South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s 36-year-old gender minister nominee stepped down before gaining confirmation of her position amid a public backlash over her suitability for the job in the latest negative fallout from the president’s cabinet reshuffle. Yong Hye-in, a lawmaker of the minor Basic Income Party, pulled out of consideration for the position on Sunday after controversy erupted over her insistence that she would not give up her parliamentary seat while serving in the...

A former Malaysian religious affairs minister pleaded not guilty on Monday to three charges involving more than 860 million ringgit (US$211 million) in transactions linked to the country’s state-run haj savings fund and a Saudi property group. Jamil Khir Baharom, 65, served as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department overseeing religious affairs from 2009 until 2018, when the government of former prime minister Najib Razak lost power. His prosecution is the latest legal action to follow a...

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. Brics members find common ground on AI, trade and de-dollarisation push 2. China urges US to ‘stop all’ spying activities, slams ‘gangster logic’ 3. Police freeze HK$30 million in account of man who refused to share Mark Six prize 4. India-Pakistan water row deepens after Hague court ruling 5....

While Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was pitching the Luzon Economic Corridor to a 600-strong delegation of foreign investors and officials last week, protesters outside were clashing with police, accusing the US-backed initiative of exploiting the country’s resources. The backlash mirrored opposition against the Pax Silica AI supply chain drive – a separate proposal but again, American-led. It underscored mounting tension over the ambitious corridor, since expanded from a transport...

For generations of Chinese schoolchildren, English textbooks offered a glimpse of an unfamiliar world, from London’s Tower Bridge and Big Ben to American school life and Halloween traditions. Today, students opening an English textbook are more likely to encounter passages on late Qing dynasty (1644-1912) thinker Liang Qichao, the Dragon Boat Festival and China’s overseas aid projects. These changes are part of a nationwide overhaul of China’s primary and middle-school textbooks, which have...

Apple should ultimately bear responsibility for more than 700 unauthorised credit card transactions in Hong Kong, a lawmaker has said, while estimating that the actual loss would not be significant. Speaking on a radio programme on Monday, Election Committee sector legislator Johnny Ng Kit-chong described the incident as “rare”, given the large number of victims and the involvement of a platform operated by a major company such as Apple. Over the weekend, many Hong Kong social media users...

A little cheer rose for 79-year-old Hwang Sun-hee after she managed to place an online order at a training session in South Korea, which has one of the world’s starkest digital divides for seniors. Age gaps in digital literacy are a global concern, yet the gulf has widened massively in the hyper-connected and fast-ageing country, prompting national campaigns to bridge it. “You can’t do anything without smartphone apps or a kiosk machine ... It’s too much for old folks,” Hwang said at a senior...