SCMP Asian News

The Russian president is hosting his Indonesian counterpart as Moscow seeks to pivot to Asia and Africa in wake of Western sanctions over his invasion.

Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) is made up of US, UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand; some say France is already interested in joining despite anger over the Aukus security pact and the new PBP will become ‘multilateral rather than minilateral’.

Japan is the only G7 state that does not legally guarantee joint custody to separated parents. Currently, the Civil Law grants full custody of children to one parent after divorce, often to the guardian who has the child.

SK Bioscience is seeking an approval from the World Health Organization for its shots, which would potentially open export opportunities.

The son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was sworn in as president of the Philippines on Thursday, completing a stunning comeback for one of Asia’s most famous political dynasties, 36 years after it was ousted in a popular uprising.

Tourism hotspots Thailand and Indonesia are trying to take advantage of business-leisure travellers – a subset of digital nomads, living and working abroad for longer than a typical holiday without taking up permanent residence.

Major rivers in the country are in spate following torrential rains since last week, prompting officials to step up disaster response efforts amid a wave of infections.

New Zealand has in recent years tried not to antagonise China, its largest trading partner, at times choosing not to co-sign statements from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance criticising Beijing.

Marcos Jnr will have to navigate inflation, a looming energy crisis, poor infrastructure and rising Covid-19 cases in Manila

Gaiyathiri Murugayan, who had repeatedly assaulted Piang Ngaih Don until she died in 2016, sought a shorter sentence of 12 to 15 years.

For the first time, the Western military alliance singles out China by name in its strategy document, which had not been updated for 12 years.

The country’s fuel crisis is taking a toll on schools, hospitals and critical export industries such as the seafood sector.

South Korean capital comes in at second place for the first time in global list ranking 140 cities, while London takes top spot.

Soaring temperatures and a looming power crunch have prompted Japan to speed up reviews of the dozens of nuclear reactors that were shut down in the wake of Fukushima disaster. Nuclear power used to account for about 30 per cent of Japan’s energy mix before 2011.

Sales are surging at South Korea’s convenience stores as office workers seeks ways to cut costs amid the biggest jump in the price of restaurant dishes for 24 years.

The victim was a tailor who shared a social media post supporting former BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, according to local media. A video of the attack was widely shared online. Two men have been arrested.

Indonesia’s ‘historical nostalgia’, Cold War neutrality means Russia isn’t all that cut off from the world.

The site co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has had to fight for survival after being accused of tax evasion and violating a foreign-ownership ban.

A Lowy Institute Poll found 51 per cent were in favour of Australia using its military forces to defend Taiwan. Just 12 per cent of those surveyed said they trust Beijing to act responsibly in global affairs.

On Tuesday, Indonesia had 2,167 new infections, with at least 143 cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 – a number health experts said was ‘the tip of the iceberg’ due to a lack of testing.