Asia

This Week in Asia

Cargo ships are loaded with containers as it is docked at the port of Bangkok. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia

Thailand offers ‘practical’ 90% cut on US goods to avert Trump tariffs: adviser

The vice-chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said its offer is more ambitious than its rivals and a deal is ‘so close’ to being finalised.

17 Jul 2025 - 6:48PMvideocam

Fear of ‘mafia-style syndicates’ in Bali grows amid rise in crimes by foreigners

6 hours agovideocam

What’s the real cost of ‘rice is life’ for Filipinos’ health?

6 hours ago

Southeast Asia

27 Chinese nationals among 1,000 arrested in Cambodia scam raids

A recent report by Amnesty International into cybercrime in Cambodia highlights state complicity in abuses by Chinese criminal gangs.

17 Jul 2025 - 4:21PM

Suspects are seen with their hands tied after being detained during a police raid on a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Philippines in Australia-US drills: the ‘new normal’ in defence cooperation?

Manila’s participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre reflects upgraded ties with Canberra amid anxiety over Trump 2.0 and China, analysts say.

17 Jul 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

People

Police in Kelantan detain over 20 for ‘gay party’, condoms and HIV pills found

More than 100 men were believed to have attended the first such event uncovered in Kelantan, according to local police.

17 Jul 2025 - 6:26PM

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South Asia

New details in Air India crash probe shift focus to plane’s captain: report

The senior pilot was the one who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s engines, a black box recording indicates.

17 Jul 2025 - 10:28AMvideocam

Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane lies outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, on July 12. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

Philippines ‘least safe’ to travel to? Sorry, Canadian firm says

HelloSafe’s ‘2025 Safety Index’ put the Philippines at the bottom of a list measuring how safe a country is for travellers.

17 Jul 2025 - 4:44PMvideocam

Politics

Indonesia steps into the spotlight at France’s Bastille Day parade

The Indonesian president’s state visit allows him to show himself as a leader who can negotiate on equal terms with the West, analysts say.

17 Jul 2025 - 4:56PMvideocam

Health & Environment

South Korean man drowns in flood after telling wife: ‘car being swept away’

Intense rainfall has battered South Korea in recent years, prompting questions about its flood prevention measures.

17 Jul 2025 - 3:14PM

Flooding caused by torrential rain in Yesan, South Korea. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters

Southeast Asia

To please Trump, Indonesian airline orders Boeing jet it once shunned

Jakarta plans to revive a plane order to seek favour with Trump and boost US ties despite flag carrier Garuda’s financial woes.

17 Jul 2025 - 1:51PMvideocam

Garuda Indonesia sank back into the red in 2024 after an almost US$10 billion debt restructuring failed to revive its fortunes. Photo: AFP

People

6 arrested in Malaysia over nudity in marriage course

At least four people were involved in ‘instances of undress’ at the event organised by a couple, according to Selangor police.

17 Jul 2025 - 2:25PM

Politics

Will the Philippines sue China over coral reef destruction?

Investigators said divers were unable to remove a huge anchor still blocking sunlight from corals near Thitu Island in the South China Sea.

17 Jul 2025 - 9:28AM

East Asia

‘You’ve embarrassed Korea’: woman sacked over viral brawl in Vietnam

Her employer apologised over the incident in Hanoi that has sparked outrage and diplomatic concerns.

17 Jul 2025 - 3:52PM

Two South Korean women were involved in a scuffle at a photo booth in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: X

Southeast Asia

Singapore police officer jailed for abetting wife who tortured helper to death

A judge said Kevin Chelvam knew Piang Ngaih Don was not being given enough to eat before her death in 2016 and he ignored her torment.

17 Jul 2025 - 2:47PM

Gaiyathiri Murugayan (centre) is escorted from her Singapore flat in 2016 after the death of her domestic helper. Photo: Today Online

South Asia

Bangladesh violence leaves at least 4 dead as political turmoil persists

Security forces clashed with supporters of the toppled prime minister, highlighting deep political divisions in the country.

17 Jul 2025 - 12:45PMvideocam

South Asia

Pakistan’s monsoon misery worsens as floods kill more than 150

Over 300 people have also been injured in the climate-induced disaster since late June.

17 Jul 2025 - 3:46PMvideocam

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Politics

In US-China tug of war, Australia puts itself first

With one eye on the past and the other on the Asia-Pacific’s future, Australia’s prime minister is championing sovereignty in an uncertain age.

17 Jul 2025 - 1:51PM

Illustration: Huy Truong

Economics

Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim promised the new taxes would only affect the rich, but many ordinary families are starting to feel the pinch.

7 Jul 2025 - 10:48AM

Politics

From Iraq to Iran: the US quest for Israeli military dominance – and its fallout

This decades-long strategy has not only redrawn the regional map but also exposed the limits of China’s Middle East influence, analysts say.

29 Jun 2025 - 7:58AMvideocam

Politics

Crisis calculations: Trump’s America has Southeast Asia in a spin

Punitive tariffs and severe aid cuts are shaking the foundations of the US relationship with Asean, deepening a sense of ‘unreliability’.

23 Jun 2025 - 12:44PM

Illustration: Huy Truong

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Highlights from

THIS WEEK IN ASIA

People

Fear of ‘mafia-style syndicates’ in Bali grows amid rise in crimes by foreigners

6 hours agovideocam

Indonesian police officers escort Australian M.C., one of the suspects in the fatal shooting of an Australian tourist, ahead of a press conference at the local police precinct in Badung, Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo: AP

Lifestyle & Culture

What’s the real cost of ‘rice is life’ for Filipinos’ health?

6 hours ago

A worker prepares bags of rice to be sold at a government mini-market in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, in May. Photo: EPA-EFE

Politics

Philippines in Australia-US drills: the ‘new normal’ in defence cooperation?

17 Jul 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

Australian and US HIMARS rockets are launched during the firepower demonstration as part of the Talisman Sabre 2025 joint military exercise at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton, Australia, on Monday. Photo: EPA

People

Police in Kelantan detain over 20 for ‘gay party’, condoms and HIV pills found

17 Jul 2025 - 6:26PM

Malaysian police have detained more than 20 men during a raid of the first ever “gay party” in Kelantan. Photo: Shutterstock

Politics

Syria’s future tied to Israel peace deal as billions in investment set to arrive

17 Jul 2025 - 5:33PM

A tattered Syrian flag at the Syrian general staff headquarters after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes on Damascus. Photo: dpa

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Pakistan monsoon floods kill more than 150

Pakistan monsoon floods kill more than 150

Bangladesh political rally turns deadly

At least four killed in Bangladesh political party rally violence

Prabowo calls Trump ‘tough negotiator’ after tariff deal

Indonesia’s Prabowo reaches ‘landmark deal’ with Trump, saying trade talks will continue

Russian woman, daughters found living in cave in India

Russian family found living in a cave in remote corner of India

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TRENDING TOPICS

South China Sea

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