Asia

This Week in Asia

People wearing face masks in Hanoi, Vietnam on December 4. Vietnam’s capital is advising residents to limit outdoor activities on poor air quality days. Photo: Xinhua

Southeast Asia

‘I have to wear a mask all the time’: Hanoi’s smog hits crisis levels

On Thursday, Hanoi was the world’s fourth most-polluted city, with officials citing vehicles, industry, and crop burning for the poor air quality.

4 hours ago

Airbnb ban in Bali? Indonesia says no, but crackdown on illegal stays looms

2 hours agovideocam

‘We’re just trying to survive’: young Malaysians buckle under rising debt

2 hours agovideocam

Australasia

Skydiver survives 4,600-metre fall after parachute snags plane tail

The pilot issued a mayday distress call, but managed to safely land the aircraft following the September incident.

5 hours agovideocam

A skydiver was left dangling thousands of metres in the air after their parachute caught on the plane’s tail. Photo: Australian Transport Safety Bureau/AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

As more department stores in Singapore struggle, can they adapt and survive?

The closure of more Isetan outlets comes in the wake of brands like Robinsons, Daimaru and SOGO that have ceased operations in Singapore.

2 hours ago

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Wanted to make her ugly’: South Korean man arrested over scalding of partner

Police were called in after the couple went to hospital for treatment, raising suspicions of assault.

3 hours ago

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Southeast Asia

Thai-Cambodia border clash deepens as Trump seeks to ‘put out little flame’

Bangkok reported three civilian fatalities as the US president aims to broker peace amid soaring tensions.

3 hours agovideocam

A Thai police officer splashes water to control a fire at a house which was reportedly damaged by a Cambodian artillery strike in Thailand’s Surin province on Thursday. Photo: AP

Economics

Rupee slump ‘a little relief’ for Indian exporters amid US trade talks

The lower rupee is helping Indian industries that have been absorbing tariff losses in the hopes of a US-India trade deal, analysts say.

2 hours agovideocam

Politics

‘Credible mediation’: Asean urged to help halt deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes

Analysts urge Asean to take ‘urgent, coordinated action’ if it hopes to mediate an end to the Thailand-Cambodia conflict.

2 hours agovideocam

Health & Environment

South Korea to end cosmetic surgery tax break that fuelled medical tourism boom

The Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons warned that ending the VAT refund scheme could drive foreign patients to rival destinations.

5 hours agovideocam

Shin Sang-ho, director of Krismas Plastic Surgery in Seoul, prepares to administer a Botox injection in December 2020. Photo: Reuters

People

Philippines denies ex-mayor Alice Guo has received special treatment in prison

Officials refuted reports that Guo, who recently began serving a life sentence, possessed a phone and had received unauthorised visitors.

6 hours agovideocam

Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban in Tarlac province accused of human trafficking and ties to Chinese organised crime, is escorted to a press conference in Manila on September 6, 2024. A Philippine court later sentenced her and seven others to life in prison on human-trafficking charges. Photo: AFP

Politics

South Korea’s threat to dissolve corrupt religious groups risks blowback

President Lee’s move comes as a widening Unification Church bribery scandal implicates lawmakers from both major parties.

2 hours agovideocam

People

Thais attacked in South Korea as conflict with Cambodia spills over

Attackers reportedly asked ‘which country are you from?’ before hitting four men with bottles, leaving two with head injuries.

10 Dec 2025 - 5:21PM

Politics

South Korea vows ‘stern response’ in Liancourt Rocks dispute with Japan

A senior South Korean official says the islets are an ‘integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law’.

10 Dec 2025 - 6:45PM

Members of South Korean Marine Corps take part in a military exercise in remote islands called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, in August 2019. Photo: South Korean Navy/Yonhap via Reuters

Health & Environment

Fur real? In Japan, rise in bear attacks spurs demand for robot wolf, AI cameras

Authorities in a prefecture have also deployed drones that mimic dogs barking and spark fireworks to scare off bears.

10 Dec 2025 - 8:00PM

The Monster Wolf robot emits LED light and loud sounds to scare off wild animals when activated. Photo: Kyodo

Politics

Prabowo’s push to end direct election for Indonesian regional heads stirs debate

The president says the move is to stop wasteful spending and vote buying, but critics warn that it risks a return to Suharto-era politics.

10 Dec 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

People

Malaysia’s ‘moral police’ slammed over dress code dispute

The skirt-wearing women were barred from entering a police station to report a car accident, which lawyers say is a ‘violation’ of constitutional rights.

11 Dec 2025 - 8:18AM

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Health & Environment

6 cyclones, 5 weeks: Philippines can’t escape its endless cycle of disaster

Corruption, complacency and climate chaos conspire to turn the Philippines’ natural hazards into man-made tragedies.

6 Dec 2025 - 8:17AMvideocam

Satellite imagery shows Super Typhoon Fung-wong as it approaches the Philippines on November 9. Photo: NOAA/EPA

Politics

‘It’s time for us to rise’: India races to rebuild its lost maritime muscle

India is eyeing a future as a leading shipping and shipbuilding nation, backed by big investments – and expertise from South Korea and Japan.

30 Nov 2025 - 5:12PM

Politics

Malaysia’s poorest state prepares a poll shock for the prime minister

Decades of neglect and withheld resource revenue have left short-changed Sabah seething and primed for a political fight.

24 Nov 2025 - 5:02PM

Health & Environment

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

21 Nov 2025 - 6:58AM

Illustration: Huy Truong

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Highlights from

THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Lifestyle & Culture

Airbnb ban in Bali? Indonesia says no, but crackdown on illegal stays looms

2 hours agovideocam

An aerial view of Denpasar shows the many hotels and lodgings in the area. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

‘We’re just trying to survive’: young Malaysians buckle under rising debt

2 hours agovideocam

Young Malaysians are struggling to stay afloat as rising costs and easy credit fuel growing financial stress. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle & Culture

As more department stores in Singapore struggle, can they adapt and survive?

2 hours ago

The outlet of the Isetan department store chain at NEX shopping mall, which will close in April next year. Photo: YouTube/Singapore Scenery and Places

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Wanted to make her ugly’: South Korean man arrested over scalding of partner

3 hours ago

The woman shown with gauze on her face on December 3 suffered second-degree burns. Photo: Nnutt Aaomsin

Economics

Rupee slump ‘a little relief’ for Indian exporters amid US trade talks

2 hours agovideocam

A roadside vendor counts Indian rupee notes in Mumbai on November 28. Photo: AFP

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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

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TRENDING TOPICS

The Philippines

South China Sea

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