Advertisement

Advertisement

Asia

This Week in Asia

The late Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, who died in 2024. His family is being investigated over its wealth. File photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Daim’s daughter to be charged in Malaysia amid corruption probe

Asnida Daim, daughter of the late finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, will be charged under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act.

1 hour agovideocam

Bangladesh targets 1 million children for vaccination as measles spreads

4 hours agovideocam

Singapore’s Shanmugam slams ‘hypocrisy’ over deported blogger Amos Yee

3 hours agovideocam

Economics

Oil smugglers in Thailand worsen supply crisis as Anutin warns of tough times

Police are investigating alleged oil hoarding in southern Thailand and reselling to nearby countries, citing ‘abnormal’ vessel movements.

3 hours agovideocam

A Thai farmer refuels diesel into an oil drum at a gas station in Ayutthaya province on Wednesday. Thai farmers are struggling with shortages of diesel, fertiliser and insecticides amid the ongoing Iran war. Photo: EPA

East Asia

South Korea aims to send ships to Saudi port for oil to bypass Hormuz

Special envoys will also sail to Oman and Algeria to try to secure oil via other routes, said lawmaker Ahn Do-geol.

5 hours agovideocam

Economics

Can palm biodiesel be Malaysia’s quick fix for soaring fuel prices?

Infrastructure costs, supply chains and industry readiness could pose problems for wider adoption of biodiesel blends, analysts say.

4 hours agovideocam

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Politics

‘Remorseless’ Yoon slammed for invoking Jesus in a note from South Korean prison

The ex-president may be a liability to his former People Power Party ahead of local elections on June 3 amid falling approval ratings.

5 hours agovideocam

A news report on the sentencing trial of South Korean former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s insurrection case in February, stemming from his short-lived December 2024 declaration of martial law. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia

AirAsia X hikes fares by 40%, cuts capacity by 10% as Iran war impacts fuel

Founder Tony Fernandes said the higher prices were ‘unavoidable’ after the average cost of jet fuel more than doubled to US$200 per barrel.

6 hours ago

East Asia

North Korean silence on Iran signals openness to US talks: Seoul’s spy agency

Pyongyang has not sent weapons and supplies to its long-time ally , nor has it issued messages to mark Iranian leadership changes.

6 Apr 2026 - 2:32PMvideocam

East Asia

Japan’s Takaichi seeks urgent summit with Iran as Trump’s Hormuz deadline looms

Japan has been bearing the brunt of the Iran war as the resource-poor nation relies on the Middle East for most of its crude oil imports.

6 Apr 2026 - 1:32PM

Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Tokyo on March 18. Photo: EPA

People

Singapore police say body found is missing man from boat collision

The body of Chua Muhammad Syafidi was found floating off the Indonesian island of Karimun.

6 Apr 2026 - 1:47PMvideocam

Chua Muhammad Syafidi. Photo: Facebook/Tower Transit Singapore

East Asia

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

6 Apr 2026 - 11:12AMvideocam

South Asia

Afghan mother demands answers after son dies in Pakistani hospital bombing

Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the March 16 strike on a drug treatment centre that killed 411.

6 Apr 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

Global Economy

South Korea opens door wider to Chinese travellers – but will they come?

Higher airfares and fierce regional competition may blunt impact of new policy, analysts say.

6 Apr 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

Tourists walk around Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, South Korea, on March 15. Photo: EPA

Australasia

Australia receives fuel export guarantees from Singapore, Japan

Australia is seeking to diversify its sources of oil products as a result of the war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, including making purchases from the US and Mexico.

5 Apr 2026 - 6:31PM

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left) sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement during a Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting, at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on October 8 last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Health & Environment

‘Unable to handle rejection’: the forces driving Japan’s knife crime wave

Experts warn a generation raised on screens is losing the ability to handle real-world rejection.

6 Apr 2026 - 8:25AMvideocam

Economics

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

5 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

4 Apr 2026 - 9:50AMvideocam

Illustration: Mario Rivera

Health & Environment

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

3 Apr 2026 - 10:40PM

Health & Environment

Mortal combat: Southeast Asia fights fears of death to plan for the end

Birth rates are falling. Populations are ageing. In Southeast Asia, the business of dying has never been bigger.

23 Mar 2026 - 9:54AMvideocam

Politics

Graft and gridlock: in Anwar’s Malaysia, reformist cracks widen

Malaysia’s prime minister can’t pass his own reform bills. His coalition appears to be cracking – and time is running out.

14 Mar 2026 - 10:30AM

Illustration: Huy Truong

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Highlights from

THIS WEEK IN ASIA

People

Singapore’s Shanmugam slams ‘hypocrisy’ over deported blogger Amos Yee

3 hours agovideocam

Controversial blogger Amos Yee has been charged with violating Singapore’s compulsory military service rules. Photo: Handout

Economics

Oil smugglers in Thailand worsen supply crisis as Anutin warns of tough times

3 hours agovideocam

A Thai farmer refuels diesel into an oil drum at a gas station in Ayutthaya province on Wednesday. Thai farmers are struggling with shortages of diesel, fertiliser and insecticides amid the ongoing Iran war. Photo: EPA

Economics

Can palm biodiesel be Malaysia’s quick fix for soaring fuel prices?

4 hours agovideocam

A man holds a nozzle at the petrol station in Negri Sembilan. Diesel in Peninsular Malaysia rose to 6.02 ringgit a litre for the week of April 2 to 8. Photo: EPA

Politics

‘Remorseless’ Yoon slammed for invoking Jesus in a note from South Korean prison

5 hours agovideocam

A news report on the sentencing trial of South Korean former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s insurrection case in February, stemming from his short-lived December 2024 declaration of martial law. Photo: Reuters

People

Singapore police say body found is missing man from boat collision

6 Apr 2026 - 1:47PMvideocam

Chua Muhammad Syafidi. Photo: Facebook/Tower Transit Singapore

MORE IN This Week in Asia

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Opinion | Global South nations are insulating themselves from the heat of US actions

Zhang Zhipeng

6 Apr 2026 - 5:30AM

Opinion | Fixing US branding woes starts with rebuilding trust Trump has damaged

Steven Okun

5 Apr 2026 - 6:26PM

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

Wenran Jiang

3 Apr 2026 - 9:21PM

Opinion | Iran war is changing East Asia’s energy and strategic plays

Hao Nan

2 Apr 2026 - 9:44PM

Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa

Opinion | What the Iran war reveals about Nato’s appetite for conflict over Taiwan

Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa

1 Apr 2026 - 8:30PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

Advertisement

TRENDING TOPICS

South China Sea

The Philippines

Advertisement

Advertisement