Chinese EV imports surge in Thailand ahead of planned excise tax

Imports surged 138% from a year earlier to US$421 million (S$539.6 million).

Indonesia beefs up security presence to prepare for student protests

A heavy police and military presence, as well as armoured vehicles, could be seen in busy parts of central Jakarta on Wednesday (Oct 28) morning.

China dismisses Taiwan’s accusations of involvement in comedian attack

Taiwan prosecutors indicted five people for plotting to attack a Taiwanese comedian whose shows mocked Beijing.

Deeper India-Philippines ties boost US aims in South China Sea

This article first appeared on Pacific Forum and is republished with kind permission. Read the original here. With so much media focus in recent months on the war in Iran, it’s no surprise that Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby’s speech in Manila received so

South Korea’s Supreme Court issues new detention warrant for former first lady Kim Keon Hee

The new warrant allows the authorities to hold Kim for an initial two months.

Ambani's Jio surges 21% in Mumbai debut after record US$3.2 billion India IPO

The listing furthers Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani's plan to turn Jio's parent Reliance Industries from an oil-and-chemicals conglomerate into an "everything company" spanning consumer and technology.

Luxury cruise passengers stranded in Cambodia due to soaring fuel costs

The Villa Vie Odyssey suspends its voyage and is working with passengers on "temporary living arrangements".

South Korea sets new record for foreign tourist arrivals

As at Oct 26, South Korea recorded 18.91 million arrivals in 2026.

Man charged with fraud over Bondi Beach shooting claim

Police arrested the man on Oct 27 and charged him with publishing false and misleading material to obtain advantage.

Cyclone Arnab stalls close to India's east coast

Winds of 115kmh to 125kmh and gusts of up to 140kmh are forecast, authorities said.

Vietnam considering cutting petrol tax, electricity prices

The move comes as inflation rises above target and growth may miss the 2026 goal of at least 10%.

China downgrades envoy to South-east Asian meeting after sea row

Beijing will be represented by the defence attache of the Chinese embassy to the Philippines.

Three South Korean financial firms including Bithumb report data breaches: Report

Bithumb, Daishin Securities and Mirae Asset Global Investments reported being hacked.

Malaysian police freeze assets worth $127.9m in ‘corporate mafia’ probe: Home minister

The assets included eight properties, 11 vehicles, and 404 bank accounts.

Flavio Bolsonaro flees Brazil to US after loss to Lula

Just one day after vowing he would remain in Brazil to disprove allegations of money laundering, corruption, and other crimes, far-right Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro followed in his disgraced father’s footsteps by fleeing to the United States after losing a presidential

ASEAN envoy to lead humanitarian mission to Myanmar

Myanmar had said in August that there was no need for a special envoy.

China's Xi calls on Japan to protect political foundation of ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping also extended condolences to the family of former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who died last week.

South China Sea tensions cause China to ‘recall’ teachers from the Philippines

Experts caution against xenophobia, but point to links between educational exchange and advocacy of China’s claims.

Indonesia detains 17 foreigners, including 2 Singaporeans, over illegal lending operation in Bali

The operation targeted foreign nationals living outside Indonesia.

Football star Kylian Mbappe apologises for apparent reference to Mao as a 'dictator'

The China Football Association said on Tuesday that it has “lodged a stern protest” with Real Madrid and demanded that both the player and the football club “issue a public and formal apology”.

India and China were easing tensions - then a border official spoke out

India-China ties were on a cautious recovery path until a border official’s remarks raised fresh doubts about ground realities.

Can KMT’s Chiang Wan-an rally supporters in tight mayor race to defend his Taipei seat?

The Taipei mayor is framed as the “underdog” following the rise of DPP contender Puma Shen.

Cyclone Arnab stalls close to India’s east coast

Thousands of people were evacuated along India’s eastern coast this week.

Cruise strands passengers in Cambodia after fuel surge

The company said its fuel costs have risen over 300% since the start of US-Israel war on Iran.

China's families are now supporting more old people than kids

The latest figures mark a major milestone as Beijing grapples with an ageing population.

Polling: scorched earth isn’t driving Ukrainians to sue for peace

Vladimir Putin has a theory of victory in Ukraine. It’s not the Russian president’s first theory – that was a quick, dayslong campaign – nor his second or third, which involved different land offensives in the east that quickly petered out. Instead, Putin’s latest hypothesis is

Seoul shantytown fire extinguished after nearly 13 hours: Report

The fire affected 77 households and 107 people in Guryong village in Seoul’s upmarket Gangnam district.

‘My hands start itching’: Inside Indonesia’s online gambling addiction

More than 12 million Indonesians, many from lower-income households, have been drawn into online gambling. CNA speaks to several people struggling with addiction.

Commentary: Smaller populations need not shrink China and India’s growth

For countries facing shrinking populations, improving productivity may matter as much as increasing birth rates, say these academics.

Time for the West to plan ahead for post-Trump 2029

America’s mid-term congressional elections on November 3rdwill mark the beginning of the final two years of the Trump administration and thus the nearing of a potentially historic moment of reckoning for that country’s estranged allies. The reckoning may seem like a long way

UMNO won Negeri Sembilan but now three factions vie for power as royal crisis deepens

UMNO promised to resolve the Negeri Sembilan royal crisis but instead finds itself mired in it.

Is the Korean Peninsula moving closer to war?

Recently, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned that Pyongyang could take strong retaliatory measures if Seoul continues activities it considers provocative. To casual observers, this may appear to be just another routine exchange of verbal

Qatar says Iran needs to show good intentions for mediation efforts to succeed

DUBAI, Oct 27 - Iran needs to show good intentions for mediation efforts to succeed, mediator Qatar said on Tuesday, after a delegation from the Gulf Arab country visited Tehran earlier this week in an effort to de-escalate regional tensions in coordination with the United

Russia torn between wooing Taliban and protecting Central Asia

Russia is courting the Taliban with one hand and arming the Taliban’s neighbor with the other. Moscow was the first country to recognize the Taliban, a diplomatic coup it has since tried to turn to its advantage. Now it is rushing weapons and border equipment to Tajikistan to

Spain deports African, Asian asylum seekers to Morocco amid rights group outcry

MADRID, Oct 26 - Spain has returned to Morocco more than a dozen sub-Saharan African and Asian migrants who reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and were turned down for asylum, the first deportation of its kind from the enclave since a mass border crossing in July.

Thailand sets new rules for data centres as applications surge

As of February, Thailand had 42 data centres.

Iranian strait authority says Sinokor vessels will face legal action

DUBAI, Oct 27 - Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a body set up by Tehran to manage passage requests in the Strait of Hormuz, said on Tuesday all vessels belonging to South Korean shipping company Sinokor would face \"legal action\" starting on November 1.

Chasing foreign phantoms in Prabowo’s embattled Indonesia

Indonesia’s leaders promise that the country will be a world power by 2045, the centennial of its independence. Yet when shares plunge or smoke drifts abroad, officials reflexively blame foreigners. That blame game asks nothing of those in charge. Who really owns our listed

Iran security chief meets Supreme Leader after talks with Mecca pact countries

DUBAI, Oct 27 - Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei on Tuesday met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, not seen in public since succeeding his slain father in March, a day after holding talks with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

ASEAN envoy to visit Myanmar on Wednesday: Thai FM

India deploys extra forces after protests over dam on Chinese border escalate

GUWAHATI, India, Oct 27 - India has deployed hundreds of additional security personnel in its remote northeast, authorities said on Tuesday, after youth protesters clashed with police last week over a plan to build a mega-dam to counter a Chinese hydropower project upstream.

ASEAN could take years to be ready for next major energy disruption: Philippine energy secretary

ASEAN countries must strengthen energy supplies and infrastructure to weather future disruptions, Philippine Energy Secretary Sharon Garin told CNA’s Roland Lim.

DeepSeek AI model shows safety gaps in independent tests

The tests examined whether the model would act beyond a user’s instructions, evade human oversight or improperly influence people.

Singapore, Indonesia to set up joint task force to hold firms accountable for forest fires

The proposed task force would facilitate information sharing, financial intelligence and cross-border evidence gathering.

Airfares to and from Philippines could rise as fuel surcharge increases in November

Fuel surcharge for Nov 1 to Nov 15 was raised a notch up from Level 16 to 17 in second half of October.

Anthropic’s record $2tn IPO could bring global risks to a head

Anthropic, developer of AI chatbot Claude, has filed its prospectus and is expected to go public on Wall Street in November at a valuation of up to US$2 trillion. That would make it the highest-valued initial public offering (IPO) ever, ahead of SpaceX’s $1.77 trillion listing

China hands former security regulator anti-graft official suspended death sentence

BEIJING, Oct 27 - A Chinese court on Tuesday handed Wang Huimin, a former anti-graft official at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve over corruption and said Wang illegally accepted more than 436 million yuan ($65 million).

Unmasking the haze’s toxic cocktail

Haze is much more than just particulate matter. It also includes a toxic mix of polluting gases.

Indian court allows actor Imran Khan to stay until Nov 2: media report

He was accused of joining protests in Mumbai against the country’s election chief in October.