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Asia

This Week in Asia

Fugitive Philippine lawmaker Zaldy Co (left) and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photos: AFP

Southeast Asia

Philippines corruption scandal suspect Zaldy Co caught in Prague, Marcos says

Efforts are under way to repatriate the ex-lawmaker, who is accused of pocketing huge kickbacks from flood-control projects.

2 hours ago

‘New normal’: Malaysia and Australia strike energy supply pledge amid Iran war

16 Apr 2026 - 7:32PMvideocam

Chinese drone exposes Indonesia’s ‘insufficient’ undersea capabilities

16 Apr 2026 - 7:24PM

East Asia

Stepfather tells Japanese police ‘there’s no doubt’ he killed missing boy

About 1,000 people were mobilised to find Yuki, who went missing on March 23. His body was found on Monday in a rural area in Kyoto.

16 Apr 2026 - 2:14PM

A missing person poster for Yuki Adachi hangs on a wall in Nantan, Kyoto prefecture, on Monday. Photo: Kyodo

Lifestyle & Culture

Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape

Authorities want to help unregistered accommodation providers secure permits to plug the tax collection gap.

16 Apr 2026 - 5:48PMvideocam

Politics

Why Japan will remain the most trusted power in Asean despite military push

A survey by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shows respondents trusted Japan more as a power than the EU, the US, China and India.

16 Apr 2026 - 6:27PMvideocam

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East Asia

BTS comeback drives record 2.06 million tourists to South Korea

Foreigners who went to South Korea for the K-pop group’s concerts spent US$38 million in purchases between January 1 and April 12 ‌.

16 Apr 2026 - 3:37PMvideocam

A BTS fan takes a photo of the band’s poster outside the stadium before the “Arirang” World Tour concert in Goyang, South Korea, on April 9. Photo: AP

Lifestyle & Culture

7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran clash with van driver in Phuket

Police said the group of revellers blocked traffic, sprayed water at the driver and ignored orders to disperse.

16 Apr 2026 - 3:20PM

Economics

Petrol patrol: Malaysia sends police to guard border stations as fuel leaks rise

Malaysia is trying to prevent its heavily subsidised petrol and diesel from being siphoned across land and sea borders as the global energy crisis bites.

16 Apr 2026 - 12:48PMvideocam

Economics

Desperate times, drastic measures? Filipinos call for fuel caps as crisis bites

The Philippines is one of the worst hit by the oil crisis, but its deregulation law prevents the government from capping fuel prices.

16 Apr 2026 - 5:51PMvideocam

A pump attendant uses adhesive tape to change figures of fuel prices in Quezon City on April 7. Photo: EPA

Middle East

Fact-Check | This video of ‘Iran capturing US pilot’ was filmed in Pakistan

The conflict in the Middle East has led to videos being shared out of context by social media users.

16 Apr 2026 - 3:20PM

A screenshot showing scenes from a video falsely claiming to show a US pilot captured by Iran, with lines drawn through by the SCMP. Photo: Handout/SCMP

Politics

Japan backs a female emperor while Takaichi pushes conservative succession plan

A new poll shows most Japanese support a woman taking the throne, even as the prime minister moves to preserve male-line succession.

16 Apr 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Politics

Why Southeast Asian nations are skipping major US-Philippine Balikatan drills

Given the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, joining the annual military exercise may risk being seen as picking the US, analysts say.

15 Apr 2026 - 8:00PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Deepfakes, cloned voices: the new AI threat facing Malaysia’s creators

Experts question whether Malaysia’s laws are keeping pace with the harm spread by AI, and call for stronger legal protections for artists.

15 Apr 2026 - 7:37PM

Many creators in Malaysia have become newly vulnerable to the AI threat because they now have little choice but to put themselves online to make a living, experts warn. Photo: Shutterstock

Politics

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

US Vice-President J.D. Vance (centre) walks with Pakistan’s Field Marshall Asim Munir (left) and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Politics

Singapore balances national interest with rising anti-US sentiment

Negative public sentiment does not immediately translate to worsening bilateral ties as the US remains an important partner, experts say.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:54PMvideocam

People

Prabowo’s overseas trips draw scrutiny as Indonesia urges fuel restraint

Since his inauguration in October 2024, Prabowo has gone on 51 official visits, travelling to 28 countries and chalking up 99 days overseas.

15 Apr 2026 - 7:09PMvideocam

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Politics

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

11 Apr 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Storage tanks are seen at an oil refinery in Yokohama, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, as Mount Fuji looms in the background. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

4 Apr 2026 - 9:50AMvideocam

Health & Environment

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

3 Apr 2026 - 10:40PM

Health & Environment

Mortal combat: Southeast Asia fights fears of death to plan for the end

Birth rates are falling. Populations are ageing. In Southeast Asia, the business of dying has never been bigger.

23 Mar 2026 - 9:54AMvideocam

Illustration: Huy Truong

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Highlights from

THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Economics

‘New normal’: Malaysia and Australia strike energy supply pledge amid Iran war

16 Apr 2026 - 7:32PMvideocam

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meet at a press conference in Putrajaya on Thursday. Photo: AAP/dpa

Politics

Chinese drone exposes Indonesia’s ‘insufficient’ undersea capabilities

16 Apr 2026 - 7:24PM

A torpedo-like object, discovered by a fisherman near the Lombok Strait, is towed ashore onto a beach on Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, on April 6. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape

16 Apr 2026 - 5:48PMvideocam

Tourists walk at a shopping area in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA

Lifestyle & Culture

7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran clash with van driver in Phuket

16 Apr 2026 - 3:20PM

Screenshots from a viral video showing Songkran festival revelers spraying a van driver in Patong. Photo: TikTok / littlepatong

Politics

Why Japan will remain the most trusted power in Asean despite military push

16 Apr 2026 - 6:27PMvideocam

Japan’s National Defence Academy students participate in a parade in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on April 5. Photo: AFP

MORE IN This Week in Asia

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Opinion | Why India feels exposed by Pakistan’s diplomacy in Iran war

Neeta Lal

5 hours ago

Macroscope | How the rupee’s fall shows India’s struggle to overcome vulnerabilities

Nicholas Spiro

16 Apr 2026 - 5:22PM

Gabriela Bernal

Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

16 Apr 2026 - 7:33AM

Syed Munir Khasru

Opinion | How Pakistan outmanoeuvred India in Iran war diplomacy with China’s help

Syed Munir Khasru

15 Apr 2026 - 5:30AM

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

14 Apr 2026 - 5:30AM

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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

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TRENDING TOPICS

South China Sea

The Philippines

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