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This Week in Asia
India’s BrahMos missile system on show during its Republic Day parade in New Delhi last year. Photo: AFP

Politics

India’s missile tech transfer to firms signals defence self-reliance on track

Despite the forthcoming transfer from a state agency, Indian firms are still years away from being able to make advanced missiles.

South Korea prioritises financial stability with consecutive rate increases

Malaysian airport staff find body in wheel well of plane from Japan

Southeast Asia

Singapore MP opposes Temasek funding for Air India amid US$1.5 billion plea

‘If Singapore Airlines wants to continue its bet on Air India, it should do so on its own two feet, and not on Temasek’s,’ Kenneth Tiong says.

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Air India is expected to continue requiring capital infusions in the coming years. Photo: Reuters
Air India is expected to continue requiring capital infusions in the coming years. Photo: Reuters

Health & Environment

Trunk road: injured elephant’s 100km trek home drives debate in Malaysia

The Asian elephant’s long journey back home has stirred outrage over logging and habitat loss in Malaysia.

Politics

Philippines’ rising military pensions risk triggering budget ‘time bomb’

The surge in pensions may weaken the country’s push to buy modern military assets to strengthen its deterrence.

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Politics

Malaysia’s Ismail Sabri denies failing to declare millions in cash, gold bars

The prosecution claims the former prime minister did not disclose about US$40 million in assets to the anti-corruption agency.

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Former Malaysian prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, waves as he leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Former Malaysian prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, waves as he leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Politics

South Korea hands police more power even as dead bodies expose the lies

Fabricated calls and erased files kept two deaths hidden. Now, a force prone to cover-ups is inheriting unchecked authority.

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Politics

Why US visa pause could have ‘real consequences’ for Asian applicants

Observers warn the pause ‘risks months of cascading delays’ for Asian countries with large numbers of pending applications.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Can Singapore’s new anti-scam rules help stop online fraud before it occurs?

The new rules shift more responsibility to messaging platforms, in a move analysts say could become a regional model.

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People walk past a poster warning of scam threats in the financial business district of Raffles Place in Singapore in September 2025. Photo: AFP

East Asia

‘Treated as expendable’: South Korean ex-spy reveals toll of secret missions

Agents work in isolation and the surveillance never stops, a former agent trained to infiltrate North Korea reveals.

Ha Tae-jun, a former South Korean operative trained for covert missions to North Korea, poses at the Association of Bereaved Families of Special Mission Agents’ office in Seoul on August 10. Photo: Korea Times
Ha Tae-jun, a former South Korean operative trained for covert missions to North Korea, poses at the Association of Bereaved Families of Special Mission Agents’ office in Seoul on August 10. Photo: Korea Times

South Asia

‘It came suddenly’: Nepal flood kills 157, leaves hundreds of tourists missing

The overspill from the Bhotekoshi River caused power cuts, damaged roads and power projects near the country’s border with Tibet.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Bears and pest control: how Japan is spending its departure tax windfall

Critics say the funds are being channelled into projects with limited direct benefit to travellers and question how the money is being spent.

People

Why South Asian students are rethinking Western university education

Rising costs, visa restrictions and better regional choices drive a shift towards domestic undergraduate study before going abroad.

Students throw their graduation hats in the air at a university in Amritsar, India, in 2022. Photo: Nanu/AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Singapore’s future island plan stirs concern over reefs and old fishing grounds

The plan to merge three islands could be another example of nature, memory and maritime heritage giving way to development, activists say.

An old photo shows a family’s boat trip to Pulau Seking to get supplies while revisiting Pulau Semakau in 1988 after relocating to mainland Singapore. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg
An old photo shows a family’s boat trip to Pulau Seking to get supplies while revisiting Pulau Semakau in 1988 after relocating to mainland Singapore. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg

Politics

Why Philippines is betting on drones to boost maritime security

Manila plans to use drones as force multipliers, but analysts warn building a credible deterrence network will require multi-year investment.

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Health & Environment

‘Crazy loud’: terror as Malaysian roller coaster fails mid-ride, injuring 10

A top official points to metal fatigue as police and the theme park operator face a backlash for delayed comment on Saturday’s incident.

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Politics

Malaysia’s Anwar traded reform for power. Now Umno wants it all

Back-to-back election losses and internal party rifts leave Malaysia’s prime minister clinging to a crumbling coalition.

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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition has suffered a series of bruising defeats in recent state elections. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition has suffered a series of bruising defeats in recent state elections. Photo: EPA-EFE

Lifestyle & Culture

Bling gamble: how Southeast Asia’s middle class is redefining luxury

Instalments and resales are helping customers from Bangkok to Jakarta bridge the gap between aspiration and affordability.

People

Malaysia’s royals rise to the fore in a changing nation

Unstable coalitions have created greater room for the country’s royal institutions to influence government formation, observers say.

Politics

Ready player 3: India offers Asean a US-China alternative

India pitches trade, missiles and room to hedge as the US and China vie for regional influence.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Politics

India’s missile tech transfer to firms signals defence self-reliance on track

India’s BrahMos missile system on show during its Republic Day parade in New Delhi last year. Photo: AFP

Economics

South Korea prioritises financial stability with consecutive rate increases

People walk in a business district in Seoul. The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Philippines’ rising military pensions risk triggering budget ‘time bomb’

Philippine military servicemen take part in a live fire exercise during the annual US-Philippines joint Balikatan exercise in Rizal, Palawan, last year. Photo: AFP

Politics

Malaysia’s Ismail Sabri denies failing to declare millions in cash, gold bars

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Former Malaysian prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, waves as he leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Health & Environment

Trunk road: injured elephant’s 100km trek home drives debate in Malaysia

Sulong walks along a road on his 100km journey back home in August. Photo: X/jjhwonu
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