Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by surging waters across Myanmar and Laos, with Thai farming communities along the Mekong River bracing themselves for difficult days ahead as authorities warn persistent heavy rains may bring flash floods.
Each year monsoon rains bring extensive flooding across the region.
Environmental campaigners say the damage is exacerbated by changing weather patterns and deforestation, as well as the string of dams across arterial rivers – like the Mekong –…
PAS’ latest sharia law push signals its Malaysian federal power ambition
Malaysia’s foremost Islamist party has set an early pace ahead of national polls, calling on the country’s Malay-Muslim majority to endorse its renewed efforts to broaden the reach of sharia law.
On Wednesday, the Kelantan state assembly – which is dominated by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) – unanimously passed amendments to the Kelantan Syariah Offences Enactment Bill, in a bid to circumvent constitutional barriers that have prevented the criminalisation of certain acts under Islamic…
Erdogan wants Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact to draw more countries
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he hoped more countries would join a defence agreement signed last week between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan aimed at stabilising a region wracked by conflict.
The so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed on Friday as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Iran war, which has dragged in regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
“Our vision for it is not limited to the three…
FCA pension transfer case offers AR oversight lessons for firms
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) long-running enforcement action against pension transfer specialist, Heather Dunne, and Financial Solutions Midhurst Limited (FSML) director Richard Fenech offers important lessons for UK firms overseeing appointed representatives, experts have said.
Palm oil to cool data centres? Malaysia explores option as water demand surges
Malaysia is taking palm oil from the frying pan to server racks, as it banks on its biggest agricultural commodity to crack a code plaguing its data centre boom – keeping servers cool.
Researchers at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) are developing a palm-based liquid to cool computer servers without relying on copious volumes of water, as the country grapples with high resource demands to support its rapidly expanding digital infrastructure.
The new approach – termed the Sawit EcoTherm…
Ukraine says Russia fired North Korean missiles in deadly attack
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 10 people overnight and wounded dozens, Kyiv said on Tuesday, accusing Moscow of launching North Korean missiles in the raid.
The allegation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned – without providing evidence – that Moscow was receiving more ballistic projectiles and troops from its ally Pyongyang.
Russia has turned to North Korea for support throughout its four-and-a-half-year invasion.
Earlier in the war, Pyongyang dispatched…
UAE becomes latest GCC country to join Singapore Convention on mediation
The United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) accession to the Singapore Convention marks a positive step for the use of mediation to settle international commercial disputes, both in the Middle East and globally, experts have said.
Philippine VP Sara Duterte charged over Marcos assassination threat
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio was hit with a criminal charge on Tuesday over an alleged death threat against the country’s president, a key part of the case against her at her ongoing Senate impeachment trial.
The charge of “grave threats” was filed on Tuesday afternoon in a Quezon City courtroom, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Polo Martinez said.
It stems from a National Bureau of Investigation criminal complaint filed in February 2025, months after a late-night news…
AI zombie video on Singapore’s National Day sparks talk – is this the future of film?
When Singaporeans tuned in to watch the annual National Day Parade on Sunday, an AI-generated short film depicting a zombie apocalypse version of the event has generated buzz in the city state.
The four-minute-long Bersama Majulah, a spin-off from the human-written, artificial intelligence-generated Spore Fall video series, shows a spore pathogenic outbreak spreading across the fictional city of Lionara, which bears resemblance to Singapore’s skyline complete with the Marina Bay Sands,…
As US marks 75 years of defence pact with Philippines, can it stay the course?
The Philippines and the United States are marking the 75th anniversary of their defence alliance with a renewed pledge to step up joint drills as geopolitical tensions in the region continue to simmer.
While the allies are moving towards more frequent planning for maritime security cooperation and deterrence, there are still questions about Washington’s long-term commitment to the security of the Philippines and the broader region, according to analysts.
At an annual meeting to strengthen…