https://www.scmp.com/rss/325567/feed Latest news, analysis and opinion on the law and legal issues, including Hong Kong extradition law. Follow the latest on trials, court cases and justice. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong customs has arrested seven people in a citywide crackdown on party rooms offering suspected illegal karaoke sets with songs that infringed copyright. The operation, code-named “Magpie”, took place between March 16 and Wednesday this week and involved more than 100 officers, who raided 14 party rooms, a bar and the homes of two online sellers. Ng Ka-chun, divisional commander of customs’ intellectual property technology crime investigation, said on Friday that authorities seized 28... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350419/7-arrested-crackdown-party-rooms-offering-copyright-infringing-karaoke-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350419/7-arrested-crackdown-party-rooms-offering-copyright-infringing-karaoke-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:02:16 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s push to bring thousands of unlicensed tourist stays into the legal fold is running into a familiar administrative obstacle in Bali, with operators saying the government wants faster compliance than the bureaucracy could allow. In December, the Ministry of Tourism said unlicensed accommodation providers in Bali, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara and West Java had until March 31 to register their hotels, guest houses, villas and homestays, in a move meant to improve service quality,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350328/indonesias-bali-wants-illegal-rentals-be-legitimate-operators-flag-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350328/indonesias-bali-wants-illegal-rentals-be-legitimate-operators-flag-red-tape?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:48:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A leading Indonesian university suspended 16 law students on Thursday after a sexually explicit group chat about their female peers went viral, sparking a debate about gender violence in the Muslim-majority country. Screenshots of a conversation among 16 male students at the University of Indonesia were posted on social media this week, eliciting shock and anger from female peers and a wider societal discussion. The university said in a statement on Thursday it had suspended the young men for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350283/university-indonesia-suspends-16-law-students-sexually-explicit-group-chat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350283/university-indonesia-suspends-16-law-students-sexually-explicit-group-chat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:08:26 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof In Malaysia, artificial intelligence is already causing harm to content creators through deepfake nudes, cloned voices, scam advertisements and stolen likenesses, experts have warned. They shared the view at the Freedom Film Network’s second International Conference on Film & Society in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, where creators, researchers and advocates from across Southeast Asia gathered under the theme “Cultivating Artistic Freedom in a Volatile World”. Melissa Lim Shi Hui, a lawyer and legal... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350193/malaysias-content-creators-battle-ai-abuse-deepfakes-scam-ads-spread-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350193/malaysias-content-creators-battle-ai-abuse-deepfakes-scam-ads-spread-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:30:10 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong’s move to legalise basketball betting has suffered a setback. The government suspended the plan on Monday pending further study, citing the emergence of prediction markets which it says may prompt more people to turn to illegal gambling. Embarrassing as it is, the U-turn is a prudent step to ensure that the plan proceeds in the right direction. Prediction markets are platforms where people buy and sell contracts on the outcomes of future events, with the prices directly reflecting the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3350029/hong-kongs-u-turn-basketball-betting-prudent-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3350029/hong-kongs-u-turn-basketball-betting-prudent-move?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Hong Kong landlords who fail to fix water seepage affecting flats below face a minimum inspection bill of HK$17,000 (US$2,170) if they take no action within 28 days of notification under a pilot scheme designed to fast-track such cases. The plan, launched by a joint office under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Buildings Department, shifts the responsibility of shouldering inspection costs from the government to flat owners who fail to address water seepage... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350088/hong-kong-landlords-face-hk17000-inspection-bill-over-ignored-water-seepage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350088/hong-kong-landlords-face-hk17000-inspection-bill-over-ignored-water-seepage?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:40:38 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced a former teacher to two years in prison for taking indecent images of pupils and sharing them on social media, making him the first among members of an alleged teachers’ voyeurism ring to receive a prison sentence in a high-profile case that came to light last year. The Nagoya District Court handed down the sentence to Katsuya Ishikawa, 28, who was a teacher at a junior high school in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the time of his arrest in September. Judge... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350058/japan-jails-ex-teacher-sharing-voyeuristic-student-images?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350058/japan-jails-ex-teacher-sharing-voyeuristic-student-images?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:14:01 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong A statutory advisory body in Hong Kong will be given new powers as early as June to investigate government department heads over “serious, widespread or systemic” problems, as part of a broader push to institutionalise accountability for top officials. A Civil Service Bureau spokeswoman stressed that the new system targeted “implementation failures” by senior officials, but a union representative argued that major scandals often stemmed from flawed policy designs in which bureau chiefs and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350052/advisory-body-be-given-power-probe-government-department-heads-serious-offences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350052/advisory-body-be-given-power-probe-government-department-heads-serious-offences?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:47:19 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The second quarter of 2026 has commenced with an overpowering scent of steampunk industriousness. ChatGPT, Gen AI (generative artificial intelligence) and LLM (large language model) have become the latest buzzwords of this epoch. Hong Kong and mainland China are ardently embracing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3349899/ai-twister-brewing-legal-horizon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3349899/ai-twister-brewing-legal-horizon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The fate of thousands of protesters arrested in the 2019 turmoil had long faded from public attention until recently when it was disclosed that they were being given a second chance under a special rehabilitation programme. The move is not just a welcome step towards offering them a path back to normalcy but also towards narrowing the deep political divide left by the unrest. The leniency towards some 7,000 people arrested but not prosecuted is not about excusing wrongdoings. As security chief... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3349906/path-rehabilitation-those-arrested-2019-unrest-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3349906/path-rehabilitation-those-arrested-2019-unrest-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:45:08 +0000 The Star The Star There is no necessity to introduce the death penalty into the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving under the influence, according to Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Loke said existing laws were sufficient to prosecute serious offences and that offenders could still be charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, where applicable. “As far as the government is concerned, we have already stopped mandatory death penalties,” he told reporters on Monday after a road safety... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349865/malaysia-rejects-death-penalty-drink-drivers-proposes-victim-compensation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349865/malaysia-rejects-death-penalty-drink-drivers-proposes-victim-compensation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:06:07 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen Hong Kong authorities will not “draw a line” on which protesters arrested during the 2019 social unrest are eligible for a rehabilitation programme, the security chief has said, while defending the decision to keep the project a secret until recently. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Sunday that the special rehabilitation programme run by his bureau for people arrested in connection with the 2019 anti-government protests had been operating for the past one to two years. “We... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349779/rehabilitation-project-open-all-2019-hong-kong-protest-arrestees-chris-tang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349779/rehabilitation-project-open-all-2019-hong-kong-protest-arrestees-chris-tang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:12:57 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong authorities have been urged to toughen penalties for child abuse as a proposal to review protection laws for minors, which were last updated in 1995, has remained stalled for seven years. A check by the South China Morning Post found that over more than 20 years, only one of 13 serious child abuse cases involving ill-treatment or neglect of a child or young person resulted in a jail term close to the maximum of 10 years. Lawmakers earlier this month called for increasing the 10-year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349760/time-act-stalled-proposal-toughening-child-abuse-penalties-lawmakers-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349760/time-act-stalled-proposal-toughening-child-abuse-penalties-lawmakers-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s top judicial bodies have detailed ways that the country’s criminal law can be applied to corrupt middlemen, refining the criteria for tackling “new and hidden forms of corruption”. The guidance was part of a judicial interpretation released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Friday. In it, the bodies highlight the need to enforce the law against all participants in the corruption chain, for the direct bribe-givers and recipients to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349749/china-targets-middlemen-renewed-crackdown-hidden-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349749/china-targets-middlemen-renewed-crackdown-hidden-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue a written decision by April 28 on whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. However, even if the judges decide to proceed with the trial, observers predict that the proceedings will progress at a “glacial pace”, potentially taking years to reach a ruling. Duterte, who governed the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was surrendered to the ICC in March... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349504/will-philippine-ex-president-duterte-stand-trial-icc-and-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349504/will-philippine-ex-president-duterte-stand-trial-icc-and-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Rex Heuermann, 62, entered the pleas in a courtroom packed with reporters, police and victims’ relatives, some of whom wept as he detailed his crimes for the court. He will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at a later date. Heuermann’s guilty... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349432/us-man-pleads-guilty-murdering-7-women-and-admits-he-killed-another?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349432/us-man-pleads-guilty-murdering-7-women-and-admits-he-killed-another?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:03:07 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong authorities are proceeding with legal action to confiscate property linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing on the matter set to be held in three months. According to a court document seen by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s property after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for national security offences. A 60-minute hearing is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349371/court-hearing-set-july-confiscating-jimmy-lais-properties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:24:42 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan A Malaysian court has granted an application by anti-corruption officials to issue an arrest warrant for two sons of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, after they failed to comply with repeated requests to turn up for questioning over their family’s wealth. Daim and his clan have been at the centre of a years-long probe into alleged abuse of power and corruption by the country’s elites, who critics have accused of colluding with two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to enrich themselves... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349326/malaysian-corruption-watchdog-secures-arrest-warrant-tycoon-daims-sons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349326/malaysian-corruption-watchdog-secures-arrest-warrant-tycoon-daims-sons?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:16:14 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim A 38-year-old woman has been charged over her involvement in an accident which killed a six-year-old Indonesian girl and severely injured her mother at a popular tourist district in Singapore. The woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was handed two charges on Wednesday. One was for driving without due care and attention causing death, and the other for driving without due care and attention causing grievous hurt. If found guilty of the first charge, she could be jailed up to three... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349318/woman-charged-over-singapore-crash-killed-indonesian-girl-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349318/woman-charged-over-singapore-crash-killed-indonesian-girl-chinatown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:48:55 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Cambodia’s first law targeting scam centres, passed after mounting international pressure over the country’s massive fraud and trafficking economy, may do little to curb it unless authorities go after the officials and networks that have long enabled it, analysts have warned. Approved by parliament on Friday, the law takes aim at an industry estimated to generate up to US$19 billion annually and to have trafficked as many as 200,000 workers into compounds across the country. Justice Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349298/cambodia-has-new-law-targeting-scams-it-just-another-paper-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349298/cambodia-has-new-law-targeting-scams-it-just-another-paper-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French former president Nicolas Sarkozy maintained his innocence on Tuesday, telling an appeal hearing in Paris that not a single cent from Libya helped fund his 2007 presidential campaign. “I owe the truth to the French people,” Sarkozy told a three-judge panel during a hearing in the case that led him to spend 20 days in prison before being granted release pending appeal. “I’m innocent,” he said. Sarkozy, 71, is challenging his conviction after being found guilty in September of criminal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349294/france-ex-president-sarkozy-challenges-conviction-over-alleged-libya-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349294/france-ex-president-sarkozy-challenges-conviction-over-alleged-libya-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:14:24 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A Filipino taxi driver who attempted to overcharge a member of K-pop group TXT has been suspended from operating, after the incident sparked backlash both in South Korea and the Philippines. According to a report aired on Monday on JTBC’s Chief Investigator, TXT member Choi Soo-bin, known mononymously as Soobin, was targeted in a taxi fare scam while travelling in Cebu, a popular tourist destination in the Philippines. The incident was originally revealed on Wednesday through the group’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349213/filipino-taxi-driver-suspended-after-overcharging-k-pop-star-soobin-cebu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349213/filipino-taxi-driver-suspended-after-overcharging-k-pop-star-soobin-cebu?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:07:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau A defamation lawsuit filed by Singapore cabinet ministers K Shanmugam and Tan See Leng against financial news outlet Bloomberg on Tuesday opened with heated exchanges over an article that mentioned their personal property transactions. According to statements of claim filed in the High Court, Shanmugam, who is coordinating minister for national security, and Tan, who is manpower minister, said parts of the article, titled “Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy”, were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:07:27 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam has said he wished the United States had kept controversial blogger and child sex convict Amos Yee, warning that foreign media and rights advocates have mistaken a repeat offender, who was deported back to the city state, for a free-speech icon. Yee, who is listed on a US Department of Homeland Security website as among the “worst of the worst criminal aliens” the Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested, was deported from the US on March 19... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349183/singapores-shanmugam-deported-blogger-amos-yee-i-wish-americans-had-kept-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349183/singapores-shanmugam-deported-blogger-amos-yee-i-wish-americans-had-kept-him?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:20:26 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s jailed former president Yoon Suk-yeol has drawn sharp criticism for an Easter message from prison that opponents say amounted to comparing his downfall to the suffering of Jesus and showing his lack of remorse for his criminal acts. Yoon, who was removed from office a year ago after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, released the message on Sunday through his lawyer, Bae Ui-cheol, urging the public to “hold onto the hope of salvation even if times are... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349150/south-koreas-yoon-slammed-invoking-jesus-his-message-sent-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349150/south-koreas-yoon-slammed-invoking-jesus-his-message-sent-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:09:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US$656 million judgment against Palestinian authorities has been reinstated by appeal judges, following a US Supreme Court ruling in favour of Americans killed or wounded in attacks in Israel. The decision from the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals comes a decade after it first tossed out a verdict against the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority on the grounds that US courts could not consider lawsuits against foreign groups over overseas attacks that were not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349107/appeal-court-reinstates-us656-million-judgment-against-plo-and-palestinian-authority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349107/appeal-court-reinstates-us656-million-judgment-against-plo-and-palestinian-authority?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:54:46 +0000 CNA CNA A Workers’ Party disciplinary panel looking into secretary general Pritam Singh’s conduct has completed its investigation into whether the chief had contravened the party’s constitution, after his court conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. “The panel will present its finalised report and recommendations to the Central Executive Committee in April,” Singapore’s opposition party said in a statement on Saturday. “The Notice of the Special Cadre Members’ Conference will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349015/singapores-workers-party-finishes-investigation-chief-pritam-singhs-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349015/singapores-workers-party-finishes-investigation-chief-pritam-singhs-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:43:15 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysia has given the family of missing pastor Raymond Koh access to a long-classified government report after dropping a legal challenge, but questions remain unanswered over his case, according to rights groups and lawyers. The situation surrounding Koh has revived memories of other Malaysians who are believed to be victims of enforced disappearances in the country. Koh has not been seen after the then 62-year-old was abducted in broad daylight in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on February 13,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348987/malaysia-drops-appeal-abducted-activists-case-family-still-seeks-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348987/malaysia-drops-appeal-abducted-activists-case-family-still-seeks-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:41:39 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Hong Kong customs officers have seized about 162kg of suspected dried shark fins from protected species worth about HK$280,000 (US$35,720) from Panama at the airport. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that officers inspected an air consignment declared as dried fish maw arriving from the country the day before. Upon inspection, officers found six boxes of suspected scheduled dried shark fins, weighing about 162kg (357lbs), inside the consignment. The case has been handed over to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348940/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk280000-worth-dried-shark-fins-panama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348940/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk280000-worth-dried-shark-fins-panama?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:31:17 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof An Indonesian woman who spent nearly 15 years on death row in a Malaysian prison for drug trafficking has returned home after receiving clemency, in a case rights groups say highlights the exploitation of poor migrant women in cross-border drug operations. Ani Anggraeni, also known as Asih, boarded a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta late on Thursday after being freed from custody. In a video message shared with This Week in Asia while en route, the 66-year-old said she was still struggling to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348886/indonesian-grandmother-freed-malaysian-death-row-returns-home-feels-unreal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348886/indonesian-grandmother-freed-malaysian-death-row-returns-home-feels-unreal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:49:18 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The sentencing of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been cited by several Western officials and media outlets as further evidence that Hong Kong’s legal system is in decline. Lai, the founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, faced multiple charges, including two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications. He was convicted last December and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in February. That same month, however, the Court of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348705/dont-let-geopolitical-rivalry-skew-debate-over-jimmy-lais-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348705/dont-let-geopolitical-rivalry-skew-debate-over-jimmy-lais-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime? Observers say the cases do not indicate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:30:07 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A parking dispute in Kuala Lumpur has expanded into a wider debate over entitlement, public humiliation and online bullying in Malaysia, after a woman who damaged a car blocking her own issued a public apology that many said looked coerced. The row began on Tuesday in Wangsa Maju, a densely populated suburb of the Malaysian capital, where videos shared on Threads showed a woman unable to reverse out of her parking spot after a red Perodua Ativa was left double-parked behind her car for about an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348751/malaysian-womans-apology-damaging-double-parked-car-triggers-outcry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348751/malaysian-womans-apology-damaging-double-parked-car-triggers-outcry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:16:48 +0000 Bernard Man Bernard Man A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors also focus on courtroom advocacy and are accredited as solicitor-advocates. The “split” profession is not common to all legal systems. In fact,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:30:16 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China has emerged as a focal point in the debate over US birthright citizenship, as the nation’s Supreme Court appeared sceptical of oral arguments on Wednesday in a landmark case driven by President Donald Trump’s push to restrict the practice. Birthright citizenship “has spawned a sprawling industry of birth tourism”, said Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top litigator, in his opening remarks before the highest court in the country. “Uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:21:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters France suspects a pro-Iranian group known as HAYI to be behind a foiled attack on Bank of America’s Paris offices, its anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday, while stressing the link has not yet been formally established. HAYI, which stands for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or ‌Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, had posted a video on social media on March 23 targeting Jewish interests and communities in France and Europe, the prosecutor’s office said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:30:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC defended on Wednesday its handling of a DJ sacked years after he was the subject of a police investigation into allegations of sexual offences against a teenage boy. The controversy surrounding former radio host Scott Mills, 53, is the latest involving a high-profile presenter to roil the publicly funded broadcaster. London’s Metropolitan Police said this week that it questioned Mills in 2018 over allegations of “serious sexual offences” against a boy under the age of 16. The case was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:54:11 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia’s government has said it “strongly denies” a claim made in a news report that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sought to delay the release of findings from an investigation into the country’s anti-corruption chief, and will take legal action over the allegation. The latest claim has sharpened scrutiny of Anwar, whose reformist image and anti-corruption credentials have come under strain amid a series of allegations involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its chief... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348661/malaysia-denies-anwar-delayed-disclosure-probe-macc-chief-threatens-legal-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348661/malaysia-denies-anwar-delayed-disclosure-probe-macc-chief-threatens-legal-action?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:45:54 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Wednesday offered to pay for the flight of a London-based key witness to help with its investigation into possible corruption linked to a US$250 million deal signed last year between the government and British chip design firm Arm Holdings. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has for the past month been on the hunt for former government aide James Chai, whom it said was a key witness in its probe on possible abuse of power, fraud and governance... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:45:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Scottish crime boss is to be deported to Spain on Wednesday after he was arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in connection with large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, authorities said. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol, said on Tuesday. The immigration system had flagged him as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:08:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that ban the discredited practice. An 8-1 High Court majority sided with a Christian counsellor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed that the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide if it meets a legal standard that few laws pass. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348580/us-top-court-rules-against-state-ban-conversion-therapy-lgbtq-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348580/us-top-court-rules-against-state-ban-conversion-therapy-lgbtq-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:14:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Japanese prosecutor who publicly accused her boss of rape condemned her office on Tuesday for failing to protect victims, after it rejected her request for an independent probe into harassment within the organisation. Very few women in Japan speak out about sexual assault but Hikari (not her real name) came forward in 2024 to accuse Osaka’s then top prosecutor of raping her six years earlier. Kentaro Kitagawa, head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor’s Office, was arrested and admitted the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348575/japan-rape-accuser-condemns-prosecutions-failure-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348575/japan-rape-accuser-condemns-prosecutions-failure-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:58:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Malaysian court on Tuesday ⁠ordered jailed former ⁠prime minister Najib Razak ⁠to pay US$1.3 billion to a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB, state media reported. The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Najib was liable for losses incurred by ‌SRC International, a former subsidiary of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, state news agency Bernama reported. High Court judge Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin ruled that Najib breached his fiduciary duties, abused his position... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348554/malaysia-court-orders-ex-pm-najib-pay-us13-billion-1mdb-unit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348554/malaysia-court-orders-ex-pm-najib-pay-us13-billion-1mdb-unit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:20:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pop megastar Taylor Swift was sued by ⁠a Las Vegas ⁠performer on Monday who said ⁠Swift’s latest hit album The Life of a Showgirl violates her trademark rights. Maren Wade said in the complaint that marketing for Swift’s album threatened to “drown out” her long-running Confessions of a Showgirl stage show and ‌asked the court to block Swift from creating confusion with her album title. Representatives for Swift and her label Universal Music Group, also a defendant, did not immediately respond to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348462/taylor-swift-sued-trademark-infringement-over-life-showgirl-album-title?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348462/taylor-swift-sued-trademark-infringement-over-life-showgirl-album-title?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 23:02:51 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:55:09 +0000 Chen Xiaofeng Chen Xiaofeng On March 23, Hong Kong’s government brought into force amended implementation rules for Article 43 of the national security law. This is not a new power grab or an expansion of authority. It is a technical, evidence-based refinement of the 2020 implementation rules that have governed national security enforcement since the law took effect. Rooted in common law principle and aligned with global legislative practice, the amendments clarify operational gaps, strengthen procedural certainty and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A horrific road crash in Malaysia’s port city of Klang that left a motorcyclist dead on Sunday has spiralled into racially charged commentary after initially being treated as a drink-driving case. Police said the crash happened at about 11.40am on Jalan Raya Barat, when an allegedly speeding Honda City driven by a local man in his twenties overtook several vehicles, crossed into the opposite lane and struck a motorcycle coming from the other direction. The rider, a local man in his thirties, was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348378/drink-driving-death-malaysia-spirals-race-baiting-inflames-ethnic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348378/drink-driving-death-malaysia-spirals-race-baiting-inflames-ethnic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:30:26 +0000 Sandra Marco Colino Sandra Marco Colino The European Union (EU) is a bystander in the Iran war, but it might end up sustaining significant collateral damage. On one hand, public opinion across Europe is opposed to a conflict that circumvents the core principles of international law. On the other, the continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for its energy and security needs. A definitive anti-war stance risks alienating President Donald Trump, leaving Europe strategically exposed. Talk about being caught between a rock... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347867/europes-response-iran-war-risks-becoming-its-darkest-hour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347867/europes-response-iran-war-risks-becoming-its-darkest-hour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into a suspected attack targeting Bank of America’s Paris headquarters after the reported overnight arrest of a man who allegedly tried to ignite an improvised explosive ‌device outside the US bank’s premises. In an emailed statement to reporters, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said the investigation involves the suspected attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist plot, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348307/french-prosecutors-open-terror-probe-after-bank-america-attack-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348307/french-prosecutors-open-terror-probe-after-bank-america-attack-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:45:58 +0000