If Canada is to further cultivate its relationships in the Indo-Pacific, it needs a clearer articulation of its regional ambitions and its political limits.

Prominent climate change activist Greta Thunberg arrived on Tuesday at the UN climate meeting, where she emphasised the need to protect people and the planet over profits and power. This year’s meeting – called the Conference of the Parties, or Cop31 – comes after a year of climate-induced heatwaves and other disasters. As she arrived at the meeting venue in Antalya, Turkey, Thunberg, 23, said climate change is “threatening everything” and that “everything and everyone we love is at stake”. “We...

Najib Razak, who was brought down in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, was released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence in his mansion.

China and Bhutan have no official diplomatic or economic relations. Yet trade is growing, as Bhutan’s hunger for Chinese goods grows.

It is entirely plausible that Chinese-made components could have found their way into Houthi missiles. That does not mean that Beijing greenlit the sales.

From direct intimidation to institutional pressure, repression from Chinese individuals and institutions is experienced by critics in Japan.

Formulaic AI-generated microdramas risk stifling human creativity and innovation, a Beijing professor has warned at a forum in Macau. Zhang Lanshan, a professor at the School of Digital Media and Design Arts at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said that while audiences loved such standardised content, it posed a risk to diversity and artistic endeavour. Experts, including from several Hong Kong institutions, also warned users of artificial intelligence about the cultural...

China’s new penalty standards for unpaid social insurance contributions are a positive step. Enforcing the law would not only protect workers in retirement but also help boost domestic consumption and reduce China’s dependence on exports.

A U.S. Army unit in Germany is not sure what’s next as the Pentagon considers a major drawdown of forces in Europe.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration has been accused of trying to conceal Manila’s urban poverty by clearing street vendors and homeless people along key routes ahead of next week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Antonio Tinio, deputy minority floor leader of the House of Representatives representing the ACT Teachers Party List, claimed on Monday that authorities had launched operations to displace poor communities across the capital to present a...

There is growing momentum to pass a slate of major new export control bills targeting China, in the wake of the Democrats’ takeover of the US Congress and scrutiny over American chip giant Nvidia following CEO Jensen Huang’s admission of an extramarital affair. US intelligence reportedly identified the woman as a Chinese spy, a claim that Beijing has rejected. Leading US politicians have been quick to jump on the news to put pressure on the White House and other lawmakers to approve three bills...

Traditionally a festival of lights, essentially lamps, Diwali has become a celebration of noise. Firecrackers are creating massive sound and air pollution.

US President Donald Trump has conceded that his mass deportation drive may have been “too tough” after his Republican Party’s heavy losses in the midterm elections, but analysts doubt the remark signals a change of policy. Asian-Americans, who were among the communities heavily targeted in the immigration crackdown, swung sharply towards the Democrats on November 3. Trump made the comment in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes programme, recorded after the vote. Democrats won control of both...

Indonesia’s parliament reconvened on Tuesday with lawmakers weighing the possibility of a probe into the eligibility of Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, amid a widening political rift between his influential father and President Prabowo Subianto. As son of the hugely popular two-term former President Joko Widodo, Gibran helped Prabowo win the ‌2024 election by a huge margin, but some lawmakers are seeking to investigate whether his incomplete education documents disqualify him as...

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an extramarital affair as the chipmaker investigates reported allegations that a Chinese businesswoman close to him may have been working for Beijing’s intelligence services. Beijing has rejected the espionage claims as “baseless”, while Nvidia has said it had no reason to believe company secrets or US national security were compromised. The controversy wiped about US$190 billion off the chipmaker’s market value in a single day. US...

In Indonesia, support for President Prabowo Subianto has collapsed as his government has failed to contain raging wildfires, compounding quality-of-life woes.

Four deaths in two helicopter crashes within five days have raised questions about the dangers facing those fighting Indonesia’s massive forest fires, prompting a government review on aerial firefighting efforts. But those dangers extend beyond the skies, with volunteer firefighters on the ground describing inadequate protective equipment, scarce water supplies and peatland fires that can suddenly erupt beneath their feet. On November 4, an Indonesian army Mi-17V5 transport helicopter carrying...

Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak arrived home on Tuesday, hours after the High Court cleared the way for him to start serving the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. Najib was driven in a silver SUV to his house in Kuala Lumpur’s affluent suburb of Taman Duta at 9.27pm, local news outlets reported. The car was escorted by several other vehicles from the Prison Department and the Royal Malaysian Police. His prison exit triggered Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s...

Indonesia is turning to China for a major expansion of solar power and energy storage, but a new report warns that a multibillion-dollar funding gap and demands for greater domestic control will complicate the plan as the country’s energy ties deepen. The report, published on Monday by the Jakarta-based Centre of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), found that Chinese investment in Indonesia’s energy sector was expanding beyond nickel processing and electric-vehicle battery production, which had...

The killing of a Chinese food delivery rider in Melbourne has renewed safety concerns across the city just weeks ahead of the Victorian state election, where law and order is expected to be a key campaign battleground. Feng Jianming, a 47-year-old Chinese national from Shaanxi province, worked as a rider for HungryPanda – a UK-headquartered delivery platform catering to the Chinese diaspora across 10 countries, including Australia. Feng died of stab wounds last Friday night near Melbourne’s...

China’s factories are finding eager buyers worldwide, but the export boom is raising concerns about its impact on trading partner nations.

South Korea is facing growing concerns over the fallout from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, amid fears that the scandal could disrupt global AI supply chains and trigger tighter US export controls on Seoul’s semiconductor champions. The highly publicised “bromance” between Huang and South Korea’s top technology leaders – notably Samsung Electronics executive chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won – has played a crucial...

Eurovision, the live song contest that has launched the likes of Abba, Celine Dion and Olivia Newton-John onto the world stage, is set to make its Asia debut in Bangkok this weekend, with a coterie of singers from South Korea and Bangladesh to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Organisers of the 11-country contest are hoping to tap Asia’s thriving fan culture and love of music – and at the same time sidestep some of the gaffes and geopolitical controversies that have made the European event an...

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. Nvidia scandal, China chip claims put Singapore firm Megaspeed under scrutiny A little-known Singapore-registered company is embroiled in a mounting love scandal surrounding Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and US allegations of Chinese espionage. 2. Diploma dispute fuels...