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This Week in Asia
Indonesia’s newly appointed finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (left) signs a document in front of President Prabowo Subianto during a swearing-in ceremony at the state palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Can Indonesia’s cabinet reshuffle restore public trust and calm protesters?

Analysts say the move was meant to signal responsiveness to protesters, but warn few will be satisfied without deeper reforms.

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Is Duterte’s ex-police ally set to give ICC drug war’s ‘smoking gun’ proof?

Asia-Pacific presents major climate-related insurance opportunities: Swiss Re

Economics

Business leaders push for stronger Asean ties to tap region’s potential

Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025 urge the region to capitalise on its young population and market, amid diversity and data challenges.

Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025, held at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, on Tuesday. Photo: May Tse
Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025, held at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, on Tuesday. Photo: May Tse

Southeast Asia

British duo face harsh Bali drug laws after cocaine smuggling arrest

Indonesian police said one of the men was arrested at the island’s airport with around 1.3kg of cocaine in his bag.

People

Philippine contractors allege political bribery in flood control scandal

The Discayas have offered to turn state witnesses but legal experts say their alleged role in the scandal could undermine their credibility.

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People

Nepal’s prime minister resigns over deadly anti-corruption protests

K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned after 19 people were killed in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

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Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Photo: AFP
Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Philippines pauses purchase plans for F-16s from US due to funding ‘chokepoint’

The US$5.6bn fighter jet sale has been paused as the Philippines prioritises other military modernisation projects, its envoy to the US says.

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Politics

Malaysia tightens security at Petronas’ Bintulu LNG hub to investigate ‘threat’

Authorities did not specify the nature of the threat to the complex, which is the world’s largest single-site LNG production facility.

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Politics

South Korea overhauls flawed prosecution office accused of selective justice

A key flashpoint was Kim Keon-hee’s case, which critics say highlighted a pattern of selective and politically motivated law enforcement.

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South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, is seen at Seoul Central District Court last month. Photo: Newsis/Xinhua

People

Thaksin Shinawatra’s fall from grace ends in a Thai prison cell

A judge ruled that the billionaire ex-PM’s time in a VIP hospital room could not count as time served towards his jail sentence.

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Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Politics

Nepal’s Gen Z revolt turns deadly as police fire on protesters, killing 19

The government’s lethal crackdown on young protesters has deepened a crisis sparked by a social media ban and long-standing corruption.

Economics

‘Prosperity for generations’: Malaysia urges Hong Kong to tap Asean ‘as a bloc’

Hong Kong’s fintech solutions, green finance skills and logistics innovation could streamline trade across Asean, Minister Anthony Loke says.

Southeast Asia

ICC postpones ex-Philippine president’s drugs war trial amid health concerns

The International Criminal Court will now weigh if Rodrigo Duterte, 80, is fit to stand trial in his crimes against humanity case.

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Ex-president Rodrigo Duterte takes an oath during a Philippine Senate investigation into his war on drugs in October last year. Photo: AFP

People

How Kim Jong-un’s travel toilet exposes his biometric espionage fears

From his own toilet to a scrubbed-down chair and coffee table, the North Korean leader’s anti-spy tactics reflect a new kind of arms race.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae (second from left) arrive back in Pyongyang on Friday after returning from China. Photo: KCNA/KNS /AFP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae (second from left) arrive back in Pyongyang on Friday after returning from China. Photo: KCNA/KNS /AFP

Politics

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency probing ex-PM Mahathir’s ‘UK assets’

The latest move is part of a wider investigation by PM Anwar Ibrahim into the country’s ultra-rich and powerful.

Politics

Has Philippine Senate turned anti-Duterte with his camp ‘caught flat-footed’?

Senate head Vicente Sotto III is set to lend his heft to corruption probes and a potential bid for Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysia is forced to confront its deadly school bullying problem

The death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl has brought Malaysia’s endemic school bullying problem out of the shadows, forcing government action.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

Politics

Will Singapore’s PAP rule forever?

The People’s Action Party may have found a lasting formula for governing, with Singaporeans wanting it to remain in power, analysts say.

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Economics

Malaysia’s oil and gas future finds itself adrift in the South China Sea

Decades of underinvestment have left Malaysia’s armed forces ill-prepared to protect its vital oil and gas reserves.

Economics

Southeast Asia’s pinched middle class abandons the dream of owning a home

Luxury flats are still being built, but a growing number of middle-class Southeast Asians are being squeezed out of the market.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Politics

Can Indonesia’s cabinet reshuffle restore public trust and calm protesters?

videocam
Indonesia’s newly appointed finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (left) signs a document in front of President Prabowo Subianto during a swearing-in ceremony at the state palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Is Duterte’s ex-police ally set to give ICC drug war’s ‘smoking gun’ proof?

Placards showing victims of extrajudicial killings during former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war displayed at a media conference in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Economics

Business leaders push for stronger Asean ties to tap region’s potential

Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025, held at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, on Tuesday. Photo: May Tse

People

Philippine contractors allege political bribery in flood control scandal

Pedestrians wade through a flooded street caused by heavy rains in Manila in July. Photo: AFP

People

Nepal’s prime minister resigns over deadly anti-corruption protests

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Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Photo: AFP
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