PM is visiting Malaysia and China before India
Bangladesh’s new leader is set to visit Malaysia and China later this month in a trip that Dhaka says reflects its independent foreign policy – with the decision to skip India seen less as a snub than a bid to strike a diplomatic balance.
7. Singapore’s ban on anti-Indian posts exposes threat of race ‘weaponisation’

Singapore’s move to ban anti-Indian social media posts reportedly originating from a China-based platform has thrown into sharp relief how foreign actors can exploit racial fault lines in the city state.


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SCMP Highlights

Left: South Korean YouTuber Yoon Su-jin, who posts under the handle InoCat, filming fans at a World Cup match in Guadalajara. Right: A man identified as Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes apologising for making an offensive gesture towards her in a later video. Photos: Instagram / inocat_t / latinus_us

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong listens to the keynote speech at the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue security summit in Singapore last month. Photo: Reuters

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (centre) looks at a Boston Dynamics Spot robot at the Hyundai Motor Group headquarters in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Reuters

A still from the viral social media video shows the assault of an Indonesian domestic worker at a house in Taman Johor, Malaysia. Photo: Threads

People stand next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore. Photo: AFP

North Korea plays US-China rivalry card to justify ‘irreversible’ nuclear status

A test firing of a missile launch system is conducted at an undisclosed location in North Korea last month. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) observes a newly developed lightweight multipurpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapon systems on May 26. Photo: KCNA/Yonhap/dpa

(From left) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, European Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. Photo: AP

South Korean soldiers take part in a live-fire exercise at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, 30km south of the border with North Korea, on May 21. Photo: AFP

Japan seeks spot in Europe’s drone programme amid US supply chain squeeze

An Airbus Eurodrone remotely piloted aircraft system on display at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport, near Paris, France, on June 17, 2025. Photo: Reuters

People gather near a Eurodrone and an Airbus A-400M military transport aircraft at the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA at Schoenefeld Airport in Schoenefeld, Germany, on June 9. Photo: Reuters

A booth for the Global Combat Air Programme, a UK-Italy-Japan next-generation fighter jet project, is seen at DSEI Japan in Chiba prefecture in May 2025. Photo: Getty Images

Contestants for the Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2026. Photo: Handout


A contestant surnamed Wen told panellists during her second-round audition on Wednesday that she was working hard to learn Cantonese. Photo: Handout

A Chinese team has flagged a “glaring weakness” in Nasa’s Artemis programme which could be life threatening. Photo: Reuters

The suspect, a woman surnamed Lai, leaves police custody. Photo: Dickson Lee

Graduates celebrate after their graduation ceremony at Renmin University of China in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Singlish is an English-based creole language in Singapore. Photo: Handout

News

Asia

From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Korean’s racist World Cup experience, India’s military revamp: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. Singapore PM Lawrence Wong to visit Russia, first since Ukraine war sanctions

From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting