https://www.scmp.com/rss/320024/feed Thomas Sturrock started his career as a police reporter but has also covered politics, sport, travel, culture and lifestyle. He worked in Sydney, London and Bangkok before moving to Hong Kong in 2015. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Thomas Sturrock Thomas Sturrock Morning traffic rattles through the slum district of Payatas in Quezon City, just north of Metro Manila. It is 9am but over 30 degrees Celsius and climbing. A truck pulls over and workers unload the morning’s collection of rubbish, depositing it behind the corrugated iron gates of Joe’s Junk Shop. Payatas is a sprawling shanty town built on a landfill, and these junk shops are an integral part of the local economy. Inside, it is a hive of activity. The space is piled four metres high in parts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3020306/philippine-slums-meat-scavenged-dumpsters-feeds-those-short-meals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3020306/philippine-slums-meat-scavenged-dumpsters-feeds-those-short-meals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jul 2019 00:30:07 +0000 Jessarie Dumaguing is one of several contestants preparing for the final rounds of the Binibining Pilipinas at Kagandahang Flores beauty camp. In towering heels, she sashays across the floorboards of the warehouse space: walk, pose, turn. Over and over. Back and forth. “The one thing I want to achieve is to have a crown,” she says. “To have won the crown in Binibining Pilipinas, to be able to represent the Philippines on the international stage.” When Jessarie was young, she went to live with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013510/philippine-cinderella-domestic-helper-miss-universe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013510/philippine-cinderella-domestic-helper-miss-universe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2019 00:00:15 +0000 It’s nearly showtime at Manila’s Araneta Coliseum, where the annual Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant is entering its decisive final stages. Fans have travelled from all over the country to an event where ferocious regional pride and shimmering spectacle intersect. “It’s my first pageant but I’ve watched on YouTube many times,” says John Adriana de Ocampo, a 23-year-old make-up artist who has travelled to Manila from Laguna, waiting in line outside. “I’m so excited – I can’t wait to see the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013513/whats-behind-philippine-obsession-beauty-queens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013513/whats-behind-philippine-obsession-beauty-queens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jun 2019 23:00:10 +0000 It’s a year of elections in Asia and we’re looking at what has happened in Thailand’s recent polls, including the defiant appearance of the exiled Shinawatras at a wedding in Hong Kong, as well as taking an in-depth look at the vote in Indonesia, scheduled for April 17. Indonesian president Joko Widodo is poised to win a second five-year term but we’ll explore the contrasting visions for the country’s future, presenting Widodo and his challenger, Prabowo Subianto. Asia desk editor Lynn Lee... https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3005394/asia-briefing-elections-thailand-and-indonesia-and-measles-returns-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3005394/asia-briefing-elections-thailand-and-indonesia-and-measles-returns-south?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2019 10:55:04 +0000 The Asia desk team at the South China Morning Post takes a deep dive into Vietnam, where business in booming. Since a series of sweeping economic reforms in the 1980s, Vietnam has emerged as one of the most dynamic economies in the region. Tom Sturrock and Meaghan Tobin lead a wide-ranging discussion of the forces driving Vietnam’s dramatic transformation: tech, tourism, trade and, as of last month, summit diplomacy. Listen and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.   The Hanoi summit... https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3001281/asia-briefing-what-next-north-korea-what-next-vietnams-trade-tech-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3001281/asia-briefing-what-next-north-korea-what-next-vietnams-trade-tech-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2019 08:50:10 +0000 Join the team from the Asia desk at the South China Morning Post as they take a deep-dive into two contrasting, but pertinent aspects of contemporary Thailand. Tom Sturrock, Bhavan Jaipragas and Meaghan Tobin discuss the colour and chaos of the election campaign leading up to Thailand’s March 24 vote. They then head south of the capital for a take on life in Pattaya, where the Russian-speaking community set the record straight regarding the city’s unsavoury reputation. Bhavan has been covering... https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/2186331/asia-briefing-thai-election-analysis-and-russians-pattaya?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/2186331/asia-briefing-thai-election-analysis-and-russians-pattaya?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Feb 2019 06:44:27 +0000 It’s hard to imagine a building less in sync with its surroundings. In the crooked soi s (side-streets) of northern Pattaya, cluttered with motorbike taxis encircling steaming street-food stalls, All Saints Russian Orthodox Church may as well have come from outer space. Yet here it stands, in the middle of this quintessentially Thai streetscape – its bright white walls and bronze onion domes gleaming proudly in the ferocious afternoon sun. This dissonance is even more pronounced inside, where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185341/pattaya-love-forget-sex-trainers-meet-real-russians-thailands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185341/pattaya-love-forget-sex-trainers-meet-real-russians-thailands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Feb 2019 01:30:30 +0000 Pattaya’s Beach Road buzzes with distinctive Thai chaos. It’s lined with tattoo parlours, travel agents and sprawling bars that overflow with sunburn, sandals and beer. The traffic hums with noisy trucks: Pattaya’s default form of public transport. Hop on, hop off wherever you like. Just 10 baht (US 30 cents) to hitch a ride. They’re called songtaew – or “two rows”, for the two rows of seats in the back. Thick streams of cable run overhead alongside the road, clustering like black rubbery... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185336/pattaya-new-breed-chinese-tourist-emerges-meet-fits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185336/pattaya-new-breed-chinese-tourist-emerges-meet-fits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:30:30 +0000 Bad boys of Japanese basketball score – but nobody’s much impressed Four Japanese basketball players have been punished and sent back home for buying sex while participating in the 18th Asian Games, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said. The four players, Yuya Nagayoshi, 27, Takuya Hashimoto, 23, Takuma Sato, 23, and Keita Imamura, 22, reportedly went to a Japanese restaurant in Jakarta to have dinner following their team’s victory on August 16, wearing their team uniforms. They left the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2161195/missing-radioactive-isotope-malaysia-morals-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2161195/missing-radioactive-isotope-malaysia-morals-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:45:11 +0000 Troublesome orangutan logo causes rethink at Malaysia’s tourism office Malaysia’s new government will change an official tourism logo featuring an orangutan wearing sunglasses after it sparked a storm of mockery. The “Visit Malaysia 2020” logo has an image of the orangutan with its arm around a proboscis monkey, a picture of a turtle – also sporting sunglasses – and multicoloured, uneven lettering. It was released in January as part of a campaign to attract more tourists to the tropical... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2160262/mascot-makes-monkey-malaysia-sex-toy-flops-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2160262/mascot-makes-monkey-malaysia-sex-toy-flops-india?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Aug 2018 12:51:16 +0000 Indonesian shaman accused of keeping girl as sex slave for 15 years An elderly village witch doctor in Indonesia entrapped a 12-year-old girl and tricked her into having sex with him for the next 15 years by claiming to be possessed by the “jin”, or spirit of a young boy, police said. Acting on a tip-off, police said they found the woman, who was now aged 28, in a rocky crevice in a jungle near Bajugan village where she had been held during the day since her disappearance in 2003. Central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2159222/asia-3-minutes-sex-fiend-shaman-indonesia-money-laundering-monk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2159222/asia-3-minutes-sex-fiend-shaman-indonesia-money-laundering-monk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:32:04 +0000 Put away the sword and throwing stars, Iga doesn’t need Ninjas after all A major misunderstanding has led aspiring ninjas from around the world to inundate the city of Iga with inquiries about work opportunities after an interview with a local official was lost in translation. Famous for being the home of the feudal mercenary group, the city in western Japan was forced to issue a statement in English, Japanese and three other languages on Tuesday saying it was not recruiting ninja performers.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2157224/asia-3-minutes-no-appetite-ninjas-japan-tasty-looking-dogs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2157224/asia-3-minutes-no-appetite-ninjas-japan-tasty-looking-dogs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jul 2018 12:47:39 +0000 Mysterious ‘Province of China’ banners appear in the Philippines Banners calling the Philippines a “province of China” mysteriously appeared on bridges in Manila on Thursday, sparking fury on social media on what was the second anniversary of Manila’s victory over Beijing in a landmark arbitration case. The terms “province of China” and “South China Sea” trended prominently on Twitter, while news reports of the sudden appearance of the red tarpaulin banners along major thoroughfares generated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2155120/asia-3-minutes-welcome-philippines-china-indian-man-cuts-short?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2155120/asia-3-minutes-welcome-philippines-china-indian-man-cuts-short?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jul 2018 10:19:05 +0000 Trump really wants Kim to hear Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is rumoured to be delivering a copy of Elton John’s song Rocket Man to Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang at the latest round of nuclear talks. The gift playfully refers to a low point in relations between the North Korean leader and US President Donald Trump, who memorably turned the song’s title into an epithet after the North stepped up its missile tests last year. Quoting unnamed sources in Washington, South... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2154088/asia-3-minutes-pompeo-has-rocket-man-his-pocket-kim-jong-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2154088/asia-3-minutes-pompeo-has-rocket-man-his-pocket-kim-jong-un?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:55:33 +0000 Drone brolly uses artificial intelligence to hover above user A Japanese company is on the cusp of solving that age-old problem of never having enough hands to carry the shopping and unlock the car door because you are holding an umbrella to keep the rain off: a hybrid drone-umbrella that uses artificial intelligence to hover just above a user’s head. Asahi Power Service is presently putting a series of drone-powered parasols through their paces at its research facility in Tochigi Prefecture,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2149863/asia-3-minutes-umbrella-revolution-japan-spiderman-comes-unstuck?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2149863/asia-3-minutes-umbrella-revolution-japan-spiderman-comes-unstuck?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:07:44 +0000 Hong Kong’s own Kim impersonator turns heads in Singapore Surprised Singaporeans pursued North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday before realising the portly man with slick black hair near the Marina Bay Sands hotel was an impersonator. “It looked like the real Kim Jong-un, but later I realised it’s not the real one,” said Sagar Admuthe who was visiting from Mumbai, India, after several selfies with the doppleganger against a backdrop of the city’s bay. “When you see him, it’s very difficult to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2148673/asia-3-minutes-kim-jong-un-arrives-singapore-he-wrongun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2148673/asia-3-minutes-kim-jong-un-arrives-singapore-he-wrongun?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jun 2018 05:21:17 +0000 Chinese tourists make a splash in Vietnam with South China Sea T-shirts A photo of Chinese tourists wearing T-shirts depicting Beijing’s claims to the disputed South China Sea has sparked online anger in Vietnam, prompting calls for the visitors to be deported. The shirts featured a map of China and its nine-dash line – the sea boundary found on some 1940s-era maps which Beijing says proves its claim to most of the waterway, despite partial claims from Vietnam and other nations. The territorial... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2146782/asia-3-minutes-naughty-chinese-tourists-vietnam-naughty-monkeys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2146782/asia-3-minutes-naughty-chinese-tourists-vietnam-naughty-monkeys?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 May 2018 12:35:33 +0000 Malaysia’s anti-graft board game replaces Monopoly with Kleptopoly A new Malaysian board game based on “Monopoly” is making a timely statement about the 1MDB scandal ahead of the general election. “Kleptopoly” features a motley crew of figures central to the controversy and items allegedly bought with money looted from the state fund. Designed by an anti-graft watchdog, “Kleptopoly” sees players move tokens around a board and pick up high-end properties, with the richest – but least corrupt –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2144744/asia-3-minutes-anyone-game-kleptopoly-malaysia-and-if-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2144744/asia-3-minutes-anyone-game-kleptopoly-malaysia-and-if-you?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 May 2018 10:35:43 +0000 Bangkok cafe offers customers a ‘taste of death’ with their coffee Dying for a cup of coffee? You will feel right at home at Bangkok’s new “death awareness” cafe, a macabre, Buddhist spin on the themed-cafe craze where customers are urged to confront their own mortality – and live better lives as a result. With drinks called “death” and “painful” on the menu and a skeleton splayed out on a couch in the corner, the meet-your-maker theme is alive and well at this open-air lunch spot. But the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2141676/asia-3-minutes-would-you-brave-thailands-coffin-cafe-or-tell-kim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2141676/asia-3-minutes-would-you-brave-thailands-coffin-cafe-or-tell-kim?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Apr 2018 12:06:41 +0000 Pakistan’s first transgender anchor hails ‘unprecedented support’ A Pakistani TV channel has put the country’s first transgender news anchor on the air, a watershed cultural moment for the marginalised community in the deeply conservative country. Marvia Malik, a former model who appeared on the Lahore-based private broadcaster Kohenoor for the first time, said she has received “unprecedented love and support” since landing the job. “My family never accepted or owned me,” she said, adding that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2139702/asia-3-minutes-good-job-news-koreas-nut-rage-heiress-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2139702/asia-3-minutes-good-job-news-koreas-nut-rage-heiress-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Mar 2018 14:22:30 +0000 Songkran festival is no time to dress sexy, Thailand warns women Authorities in Thailand are telling women to avoid dressing in “sexy” outfits in an effort to prevent sexual harassment and sex assault cases during next month’s Songkran festival. Sutthipong Chulcharoen, director general of the Department of Local Administration, said local bodies would arrange alcohol-free zones for revellers and launch campaigns to encourage tourists, particularly women, to dress appropriately so they do not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2138643/asia-3-minutes-dont-dress-sexy-thailands-songkran-water-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2138643/asia-3-minutes-dont-dress-sexy-thailands-songkran-water-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Mar 2018 09:32:47 +0000 Get your head around this: Japanese scientists in baldness breakthrough Polished pates and thinning thatches may one day be a thing of the past, thanks to Japanese scientists who have developed a way to grow hair follicles at a record rate. Their study used two kinds of cells placed in silicone containers to cultivate “hair follicle germs” – the sources of the tiny organs that grow and sustain hair. Led by professor Junji Fukuda at the Yokohama National University, the team managed to cultivate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2132745/asia-3-minutes-good-week-bald-men-japan-and-menstrual-man-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2132745/asia-3-minutes-good-week-bald-men-japan-and-menstrual-man-india?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Feb 2018 12:51:59 +0000 VietJet says sorry for bikini stunt involving South Korean footballers Vietnamese budget airline VietJet has apologised for using scantily clad flight attendants to serve South Korea’s under-23 football team. VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao apologised over the “impromptu celebration” for the young players, who secured a historic second place at the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship under the leadership of Korean manager Park Hang-seo. This came after photos of the flight... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2131792/asia-3-minutes-frogs-legs-hit-china-sexy-legs-not-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2131792/asia-3-minutes-frogs-legs-hit-china-sexy-legs-not-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Feb 2018 12:22:27 +0000 Thais take skin whitening to new high – or low – with latest phallic fad A Bangkok clinic that has drawn 100 men a month to its penis whitening service has caused a stir in Thailand, with social media users both baffled and alarmed by the phallic fad. The Lelux Hospital, renowned for its body whitening expertise in a country obsessed with skin colour, began offering the unconventional treatment six months ago after a male customer complained of “dark parts” on his groin. The procedure, which... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2127046/asia-3-minutes-penis-whitening-rage-thailand-killers-rage-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2127046/asia-3-minutes-penis-whitening-rage-thailand-killers-rage-india?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2018 11:57:56 +0000 Some might say that after Donald Trump’s inauguration, world events became so bizarre in 2017 that our covfefe of the year’s offbeat yarns would pale in comparison. Not so. From the US president inspiring people to use toilets in India to snakes on trains in Indonesia and outrageous aircrew rage, there’s something to shock everyone. Many of the stories went viral, such as inter-species sexual activity in Japan and animal-to-human disease transmission. No, those last two are not related. Here we... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2125973/twisted-tales-2017-viral-weirdness-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2125973/twisted-tales-2017-viral-weirdness-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Dec 2017 00:04:23 +0000 Cambodians come to Hong Kong to meet the increasing demand for helpers Cambodia on Wednesday sent its first batch of maids to work in Hong Kong, which is scrambling to meet growing demand for domestic helpers after a series of abuse scandals. Hong Kong is home to more than 300,000 foreign maids, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia. But high-profile cases of abuse and forced labour have made headlines in recent years and threatened to stem the tide of migrant helpers. Hong Kong has turned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2126204/asia-3-minutes-help-way-hong-kongs-elderly-and-gruesome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2126204/asia-3-minutes-help-way-hong-kongs-elderly-and-gruesome?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Dec 2017 14:52:09 +0000 Accusations of sexual misconduct by powerful men are by no means a new phenomenon but they poured forth in 2017 on an unprecedented scale. Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein may have been the most significant figure to have been brought down as a result, with the sheer number of allegations against him leading to a critical mass. But the #MeToo moment could arguably be traced back to the election of Donald Trump last year, in spite of the notorious Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2124196/year-dam-burst-allegations-sexual-misconduct-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2124196/year-dam-burst-allegations-sexual-misconduct-against?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Dec 2017 06:00:15 +0000 Donald Trump’s has already been a presidency like no other, underscored by his unique penchant for taking to Twitter in the wee hours to torpedo the news cycle with a series of 140-character missives. Twitter’s limit has now been expanded to 280 characters so who knows what 2018 will have in store? In the first year of his presidency, Trump has used Twitter to conduct foreign policy, pursue personal vendettas, offer a stream-of-consciousness commentary on his country’s relationship with China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2123117/2017-year-was-according-trumps-tweets-it-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2123117/2017-year-was-according-trumps-tweets-it-was?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Dec 2017 00:00:15 +0000 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has become notorious for his zero-tolerance approach to narcotics, overseeing a brutal crackdown that has delivered a mounting death toll. However, he has also become infamous for his bellicose, sometimes bizarre public statements. This year proved that Duterte’s unpredictable rhetoric was by no means confined to the campaign trail. Quite the opposite, Duterte’s second year in office has brought with it a whole new string of insults, threats and off-colour... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2124810/philippine-president-rodrigo-duterte-it-was-another-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2124810/philippine-president-rodrigo-duterte-it-was-another-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Dec 2017 01:30:13 +0000 India pins hopes for cleaner air on a ‘smog cannon’ India has unveiled a new weapon against air pollution – an “anti-smog gun” that authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. The cannon’s Indian manufacturers say the fine droplets of water it ejects at high speed can flush out deadly airborne pollutants in one of the world’s smoggiest capitals. The giant mister – shaped like a hair dryer and mounted on the back of a truck... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2125478/asia-3-minutes-indias-smog-cannon-south-koreas-nut-rage-saga-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2125478/asia-3-minutes-indias-smog-cannon-south-koreas-nut-rage-saga-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Dec 2017 13:00:00 +0000 Narutu the grinning, selfie-taking macaque is named ‘person of the year’ An Indonesian monkey who shot to fame after it snapped a grinning selfie – and sparked a landmark US copyright case – was named “Person of the Year” by the animal rights group that took on the simian’s cause. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said it was honouring Naruto, a crested black macaque with a goofy-looking grin, to recognise that “he is someone, not something”. In 2011, the monkey pressed the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2123369/asia-3-minutes-indonesias-selfie-taking-simian-laughing-all-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2123369/asia-3-minutes-indonesias-selfie-taking-simian-laughing-all-way?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2017 10:20:53 +0000 PHILIPPINE POLICE READY TO RETURN TO FRONT LINES IN DRUG WAR Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called on police to once again take the lead role in his deadly drug war, having twice demoted them in response to criticism of the crackdown. The fiery leader, who rights groups say may be orchestrating a crime against humanity with his bloody anti-drugs campaign, said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) with 2,000 officers was incapable of doing the job. Duterte, 72, was elected last... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2121476/avoid-chinese-zoos-if-youre-greyhound-indonesian-military-if?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2121476/avoid-chinese-zoos-if-youre-greyhound-indonesian-military-if?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2017 12:00:30 +0000 It’s all Kim as North Korea dominates Trump’s whistle-stop tour of Asia It was a busy week for diplomacy as US President Donald Trump set off on his whirlwind tour of Asia, which brought out the pomp and flattery rarely gifted to other world leaders. JAPAN Starting in Tokyo, marching bands and endless red carpets greeted the US leader to the Akasaka Palace, as Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off talks on trade and dealing with troublesome neighbour North Korea. By the end, Abe... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2119401/asia-3-minutes-swell-time-trump-asia-overtime-ballers-china-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2119401/asia-3-minutes-swell-time-trump-asia-overtime-ballers-china-home?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Nov 2017 14:55:02 +0000 Offensive noodle slurping sounds silenced by new giant fork Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin Food Products has created what it claims is a world-first “noise-cancelling” fork to mask the sound made by slurping down food. Dubbed “noodle harassment” on social media, foreign visitors to Japanese noodle bars are often startled to hear the locals – normally so polite and restrained – noisily slurping down their dishes with lip-smacking gusto. Inspired by Japanese toilets, which can be programmed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2117370/asia-3-minutes-forking-good-invention-japan-and-even-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2117370/asia-3-minutes-forking-good-invention-japan-and-even-better?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2017 15:24:46 +0000 Duterte will kill his own son if drug trafficking allegations are true Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will have his son killed if drug trafficking allegations against the younger politician are true, and that the police who carry out the hit will be protected from prosecution. Paolo Duterte, 42, this month appeared before a senate inquiry to deny accusations made by an opposition lawmaker he was a member of a Chinese triad gang who helped smuggle in a huge drug shipment from... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2112482/asia-3-minutes-duterte-would-kill-own-son-japanese-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2112482/asia-3-minutes-duterte-would-kill-own-son-japanese-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:03:31 +0000 Defiant P.M. Hun Sen plans to rule Cambodia ‘for another 10 years’ Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to continue leading his impoverished Southeast Asian nation for another 10 years on Wednesday, days after the arrest of his leading opponent. Hun Sen said he had decided to run for another two terms. After that, he would think about leaving office. “Before I was very hesitant of when I shall leave office, but after witnessing the treasonous acts of some Cambodians in recent days, I have... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2110398/asia-3-minutes-hun-sen-plans-another-decade-power-thailand-makes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2110398/asia-3-minutes-hun-sen-plans-another-decade-power-thailand-makes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 14:02:37 +0000 Tourism ad featuring model and giant rice ball pulled for being suggestive Japan’s Miyagi prefectural government has been forced to remove an online video promoting regional tourism after the clip was criticised for being sexually suggestive. The video features model and actress Dan Mitsu, known for playing erotic roles, as a guide in a kimono. It contains suggestive and provocative lines, and multiple close-ups of her parted lips and her rubbing the head of large rice ball mascot, called... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2108362/asia-3-minutes-india-says-no-quickie-divorce-hun-sen-says-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2108362/asia-3-minutes-india-says-no-quickie-divorce-hun-sen-says-no?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:51:39 +0000 Unexploded US world war bomb found in Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant A suspected second world war bomb was found on Thursday on the premises of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, an official said, with police called in to investigate. The 85cm object, believed to be an unexploded bomb dropped by the United States during the war, was discovered by workers constructing a car park close to the facility’s reactors, a spokesman for Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2106455/asia-3-minutes-wartime-bomb-japan-godzilla-dies-and-ticking-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2106455/asia-3-minutes-wartime-bomb-japan-godzilla-dies-and-ticking-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Aug 2017 10:00:15 +0000 Duterte wants to bomb tribal schools to halt rebel indoctrination Human rights groups urged Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to retract a threat to order airstrikes against tribal schools he accused of teaching students to become communist rebels, warning such an attack would constitute a war crime. Angered by recent communist rebel attacks on government forces, including a gun battle last week that wounded five members of his elite presidential guards, Duterte has called off peace talks... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2104473/asia-3-minutes-duterte-threatens-bomb-schools-hong-kong-maids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2104473/asia-3-minutes-duterte-threatens-bomb-schools-hong-kong-maids?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jul 2017 14:00:30 +0000 Infrastructure proposal incites brawl inside Taiwan’s legislature Taiwanese lawmakers tried to choke each other and threw water bombs during a chaotic session at the island’s parliament on Thursday as the government of President Tsai Ing-wen pressed ahead with controversial reforms. Female legislators from opposing camps had their hands on each other’s throats as a dozen colleagues pushed and shouted, trying to separate them in the main chamber during a review of the budget for a major... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2102563/asia-3-minutes-japans-black-widow-admits-killing-one-husband-microsoft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2102563/asia-3-minutes-japans-black-widow-admits-killing-one-husband-microsoft?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:29:35 +0000 Cambodian leader warns his election opponents to ‘prepare the coffins’ Cambodia’s strongman premier told his critics and political opponents they faced elimination and should “prepare coffins”, an escalation in rhetoric even for a man known for bellicose speeches. Prime Minister Hun Sen has ruled the impoverished nation for 32 years, making him one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. On Wednesday he delivered one of his most vitriolic speeches yet, warning of civil war if his party is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2099728/asia-3-minutes-lizard-penises-indias-lucky-charm-seekers-coffins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2099728/asia-3-minutes-lizard-penises-indias-lucky-charm-seekers-coffins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jun 2017 13:30:00 +0000 Chinese men ran ‘click farm’ in Thailand Three Chinese men arrested in Thailand have acknowledged that they were operating a “click farm”, using hundreds of cellphones and several hundred thousand SIM cards to run up “likes” and views on WeChat, a Chinese social media mobile application, Thai police said. Immigration Police Capt. Itthikorn Atthanark said the men explained they were paid according to how many likes and views they generated, each earning 100,000-150,000 baht (US$2,950-US$4,400)... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2098645/asia-3-minutes-chinese-paid-thai-click-farm-turnbull-did-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2098645/asia-3-minutes-chinese-paid-thai-click-farm-turnbull-did-not?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2017 09:45:00 +0000 The Hong Kong dollar strengthened against sterling on Friday as the British elections left no single party with a clear claim to power, sideswiping investors who had already weathered major risk events in the United States and Europe. While Hong Kong people may continue to take advantage of the weak pound for their travel, studies or even property purchases in the country, the impact from the election was viewed as far less than last year’s Brexit vote. Hong Kong’s dollar climbed to its... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2097678/hkd-6-week-high-pound-wake-shock-uk-election-result?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2097678/hkd-6-week-high-pound-wake-shock-uk-election-result?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jun 2017 10:19:43 +0000 In India, peacocks don’t have sex and cows exhale oxygen Peacocks don’t have sex, but rather shed tears to conceive, according to a judge in northern India whose unique theories have set off a social media storm in the country. At a hearing in Rajasthan state’s High Court, judge Mahesh Chandra Sharma urged India’s government to declare cow – considered sacred in Hindu-majority India – as the national animal since it is “as pious as a peacock”. “The peacock is a lifelong celibate. It never has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2096693/asia-3-minutes-no-sex-peacocks-india-and-philippines-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2096693/asia-3-minutes-no-sex-peacocks-india-and-philippines-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2017 10:43:23 +0000 Moon warns of conflict with North Korea South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned on Wednesday there was a “high possibility” of military clashes along the border with North Korea, as tensions mount over Pyongyang’s weapons ambitions. Moon, who was sworn in last week, said the North’s nuclear and rocket programmes were “advancing rapidly”, days after Pyongyang launched what appeared to be its longest-range missile yet. The North claimed the rocket was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2094849/asia-3-minutes-moon-warns-north-korea-conflict-indonesia-cane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2094849/asia-3-minutes-moon-warns-north-korea-conflict-indonesia-cane?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 May 2017 10:30:45 +0000 Trump’s retelling of Asian history stirs backlash in South Korea In retelling a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump has told the Wall Street Journal: “He then went into the history of China and Korea. Not North Korea, Korea. And you know, you’re talking about thousands of years ... and many wars. And Korea actually used to be a part of China.” This claim was largely buried in the April 12 news coverage of Trump’s wide-ranging interview with the Journal. But... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2089599/asia-3-minutes-koreas-war-gay-soldiers-vietnamese-villagers-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2089599/asia-3-minutes-koreas-war-gay-soldiers-vietnamese-villagers-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:16:16 +0000 OFFICIALS CLARIFY DUTERTE’S REMARKS ON ‘OCCUPYING’ SOUTH CHINA SEA The Philippines will upgrade facilities on its inhabited islands and reefs in the South China Sea but not occupy new territories, defence and military officials said on Friday, “clarifying” an order by President Rodrigo Duterte. The firebrand leader’s office on Thursday said he had ordered troops to occupy uninhabited islands and shoals that the Philippines claims in the disputed waterway, asserting sovereignty in an apparent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2085764/asia-3-minutes-malaysian-mp-asks-rapists-marry-their-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2085764/asia-3-minutes-malaysian-mp-asks-rapists-marry-their-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Apr 2017 11:10:25 +0000 Korean authorities find new homes for impeached president’s puppies South Korea’s presidential office has found a home for two of the nine dogs former president Park Geun-hye left behind when she was forced out of office over a corruption scandal. Park’s decision to leave the dogs upset the country’s dog lovers, who flooded the internet with angry comments. A spokesman from the presidential Blue House said on Friday that the puppies were given to an organisation that raises Jindo dogs, a valued... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2079809/asia-3-minutes-park-geun-hyes-puppies-killers-right-toupee-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2079809/asia-3-minutes-park-geun-hyes-puppies-killers-right-toupee-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2017 13:32:25 +0000 900 million Asians paid bribes to get basic services completed last year More than a quarter of people living in the Asia-Pacific region had to pay a bribe while trying to access a public service in the past year, a watchdog said on Tuesday, calling on governments to root out endemic graft in the region. The report by Berlin-based Transparency International surveyed more than 20,000 people in 16 countries and territories spanning the Asia-Pacific from Pakistan to Australia. From the results they... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2077767/asia-3-minutes-bieber-impersonators-child-sex-crimes-indian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2077767/asia-3-minutes-bieber-impersonators-child-sex-crimes-indian?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2017 14:15:31 +0000 Akihito meets Vietnamese abandoned by Japanese fathers after war Japan’s royal couple listened to the tearful stories of Vietnamese children who were abandoned by their Japanese soldier fathers after the second world war, a symbolic meeting in Hanoi aimed at healing wounds between the former war foes. Emperor Akihito and his wife, Michiko, shook the hands of and comforted more than a dozen children of the some 700 Japanese military men who decided to stay in Vietnam for a decade after their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2075852/asia-3-minutes-philippine-death-penalty-shows-signs-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2075852/asia-3-minutes-philippine-death-penalty-shows-signs-life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:22:27 +0000