Adrian W. Westcott, MBBS, FRACS, a General Surgeon with Mackay Surgical Group

Indonesia is considering lifting a statutory cap on government spending that has been in place for more than two decades, as President Prabowo Subianto pushes for faster economic growth. Supporters argue that greater room to borrow and spend would let Southeast Asia’s largest economy invest its way towards Prabowo’s target of 8 per cent annual growth by 2029. Economists counter that weakening the rule could push up borrowing costs and dent investor confidence. At issue is the mandatory ceiling...

President Trump made the offer to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said David Perdue, the ambassador to China. The White House later said the U.S. had no plans for such a sale.

South Korea’s presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying ‌that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential. “The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for...

A male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang landed on Sunday, days after China’s leader said he would dispatch “envoys of friendship” to the United States.

In China, A.I. doomsday warnings can feel distinctly Western or like a ploy to stop Chinese A.I. companies from trying to overtake their U.S. rivals.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in the eastern province of Nuristan after a group it said included Islamic State militants travelled from Pakistan. The ministry alleged Pakistani militias ‌had supported the fighters and that most of them were former Afghan government security personnel. Pakistan’s information ministry rejected the allegations, describing them as “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth” in a post on social...

US contract chipmaker GlobalFoundries sees robust demand for Chinese optical modules amid the data centre construction boom, as the firm expands its presence in China to better serve its domestic clients. Shankaran Janardhanan, senior vice-president of the firm’s photonics and radio frequency division, told the South China Morning Post in an interview that demand in the optical networking module segment was “strong”. The surging appetite for Chinese optical modules – used to transmit data in...

Deep floodwaters in Bangkok drove thousands of residents into shelters as others scrambled to buy groceries or dry out their homes on Sunday after days of heavy rain inundated markets, roads, and residences. Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos waded through murky knee-deep water in the Thai capital, some venturing into a supermarket while others floated their belongings in plastic tubs. “People cannot get out of their homes. We are running out of food, so I came out to purchase some,” Aduenan...

You can still buy a Singapore Sling in the colonial-era hotel where it’s said to have been invented more than a century ago. Custom versions have arisen nearby.

Bangkok residents stranded by neck-deep floodwaters on Sunday appealed for clean water and food, as Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a diplomatic trip to the United Kingdom to monitor the response amid growing criticism online. In the worst floods to hit the Thai capital in 15 years, life has ground to a standstill in parts of the city since Friday evening, prompting the town hall to declare a disaster in all 50 districts. Days of incessant rains that overwhelmed Bangkok’s...

Stories of the manananggal, a creature said to split its body in two, and the tiyanak, which takes the form of an infant, are part of the folklore many children grow up hearing in the Philippines. Now, they are among the mythological creatures featured in DreamWorks’ animated film Forgotten Island, which opened in the Philippines on Wednesday and two days later in the United States. The film, described as the first major Hollywood production to showcase Filipino culture and mythology, offers a...

A video installation built around the testimony of a former Japanese soldier on the killing of civilians and sexual assault in wartime China will go on display in London in October, even as its creator struggles to find a museum willing to exhibit the award-winning work in Japan. Created by contemporary artist Meiro Koizumi, “The Angels of Testimony”, has won acclaim overseas, but Japanese museums have been reluctant to exhibit the work, which confronts memories of violence committed by Japanese...