SCMP Asia·Wednesday, January 7, 2026

SCMP Asia - Wednesday, January 7, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Philippines investigates claims of Chinese dredger using ‘30 identities’

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has ordered his coastguard to inspect dredging vessels operating in Manila Bay after a US-based maritime monitoring group alleged a Chinese ship had used different identities and flags while working in local waters, a tactic it claimed could skirt Philippine law. On Tuesday, Marcos directed the coastguard to verify the registrations and identities of dredgers – large vessels that excavate and move seabed material – involved in reclamation projects within

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As sextortion surges in Japan, NGO warns against sending explicit content

Japan is facing a rampant rise in sextortion ensnaring young men, with a support group reminding potential victims of the near-irreversible nature of digital footprints and urging them to avoid sharing explicit content completely to combat the scourge. Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves coaxing victims to send intimate photographs or videos online and then threatening to make them public if the person does not pay money or engage in sexual favours. Paps, a Tokyo-based NGO, reported 2,200.

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Mahathir Mohamad: why surgery ‘not wise’ for 100-year-old’s fractured hip

Doctors have advised against surgery for Mahathir Mohamad’s fractured hip due to his age, according to his son, Mukhriz Mahathir. The 100-year-old former Malaysian prime minister was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) at 9.30am on Tuesday following a fall during his routine morning exercise. Mukhriz clarified in a video posted on Wednesday that while a hip fracture was sustained, “due to his age of 100 years, an operation is not a wise option”. Instead, Mahathir is expected to remain

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Energy markets are political – Venezuela is the latest proof

The United States’ forcible removal of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power has reignited a debate over international law and sovereignty. But this risks obscuring a more consequential fact: global energy markets are not governed primarily by liberal market logic, but are shaped by geopolitical strategy. Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China economic competition. For decades, many assumed that energy..

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Scandal-hit Malaysian rapper Namewee releases Lunar New Year single as legal cases loom

Malaysian rapper Namewee has returned to the spotlight with his latest Lunar New Year single, his first release since he was recently acquitted of a drug use charge, as police continue to investigate the death of a Taiwanese influencer who had travelled to Kuala Lumpur to work with him. Released on Friday, the song “Type C Malaysia” is Namewee’s most high-profile project since he faced a series of police investigations and court proceedings last year. The music video attracted more than 2.5...

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Singapore school battles backlash over bento meal quality: ‘pasta tasted like grass’

Singapore’s Hwa Chong Institution has defended its new canteen programme after photos of student meals sparked an online backlash, saying the images do not accurately reflect the food standards. However, students interviewed on Wednesday confirmed the images showed what was being served. The controversy erupted when photos posted on social media on Saturday showed meals in turquoise trays containing rice, vegetables and protein. They drew sharp criticism from internet users who questioned...

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The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington

The United States’ dramatic abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro at the weekend has sent shock waves across Asia, where analysts say authoritarian rulers, already deeply wary of Washington’s erratic behaviour, are likely to draw closer to Moscow and Beijing. US special forces stormed Maduro’s home in Caracas early on Saturday morning, seizing him and his wife before flying them to the US, where both face federal charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Washington has long

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1,000 texts, groping: report lifts lid on ex-Japan governor’s sex harassment scandal

Tatsuji Sugimoto, who stepped down last month as governor of Fukui prefecture in central Japan over sexual harassment, had sent some 1,000 harassing texts to staff, an investigative report by lawyers said on Wednesday. Among the messages were those in which Sugimoto sought sexual relationships with multiple female staff and commented on their physical appearance. He also touched female staff members’ bodies several times, according to the report, which was based on a survey of around 6,000...

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China, South Korea sign US$44 million in trade deals after years of friction

China and South Korea have reignited their economic cooperation after years of relatively muted ties, signing US$44 million in new export deals and dozens of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in the wake of a high-level summit held amid shifting regional dynamics – most notably, a protracted diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo. South Korea hosted its first export promotion and investment attraction event in Beijing in nine years, according to its Ministry of Trade, Industry and...

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Indian exporters fear ‘washout’ of US orders as elusive trade deal prolongs tariff pain

Indian exporters of products ranging from home decor to leather shoes are worried about missing the US summer shopping season if they are unable to lock in orders in January as trade deal talks drag on between New Delhi and Washington. This will be the decisive month for sealing the trade pact so contracts can be secured for the first half of 2026, according to half a dozen local exporters. The punitive 50 per cent US tariffs since August already hurt the exporters’ order volumes in the...

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