SCMP Asia·Sunday, January 4, 2026

SCMP Asia - Sunday, January 4, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Nepal’s ex-PM questioned over protest crackdown which led to overthrow

Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli gave a statement on Sunday to a government commission investigating the deadly crackdown on a youth-led uprising that toppled his government in September. Oli had previously said he would not appear before the commission, accusing it of lacking a “constitutional basis”. “He has given a statement,” commission spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma told reporters, adding that it happened when officials reached Oli’s residence to deliver a summons for...

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Malaysia, EU threaten action against X, Grok AI for offensive images

Elon Musk’s Grok is facing mounting criticism and threats of government action around the world after the artificial intelligence chatbot created sexualised images, including of minors, on the social media platform X in response to user prompts. Malaysian authorities said in a statement on Saturday that they are investigating images produced by Grok after complaints about the misuse of AI to manipulate images of women and minors to produce indecent, grossly offensive or otherwise harmful...

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India ‘spreads its bets’ to beat Trump’s 50% tariff as exports rise

When India reached a free-trade agreement with New Zealand in a record time of nine months towards the end of last year, the speedy conclusion signalled New Delhi’s intention to diversify away from the United States – an approach that is only expected to gather pace. Ever since US President Donald Trump imposed import tariffs of 50 per cent on India last year, among the highest levied by Washington, the South Asian nation has maintained a resolute approach to the punitive levies, even as it has.

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Body of Spanish football coach found after Indonesian boat tragedy

Indonesian rescue teams on Sunday recovered the body of a Spanish football coach who worked with Valencia CF’s women’s team, more than a week after a tourist boat capsized in waters near Komodo National Park, a search official said. The discovery followed the earlier recovery of one of Fernando Martin’s daughters, while two other children remain missing. Martin, 44, was travelling with his wife and four children when the wooden tourist vessel KM Putri Sakinah ran into trouble off the coast of...

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South Korean singer Nana’s home intruder claims he ‘never touched her’, faces backlash

A man who broke into the home of South Korean singer-actress Nana and was jailed on robbery charges has now filed a counter-complaint against her – and his handwritten prison letter, released through local TV, is stirring anger among social media users. According to JTBC news programme Crime Chief, the intruder sent five letters from detention through an acquaintance, insisting that he did not attack Nana or her mother and that he was instead stabbed during the struggle. He wrote that he had...

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How uneven borders fuel Myanmar’s vast and resilient scam economy

Southeast Asia has become “ground zero” for the global online scamming industry, according to the UN, costing victims billions of US dollars each year. Scam operations are run by Chinese crime syndicates from fortified compounds in countries like Myanmar, which has been embroiled in a nationwide armed conflict since 2021. The size of the scam industry has led to sustained security crackdowns in recent years. This has included a number of joint operations involving police forces from multiple...

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Myanmar’s junta-backed party wins 90% of seats in first vote phase

Myanmar’s pro-military party has a decisive lead in the first phase of junta-run elections, winning 90 per cent of the lower house seats announced so far, official results published in state media showed. The military grabbed power in a 2021 putsch that triggered civil war, pitting pro-democracy rebels against junta forces for control of the country. Myanmar’s junta opened voting in the phased month-long election a week ago, with its leaders pledging the poll would bring on democracy. However,..

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Why Singapore is betting on international partnerships to help its film industry scale up

A decade ago, Samantha Ong would go to the cinemas in Singapore twice a week. She now goes about once a month, opting instead to watch films on Netflix at home. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel worth it to spend three hours on a movie, so it’s better to watch it at home where there is an option to fast-forward,” said Ong, 26. “I have to juggle working out and meeting up with friends in my free time, so I’ll go [to the cinema] only if I really want the full experience.” Such shifts in viewing habits...

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How this Japanese small-town cannery keeps fishing industry afloat amid labour shortage

Across Japan, foreign workers are keeping factories, fisheries and workshops afloat. But as wages rise in neighbouring countries, many business owners worry that Japan may no longer be an attractive destination for this workforce. In Choshi, home to a large fishing port in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, one long-established cannery offers a glimpse into both Japan’s dependence on foreign workers and efforts being made to retain them. Ho Thi Thuy Nhung, 38, begins work at 8am on the assembly...

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Thailand election 2026: can ‘orange wave’ break conservative grip on power?

For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things. Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power. But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the..

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