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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. More Singaporeans are choosing jobs below their qualifications. Here’s why
A new survey shows 19.4 per cent of Singapore’s resident workforce had academic qualifications beyond what was required for their job in 2025.
2. Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia
Asia’s oil import-dependent economies will benefit from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from Opec, though the ongoing closure of the arterial Strait of Hormuz may not offer any immediate relief from soaring prices, analysts say.
3. Filipino male pageant contestant’s viral swimsuit walk sparks body image debate

A viral appearance in the swimsuit round by a male beauty pageant contestant in the Philippines has sparked a wider debate about male beauty standards and whether pageantry is ready to make room for people who do not fit its traditional ideals.
4. Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen
Thousands of Japanese are defying rising prices at home and the pain of the feeble yen to have one final foreign holiday over “golden week” before airlines increase fuel surcharges.
5. ‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Middle Eastern governments are dusting off decades-old proposals for overland oil and gas pipelines, and urgently drawing up plans for new rail-sea transport corridors in a belated response to the wartime disruption of major maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
6. What’s behind Japan’s novel move to share Mogami warship design with India?
Common security interests in the region have led to Japan’s unprecedented sharing of its Mogami-class warships with India, according to analysts.
7. ‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Being a Malaysian Indian is apparently a good indication that you are unlikely to fall for a scam. Police have found that potential victims from the ethnic group are more than likely to frustrate scammers with a barrage of questions.


UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

Cheaper durians for China, Hong Kong helpers camp in tents: 5 weekend reads you missed

King Charles’ gift amuses Chinese, anti-spy agency makes allegation: SCMP’s 7 highlights

A 60-year-old Singaporean pole dancer, Guizhou’s spicy food: 7 Lifestyle highlights

SCMP Highlights

RJ Perkins during his viral appearance in the swimsuit round of the Mister Pampanga pageant. Photo: Facebook / Mister Pampanga

An oil technician climbs down a tower at a refinery in Jebel Ali, UAE. Photo: AP


The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court

Little India in Kuala Lumpur. Ethnic Indians account for about 7 per cent of Malaysia’s population. Photo: Shutterstock

Viral video of Bangladeshi father saving baby under moving train raises safety concerns

A Bangladeshi man jumped onto the train tracks to shield his baby with his body, sparking both praise and debate about his actions. Photo: Handout

The baby’s mother is seen cuddling her child after the rescue. Photo: Handout

How Thailand as transit hub feeds India’s exotic pet craze: ‘it’s organised crime’

Indian star tortoises confiscated from a woman attempting to travel with them at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on Wednesday. Photo: Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation / AFP

A teenager was arrested on Wednesday at a Bangkok airport for allegedly smuggling dozens of tortoises that were taped under her clothing. Photo: Thailand’s Wildlife Crime Intelligence Centre

Raccoons were seized at an airport in Bangkok. Photo: Thailand’s Wildlife Crime Intelligence Centre

A rescued orangutan baby rests in a plastic basket in Bangkok, Thailand, in a case linked to an international wildlife trafficking network, in May 2025. Photo: Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police / AFP

A white porcupine rescued from a passenger’s luggage at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok in 2022. Photo: Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation / AFP

News

Asia

From Malaysian Indians frustrating scammers to Japan sharing warship design, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From Malaysian Indians frustrating scammers to Japan sharing warship design, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Malaysian Indians frustrating scammers to Japan sharing warship design, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. More Singaporeans are choosing jobs below their qualifications. Here’s why

From Malaysian Indians frustrating scammers to Japan sharing warship design, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting