France is stepping up its diplomacy in Asia to gather support for a key United Nations treaty on marine resource protection, warning that any delay in its ratification could leave the Philippines and other regional countries on the sidelines of a crucial global conference next week. Only 29 countries have ratified the landmark High Seas Treaty also known as the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty which requires ratifications by at least 60 countries to take...

A crisis of credibility hangs over Malaysias Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he prepares to face a sexual harassment suit later this month, the latest in a series of controversies that has rocked his administration and cast doubts over his reformist agenda. Anwar faces allegations that he has sexually assaulted a former aide, as the case threatens to dredge up past sex scandals that hounded him for years while he was in opposition. A high court in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday threw out Anwars...

Malaysian authorities have found the body of an unidentified foreign man in a suburb on the outskirts of its capital, Kuala Lumpur, where police have been searching for a British backpacker who went missing last week. Local police launched a search operation in the affluent neighbourhood of Bangsar in a bid to find Jordan Johnson-Doyle after his father filed a missing persons report on Monday. The 25-year-old reportedly went missing on May 27 after taking part in a quiz night at a pub in the...

Manilas deal to acquire 12 upgraded FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea could significantly strengthen the Philippines air defence and power projection in the contested South China Sea but analysts say the light combat aircraft still fall short of the multirole fighters the country ultimately seeks. The US$700 million contract, signed on Tuesday with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), will see the delivery of the aircraft between 2026 and 2030, the state-run Philippine News Agency...

Its morning in The Hague and Senator Robin Padilla is wandering around looking for a place to eat while carrying a life-size full-colour cardboard cut-out of Rodrigo Duterte. Settling down at an outdoor cafe, the Filipino political partisan props the standee beside him. The cardboard image of the former president depicts him seated, wearing dark glasses and a T-shirt. Padilla, president of the Duterte-controlled PDP Laban party, snaps a photo for his social media account. To some, this scene...

Singapores health chief Ong Ye Kung has expressed dismay at a local healthcare firms record rental bid of more than S$52,000 (US$40,300) per month for a clinic space in a public housing estate. I-Health Medical Holdings bid for the unit which has a monthly rent of S$52,188 in Tampines has sparked public debate about rental and healthcare costs in the city state. In a Facebook post late on Wednesday, Ong said he was dismayed at the costly bid that was likely to result in higher...

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims plan to build a new hi-tech city named after his Madani slogan has sparked fresh outrage, with Malaysians accusing the government of splurging on a vanity project while imposing spending cuts on the public. Anwar rose to power in 2022 on the promise that he would avoid the excesses of his predecessors. He vowed to stamp out corruption and cronyism after years of scandals that cost the country billions of dollars. His credibility has taken several blows since...

A Philippine tech company has been sanctioned by the United States for allegedly enabling online romance scams known as pig butchering, which US authorities say led to more than US$200 million in losses reported by victims linked to the companys infrastructure. Funnull Technology Inc, a content delivery network provider based in Metro Manilas upscale Bonifacio Global City (BGC) district, was sanctioned last week by the US Treasury Department, along with Chinese national Liu Lizhi, described...

Malaysia has launched efforts to freeze assets in London including bank accounts and prime real estate valued at 132 million (US$178 million) linked to the widow of the late tycoon Daim Zainuddin, according to anti-graft authorities. The process which will ultimately need to be executed by authorities in the United Kingdom is part of a widening embezzlement probe into his familys wealth. Daim, who died last November aged 86, was a key ally of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and...

The parents of a teenage girl in Singapore have called for stronger punishment for former actor Ian Fang, after he was convicted of having underage sex with their daughter. Fang, 35, was sentenced to 40 months jail on May 19 after pleading guilty to sexual offences involving a minor. He did not face caning for the sexual offences he committed against the then 15-year-old girl. The victims parents, however, have called for Fang to be caned. Mark him for life. He marked my daughter for life,...

Indonesias health minister is facing mounting calls for his removal as his deepening rift with the countrys medical professionals risks undermining healthcare reform and weakening the legitimacy of future policies, according to analysts. Criticism of Budi Gunadi Sadikin has surged in recent weeks, with two of the nations leading medical faculties at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta and Padjadjaran University in West Java joining the chorus of discontent. At the centre of the dispute...

When the leaders of Asean, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China gathered for an inaugural summit in Kuala Lumpur last week, it marked a historic convergence the three economic powerhouses represent over 2 billion people and a combined economy of nearly US$25 trillion. Emphasising deeper cooperation in trade, supply chains, infrastructure and finance, the summits key areas of focus included green energy, the digital transformation, connectivity and sustainable agriculture to address...

Malaysias plan to use artificial intelligence to fine speeding drivers has drawn public ire, with critics accusing the government of prioritising revenue collection over road safety while ignoring the countrys deadly record of lorry-related accidents. The governments proposed Automated Awareness Safety System (Awas) would calculate a vehicles average speed by tracking the time taken to travel between tollgates. Those found exceeding the speed limit would be issued an automatic fine of up to...

The Philippines defence chief has called on Beijing to engage in good-faith negotiations over the South China Sea, stressing that China still has a long way to go to earn Manilas trust. Observers warn that trust goes both ways, however, pointing to factors such as growing cooperation between Manila and Washington, and the reduced Chinese presence at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore over the weekend. At the security summit, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rebuked a ..

Kelantans rare earth reserves offer a potential lifeline for the impoverished Malaysian state, promising a path to slashing debt and driving much-needed economic development. But experts warn it will need to secure more federal funding to build the infrastructure needed to unlock billions of dollars in projected revenue. The Kelantan state government signed a preliminary deal with Australian mining giant Lynas last week to explore the states capacity to supply rare earths to the companys...

The abrupt resignation of two key members of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims cabinet has thrown his government into a tailspin, with analysts warning that the former ruling party, Umno, may gain greater leverage over ministerial appointments and could even stage a comeback in the next general election. Umno, which was ousted in the 2018 election under corruption-tainted former prime minister Najib Razak after six decades in power, is a key minority partner in Anwars unity government....

Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday said his country would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to adjudicate over its borders with Thailand, after a skirmish killed one Cambodian soldier and awoke dormant nationalist sentiment in both countries. The flashpoint happened on May 28 as Cambodian troops patrolled in what their government insists was their side of the frontier with eastern Thailand. Thai soldiers opened fire and in a 10-minute gunfight, one...

Several Southeast Asian countries have reported a surge in Covid-19 cases, as regional health officials urged the public and medical institutions to take precautionary measures against the disease. On Saturday, Indonesias health ministry warned in a circular that Covid-19 outbreaks were spreading in the region, including in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. The dominant Covid-19 variants were XEC and JN.1 in Thailand, LF.7 and NB.1.8 in Singapore, JN.1 in Hong Kong, and XEC in...

Two of Vietnams largest conglomerates are vying to lead the countrys largest infrastructure project to date: a US$67 billion high-speed railway linking the northern capital, Hanoi, with the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City. Vingroup and Truong Hai Group Corporation (Thaco) have entered bids to build the more than 1,500km (930-mile) NorthSouth high-speed rail line. But both are seeking substantial state support either in the form of massive interest-free loans or government-backed...

Japans view that its ties with the Philippines are at a near-alliance status has been welcomed as a sign of the commitment by both countries to tackle their perceived common threats, even as analysts warn that any formalisation towards deeper security cooperation could worsen regional tensions. Speaking in Tokyo on May 28, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya hailed the close partnership in the presence of Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo. Iwaya and Manalo discussed strengthening...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Harvard Chinese students graduation speech strikes a chord as Trump leads purge 2. Meet Indias answer to Pakistans Chinese jets: the AMCA stealth fighter 3. Bitterness reimagined: Bali bomber seeks a second chance through coffee 4. US destabilising Asia- Pacific: China fires back at...

The release of a Philippines-born green card holder as ordered by a US judge after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has spurred calls for stronger support from Manila amid fears of the roll-out of the largest deportation programme in American history. Lewelyn Dixon spent three months at an ICE detention centre in Tacoma, Washington state, after being apprehended on February 28 while returning to her home in Seattle following a trip to the Philippines. Dixons ..

Rodrigo Duterte, the firebrand former president of the Philippines, has made political history not once, but twice. First, as the only ex-Philippine leader to face charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC). And now, as the first to win a mayoral race while imprisoned abroad, securing an extraordinary landslide victory from a detention cell in The Hague. The post he won is no ordinary local office. It is the mayorship of Davao City, the southern ..

When Malaysias deputy minister of communications, Teo Nie Ching, announced the launch of the countrys sovereign AI infrastructure powered by Huawei Technologies advanced computing chips and the DeepSeek large language model, she inadvertently set off a geopolitical maelstrom. In the crosshairs of Teos announcement was the activation of Huaweis Ascend chips on a national scale and the planned roll-out of 3,000 of those chips by next year to form the backbone of Malaysias national AI...

Asean is at a critical juncture. The Southeast Asian bloc, caught between the currents of the US-China trade war, is making a dive for strategic space between a new free-trade agreement with China and the possibility of a Trump tariff meeting. Last month, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations finalised negotiations to upgrade their 15-year-old free-trade agreement. Set to be signed by the end of the year, the deal aims to deepen China-Asean economic integration by incorporating...

It is incumbent on nations to reach out to China to avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding, Singapores defence minister has said, as he urged Beijing to use every opportunity to make its perspective known to the world. Chan Chun Sing on Sunday told delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore that it was beneficial for all sides to work with China and vice versa. He also sought to soothe tensions after the Chinese side protested against comments made by US defence chief Pete...

The inaugural summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China, recently held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, went beyond underscoring Asias growing geoeconomic prominence it also served to position the continent as a catalyst for a cultural renaissance. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current Asean chair, has long maintained the principle of neutrality as essential to maintaining the blocs centrality. One...

Indonesia is reviving plans to extend its Chinese-backed high-speed rail network, with ambitions to connect Jakarta with Surabaya, the nations second- largest city. But analysts say familiar complications could stall the project, from regulatory hurdles to the mounting debt owed to China. The proposed extension would build on Whoosh Southeast Asias first high speed rail line a US$7.3 billion project connecting capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java province. The 142km (88-mile) railway,...

Singapores defence minister has said attendees at a premier security summit hosted by his country would have wanted Chinas defence chief to be present to avoid misunderstandings, as the absence of a high-ranking leader from Beijing continues to reverberate on the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD). Speaking to the media on Saturday following a closed-door ministerial roundtable, a regular feature at the SLD for minister-level attendees, Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said...

As the dust settles from the shock of the Philippines midterm election, it is clear that President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his dynastic rivals, the Dutertes, have fought to a stalemate, with both camps securing an equal number of Senate seats. This political deadlock ensures that the immediate focus of national politics will revolve around the rivalry between the two powerful clans. For Marcos administration, pressing economic and foreign-policy issues are likely to take a back seat to two...

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of double standards in condemning conflicts, calling on world leaders to be consistent and form a coalition with a rules-based order in light of the ongoing wars around the world. During his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) on Friday night, Macron took swipes at Russias invasion of Ukraine, Israels hostilities in Gaza and Chinas aggression in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, pointing out that the big risk was to forget...

Mark Twain, in his bestseller The Innocents Abroad, commented on travel as the great unifier: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all ones lifetime. A Hong Kong government investing heavily in tourism promotion to charm its way back into the good books of communities worldwide after our 2019...

United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth met Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday, with both leaders highlighting the strength of US- Singapore defence ties and voicing their shared commitment to regional peace and stability amid mounting geopolitical challenges. The meeting marked the first by a Cabinet official from the current US administration to call on Wong since he assumed office. According to Singapores Ministry of Defence, the two reaffirmed the excellent and...

The launch of artificial intelligence-powered Islamic preachers has raised questions in Malaysia over the technologys potential to distort local Islamic teachings and undermine the role of qualified scholars. In Malaysia, where Islam is the state religion, religious discourse is tightly regulated and preachers must obtain official credentials and strictly adhere to state- sanctioned interpretations of the faith or risk infringing sharia court rulings of deviant teachings. But AI avatars are...

Singapore wrapped up its general election earlier this month without a single correction order issued against fake news, but a resurfaced case of a candidate being misquoted on the campaign trail has sparked discussion on how the city states misinformation law is applied. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) introduced in 2019 and an election advertising bill enforced just in time for the May 3 poll guard against misinformation and digitally manipulated...

A Thai restaurant owner has urged local authorities to provide more public toilets for tourists after finding foreign visitors defecating on his property. Pannatat Asawapitakchon, owner of a floating restaurant in Phuket in southern Thailand, said he witnessed a female tourist defecating behind the Buddha statues outside the restaurant during closing hours on May 22 when he was sitting inside, according to Thai daily newspaper Khaosod. He then went out to ask her to clean up the area. At ..

Australias stealth fighter jets and a British aircraft carrier will take part in the major warfighting exercise of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) later this year, defence chiefs from the five-nation pact said on Thursday, as the group aims to enhance its preparedness in an increasingly competitive region. The annual Exercise Bersama Lima will showcase a range of high-end, war-fighting exercises and involve advanced assets such as the F-35s from the Australian Air Force as well as...

A US court order blocking President Donald Trumps Liberation Day tariffs marks a setback for the US leader, but is unlikely to provide China and other American trading partners with more than a temporary reprieve, analysts said. The Trump administration has already filed an appeal to stop the tariff block with a Federal Circuit court, and even if that effort fails he could potentially reinstate the tariffs using other methods, they added. A three- judge panel at the New York-based US Court of...

Combining protest with performance, Filipino activists staged a sea concert near the disputed Thitu Island in the South China Sea this week a symbolic act of resistance that analysts say may not advance legal claims but could help galvanise regional solidarity and draw global attention. The event, organised by the Atin Ito (This Is Ours) coalition, took place aboard the civilian vessel M/V Kapitan Felix Oca, which set sail from Palawan in the early hours of Tuesday carrying volunteers and...

Indonesias sovereign wealth fund has come under fire for its potential tie-up with BlackRock, as critics warn the US investment giants links to arms firms supplying Israels military risk compromising Jakartas pro-Palestinian foreign policy and undermining its constitutional stance against colonialism. Daya Anagata Nusantara, or Danantara, was launched in February to manage nearly US$900 billion in state assets, increase dividend yields and attract foreign capital. As part of that effort,...