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Singapore has earned top marks for digital resilience in the Asia-Pacific, but a new study reveals a disconnect at the heart of its corporate world: its executives ranked 10th out of 11 for leadership on the issue. The findings, published on Wednesday by Economist Impact and Australian telecoms company Telstra International, drew on responses from 1,420 senior executives across 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Singapore ranked first overall –...

China begins building US$1 billion hydropower station in Cambodia amid energy crisis

Construction of a US$1 billion Chinese-invested hydropower station has begun in Cambodia to facilitate the Southeast Asian country’s use of renewable energy as the fallout from the Iran war constricts developing countries’ access to traditional fuel supplies. Work on the Upper Tatay pumped-storage hydropower project in the hilly southwestern province of Koh Kong started on April 10, Xinhua reported, describing it as a future “green power bank” for Cambodia’s national grid. It said the project...

The South Korean authors rising above a tide of hate to become bestsellers

A quiet revolution is unfolding as women writers carve out space in the wake of an anti-feminist backlash.

How Hong Kong can beat Singapore as the launch pad for Chinese firms

For a Chinese enterprise venturing overseas, the first decision is often not which market to enter, but which city to launch from. And that choice increasingly narrows to Hong Kong or Singapore. Both offer deep capital markets, common law systems and Chinese-speaking talent. Both want to be the trusted first stop. But a gap has emerged – not in what the two cities offer on paper, but in how they treat the enterprises they both want. What does a “launch pad” deliver? It is where a Chinese...

One dead after car hits pedestrians in Melbourne, police say

A man is arrested following a collision in which police say a car mounted a kerb and struck pedestrians.

Japan, Australia finalise contracts to deliver first 3 of planned frigates

Japan and Australia said on Saturday they have finalised contracts to jointly deliver the first three of 11 ships for the Australian navy based on the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate, as the two countries deepen their defence cooperation amid China’s growing assertiveness. The deal, announced by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Melbourne, comes ahead of Japan’s planned easing of its rules on defence equipment exports, which place...

Why Japan’s bond moves could see shift in East Asia’s financing model

East Asia’s “economic miracle” in the post-World War II period was predicated upon a number of factors, such as the region’s export-led growth model, but critically it also depended on an assured supply of capital to finance business investment. One source of such finance was bank loans, the supply and direction of which can be officially influenced by various means rather than being chiefly market-determined. Even today, bank loans account for most of the business financing in Japan, the...

In Bangkok, Malaysia’s first Mr Bear winner finds spotlight queer life rarely gets at home

On Monday afternoon, amid the heat and chaos of Thailand’s Songkran festival, Gavin Chow was crowned Mr Bear International 2026 – the first Malaysian to win the title at a pageant that has quickly become part of Thailand’s growing queer festival circuit. Back in Chow’s home country, the climate is very different. Malaysia criminalises same-sex intimacy under federal law, LGBTQ gatherings have faced police raids and the 34-year-old activist’s own national qualifier earlier this year struggled to...

Magnitude 5 quakes hit Japan’s Nagano prefecture

Two strong earthquakes jolted Nagano Prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, with the first measuring a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 followed by another registering magnitude 5.1, the country’s weather agency said. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of aftershocks on a similar scale over the next week or so. No tsunami warnings were issued. The first major quake occurred at 1.20pm in Omachi and registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, according to the agency. At...

South Korea’s AI shamans foretell a future in old tradition

The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near – although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence. Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person’s future based on the day and time they were born. Practitioners, known as mudang, wear long, colourful robes and perform dances and chants to commune with the gods – sometimes even walking on sharp blades...

Hospitals face glove shortage as Malaysian makers hike prices by 40%

Rubber glove makers have raised prices and warned of production cuts as the Iran war chokes supplies of key inputs, raising concerns for the healthcare sector. Glove makers have already hiked the average price of synthetic rubber gloves by around 40 per cent to as high as US$29 for a box ‌of 1,000, according to Oong Chun Sung, an equity research analyst at CIMB Securities. Sustained disruption to supply chains from the conflict could lead to glove shortages by late May, analysts at Malaysia’s...

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

Japan is hoping further US-Iran talks will ease tensions in the Middle East and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz permanently, but there is also mounting anxiety over what a failure could mean for the country as summer approaches. On Friday, Iran said it would reopen the strait for commercial shipping following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, while US ⁠President Donald Trump added that a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports would ‌remain until a deal with Tehran was struck. The fear in Japan,...

Air New Zealand invites economy passengers to join mile-high sleep club in world first

Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travellers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks. The airline will soon open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travellers. Fliers will get cosy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are forbidden. The curtained...

In Malaysia, unlicensed street photography becomes focus of crackdown

While many Europeans are considering putting long-haul flying on the back burner as jet fuel costs and airfares climb, those with a trip already booked for Malaysia may need to watch out if ambling around with a camera slung across a shoulder. Following an early April warning about unlicensed street photography, city authorities in Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, have confiscated equipment from six people, five of them non-Malaysians, pending payment of fines levied under street hawking...

Japan ditches decades of arm export curbs as US reliability wavers

Japan is set to take another step away from its long-standing limits on arms exports, a move analysts say will strengthen the domestic defence industry, spur innovation, deepen security ties and reduce Tokyo’s reliance on the US at a time when Washington is increasingly seen as a less reliable partner. The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday that revisions to the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology would be approved at a cabinet meeting next week. The changes...

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

The age of cheap oil is over and Thailand’s rooftops are reflecting that fact. Across homes, garages and warehouses in the sun-drenched kingdom, the blue-black sheen of solar panels is spreading, as the Iran war has done what years of climate summits could not: turn solar power into a necessity. Demand for solar panels has swamped companies like Wayso, whose managing director is colouring in Thailand’s rooftops as fast as he can find technicians to do it. “We can’t hire quickly enough,” Suwat...

He made jazz under air raids - and built an Indian city's music scene

War correspondent, jazz bandleader and impresario, KC Sen shaped Kolkata’s music scene.

U.S. oil price plunges below $84 as Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open, easing supply fears

Oil prices tumbled more than 11% after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open amid a ceasefire deal with Lebanon.

Tanker diplomacy: Trump faces tests from Havana to Hormuz

From Cuba to the Persian Gulf, Trump is expected to face fresh challenges across a new arc of tanker diplomacy.

Japan reveals new name for 40C-and-hotter days after blistering summer

The term - kokushobi - translates to "cruelly hot", "brutally hot" or "severely hot", and comes after Japan's hottest summer on record.

Iran war energy shock threatens Southeast Asia’s supply chains. A win for China?

Some exporters at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou report a modest return of orders to China from Southeast Asia, as energy-market volatility linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran prompts some Western buyers to prioritise supply chain stability. The shift is visible in buyer patterns on the exhibition floor, where the number from Europe and the United States appears to have recovered from last year’s levels, according to Chinese exporters, with more inquiries for home appliances, new energy products...

Arrest of Philippine ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co ‘missing puzzle piece’ in flood-control probe

The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the...

Vietnam and China are now perfectly aligned

Even before Donald Trump returned to the White House, Vietnam’s military planners were already busy preparing for a possible second invasion by the United States and its allies. In the “Second US Invasion Plan”, secretly issued in August 2024, the Vietnamese military rejected playing any part in America’s China containment strategy in the Asia-Pacific. Rather, it sees the US promotion of “freedom and democracy” as a cynical ploy to maintain hegemony in the region. The document, released in...

UN reforms can’t wait any longer, Kazakhstan’s Tokayev says amid fragile Iran truce

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had laid bare the urgency of long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. “We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens,” Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering.” At the three-day summit ending...

Malaysia’s Anwar chats with US Muslim streamer – is it a populist move?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is usually seen in carefully choreographed meetings with presidents, kings and regional leaders in Putrajaya. So it was striking to see him instead riding through the city on a casual live stream with Sneako, the controversial 27-year-old American streamer and Muslim convert whose appeal to mainly young male audiences has made him an unlikely cultural figure. For more than an hour on Friday, the live stream gave Anwar a rare chance to sell Malaysia, his...

Asian airlines face ‘major headwind’ from jet fuel costs, forcing flight changes

Asian airlines are cutting flights, raising fares and reshuffling networks as the Iran war sends jet fuel prices soaring, leaving carriers across the region scrambling to protect their margins and preserve key routes. The shock has hit Asia especially hard because many economies depend heavily on fuel flows from the Middle East, according to aviation analysts, and some regional carriers are less protected from sudden price spikes than their counterparts in Europe or the US. “The impact has been...

Harry and Meghan meet Bondi shooting survivors

On the fourth day of their Australian visit, the royal couple pay tribute to the 15 people killed in the Bondi shooting.

Australia's most decorated living soldier released on bail over war crime charges

Lawyers argued that Ben Roberts-Smith wouldn't be able to defend himself properly from prison.

Asia markets mostly fall as fragile Middle East ceasefire tempers sentiment

Most Asia-Pacific markets traded lower Friday as an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire tempered risk appetite, even after Wall Street closed at fresh record highs.

Pakistan oil tanker becomes first to exit through Hormuz since US blockade began

A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains. The Shalamar sailed just south of Iran’s Larak Island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of crude loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. The Aframax...

Indonesia’s Surabaya bans absentee fathers from public services for dodging child support

As divorce rates continue to rise in Indonesia, more single mothers are bearing the brunt of financial hardship and struggling to collect court-ordered child support from former spouses. For some women, help comes from an initiative unique in the country: the East Java city of Surabaya bars men from accessing public services if they fail to pay court-ordered child support. First introduced in 2023, the scheme has been used to block administrative access to more than 8,000 men, according to Irvan...

U.S. seeks bigger energy foothold in India. Why it could be a problem for New Delhi

U.S. pushes energy sales to energy‑starved India, but higher costs, refinery mismatches, and tight supply pose risks.

Vietnamese airline to lease up to 10 C909 jets in boost for Chinese aircraft maker

Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet Air has agreed to lease as many as 10 Chinese-made C909 regional passenger jets, giving a lift to their manufacturer’s goal of vying with Airbus and Boeing in overseas civil aviation. VietJet said in a statement on Thursday night it had agreed with SPDB Financial Leasing, a subsidiary of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in China, to finance the aircraft through operating leases. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) makes the jets that are the subject...

Malaysian man among 8 dead in Indonesian helicopter crash

Two crew members and six passengers were killed when a private helicopter crashed in dense forest on Indonesia’s Borneo island, the transport ministry said on Friday. The Airbus H130 helicopter, owned by local firm Matthew Air Nusantara, lost contact with air traffic control about five minutes after take-off from an oil plantation in the West Kalimantan province on Thursday morning. It was on its way to another plantation in Kubu Raya district. All eight on board were men and one was a Malaysian...

Chinese carmaker patents voice-controlled 'in-vehicle toilet'

Seres' plans show how stiff competition in the EV space is putting pressure on carmakers to innovate.

CNBC Daily Open: A ceasefire, but no Strait talk

A 10-day truce between Isreal and Lebanon takes negotiators another step closer to a broader Middle East peace agreement.

Myanmar frees Win Myint, cuts Aung San Suu Kyi’s prison term in broad-ranging amnesty deal

Myanmar ⁠has freed former president Win Myint and reduced the sentence of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu ‌Kyi as part of an ‌amnesty that saw the release of 4,335 prisoners, according to state media. “The president has pardoned Win Myint,” said a statement on Friday from the office of newly elected president Min Aung Hlaing. Win Myint, an ally ‌of ⁠Suu Kyi, served as president ⁠from 2018 and 2021 but ‌was ousted ‌by a military coup and had been detained since. Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence...

South Korean mum faces child abuse charges for feeding rice cake soup to 2-month-old baby

A South Korean woman in her thirties is facing child abuse charges after allegedly feeding her two-month-old infant tteokguk, or rice cake soup, with the case coming to light through photos she posted online. The dish, commonly eaten to mark the new year in South Korea, is considered inappropriate for infants, whose digestive systems are not yet developed enough to process semi-solid foods. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, the unidentified woman is being...

Marcos says key suspect in Philippine corruption firestorm arrested

Ex-MP Zaldy Co has been detained in Prague, ending months of hiding.

Runaway wolf finally captured after nine-day search in South Korea

The search has been marked by twists and turns, gripping South Korea and even inspiring a meme coin.

US oil floats to top as Asia looks for Middle Eastern alternatives amid Iran war

Asian refiners have grown increasingly reliant on US crude as oil-starved fuel makers scour the globe to replace Middle Eastern supply and stave off shortages that could ripple through the broader economy. Buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the US early in the month, with South Korean, Singaporean and Thai processors also among customers, said traders familiar with the matter. At least 60 million barrels of grades from the US Gulf were bought for loading next...

Major refinery fire won't lead to fuel rationing, Australian PM says

A 13-hour blaze at one of Australia's two oil refineries could impact petrol prices and supply.

Australia acts to protect winter crops with emergency Indonesian fertiliser deal

An Australian company will import 250,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser from Indonesia in the coming months, easing fears of a shortage that would crimp food production, Canberra said on Friday. Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of crops including wheat, barley and canola but relies on fertiliser imports that are threatened by ‌the war on Iran, which has cut supply from the Middle East, a major urea producer. The price of urea, a source of nitrogen that fuels plant growth, has risen...

Iranian footballers say Australia has given them 'hope' for safe future

The duo had sought aslyum after their football team did not sing the national anthem during a match.

North Korea’s Kim ramps up show of force as US war on Iran raises stakes

As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills and missile tests to project confidence at home and defiance abroad. His heightened visibility suggests that Kim feels more secure in his country’s nuclear deterrence as Washington’s focus is pulled in several directions, analysts say. Kim has cast himself as increasingly assertive and is distancing himself from the symbolic rituals observed by...

'How does one survive?': Factory protests expose strain in India's industrial system

Workers in some north Indian cities have been protesting, demanding better pay and working conditions.

Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

The decades-long negotiations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea may finally come to an end this year. Several parties involved, including China and the Philippines, have expressed confidence in reaching a final conclusion to the proposed set of rules in the contested waterways in the coming months. In March, Beijing signalled its hope of concluding negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by the end of the year while Manila has repeatedly expressed its intention to...

Philippines corruption scandal suspect Zaldy Co arrested in Prague, Marcos says

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Thursday night that a key suspect in a corruption scandal that has sparked public outrage in the Philippines has been arrested in the Czech Republic and that efforts were under way to repatriate the former lawmaker. Zaldy Co, who resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being implicated in financial anomalies involving flood control projects, was detained by authorities in Prague after crossing into the Central European...

Trade tensions make rest of world less keen to invest in US and China, survey finds

Trade tensions between the US and China have made companies around the world less keen to invest in either country, with the United States almost twice as unpopular, according to a new report from Allianz Trade. The report, based on an annual survey by the Paris-based international insurance company, said US-China decoupling had not materialised, but investment intention towards China had dropped “significantly” to 24 per cent of survey respondents, down from 53 per cent a year ago. The survey...

Why India is rankled by Pakistan playing mediator in US-Iran war

The quiet conclusion of US and Iranian backchannel engagements in Islamabad left more than diplomatic ambiguity. It crystallised a striking image: a financially strained, politically volatile Pakistan briefly positioning itself as a facilitator in one of the world’s most combustible rivalries. Substantive or symbolic, the episode underscores a deeper churn in West Asian geopolitics – one in which agility trumps credibility. Pakistan’s role was not incidental. Islamabad offered itself as a...

Malaysia and Australia strike energy supply pledge to bypass Iran war disruptions

Malaysia and Australia pledged on Thursday to keep oil and gas flowing between them as the Iran war’s continuous squeeze on global fuel supplies compels regional countries to deepen energy trade cooperation. Across Asia, governments have been scrambling for alternatives after crude oil and gas shipments from the Middle East were disrupted following Tehran’s move to choke access to the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli strikes against Iran that began on February 28. The disruption has...

Chinese drone exposes Indonesia’s ‘insufficient’ undersea capabilities

The recent discovery of a Chinese underwater drone in Indonesia’s waters serves as a wake-up call for Jakarta to strengthen its undersea defence capabilities, analysts have said. Indonesia, however, is likely to remain silent on the find and resolve the issue through “quiet diplomacy”, according to observers. Last week, an Indonesian fisherman found a Chinese unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Lombok Strait, a key waterway leading to Australia. Marked with the letters “CSIC”, the drone is...

Indonesia’s Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape

Indonesia’s push to bring thousands of unlicensed tourist stays into the legal fold is running into a familiar administrative obstacle in Bali, with operators saying the government wants faster compliance than the bureaucracy could allow. In December, the Ministry of Tourism said unlicensed accommodation providers in Bali, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara and West Java had until March 31 to register their hotels, guest houses, villas and homestays, in a move meant to improve service quality,...

Indian man charged with sexual assault of passenger on Singapore-Perth Scoot flight

A man was charged in Australia on Tuesday with sexually assaulting a female passenger on board a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth on Monday. The 52-year-old Indian national committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on a woman he was seated next to during the flight, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Western Australia Police Force said in a joint statement on Monday. The woman sought help from airline staff members and was later moved to another seat, the police said in the...

Iran war sparks 'fundamental energy transition' in Seoul toward renewables: Energy minister

Kim said South Korea will focus on wind and solar power to achieve its goal of reaching 100 gigawatts renewable energy capacity

Bullish narrative around India’s economy at odds with struggling rupee

At first glance, the rupee is staging a recovery. India’s battered currency has gained around 1.5 per cent since March 27, making it the best-performing currency in Asia, according to Bloomberg data. However, the recent bounce belies vulnerabilities in India’s economy that have been exacerbated by the energy shock emanating from the war in Iran. India is one of the most exposed among Asia’s leading economies, importing 90 per cent of its oil and more than half its liquefied petroleum gas....

Hong Kong to announce tax break to lure global commodity traders

Hong Kong is rolling out a new tax break for commodity traders as it seeks to strengthen its position as a regional trading hub and revive shipping activity amid global supply disruptions.

Iran war drags India’s goods exports 7% lower in March — more pain ahead

Iran war cuts India’s March goods exports by over 7%, hammering key sectors and markets, lifting costs and delaying recovery for months.

Japan's Nikkei 225 hits record high as hopes for U.S.-Iran deal fuel broader rally in Asia stocks

Asia markets opened higher, with Nikkei at an all-time high after Wall Street hit record levels on growing expectations of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war.

BTS comeback drives record 2.06 million tourists to South Korea

South Korea welcomed a record 2.06 million foreign visitors in March, led by Chinese arrivals, government data showed on Thursday, with tourism spending lifted ‌by the comeback tour of K-pop supergroup BTS after a years-long hiatus. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the monthly record helped lift first-quarter arrivals by 23 per cent from a year ago to 4.76 million, also a record for a first quarter. It attributed the trend to the “worldwide popularity of [Korean] culture”,...

7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran spray clash with van driver in Phuket

Thai police arrested seven French tourists after a viral Songkran confrontation in Phuket in which revellers surrounded a van, sprayed its driver with water and later ignored police orders to disperse. The incident came during Thailand’s annual new year festival, whose street water fights draw huge crowds across the country but have also sparked complaints this year about more aggressive behaviour in some tourist hotspots. Video shared on social media showed a crowd in Patong, a beach town on...

This video of ‘Iran capturing US pilot’ was filmed in Pakistan

With the rise of social media and generative AI, how much of what we see online is true? In this series, SCMP Fact-Check, the South China Morning Post investigates claims circulating online and debunks viral misinformation impacting the daily lives of Hongkongers. A video circulating online amid the US-Israel war on Iran falsely claims to show a downed American pilot captured alive by Iranians. “Iranians Captured F35 Pilot alive,” read the caption of a Facebook reel. The video appeared to show a...

Japan remains most trusted power in Southeast Asia despite military build-up: survey

Japan is expected to remain the most trusted power among Southeast Asian countries, even as it seeks to amend its pacifist constitution and continues its military build-up. However, Tokyo will need to be transparent about its motives and reassure others that its military-related actions contribute to regional security, according to analysts. In the latest annual survey conducted by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Japan retained its ranking as the region’s most trusted power,...

University of Indonesia suspends 16 law students for sexually explicit group chat

A leading Indonesian university suspended 16 law students on Thursday after a sexually explicit group chat about their female peers went viral, sparking a debate about gender violence in the Muslim-majority country. Screenshots of a conversation among 16 male students at the University of Indonesia were posted on social media this week, eliciting shock and anger from female peers and a wider societal discussion. The university said in a statement on Thursday it had suspended the young men for...

Trump says Israel and Lebanon leaders to hold talks after first high-level meeting in decades

The U.S. president said he was "trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon."

Stepfather tells Japanese investigators ‘there’s no doubt’ he killed missing boy

A Japanese man arrested for abandoning the body of his stepson who had been missing for weeks has admitted to killing the boy and allegedly hiding the corpse in different locations amid an extensive search by police in Kyoto prefecture. The arrest on Thursday morning marked a dramatic turn of events in the investigation, which was launched when 11-year-old Yuki Adachi went missing on March 23 after the stepfather claimed to have driven him to school. The 37-year-old, also called Yuki Adachi, is...

CNBC Daily Open: Trading the truce and the Lebanon dilemma

The S&P, Nasdaq and Nikkei all top new record highs on optimism of an extended truce between the U.S. and Israel, as well as talks with Lebanon.

Inside India newsletter: Small towns are powering e-commerce's fastest-growing market, dominated by Amazon, Walmart unit

Small towns are fueling India’s e‑commerce surge, with Amazon and Flipkart chasing new shoppers, faster delivery and rising aspirational demand.

Malaysia pumps up police action at border petrol stations to curb subsidised fuel leaks

Malaysia has deployed police to dozens of petrol stations along its borders as it moves to stop subsidised fuel from leaking out of the country, with the government linking the tougher enforcement to a global energy crunch triggered by the Iran war. The Southeast Asian nation shares borders with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. Police said 36 petrol stations had been classified as “hotspots” and another 55 as high-risk locations. The deployments began at 6am on Wednesday across Perlis,...

Japan pledges $10bn to help Asian countries deal with oil crisis

The aid is roughly equivalent to a year's worth of crude oil imports by Asean countries.

Residents on Indonesia’s Bali resort to burning trash after landfill ban on organic waste

The partial closure of a major landfill site on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali is forcing thousands of residents to instead burn trash in their gardens, sparking widespread environmental and health concerns. Suwung landfill, about 10km (six miles) northeast of Denpasar International Airport, used to handle some 1,000 tonnes (1,100 tons) of rubbish a day. As the site nears capacity, authorities said it would stop taking organic waste as of April 1 in an attempt to direct that matter...

Fire at Australian refinery fuels petrol shortage fears amid global oil crisis

A fire at one of Australia’s two operating oil refineries could hit petrol production more than diesel and aviation fuel, authorities said on Thursday, as emergency crews worked overnight to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters were battling flames as tall as 60 metres (200 feet) at Viva ‌Energy’s motor petrol production unit at its Geelong refinery in Victoria state, which processes crude into high-octane petrol. No injuries have been reported from the fire, which emergency crews were alerted to...

Would more drastic measures help Philippines bring down fuel prices?

With fuel prices in the Philippines among the world’s hardest hit by the Iran war, consumer groups are urging the government to take bolder action, including tighter control over pump prices. Economists say the more realistic options are tax relief, targeted subsidies and transport support rather than direct price controls. Sharon Garin, secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Energy, said on a radio programme on Sunday that the country might no longer see diesel at 60 pesos (US$1) per litre...

Japanese public backs a female emperor while Takaichi pushes conservative succession plan

Japan’s public has once again signalled strong support for a woman ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female leader, is pushing in a different direction. A Mainichi newspaper poll published on Wednesday found that 61 per cent of respondents believed the law should be changed to allow a woman to become emperor, against just 9 per cent who said the throne should remain reserved for a man. The emperor is defined in the 1947 constitution as...

Quad summit plan turns uneasy as India pushes ahead without top leaders: sources

A stretch of awkward diplomacy is unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. After India’s 2025 term as the Quad’s rotating chair ended without a summit, New Delhi is planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could be framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top leaders do not attend, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move is seen as a way to smooth India’s ruffled feathers on several counts. “It’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig,” said Sourabh Gupta of the Institute...

Howl recordings and an AI image: Inside South Korea's long hunt for an escaped wolf

Hundreds have been deployed to find Neukgu, a young wolf that has eluded capture for a week and counting.

U.S. says Hormuz blockade 'fully implemented,' while signaling diplomatic off-ramp for Iran

The White House has been signaling a diplomatic solution to the conflict in the Middle East, as discussions around continuing negotiations with Tehran are underway.

Asia markets trade higher as hopes for a U.S.-Iran deal rise

Asia-Pacific markets track overnight gains in U.S. stocks on lower oil prices and hopes of a Iran-U.S. deal

CNBC Daily Open: Back-to-back gains on Iran peace talks hope

Global stocks rally in back-to-back gains on optimism of renewed peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.

CNBC Daily Open: S&P 500 nears all-time high

Markets are rising on Iran-U.S. talks, but there remains massive disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. oil price tumbles below $92 as White House considers further talks with Iran

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the next steps in U.S.-Iran peace efforts now depend on Tehran.

Asia markets mostly higher amid hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal; China exports miss estimates

Asia-Pacific markets open mostly higher Tuesday, amid positive investor sentiment that a deal between the U.S. and Iran is still possible

U.S. Hormuz blockade hits India just as Russian oil purchase waiver expires, deepening energy worries

U.S. moves to blockade Iran, and let a Russian oil waiver lapse, squeeze India’s energy supplies, exposing its vulnerability under rising U.S. pressure.

CNBC Daily Open: S&P stages a comeback, erasing all Iran war losses

U.S. stocks rally to erase Iran war losses as Vice President Vance says "ball is in Iran's court."

Bongbong Marcos fights ill-health rumours with star jumps

The Philippine President challenged anyone questioning his fitness to join him in the gym.

CNBC Daily Open: Markets bet on a U.S.-Iran deal amid Hormuz blockade

The U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz risks deepening the energy shock, but markets are shrugging it off amid optimism for a deal.

‘I don’t know why they’re coming’: Australians on Harry and Meghan's visit

The BBC spoke to people in Sydney to hear their thoughts on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to Australia.

Hospital at centre of child HIV outbreak caught reusing syringes in undercover filming

Footage shows staff in Pakistan injecting without gloves and reusing syringes, but the hospital boss refuses to acknowledge it is genuine.

CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: China's AI glasses have something Meta doesn't

One Chinese company claims it has the recipe for success in the increasingly competitive smart glasses market

Asia markets trade lower as oil surges after U.S. moves to blockade Iran ports

Oil prices surged past $100 after U.S.-Iran talks collapsed and Washington moved toward a naval blockade, setting a cautious tone for Asia markets at the open.

CNBC Daily Open: Trump goes from opening the Strait of Hormuz to blockading it

The failed peace talks left investors on edge with little visibility on how the blockade will be implemented, and how long and deep an oil shock needs to be priced in.

From panic to pricing in: Are markets past 'peak fear and sell-off' despite oil price surge?

Investors appear to have already priced in much of the geopolitical risks and are growing less reactive to headlines.

What this real-world oil price says about the level of stress in the energy market

Energy analysts warn that the Iran ceasefire is not likely to alleviate acute signs of stress in the physical oil market.

CNBC Daily Open: Trump lashes out at Iran and the Pope

Failed negotiations with Iran lead U.S. President Trump to announce a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Asha Bhosle: The sound of Bollywood dies aged 92

Her infectious voice got fans dancing and singing, becoming the soundtrack for generations of Indians.

China's Xi invokes 'threat' of Taiwan independence in first cross-strait opposition talks in a decade

Xi Jinping hosted Taiwan's main opposition leader in Beijing for the first time in a decade, ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Trump in May and Taiwan's presidential election in 2028.

Behind China's 'active efforts' for an Iran ceasefire: Business trumps politics

The big risk for Beijing is that the Iran war drags down global demand for the exports that are driving China's economic growth.

CNBC Daily Open: Truce tested ahead of ceasefire talks in Pakistan

The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is facing multiple tests ahead of negotiations in Pakistan this weekend.

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