https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/325388/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Jimmy Chow Jimmy Chow When Professor Lam Hon-ming returned to Hong Kong after completing postdoctoral work in the United States in 1997, he was fixated on one question: how can science help feed the country and the world? He found that soybeans offered part of the answer. In addition to its nutritional value, the crop can fix nitrogen levels in the soil, reducing reliance on chemical fertiliser, and some varieties can be bred to tolerate drought and salinity. Lam went on to spend almost three decades studying soybean... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3370232/spirit-hong-kong-awards-scientists-soybean-research-pushes-agricultural-frontier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3370232/spirit-hong-kong-awards-scientists-soybean-research-pushes-agricultural-frontier?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:15:05 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. China tried 3 times to talk crime families out of scam business in Myanmar: CCTV China tried three times to persuade powerful families in northern Myanmar to shut down scam operations before Myanmar police carried out large-scale... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3370254/china-warned-myanmar-syndicates-trump-urged-xi-talk-takaichi-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3370254/china-warned-myanmar-syndicates-trump-urged-xi-talk-takaichi-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:15:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four Indonesian seamen who were kidnapped and held hostage by Somali pirates aboard an oil tanker for more than five months arrived back home on Tuesday. The men were among 17 crew rescued a week ago when maritime police from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker that was hijacked in April. Before the vessel could be recaptured, the pirates had already killed five crew members – three Pakistanis, an Indian and a Myanmar national... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369954/4-indonesian-seamen-kidnapped-somali-pirates-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369954/4-indonesian-seamen-kidnapped-somali-pirates-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:15:05 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Iran and Saudi Arabia are edging dangerously closer to direct conflict, analysts warn, after Riyadh resumed major air strikes on Yemen’s Tehran-allied Houthi rebels this week, ending a four-year lull. More than 100 Saudi warplanes bombed rebel positions on Monday, enabling Yemeni government forces to retake much of the Red Sea coastal territory the Houthis seized last month. The Houthis had been aided by embedded Iranian military advisers. Analysts expect the Houthis to retaliate by intensifying... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369933/saudi-iran-war-risk-grows-riyadh-resumes-yemen-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369933/saudi-iran-war-risk-grows-riyadh-resumes-yemen-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:30:06 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Indonesia is expected to receive its first Chengdu J-10CE fighter jets in six months, according to an Indonesian media report, which would make it the third international operator of the Chinese-made aircraft. Jakarta confirmed an order of 42 of the 4.5-generation fighter jets – known as Vigorous Dragons – last October, with an approved budget of US$9 billion. The first delivery is expected in April though it is not known how many aircraft will be delivered, Indonesian news outlet Republika... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369910/indonesia-take-delivery-first-chinese-j-10ce-fighter-jets-6-months-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369910/indonesia-take-delivery-first-chinese-j-10ce-fighter-jets-6-months-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:00:18 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow US F-35 stealth fighters have joined Indian warplanes for military exercises near the Pakistan border in recent days, marking the first time America’s most advanced multirole combat aircraft has taken part in joint drills in India. The US jets’ participation in the drills “signals a degree of military confidence and interoperability that is difficult to manufacture through communiques”, Sushant Singh, a South Asian studies lecturer at Yale University and former Indian Army officer, told This... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369870/india-sizes-us-f-35-stealth-jets-landmark-first-home-turf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369870/india-sizes-us-f-35-stealth-jets-landmark-first-home-turf?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 04:47:05 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India has sold its Akash air-defence missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, giving it a foothold in Central Asia as it seeks to become a major global arms exporter. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the latest sales on Thursday last week, hinting at interest from elsewhere as he called the Akash “one of our success stories”. Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Akash is a home-grown, short-range surface-to-air missile system that can hit... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369812/why-indias-missile-deals-central-asia-matter-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369812/why-indias-missile-deals-central-asia-matter-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:31:05 +0000 Gabriel Dominguez Gabriel Dominguez Built to hunt tanks and support ground troops, the People’s Liberation Army’s main attack helicopter is increasingly being prepared for operations at sea. Crews of the Z-10 are training to fly from ships – a shift that could give Beijing extra firepower in an amphibious assault on Taiwan. Manufactured by AVIC subsidiary the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, the Z-10 entered service with the PLA Army in late 2010. It began documented shipboard trials in 2014, when Chinese navy imagery... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369775/why-plas-z-10-attack-helicopter-taking-bigger-role-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369775/why-plas-z-10-attack-helicopter-taking-bigger-role-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A march protesting against the imprisonment of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan kicked off in northwest Pakistan on Sunday after talks to avoid the demonstration stalled. Authorities have been preparing for weeks for the possible arrival of demonstrators in Islamabad, with the march planned by supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party originally slated for September 27 and then postponed until Sunday. Videos posted on PTI’s official social media showed supporters... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369723/supporters-imran-khan-begin-long-march-islamabad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369723/supporters-imran-khan-begin-long-march-islamabad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 15:23:05 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Chinese troops have taken part in a mass multinational exercise in Russia featuring new anti-drone and ground robot systems – drills that Russian state media said “applied lessons” from the Ukraine war. The troops were among more than 47,000 military personnel involved in the Tsentr-2026 – or Centre-2026 – drills in the central western Chelyabinsk region from Monday until Saturday. The Russian Ministry of Defence said the strategic command-and-staff exercise applied combat lessons from the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369657/chinese-troops-line-russias-tsentr-2026-exercise-military-ties-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369657/chinese-troops-line-russias-tsentr-2026-exercise-military-ties-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistani troops are expected to take over various defensive functions for Saudi Arabia to enable the Middle East country to fight an all-out war aimed at defeating Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. According to defence analysts, Pakistani troops are not expected to participate directly in ground offensives against the Houthis being planned by Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s squabbling government factions. Instead, their primary objective would be to free up Saudi forces to focus on what is likely to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369645/saudi-arabia-steps-war-against-yemens-houthis-pakistan-set-play-support-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369645/saudi-arabia-steps-war-against-yemens-houthis-pakistan-set-play-support-role?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:14 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju Anti-South Asian hate in the United States has spiked since Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office for a second term, with racist, dehumanising and xenophobic slurs and narratives proliferating across both mainstream and fringe social media platforms, a US-based report has revealed. The report, titled “The Rising Tide of Anti-South Asian Hate in the United States”, by the Washington-based Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH), found that the monthly volume of hate towards South Asians... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369473/anti-south-asian-online-hate-surges-us-under-trump-20-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369473/anti-south-asian-online-hate-surges-us-under-trump-20-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:28:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters Somali ⁠pirates killed five crew members of ⁠the hijacked MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before it was rescued by security forces, Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland said on Tuesday. Puntland’s authorities said they also rescued a second vessel on Tuesday that had been hijacked in May. The deaths ‌aboard the Palau-flagged ship appear to be the first at the hands of Somali pirates in over a decade. The ship with 17 crew members was seized by pirates in April during a resurgence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3369269/somali-pirates-kill-5-crew-hijacked-tanker-rescue-security-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3369269/somali-pirates-kill-5-crew-hijacked-tanker-rescue-security-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 02:43:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters 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... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368972/afghanistan-says-28-dead-fighters-came-pakistan-islamabad-denies-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368972/afghanistan-says-28-dead-fighters-came-pakistan-islamabad-denies-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 14:37:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a roadside police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding about 30 others, officials said, in a sign of increasing violence in the region bordering Afghanistan. The attack occurred in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service. Local police chief Safdar Baloch said most of those killed and wounded were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368910/suicide-bombing-police-checkpoint-pakistan-kills-least-11?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368910/suicide-bombing-police-checkpoint-pakistan-kills-least-11?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:18:29 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan Just a month after Saudi Arabia signed a regional mutual defence deal with Pakistan and Turkey, attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and military sites are testing the pact’s limits. At a hastily convened meeting of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh on Friday, military chiefs of the three parties reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The agency said the talks focused on “intelligence cooperation,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368857/houthi-attacks-saudi-arabia-test-limits-mecca-regional-security-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368857/houthi-attacks-saudi-arabia-test-limits-mecca-regional-security-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2026 10:00:06 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain For over two decades, Pakistan has waged countless counterterrorism campaigns against Taliban and Baloch insurgents in its western regions bordering Afghanistan and Iran, yet remains mired in a cycle of violence it cannot break. Scores of soldiers, policemen and civilians are killed every month in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces, where near-daily attacks on security personnel, government officials and other prominent figures are carried out by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368825/why-pakistans-endless-war-militants-fails-break-cycle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368825/why-pakistans-endless-war-militants-fails-break-cycle?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2026 05:00:17 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Five years after China pledged to stop building or financing new coal-fired power plants overseas, the country’s state sector has made “significant progress” towards meeting that goal, though private projects are still being developed, according to a new report. Two-thirds of China’s overseas coal power projects planned five years ago have since been cancelled, a 61.5-gigawatt (GW) cut in capacity that has saved 6.4 billion tonnes of “lifetime” carbon dioxide emissions, the study by a pair of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368556/china-has-scrapped-two-thirds-its-planned-coal-power-plants-abroad-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368556/china-has-scrapped-two-thirds-its-planned-coal-power-plants-abroad-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s party said on Monday that his three sisters had been arrested ahead of ‌a protest ⁠march planned for September 27. “Punjab police have raided Aleema Khan’s home and have abducted Imran Khan’s other two sisters, his nephews and their children,” Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said on social media. “Khan’s sisters and their children were taken into custody but the children were released,” PTI’s information... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368301/sisters-pakistans-imran-khan-arrested-lahore-jailed-ex-pms-party-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368301/sisters-pakistans-imran-khan-arrested-lahore-jailed-ex-pms-party-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:59:24 +0000 Emma White Emma White As heatwaves become more frequent and intense across Asia, the region faces a dangerous power paradox. Soaring demand for air conditioning threatens to push electricity grids closer to failure just as extreme heat puts the infrastructure under greater strain, raising the risk of cooling disappearing when people need it most. That risk has been visible across the region this summer. In South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung called a record heatwave a “national disaster” in August after the death... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368133/cooling-trap-how-asias-air-conditioners-are-making-heatwaves-worse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368133/cooling-trap-how-asias-air-conditioners-are-making-heatwaves-worse?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan I grew up in Delhi. Not Lutyens’ Delhi, that quieter, greener stretch of tree-lined avenues and high-walled colonial bungalows where the VIPs live. But close enough to know that two cities share one name. One Delhi is generally messy. Rubbish piled into small mountains by the roadside. No footpaths to walk on. Narrow streets marked as one way, with every kind of traffic coming at you from every direction, and then simply stuck. And the dust. Not a film on the windowsill, but something you... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368120/reporters-note-two-delhis-one-weekend-when-world-came-dinner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368120/reporters-note-two-delhis-one-weekend-when-world-came-dinner?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 04:00:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city’s main airport. Saudi Arabia had sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around Riyadh, amid an escalation in attacks by the Houthis in the kingdom. Reuters video and photographs ‌showed a huge pillar of black smoke rising in the area, with the airport highway, main terminal building and other... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368131/houthis-claim-attacks-saudi-capital-after-flames-seen-near-riyadh-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368131/houthis-claim-attacks-saudi-capital-after-flames-seen-near-riyadh-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 19:25:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The death toll from an explosion and gun attack at a police headquarters in northern Pakistan rose to at least 31, including 16 police personnel, a senior police official said on Saturday, with fighting ongoing. An attacker rammed an explosives-laden car ‌into the Old Police Lines complex while gunmen stormed the compound on Friday afternoon as officers and ⁠their families were praying in a mosque. The police complex at Kohat, a town of around 220,000 people in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368092/31-dead-pakistan-after-suicide-bomber-gunmen-attack-police-complex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368092/31-dead-pakistan-after-suicide-bomber-gunmen-attack-police-complex?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 04:47:28 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asian economies heavily dependent on imported energy are facing an even sharper squeeze after the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline removed a key escape route from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening an energy shock that has already pushed crude oil above US$100 a barrel. Analysts said the loss of that bypass would hit Asian refiners first before feeding through to inflation, currencies and economic growth across the region. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3368062/saudi-oil-pipeline-closure-puts-asias-economic-resilience-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3368062/saudi-oil-pipeline-closure-puts-asias-economic-resilience-test?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:50:50 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Saudi Arabia faces a “humiliating dilemma” after the United States refused to militarily intervene to prevent the Iran-aligned Houthi militia from tightening its blockade of the kingdom’s key backup maritime trade route with Asia, according to analysts. US President Donald Trump on September 12 dismissed the Houthi seizure of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast as a problem that “only affects one country”. Iran has already blockaded the Straits of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia’s main oil and petrochemicals... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367944/saudi-scrambles-solve-humiliating-dilemma-after-us-rejects-red-sea-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367944/saudi-scrambles-solve-humiliating-dilemma-after-us-rejects-red-sea-intervention?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:00:06 +0000 Han Li Han Li Amid rising tensions over artificial intelligence (AI) competition and global concerns about the technology, China appears to have an edge over the US and European Union (EU) in trust to regulate AI among mostly middle-income countries. A new Pew Research Centre report released on Thursday found that, on a median basis across 11 countries and two territories, more people trust China than the US or the EU to regulate AI effectively. China was not among the countries surveyed in the broader... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367776/china-trusted-more-us-eu-ai-regulation-pew-survey-middle-income-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367776/china-trusted-more-us-eu-ai-regulation-pew-survey-middle-income-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters New Delhi and Islamabad summoned each other’s top diplomats to lodge strong protests after an Indian and a Pakistani naval vessel collided in international waters. India’s foreign ministry said that it had called in Pakistan’s senior envoy to formally register a strong objection over what it said was “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of Pakistani naval units that led to a collision with an Indian warship. Pakistan’s foreign ministry also said it had officially called upon the charge... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367789/india-pakistan-summon-each-others-diplomats-after-naval-ships-collide-arabian-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367789/india-pakistan-summon-each-others-diplomats-after-naval-ships-collide-arabian-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 01:10:32 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has turned to regional and Western allies for help as its stand-off with Houthi rebels in Yemen drags on, two regional officials said on Wednesday. The officials said the Saudis have asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defence support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups. The outreach was initiated because Saudi Arabia’s main ally and arms supplier, the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367777/saudis-seek-allies-help-missile-defences-run-low-fight-houthis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367777/saudis-seek-allies-help-missile-defences-run-low-fight-houthis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:55:51 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao In talks with his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, China’s foreign minister reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Tehran, called for a political settlement to the country’s conflict with the US and warned that regional tensions must not further spill over into Yemen. Wang Yi also urged the earliest possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Abbas Araghchi’s trip to China, his second since the US launched large-scale strikes on Iran in late February, came as Washington expanded sanctions... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367738/china-affirms-support-iran-warns-against-yemen-spillover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367738/china-affirms-support-iran-warns-against-yemen-spillover?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:06 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Global surveys show China is now more popular than the United States in most countries. The reality is China hasn’t become more popular, only that Uncle Sam has become odious. Two recent major summits demonstrate precisely why this erosion has occurred. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and the Group of 20 (G20) gathering in the US, the Trump administration faced withering criticism for policies that have destabilised global commerce, violated... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3367044/world-not-so-much-embracing-china-recoiling-trumps-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3367044/world-not-so-much-embracing-china-recoiling-trumps-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Debris from a Chinese-made short-range ballistic missile has been found in Yemen for the first time, suggesting Chinese weapons systems may have been used during the heated conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Video clips circulating on social media in the past week showed debris from the booster stage of a short-range ballistic missile with “DF-15A” written on its side found in the Raghwan district of Marib governorate, about 170km (105 miles) by road from the Yemeni capital,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3367581/has-chinese-df-missile-been-used-first-time-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3367581/has-chinese-df-missile-been-used-first-time-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:00:12 +0000 SCMP SCMP 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. ‘Not for sale’: Thais take to streets in rare protest against Israel Hundreds of Thais, led by a veteran political activist, rallied outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok in a rare public protest against a group of foreign nationals. 2. Singapore ministers set for pay... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3367554/thais-stage-rare-israel-protest-singapore-ministers-get-pay-rise-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3367554/thais-stage-rare-israel-protest-singapore-ministers-get-pay-rise-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:30:05 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Energy ministers and executives met in Bangkok on Monday to discuss the prolonged price increase for liquefied natural gas (LNG) triggered by the Iran war, with Southeast Asia’s growth ambitions and climate goals on the line as the cost of powering economies shifting to artificial intelligence soars. On the first day of Gastech 2026, one of the world’s largest energy conferences, policymakers implored pragmatism over net-zero targets and closer cooperation to ensure affordable LNG supplies,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3367492/southeast-asia-weighs-energy-transition-amid-lng-supply-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3367492/southeast-asia-weighs-energy-transition-amid-lng-supply-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:35:41 +0000 Tang Meng Kit Tang Meng Kit Uzbekistan’s recent confirmation that China’s J-10CE fighters have entered into service in its air force ended months of speculation. It is the latest of three developments that include Pakistan’s use of J-10CEs in combat last year and Bangladesh’s draft procurement paper for the Chinese aircraft. Read separately, each looks like a win for the J-10CE. Taken together, however, they show something narrower: the Chinese aircraft is gaining export traction without yet winning a clean contest against... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367255/chinas-j-10ce-has-foreign-buyers-not-yet-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367255/chinas-j-10ce-has-foreign-buyers-not-yet-market?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Every spring, mason Mohammad Ghulam Sarwar boards a train to Indian Kashmir, seeking higher wages despite the risk of being targeted by militants in the disputed Himalayan region. Sarwar, 25, is one of an estimated half a million migrant workers who stream into the Himalayan region each year, forming the backbone of an economy increasingly reliant on labour from some of India’s poorest states. The dependence has endured despite decades of insurgency and a series of militant attacks that have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367414/high-pay-high-peril-indian-kashmir-still-attracts-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367414/high-pay-high-peril-indian-kashmir-still-attracts-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:41:05 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Brics members find common ground on AI, trade and de-dollarisation push 2. China urges US to ‘stop all’ spying activities, slams ‘gangster logic’ 3. Police freeze HK$30 million in account of man who refused to share Mark Six prize 4. India-Pakistan water row deepens after Hague court ruling 5.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3367380/hong-kong-mark-six-jackpot-dispute-brics-finds-common-ground-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3367380/hong-kong-mark-six-jackpot-dispute-brics-finds-common-ground-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow For 65 years, even as India and Pakistan fought wars, severed diplomatic ties and traded nuclear threats, one agreement held: the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the river system sustaining roughly 300 million people across the subcontinent. That was until April last year, when New Delhi suspended the pact in the aftermath of a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir that it blamed on Islamabad. Now, an international tribunal has ruled that it should have done no such thing – handing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367223/india-pakistan-water-row-deepens-after-hague-court-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367223/india-pakistan-water-row-deepens-after-hague-court-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:06 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on September 10, 1976. Sense of grief in Hongkong A deep sense of grief was felt by great numbers of the people in Hongkong yesterday (September 9, 1976) when radio and television stations flashed the news of the Chairman’s passing. The news brought a cloud of gloom over celebrations of the mid-autumn festivities. Flags at a number of major building and hotels, – including the Bank of China – were flown at half-mast within an hour of the announcement. Hongkong... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366847/hong-kong-mourns-mao-zedongs-death-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366847/hong-kong-mourns-mao-zedongs-death-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 03:15:05 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage A young Malagasy woman was stopped at Madagascar’s Ivato International Airport last month as she prepared to travel to China for a proposed marriage, according to local media reports citing police. She had reportedly been promised 10 million ariary (US$2,300) once she arrived and married a Chinese man. The case led police to investigate a suspected network involved in arranging similar marriages. Four people were detained, and police reportedly recovered false stamps, documents and 10 Malagasy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367115/chinese-men-warned-over-bridal-scams-marriage-squeeze-drives-search-wives-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367115/chinese-men-warned-over-bridal-scams-marriage-squeeze-drives-search-wives-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:06 +0000 Gabriel Dominguez Gabriel Dominguez Battle-testing modern weapon systems can come at a steep price: a country must send its forces to war. But for China’s 4.5-generation J-10CE fighter aircraft, exports have opened another route. Pakistan provided the aircraft’s first major combat test during its four-day conflict with India in May 2025, when Islamabad’s J-10CEs were used in an air battle. Two US officials told Reuters that at least two Indian aircraft were downed, including a French-built Rafale – though the precise losses,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3367042/pakistan-uzbekistan-how-chinas-j-10ce-widening-its-overseas-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3367042/pakistan-uzbekistan-how-chinas-j-10ce-widening-its-overseas-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants have ⁠reached the Red Sea islands of Hanish after capturing the coastal city of Mocha, two Yemeni government sources said, in a dramatic strategic shift that could threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has intensified in recent days, with the militant group shifting its focus to control over Yemen’s long coastline instead of just the north, putting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367067/yemens-houthis-seize-port-city-mocha-closing-control-bab-el-mandeb-strait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367067/yemens-houthis-seize-port-city-mocha-closing-control-bab-el-mandeb-strait?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:30:26 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Pakistan has unveiled a newly acquired Chinese-made short-range air defence system that analysts say could boost its ability to counter Indian drones and low-altitude threats in a future conflict. A social media video posted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Sunday confirmed for the first time that it was operating the HQ-17AE short-range air defence (Shorad) system. The HQ-17AE is an export version of China’s HQ-17A air defence system – a wheeled variant of the original HQ-17 that was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3366797/chinas-hq-17ae-shorad-system-boost-pakistani-drone-defence-india-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3366797/chinas-hq-17ae-shorad-system-boost-pakistani-drone-defence-india-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Albee Zhang Albee Zhang Fresh off a joint air drill, China will for the first time showcase several PLA Air Force aircraft overseas at an air show this week. The featured aircraft were selected for the air show in Egypt to demonstrate the air force’s integrated combat abilities and export potential, according to a military analyst. China’s armed forces on Tuesday posted pictures of Z-20, J-16, YY-20, and KJ-500 with its social media postings about the El Alamein International Airshow. The PLA Air Force said the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3366666/chinese-pla-aircraft-headline-egypt-air-show-display-export-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3366666/chinese-pla-aircraft-headline-egypt-air-show-display-export-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen His summit with US President Donald Trump is just over two weeks away, but already this month Xi Jinping has had one of his busiest stretches of diplomatic travel in recent years. First he wrapped up the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and then he made a state visit to Egypt. Xi is expected to head off again later this week to visit New Delhi for the Brics summit before he travels to Washington. Beijing has not yet confirmed those two trips, in line with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366643/clock-counts-down-trump-summit-xi-boosts-global-clout-diplomatic-blitz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366643/clock-counts-down-trump-summit-xi-boosts-global-clout-diplomatic-blitz?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:11 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Bangladesh’s potential entry into a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan could give Dhaka fresh leverage in its dealings with India, but observers warn the move risks fracturing its long-standing strategic neutrality and alarming a hawkish New Delhi. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament on August 27 that Bangladesh was considering joining the Mecca pact, a security framework signed last month. Earlier reports citing unnamed sources said the invitation originated from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3366241/india-bangladeshs-talk-joining-islamic-nato-raises-red-flags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3366241/india-bangladeshs-talk-joining-islamic-nato-raises-red-flags?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:27:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US missile hit a home in southern Iran where dozens were gathered to celebrate the wedding of a fisherman’s daughter, according to a rights group and Iranian media. Iranian state media said four people – two women and two children – were killed and more than 60 were wounded. The rights group said one of the children, a teenager, was killed by another strike on a nearby communications tower. Heavy explosions shook the coastal town of Kuhestak on the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, and security... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3366168/iranian-town-wedding-party-was-shattered-deadly-strike-during-us-air-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3366168/iranian-town-wedding-party-was-shattered-deadly-strike-during-us-air-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 02:11:38 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has issued its first dedicated declaration on nuclear safety and security, condemning attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities and outlining practical cooperation, amid tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and wider questions of global nuclear governance. The document was adopted on Tuesday at the bloc’s 25th anniversary summit in Bishkek by leaders of all 10 member states – China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366108/sco-takes-landmark-stand-nuclear-security-iran-comes-under-renewed-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366108/sco-takes-landmark-stand-nuclear-security-iran-comes-under-renewed-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:00:08 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim As the US resumes strikes on Iran to force an end to the six-month-old war, Tehran is turning to multilateral groupings like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Brics for political and diplomatic cover. At the SCO summit in Bishkek on Tuesday, world leaders made veiled references to the instability in the Middle East without naming the United States directly, in apparent tacit backing for Iran. The Bishkek Declaration closing the summit, meanwhile, explicitly condemned the military... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366129/iran-wins-sco-backing-against-us-strikes-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366129/iran-wins-sco-backing-against-us-strikes-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:22:43 +0000 Adriel Kasonta Adriel Kasonta The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was born 25 years ago as a modest mechanism for managing borders between China, Russia and four Central Asian states. At its anniversary summit in Bishkek this week, it looks more consequential – and harder for the United States to dismiss. The timing is important. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains unresolved, while the war between Iran and the US has turned the Persian Gulf into another theatre of strategic competition, with energy markets again... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3366054/how-sco-chips-away-us-power-without-alliance-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3366054/how-sco-chips-away-us-power-without-alliance-system?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters India must uphold a water-sharing treaty with ⁠Pakistan it suspended amid bilateral tensions and must limit work on a hydroelectric plant it is building in the Kashmir region, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said on Monday. India in April last year suspended the treaty ‌that ensures water supply to 80 per cent of Pakistani farms, after India identified as Pakistani two of three assailants in an attack that killed 26 people at a tourist destination in Kashmir that month. Islamabad... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365887/india-rejects-ruling-water-sharing-treaty-pakistan-international-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365887/india-rejects-ruling-water-sharing-treaty-pakistan-international-court?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:50:44 +0000