Philippines’ deadly quake, India’s rise in critical minerals: 7 Asia highlights

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. At least 35 dead, 200 injured, after magnitude 7.8 quake hits PhilippinesAt least 35 people were killed and more than 200 injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday, toppling buildings, setting off landslides and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets.2. Is UK a ‘reliable partner’? Fighter jet delays test Japan’s patienceJapan’s patience with Britain as a defence partner is being tested after reports that funding shortfalls in London could delay a next-generation fighter jet that both countries are developing with Italy.3. Tears in North Korea as Kim meets footballers after historic title winNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulates the football players who won the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFPNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally received the country’s AFC Women’s Champions League winners in Pyongyang earlier this week, embracing the players and posing for photographs with them as they wept with joy and leapt in celebration.4. Philippines’ UN defeat: a result of domestic ‘political circus’, close ties with US?The Philippines’ landslide defeat to Kyrgyzstan for a UN Security Council seat has dealt a blow to Manila’s long-running campaign to raise its international diplomatic profile through the prestigious body, prompting questions about President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s foreign policy legacy.5. For those caught in China’s ‘involution’, RedNote offers a solution: MalaysiaYili, a RedNote content creator from China, says she is seeing “more and more Chinese bosses” in Malaysia. Photo: RedNote/YiliFor Chinese parents worn down by exam pressure, the solution now being offered by many creators on RedNote is not another tutoring strategy but another country: Malaysia.6. As India rises in critical minerals race, can it dent China’s dominance?A new India-US pact on critical minerals has put the spotlight on New Delhi’s potential as an alternative to China, but analysts say despite the country’s significant resources, it is unlikely to dent Beijing’s dominance in the sector any time soon.7. ‘We drank seawater’: a refugee’s journey from Myanmar to MalaysiaA boat carrying Rohingya migrants is detained in Malaysian waters off Langkawi, in 2020. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/APFor nine days, Nurul Nisa was crammed onto one of four fishing boats with 130 others, fleeing her village in Myanmar in search of safety. She was a child then, but she still remembers the crying, the sleepless nights and the hunger.Further Reading