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A Pakistani JF-17 aircraft flies over Islamabad. Photo: AFP
Pakistan

India vs Pakistan: a Western-Chinese arms face-off in the making?

A clash between the South Asian rivals’ warplanes and artillery could have profound implications for the global arms industry.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s free meal scheme faces calls for stronger food safety standards

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India

India’s Rafale fighter jet deal: a maritime power play against China, Pakistan?

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Japan

Did Japan kill 30 million? US historian’s book ignites nationalist fury

Accusing US historian Bryan Rigg of ‘propaganda’, Japanese conservatives are actively working to discredit his account of WWII atrocities.

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Japanese troops are seen in Nanking after the city’s conquest, in a photographic imprint dated 1937. Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Japanese troops are seen in Nanking after the city’s conquest, in a photographic imprint dated 1937. Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
North Korea

Casualties and a Kremlin call: North Korea’s Ukraine war admission unpacked

Until recently, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang had admitted to North Korea’s involvement in the conflict.

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Singapore general election 2025

Singapore election: race, foreign meddling hot topics with seats too close to call

Singapore’s election sees cost of living and foreign interference take centre stage as PM warns against weakened government amid tight races.

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China-Philippines relations

Why flags on Sandy Cay symbolise latest flashpoint in South China Sea dispute

Experts interpret Manila’s counter flag-raising as an effort to resist Beijing’s creeping jurisdiction.

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In this photo provided by the National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), Philippine inter-agency members which included Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police - Maritime Group, hold the Philippine flag as they visit Sandy Cay 2 in the South China Sea on April 27. Photo: AP
In this photo provided by the National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), Philippine inter-agency members which included Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police - Maritime Group, hold the Philippine flag as they visit Sandy Cay 2 in the South China Sea on April 27. Photo: AP
Donald Trump

Trump’s Quad allies in Asia fret over tariffs as China factor complicates ties

Even as Japan, India, and Australia face US tariffs, they are also being pressured by Washington to rebalance their ties with China.

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Israel

Maldives joins Malaysia in call for ‘legitimate’ Palestinian state amid Gaza war

The Maldives reiterated call for a Palestinian state comes two weeks after the island nation implemented an entry ban on Israeli passport holders.

The Philippines

Defence pact tops Japan PM’s agenda during high-stakes Philippines trip

Shigeru Ishiba is expected to push for full ratification of a reciprocal access agreement, paving the way for expanded military cooperation.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters in Tokyo earlier this year. Photo: Kyodo
SCMP Highlights

Taiwan tariff blow, Bangladesh’s new leader, sex therapy: 5 weekend reads

From the effects of tariffs to the benefits of sex therapy, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Questions are being raised over whether Taiwan’s strategic value to the United States is being judged primarily by what the island can deliver economically and militarily. Photo: AFP
Questions are being raised over whether Taiwan’s strategic value to the United States is being judged primarily by what the island can deliver economically and militarily. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

In quest for lean ‘new era’, Vietnam’s leader takes torch to bureaucracy

Communist Party chief To Lam is reshaping bureaucracy by merging provinces, boosting efficiency and extending influence.

US-Asean relations

The Southeast Asians facing exile from the US to a land they’ve never known

After surviving a CIA-led war and building lives in America, Laotian migrants are now being detained and deported with little warning.

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Malaysia

Why do people keep getting into trouble over Malaysia’s flag?

Recent inaccuracies in the national flag’s depiction have upset the public, where even small errors are seen as national insults.

Giant Malaysian national flags are seen inside a shopping mall ahead of Malaysia Day celebrations in Kuala Lumpur in September 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

Why a proposed Japan-US unified defence zone makes South Korea uneasy

Despite US enthusiasm, South Korea fears being drawn into conflicts beyond the Korean peninsula, such as the Taiwan Strait.

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (left) with Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo on March 30. Photo: EPA-EFE
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (left) with Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo on March 30. Photo: EPA-EFE
Yemen

Yemen prepares ‘biggest offensive ever’ against Houthi rebels with US support

Yemen is reportedly launching an offensive against Houthi rebels to reclaim key ports and diminish the influence of the Iranian-aligned group.

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Singapore general election 2025

Singapore election: do politicians ‘abandon’ residents when they switch wards?

The debate arose after Health Minister Ong Ye Kung accused SDP chief Chee Soon Juan of abandoning Bukit Batok to contest in Sembawang West.

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The Philippines

Philippines urged to ‘strategically’ work with China amid US tariff tensions

It follows a call from a Chinese envoy for the Philippines and fellow Asean members to be united in safeguarding free trade.

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Containers and cranes in Manila on April 8. US President Donald Trump kicked off a potentially ruinous global trade war earlier this month with harsh levies on trading partners. Photo: AFP
Containers and cranes in Manila on April 8. US President Donald Trump kicked off a potentially ruinous global trade war earlier this month with harsh levies on trading partners. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Are Singapore election rallies a good gauge of voting results?

With the competing parties holding their first rallies in 10 years, there is strong interest to hear what their candidates have to say.

Bangladesh

Exclusive | Bangladesh’s new leader dreams big, with a little help from China

A popular revolt that ousted the kleptocratic Sheikh Hasina thrust Muhammad Yunus, 84, into power. Now he’s looking to China for help.

Malaysia

AI-generated image of durian farm in Malaysia raises stink over land dispute

Image fuels speculation about more illegal planters in Pahang’s forests, while analysts also warn of lack of safeguards against manipulated content.

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A worker harvesting a durian that has been secured with rope at a farm in Raub in Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s sovereignty museum shrugs off South Korea’s ‘immediate closure’ call

The museum in Tokyo centres around three separate sets of islands whose ownership Japan disputes with South Korea, China and Russia.

South Korean soldiers training in 2019 on the contested Dokdo Island, referred to in Japan as Takeshima. Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korean soldiers training in 2019 on the contested Dokdo Island, referred to in Japan as Takeshima. Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korea

Will Yoon’s exit change South Korea’s US-China approach?

Analysts says South Korea’s diplomacy will remain unchanged as it builds closer ties with China, supported by its alliance with the US.

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South Korea

Chinese pair caught photographing South Korean military base twice in days

The repeated incidents have ignited debate over legal loopholes that allow such activity outside designated security zones.

Indonesia

‘Balanced’ ties: Indonesia treads careful path between China and US

This impartial stance could set Jakarta up to be a good mediator between Beijing and Washington, observers say.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding after the first 2+2 meeting in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua/EPA-EFE
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