A former Indonesian police officer from an elite paramilitary unit who deserted his post and later claimed he had joined a Russian mercenary force fighting in Ukraine has been stripped of his citizenship, according to authorities. Muhammad Rio, a former member of the Aceh Police’s Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), a paramilitary arm of Indonesia’s national police, lost his citizenship after joining a foreign armed force without authorisation, Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said. “Anyone –...

Police in South Korea are hunting a person claiming to be a commercial pilot who threatened to carry out a “suicide flight” over Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport, voicing resentment over the merger between the country’s two largest airlines. The alarming message – posted on an anonymous online forum popular with office workers – also mentioned a stabbing, prompting authorities to increase security around the airport and verify the poster’s identity, police and aviation officials said on...

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. ‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire A well-intentioned US embassy post featuring a satellite image of Malaysia has sparked a distinctly local burst of self-deprecating humour, with social media users quipping in response to the...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China 2. Melaku Belachew, Shitaye Eshete claim Hong Kong Marathon crowns - as it happened 3. Trump shrugs off concerns over Canada-China EV deal, calls it a ‘good thing’ 4. Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos...

A divorced Malaysian couple looking to rekindle their relationship were arrested for being alone in a hotel room after religious enforcement officers raided their hotel room in Johor in the early hours of Sunday morning. Johor’s Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) said on social media that officers detained the pair at 1.15am in a hotel in Kluang, following a tip-off about alleged immoral activity. They were suspected of khalwat, an Islamic moral offence under Malaysia’s state sharia laws for...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China 2. Melaku Belachew, Shitaye Eshete claim Hong Kong Marathon crowns - as it happened 3. Trump shrugs off concerns over Canada-China EV deal, calls it a ‘good thing’ 4. Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos...