Indonesia is looking to take a bite out of the lucrative durian trade to China following stronger bilateral cooperation in the sector, according to the Indonesian Durian Plantation Association. Since Indonesia signed a frozen durian export protocol w...

A homeless Chinese man deceived others by posing as a wealthy individual and, over a span of 10 days, managed to “hire” five women for companionship, using their money to fund visits to high-end establishments, buy new clothes, and even acquire t...

The death toll from flooding and landslides in Thailand climbed steeply on Friday, heaping misery on a country struggling with a deep economic slump and triggering criticism of the nation’s roughly 10-week-old government. There have been 145 fatali...

Li Minyong, a prominent medicinal chemist and a fellow of multiple international research societies, died on November 16 at the age of 49. His sudden death marks China’s latest loss of a leading scientist at the height of their research career. Li,...

Alex Lee, a Singaporean parent-blogger who has spent years documenting his children’s lives online, recently posted a video of his 12-year-old son opening the results of his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) – a high-stakes test that shap...

The deadly blaze that engulfed a densely populated Hong Kong residential complex has prompted scrutiny in South Korea over whether its high-rise residential and commercial buildings are adequately prepared to prevent and respond to similar disasters....

Even in these turbulent times, Hong Kong has reasons to count its blessings. I refer to the fundamentals of our global competitiveness, which will protect us from the fiercest storms of the current cycle of economic and geopolitical turmoil. We canno...

Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a state visit to India on December 4 and 5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Kremlin said on Friday. The two leaders will sign trade deals, “discuss all aspects” of Russian-Indian ti...

France hopes to establish a framework for ties between Brussels and Beijing “that serves mutual interests” when President Emmanuel Macron visits China next week, an Elysee Palace source said. “The purpose of [Macron’s] strategic conversation ...

As fears over the artificial intelligence bubble bursting linger in global markets, one Southeast Asian tech founder thinks it could be a much-needed reset to a crowded space. Dylan Tan, founder of replyr.ai, a Singapore-based start-up that creates A...

Hong Kong residents and businesses are rushing to snap up safety equipment following the city’s worst fire in decades, which killed 128 and injured 79. The fire broke out on Wednesday in seven of eight residential buildings of Wang Fuk Court in Hon...

Emperor International Holdings has secured bank approval to resume borrowing under existing terms by nearly two years, providing the embattled Hong Kong developer with much-needed breathing room after it failed to meet HK$16.6 billion (US$2.13 billio...

Gavin Lee was on Friday named as permanent head coach of the Singapore men’s national football team. The 35-year-old was officially unveiled at a press conference at Jalan Besar Stadium. He is the Lions’ first Singaporean permanent head coach sin...

Investors in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) stocks, who had been hoping for a strong earnings season to provide fresh tailwinds, instead face disappointing results that have stoked anxiety about what lies ahead. The sector was riding high – with Xpe...

An advertisement offering lucrative pay and citizenship to South Koreans willing to join Ukraine’s army has been rejected by Kyiv as a “Russian hoax”, even as Seoul confirmed for the first time the death of a citizen who fought against Moscow i...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration will “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries”, following an attack near the White House he attributed to Biden-era immigration vetting failures. Trump did not...

A Malaysian police chief has called for the wider imposition of caning in schools, arguing that the “fear factor” among students has eroded at a time when violent incidents, including bullying-related deaths, are drawing alarm in the country. Sel...

A local government official in northeast China has been accused of covering up a fishing boat accident and preventing the vessel’s owner from calling the police for help, in an incident that led to the exposure of a series of corruption cases relat...

The upcoming wedding of the founder of a renowned milk tea company from a grass-roots background and the daughter of a wealthy family that owns a leading solar energy firm has captivated the Chinese public and is trending online. Zhang Junjie, the dr...

A Thai mother bitten by a deadly snake endured a desperate 32-hour wait for rescue after being trapped by floods that have devastated southern Thailand for more than a week. The woman, stranded in her submerged Hat Yai home, turned to social media at...

Hong Kong dollar bond issuance is poised to expand, following a record run of offerings, as easing local interest rates attract more issuers while a global diversification trend persists, according to analysts. Total issuance in the city’s currency...

We have put together seven stories on everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Hong Kong families endure unimaginable loss as fire death tol...

The bird flu virus that has been spreading among wild birds, poultry and mammals could lead to a pandemic worse than Covid-19 if it mutates to transmit between humans, the head of France’s Institut Pasteur respiratory infections centre has said. Th...

Hong Kong has seen a number of amendments to its criminal law in recent years aimed at strengthening the response to sexual crimes. Notable examples are the new offences in the Crimes Ordinance regarding voyeurism, upskirting and the publication of i...

Beijing has frozen youth exchange programmes with Tokyo amid the fallout over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, according to a diplomatic source, raising concern that the bilateral rift could affect younger generations. Th...

Indonesia’s plan to build a new capital in East Kalimantan is facing renewed scrutiny after the Constitutional Court scrapped a regulation granting investors land rights of up to 190 years – a move welcomed by indigenous groups but seen by develo...

Asia’s largest K-pop award show, scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium, will be downsized in light of the Tai Po fire, with boy band Mirror pulling out of the event. The group announced on Friday that they would...

Senator Imee Marcos, the estranged sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, said there is a void in the nation’s leadership as politicians grapple with a growing corruption scandal and instead is backing his deputy as a potential replac...

With the world’s biggest high-speed rail network already established, China now plans a more balanced, integrated and intelligent transport system over the next five years, prioritising efficiency and smart technology over sheer scale. Beijing will...

Peru’s Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced leftist ex-president Pedro Castillo to more than 11 years in jail for trying to dissolve Congress and rule by decree to avoid impeachment. Dubbed Peru’s first poor president, the former rural teacher, wh...

Hong Kong stocks dropped on Friday after four days of advances, as investors searched for fresh catalysts after pricing in expectations about a US interest-rate cut that reversed a tumble triggered by concerns about an artificial-intelligence bubble....

Beijing has flagged risks of excessive duplication in China’s rapidly growing humanoid robot sector, vowing to strengthen guidance for an industry that officials have identified as an important engine of future growth. Driven by an influx of new ca...

The sentencing of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged over impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law decree, observers say. On Wednesday, the special counse...

Take a walk through some of Hong Kong’s most iconic streets and you might notice a puzzling sight: prime retail spaces in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and other areas are papered over with all types of rental advertisements where there use...

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has left the country for Senegal after being detained during a military coup, the government in Dakar said on Thursday, as a lead opponent accused him of arranging the uprising. The military in volatil...

A customer at a Daiso store in Suncheon, South Jeolla province, is facing public criticism after a video showed a staff member kneeling and apologising during a confrontation over a child running inside the store in South Korea. The incident took pla...

The massive fire that engulfed the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong on Wednesday has prompted discussions about the potential for new firefighting technologies to improve rescues. The fire spread rapidly across seven adjoining residenti...

A Chinese man who placed joss paper into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan’s Sensoji Temple has sparked online outrage and criticism of bad tourist behaviour. A video that circulated on social media in November showed the unidentified...

Up to five Chinese vehicle assemblers, leveraging their technology and production advantages in building electric cars, are likely to make the list of the world’s top 10 carmakers by 2030, disrupting the pecking order in the global automotive indus...

Excessive heat and raging flames that engulfed a Tai Po estate in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires posed the biggest challenges for firefighters, experts have said, as they dismissed suggestions that height limitations of aerial ladders had added...

Regal Hotels International will offer free lodging at a dozen of its hotels across Hong Kong to the victims of Wednesday’s Tai Po fire, as it joins other hoteliers and corporate donors in rushing to their aid after the city’s worst blaze in seven...

The swift spread of a tiny invasive insect that gorges on paper threatens to ravage Japan’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records and delicate scrolls, as calls grow for stronger measures to rein in the scourge. The 1cm-long (0.3 inch) gho...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 128 people, incl...

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) builders are increasingly shipping their cars abroad to spur international sales ahead of an expected downturn in their home market, analysts say, as Beijing phases out incentives such as tax holidays and cash subsidies....

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. The...

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement with Alberta’s premier on Thursday that rolls back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast. Unde...

Opposition critics have accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of stoking fear on the island with his suggestion that Beijing could be preparing to take Taiwan by force by 2027. They also said that Lai’s attempt to justify a massive increase...

China’s National Games marked a historic milestone this year: for the first time since the event’s inception in 1959, competitions were held throughout the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area – a clear sign of the region’s increasing c...

Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed “in cold blood”. The Israeli military said it was investi...

Italy’s defence and aerospace group Leonardo on Thursday presented plans for a new multilayered air defence system, as European countries stepped up military capabilities to bolster defences against Russia and other threats. The “Michelangelo Dom...