CPIC arrives in a country where the words "fake news" can already put a reporter in prison.

Scientific and educational cooperation may be less visible than a railway, but it may also have longer lasting and broader results.

Indonesian authorities have arrested three people for allegedly tapping President Prabowo Subianto’s phone, according to police on Tuesday, with media reports suggesting one of the suspects may be a senior official. Prabowo, who took office in 2024, has come under increasing pressure for his government’s handling of the economy and destructive wildfires in the Southeast Asian archipelago. Top detective Asep Safrudin identified the suspects only by their initials, LSP, ASN, and EH, and said they...

South Korea has emerged as one of the world leaders in the AI buildout. But now, as investor sell-offs continue to force the KOSPI lower, are its AI ambitions under threat?

Archbishop Gallagher’s remarks about the “price” of setting up an office in Beijing have struck a nerve in Taiwan. But the two aren’t actually related.

Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The rescue of the Azini was completed on Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. An official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. He...

China’s interests in the Middle East increasingly conflict with Iran’s cooperation with regional proxies and use of coercive threats.

A German tourist was among two men still missing on Tuesday after a landslide struck a glamping resort on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Heavy rains on Sunday afternoon caused the landslide, which struck the Eco Park Pelaga Glamping Retreat in Petang district at around 11pm, The Bali Times reported. Three tents collapsed while a fourth fell into the Tukad Yeh Kilap River and was swept away by the currents. The 4-hectare (10-acre) property, which houses 25 tents, sits on a steep cliff beside...

US artificial intelligence giant Anthropic’s initial public offering prospectus has exposed a vast profitability gap between it and rivals Z.ai and MiniMax, highlighting the challenges facing China’s AI model developers in turning technological advances into sustainable businesses. The Claude developer’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week revealed a significant financial advantage over its most direct Chinese counterparts, despite the latter’s continued...

A South Korean court revoked the Unification Church leader’s bail in a bribery case on Tuesday after footage emerged of her visiting the secretive movement’s headquarters in breach of release conditions. Han Hak-ja, 83, was sentenced to two years in prison in August for providing luxury items, including a designer handbag, to former first lady Kim Keon-hee while her husband Yoon Suk-yeol was president, in an attempt to secure policy favours. She was granted bail two months later on health...

Open source is the only viable path to creating a sustainable artificial intelligence industry, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said on Tuesday, as the Chinese technology giant doubles down on its open-source AI strategy. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, Tsai pointed to a growing convergence around open ecosystems among domestic tech companies, as surging AI demand rubs up against persistent...

The Indonesian government is facing mounting pressure to scrap the value-added tax (VAT) on sanitary pads and other menstrual hygiene products, with critics arguing it adds to the financial burden for women from low-income families already struggling to buy basic necessities. While the 11 per cent tax on such products is not new, the issue has gained traction amid public anger over rising living costs. Students took to the streets of Jakarta last week to protest against the government’s handling...

Since returning to the White House in January last year, US President Donald Trump has upended the global trading order with his scattergun approach to tariffs and launched a war on Iran that sent oil prices soaring. On Tuesday, American voters hurting from nagging inflation and the high cost of living that have defined Trump’s second term have the opportunity to deliver their verdict on his Republican Party in the midterm elections. Polls suggest that the Republicans, who currently control both...

An Indian tourist was killed and a New Zealand national injured when two helicopters collided and crashed while attempting to land in Nepal’s Everest region on Tuesday, police said. There are few roads in the Himalayas, and helicopters are widely used to transport tourists, climbers and supplies, as well as carry out emergency evacuations. Nepal’s challenging terrain and rapidly changing weather make aviation operations particularly hazardous. The small helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and...

A rally organised by Jakarta police to promote national unity has instead raised questions about whether the Indonesian government is using public events to blunt dissent, with questions raised over the identities of some participants after one admitted in a television interview that he had been paid to attend while posing as a university student. The controversy has fuelled criticism of what analysts describe as an intensifying effort to drown out opposing voices, while drawing attention to the...

It’s not just rare earths. China is making it harder for other countries to shed their dependence on its solar, drone and drugmaking technology.

A new public opinion poll released on the eve of the US midterm elections indicates that while few Japanese favour President Donald Trump’s policies, most say they wish Japan had a “strong” head of state who could make difficult decisions. Analysts suggest that while many Japanese believe a strong leader will stand up for the nation on the world stage and not shy away from bold policies, this does not mean they want someone with the bombast, showmanship and arrogance associated with...

An organiser behind a fundraiser for a boy whose parents died in an alleged hit-and-run accident in Singapore has vowed transparency, thanking donors for their “overwhelming” kindness amid debate over the campaign’s authenticity. Farah Diyanah Razid, who identified herself as a family member of the victims on the crowdfunding platform Give.Asia, said all contributions collected through the drive were intended solely for the child’s welfare and future. The clarification came after social media...

Suspected militants riding a motorcycle shot and killed two police officers assigned to protect polio workers during a door-to-door vaccination campaign on Tuesday in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. The drive-by shooting in Mohmand, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, also wounded a third officer. The police officers were travelling to a nearby village to guard vaccination teams when they came under fire, police officer Ayaz Khan said. The attackers fled...

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. Indonesia’s haze crisis becomes rallying point for student anger at Prabowo The protests, taking place in several spots around the capital, have been organised by student leaders from the University of Indonesia along with a coalition of student organisations from...

Malaysia’s unity government is facing an increasingly uncomfortable test ahead of the Melaka state election, with parties governing together at the federal level reverting to old rivalries as they compete for votes in a contest that could foreshadow shifting alliances before a national poll due by February 2028. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is under pressure to put on a strong showing against federal partners Umno, which is widely expected to retain power...

While fleet size is an important measure of operational capacity, a lot depends on how effectively new platforms are equipped, operated, and integrated.

The discovery of dozens of pet remains dumped in sacks along a roadside in the Philippines has sparked public outrage and raised questions over whether the country’s animal welfare laws adequately protect pets after death. A pet crematorium in Bacoor, Cavite province – nearly three hours’ drive from the dumping ground in neighbouring Bulacan province – has been ordered to shut following complaints from pet owners, as police investigate allegations that the business improperly disposed of animals...

Alan Macfarlane, a British anthropologist, historian and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge, known as “Grandpa Cute” in China, answered questions at an SCMP Plus exclusive in-person event in Hong Kong on October 26.

China’s “Lipstick King” has traded make-up swatches for artificial intelligence. Top live-streamer Li Jiaqi on Monday evening teamed up with an executive from Alibaba Group Holding to pitch AI subscriptions, selling nearly 100,000 monthly packages in just 30 minutes, according to data provided by the e-commerce giant. The broadcast on Taobao and Tmall – Alibaba’s largest domestic online marketplace – marked the first time generative AI products have taken centre stage during the annual Singles’...

Singapore will work with Asean member ⁠states to strengthen ⁠the implementation of ⁠an agreement on transboundary haze when it chairs the regional bloc next year, the country’s environment minister said on Tuesday. It will also work with the bloc to establish ‌the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control in Indonesia, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. In response to questions in parliament, Fu said the coordinating centre will strengthen...