Daily Asia briefing

The authority managing the Hong Kong International Airport expects revenue to grow by up to 10 per cent this year despite ongoing disruptions arising from the Iran war, its CEO has said, adding that she aims to position...

As the US-Israeli war with Iran chokes off shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the “Middle Corridor” is being held up as a critical alternative lifeline linking East Asia to Europe. Also known as the Trans-Caspian Int...

The Iran war has delivered a systemic shock to the Gulf’s security architecture and economic miracle. Two taboos were rapidly broken. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption and cl...

The Philippines has emerged as the clearest example of what observers say is Japan’s shift towards a more active defence role abroad, with both countries deepening their military cooperation in areas ranging from joint d...

A deadly shooting at Teotihuacan has intensified scrutiny of Mexico’s security readiness ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The planned attack, which killed a tourist and injured several others, exposed gaps at a major la...

South Korea’s air force apologised on ⁠Thursday for a ⁠2021 mid-air collision involving two ⁠fighter jets, a day after auditors said pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for...

China’s close ties with Russia should be a “disqualifying factor” in Beijing’s bid to launch talks on a free-trade agreement with the European Union, Finland’s foreign minister has said. In meetings with European leaders...

A Henderson Land Development joint venture has won a five-year contract to operate the Central Harbourfront Event Space in Hong Kong, with a clause that would require the government to be compensated if the number of eve...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi complained she was not getting enough sleep, a veteran politician who met her on Thursday said. The remark came as Takaichi’s premiership recently reached the six-month mark. After...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for China and Cambodia to “stand in closer solidarity, now more than ever” in the first-ever 2+2 strategic dialogue aimed at deepening mutual political and security ties. Speaking...

The ruler of one of Malaysia’s nine royal states said on Thursday that the government should continue to function “as usual”, using a speech to project calm after four powerful traditional chiefs claimed they had removed...

Daniel Gros is the director of the Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University. Previously, he served as an adviser to the European Parliament, collaborated with the European Commission as economic adviser...

For the first time, all eight Hong Kong public universities have been ranked among the top 100 in a widely watched Asian league table, with the city’s two oldest tertiary institutions ranking among the region’s top 10. P...

Times of India World is tracking Economy & Trade developments tied to Watch: 'Tomato juice' thrown at Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi in Germany.

Times of India World is tracking Economy & Trade developments tied to Indian-origin restaurant owner in North Carolina arrested for attempt to murder wife, daughter calls 911.

Malaysia’s durian growers say they are in “survival mode” as an early bumper harvest collides with a surge in fuel and freight costs, squeezing an export trade built around getting premium fruit into China fast. Hot weat...

SCMP Asia is tracking Economy & Trade developments tied to How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno.

A hotel operator’s planned entry into Xiongan New Area southwest of Beijing highlights a tentative but growing alignment between Hong Kong’s private sector and the state-backed development project, as leaders renew effor...

China has released new guidelines to reduce carbon emissions across strategic sectors – including energy-intensive data centres – as Beijing pushes to secure its 2030 climate targets amid volatile energy prices triggered...

Candace Owens is facing intense backlash after a viral clip and post accused her of urging followers to find details about Charlie Kirk’s burial. Critics say the move crosses ethical lines and invades private grief, whil...

US forces have intercepted at least three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, redirecting them away from key shipping lanes near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. This action intensifies Washington's maritime blockade on...

This year’s Auto China, the world’s largest car show, is likely to mark a watershed for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers as they push dozens of new premium models into the spotlight, challenging European manufacturer...

The Iran war has done in two months what years of climate policy could not: make green hydrogen look economically viable. Soaring oil and gas prices since February’s outbreak of hostilities have narrowed the cost gap bet...

For years, Nasa funded a dream called SpiderFab – a spider-like robot that would crawl through orbit, weaving solar power stations and giant antennas from spools of carbon fibre – creating structures too large for any ro...

Authorities in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have blamed construction defects and management failures – rather than the actions of tourists – for a deadly suspension bridge failure last summer. In a re...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is set for intense thundery showers and gusts on Thursday evening, the...

Indonesia’s new front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme has been welcomed by health advocates as a long-overdue measure to tackle excessive sugar, salt and fat intake. But experts said the labels were only a first step...

China’s fuerdai, or “second-generation rich”, are shaking off their notorious image and have become the favourite boss of some young people. The term fuerdai was invented in the 2000s and refers to the children of people...

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket experienced a payload deployment failure, impacting its ability to place a satellite into the correct orbit. While not directly affecting NASA's immediate Artemis III mission, this setback...

Hong Kong’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.7 per cent in the first quarter, marking a second consecutive decline across rolling three-month periods. The Census and Statistics Department said on Thurs...

Health authorities will provide free measles vaccinations to Hong Kong airport workers from Friday, following the detection of three cases among aircraft maintenance staff. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) warned o...

The law of tort, from its Latin and Old French origin meaning “wrong”, saw a major development in Hong Kong at the beginning of this year. After years of debate in the lower courts, Hong Kong’s top court has made it clea...