Asia News fra SCMP

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines climbed to 66 on Wednesday as residents of hardest-hit Cebu province began picking through homes and businesses devastated by the worst flooding in recent memory. Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through towns and cities, sweeping away cars, trucks and even massive shipping containers. Cebu accounted for 49 of the fatalities, civil defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro said in an interview with local radio outlet...

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s vow to use “any means necessary” to bring home Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea has reignited a debate over how Tokyo intends to break the long-standing deadlock with Pyongyang. Takaichi has also pledged to take “proactive action” – language that analysts say marks a clear departure from the cautious tone adopted by her predecessors. Some have interpreted her remarks as a potential switch to high-pressure diplomacy targeting Pyongyang, including...

The revival of US-Cambodia military exercises after an eight-year hiatus signals Washington’s renewed interest in Southeast Asia and offers Phnom Penh a chance to rebalance its strategic ties beyond Beijing, according to analysts. The long-frozen Angkor Sentinel drills will resume following a meeting between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Cambodian counterpart on the sidelines of a regional security summit in Malaysia last week. The drills were suspended in 2017 after Washington...

The American director of an elite private school was stung to death by a swarm of murder hornets alongside his teenage son while they were ziplining in Southeast Asia, local officials confirmed. Daniel Owen and his 15-year-old son, Cooper, were visiting Green Jungle Park – an eco-adventure resort near the city of Luang Prabang – when the incident occurred, the according to The Times of London. The pair were suddenly bombarded by hundreds of Asian giant hornets as they were descending from a tree...

At last month’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, China and the bloc upgraded their free trade pact in the areas of environmental protection, product quality and support for small businesses. Premier Li Qiang contextualised the agreement in light of “greater development challenges” facing Asean nations, as they are “unfairly subjected to steep tariffs”, an indirect criticism of the erratic measures unleashed across the region by US President Donald Trump. Another noteworthy...

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned eight individuals and two entities who it said were involved in a variety of North Korean cyber-related money-laundering schemes. The Treasury said the move was aimed at cutting off funding for North Korea’s weapons programmes. “By generating revenue for Pyongyang’s weapons development, these actors directly threaten US and global security,” John Hurley, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a...

Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday passed a law that introduced caning as a punishment for scammers and money mules, as the country battles a scourge of fraud cases. Under the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, scammers as well as members and recruiters of scam syndicates will be punished with six to 24 strokes of the cane. The harsher penalties aim to enhance deterrence against scams, which are the most prevalent form of crime in Singapore, according to Senior Minister of State for...

A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in central India on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a senior government official said. The incident happened near Bilaspur, about 116km (72 miles) from Chhattisgarh’s state capital, Raipur. Television channels showed images of one train colliding with another near the accident site. Rescuers are searching through the debris for survivors. The local passenger train hit the goods train from behind, senior government...

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the United States will fully support Korea’s plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines, reaffirming US President Donald Trump’s prior approval of the initiative. “President Trump has approved this historic step, and I want to reaffirm that decision. As defence authorities, we will, of course, do our best to actively and fully support it,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back after...

Australian households will be able to access three hours a day of free solar power under an energy-saving programme that the government unveiled on Tuesday and will begin next year. “We want to see the benefits of renewable energy flow to all,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen told national broadcaster ABC. In a statement, he said that the Solar Sharer scheme will be rolled out from next year in some jurisdictions, including New South Wales and South Australia, before a possible expansion. “It’s not...