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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. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines?
Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.
2. Bukit Bintang upgrade to rival ‘Singapore’s Orchard Road’ draws Malaysian ire

A government plan to spend nearly US$1 million on decorative lights and other cosmetic upgrades in Kuala Lumpur’s famed Bukit Bintang district has drawn fierce backlash, with residents questioning the priorities of city planners as floods and ageing infrastructure continue to plague the Malaysian capital.
3. Most Asian countries don’t see China as a security threat: Singapore’s ex-PM
The security situations in Asia and Europe are very different because of each region’s respective dynamics with China and Russia, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.
4. Japan’s PM slammed for ‘currying favour’ with Trump over Nobel Peace Prize plan
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been accused of “taking flattery to the extreme” after she informed US President Donald Trump on Tuesday about her plan to nominate him for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
5. Cloudy with a chance of microplastic showers forecast in Indonesia’s capital

A new study has found that rainwater in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta contains microplastics and potentially other toxic chemicals harmful to public health, raising alarm over the pervasiveness of such particles in the country’s biome – down to food consumed.
6. America’s ‘concerning’ lust for rare earths rocks Southeast Asia
Beneath hills draped in ancient rainforests, where rivers sustain millions and biodiversity flourishes, Southeast Asia hides a treasure coveted by global superpowers: rare earth elements.
7. Malaysian woman jailed 5 years over autistic son’s death due to neglect
A Malaysian court on Friday sentenced a woman to five years’ jail for neglect leading to the death of her six-year-old autistic son, in a case that has shocked the nation and raised questions about the lack of support for families with special needs children.


Southeast Asia’s climate; Singaporeans and a work ethic stereotype: 7 Asia highlights

Trump’s China trip assessed, South Korea’s AI problem: 5 weekend reads you missed

Xi-Trump summit: all you need to know from the final day of the meeting in Beijing

China hosts Trump at Temple of Heaven; Hong Kong sushi parasite video: SCMP’s 7 highlights

SCMP Highlights

What Europe sees in Philippines, Malaysia’s Bukit Bintang upgrade: 7 Asia highlights

A screenshot shows a Philippine navy vessel anchored at Oyster Bay naval facility in Palawan province, West of Manila in June. Photo: AFP

People crowd the Bukit Bintang shopping area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July. Photo: Getty Images

A street vendor pushes his cart through floodwaters following heavy rains in Jakarta. Photo: Reuters

Xi-Trump meet ‘a historic moment’, top Belgian neurologist to China: SCMP daily highlights

US President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday. Photo: White House/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Two years after returning to her homeland from the United States, where she built a promising academic career, rising oceanography star Dong Sijia died at the age of 33. Photo: Handout

Dishes at a Torikizoku restaurant. Photo: Torikizoku

Yi Gang served as the governor of the People’s Bank of China between 2018 and 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

China’s rare earths challenge, Apec meeting in Shenzhen: 5 weekend reads you missed

China dominates the world’s mining and refining of rare earths. Photo: AP

A worker waters the site of a rare earth metals mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province. Photo: Reuters

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the first session of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Stanley Fung (right) and Benz Hung (left) Photo: Handout

A Chinese airline has come under fire for recruiting married women and mothers as flight attendants, and saying they are more caring. Photo: Shutterstock/Douyin

Refuel row: Japan rescinds airbase access to South Korean jets over Dokdo islets dispute

The South Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team performs during Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition in Seongnam, South Korea, on October 17. Photo: Reuters

The islands, called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, are administered by South Korea but have been claimed by Tokyo since the end of World War II. Photo: AP

News

Asia

From Sweden’s security cooperation with the Philippines to microplastic rain in Indonesia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From Sweden’s security cooperation with the Philippines to microplastic rain in Indonesia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


What Europe sees in Philippines, Malaysia’s Bukit Bintang upgrade: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Sweden’s security cooperation with the Philippines to microplastic rain in Indonesia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines?

From Sweden’s security cooperation with the Philippines to microplastic rain in Indonesia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting