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

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.

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Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

Lifestyle & Culture

One-Punch Man and the human cost of Japan and South Korea’s soft power

Behind the multibillion-dollar export boom lies a hidden crisis of low wages, 60-hour work weeks and unliveable pressure on invisible staff.

A still from Japanese superhero saga One-Punch Man. The latest episode garnered complaints about its uneven pacing and “rushed” storytelling. Photo: Netflix
A still from Japanese superhero saga One-Punch Man. The latest episode garnered complaints about its uneven pacing and “rushed” storytelling. Photo: Netflix

Economics

Probe links Philippines flood corruption to Pogo crypto schemes

Cybercrime officials have uncovered a ‘definite link’ between the massive graft scandal and laundering rings run by banned gaming operators.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Anger boils in Philippines over official’s US$8.50 Christmas feast budget

Critics call the Philippine trade chief’s 500-peso Noche Buena price guide for a family of four a ‘fantasy’ that insults the poor.

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Southeast Asia

‘Crowd is missing’: stronger ringgit keeps Singapore shoppers away from Johor

‘This is probably the worst year-end crowd we have seen since the Covid-19 pandemic,’ a business owner says.

A traditional market in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock
A traditional market in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle & Culture

Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

A scheme allowing foreign performers to work up to six months at public entertainment outlets in Singapore will end, following ‘widespread abuse’.

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People

Malaysia under pressure to explain police shooting of trio as outcry mounts

Audio recording and forensic claims released by the men’s families appear to contradict police accounts of the confrontation.

People

Hong Kong fire: dead Indonesian helper found huddled with ward hailed as selfless

Her grieving husband says his wife would have survived had she fled first, as the flat where she worked was on the fourth floor.

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Indonesian domestic worker Sri Wahyuni had told her husband Sugeng Widodo that she liked her job in Hong Kong. Photo: Sugeng Widodo

Lifestyle & Culture

Oxford slammed for not naming Indonesian researchers in rare flower find

After an uproar over the perceived snub, the university named the Indonesian researchers involved in Rafflesia’s rediscovery on social media.

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A close-up of the rare Rafflesia flower rediscovered in West Sumatra last month by Indonesian flower hunter Septian Andriki, a team led by researcher Joko Witono, Oxford scientist Chris Thorogood and local guide Iswandi. Photo: X/Chris Thorogood
A close-up of the rare Rafflesia flower rediscovered in West Sumatra last month by Indonesian flower hunter Septian Andriki, a team led by researcher Joko Witono, Oxford scientist Chris Thorogood and local guide Iswandi. Photo: X/Chris Thorogood

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Better late than never’: Singapore parents laud curbs on phone use in schools

The city state is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents.

Politics

Can India still rely on Russia as a ‘time-tested’ defence partner?

India has to balance meeting its defence needs from Russia and managing its trade ties with the US as tariffs continue to loom.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image stirs debate

Social media users said Singapore had no Vivian Chow or Edison Chen, but experts warned against warped beauty standards shaped by media.

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The viral image has sparked a debate on beauty standards in Singapore. Photo: X, source unknown

People

In Japan, public opinion turns against Trump’s ‘terrible, stupid’ US

A new survey reveals approval for US ties has hit near-record lows amid political turmoil, punitive tariffs and shock at Trump’s agenda.

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Soldiers hold US and Japanese flags during a welcome ceremony for US President Donald Trump at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. Photo: AFP
Soldiers hold US and Japanese flags during a welcome ceremony for US President Donald Trump at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. Photo: AFP

Politics

Myanmar’s criticism of Takaichi signals ‘loyalty’ to China ahead of election

A junta spokesman slammed the Japanese prime minister’s comments on Taiwan, saying Tokyo had not shown remorse for its ‘crimes’ in Asia.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Japan weighs plan to punish sex buyers, but will it be enough?

Experts warn the sex industry will find ways to circumvent new rules and the problem needs to be tackled from various angles simultaneously.

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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.

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

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.

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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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Health & Environment

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

videocam
4
Satellite imagery shows Super Typhoon Fung-wong as it approaches the Philippines on November 9. Photo: NOAA/EPA

Economics

Probe links Philippines flood corruption to Pogo crypto schemes

videocam
Protesters hold signs during an anti-corruption rally in Manila, the Philippines, on November 30. Photo: EPA

Politics

Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

Young men play online games and surf the internet at a cyber cafe in Jakarta last month. Photo: AFP

Economics

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

A Thai engineer services AI-powered healthcare robots in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Lifestyle & Culture

One-Punch Man and the human cost of Japan and South Korea’s soft power

A still from Japanese superhero saga One-Punch Man. The latest episode garnered complaints about its uneven pacing and “rushed” storytelling. Photo: Netflix
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