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This Week in Asia
The burnt-out Japan Airlines plane at Haneda airport in Tokyo on January 3. Photo: Kyodo News via AP

East Asia

Coastguard plane in Japan airport crash mistook taxi order for runway clearance

Japan Transport Safety Board releases recordings from the aircraft that collided with a JAL jetliner at Haneda airport in January.

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‘Japan’s neighbourhood more dangerous’? Fears over Chinese land purchases

Will a firm US stance on Diaoyu Islands be too ‘provocative’ for Japan?

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Economics

Will India’s undersea cable overhaul make it a global data powerhouse?

A number of new cable systems set to come online by 2025 are expected to quadruple the country’s data transmission capacity.

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Undersea cables connect continents and form the foundation of modern digital infrastructure. Photo: Shutterstock
Undersea cables connect continents and form the foundation of modern digital infrastructure. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Very worrying’: record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, survey shows

Economy, rising prices, uncertain job prospects and the state of the world among reasons for concern, as more feel standard of living declining.

People

SingPost downplays concerns over operational integrity after terminations

Company says it remains ‘confident of our legal position’ after two of three executives claimed their termination was unfair and ‘without merits’.

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Lifestyle & Culture

‘Bit of a joke’: India’s popcorn tax sparks roasting of complex GST system

Social media users slam country’s excessive regulations and high taxation after government’s move to impose three-tier tax on popcorn.

India’s GST Council says non-branded popcorn mixed with salt and spices will attract a 5 per cent GST, pre-packaged and branded popcorn 12 per cent, and caramel popcorn, categorised as a sugar confectionery, 18 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock
India’s GST Council says non-branded popcorn mixed with salt and spices will attract a 5 per cent GST, pre-packaged and branded popcorn 12 per cent, and caramel popcorn, categorised as a sugar confectionery, 18 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock

East Asia

‘Super-aged’ South Korea faces demographic challenges as 20% of population over 65

The milestone, driven by a declining birth rate, highlights the country’s rapidly ageing population and the need for policy changes to address the demographic challenges.

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Politics

What Erdogan’s summit walkout could mean for Prabowo, Indonesia-Turkey ties

Officials deny speculation of a rift even as analysts note Prabowo’s ‘diplomatic gaffe’ could indicate possible missteps in foreign policy.

Southeast Asia

PM Anwar’s approval rises as Malaysia faces economic concerns

An independent survey finds 39 per cent of respondents feel Malaysia is going in the right direction as of end-November 2024, compare to 36 per cent the previous year.

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends a welcome ceremony at the Government Palace in Lima, Peru, on November 13. Photo: EPA-EFE

Politics

Malaysian police make child porn raids ahead of social media deadline

Police say material seized from 13 men arrested countrywide contained 40,000 pieces of pornography, including of children.

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Malaysia’s police chief Razarudin Husain said the operation was part of efforts to track down perpetrators of online child sex abuse. Photo: AP
Malaysia’s police chief Razarudin Husain said the operation was part of efforts to track down perpetrators of online child sex abuse. Photo: AP

Politics

‘Extremely irresponsible’: Philippine army’s Typhon purchase plan angers China

The Typhon missile system has raised tensions between Manila and Beijing after its deployment in US-Philippine military drills.

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Politics

Did South Korea’s Yoon use fortune-telling to plan his failed martial law bid?

Noh Sang-won, an ex-intelligence chief, has allegedly advised Yoon Suk-yeol on his martial law decree’s timing based on fortune-telling.

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Southeast Asia

Cambodian man gets 31 years in jail for gunning down soon-to-be married couple

Businessman Srey Sina was also ordered to pay more than US$2 million in compensation to Long Lysong and Khin Kanchana’s families.

Cambodian businessman Srey Sina was sentenced to 31 years in prison for killing a young couple. Photo: YouTube/KampucheaTV

Politics

Revolution, elections and a baby hippo, this was the year in Asia

From climate change to political storms and a Taylor Swift world tour, Asia in 2024 was characterised by turbulence and surprises.

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Students and other activists carry Bangladesh’s national flag during a protest march to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 5. Photo: AP
Students and other activists carry Bangladesh’s national flag during a protest march to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 5. Photo: AP

Middle East

Israeli army forces patients out of Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, doctors say

The Kamal Adwan hospital, one of the few still functioning in the area, was targeted by Israeli troops who claim it is a Hamas stronghold.

This Week in Asia

Baby girl among 7 killed in 3-vehicle crash on Malaysia highway

Traffic was completely stalled for more than 10km in Melaka’s Ayer Keroh, with police taking nearly four hours to clear the wreckage.

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Economics

Thailand’s high-tech utopia starts to take shape – but will it deliver?

At its launch seven years ago, the Eastern Economic Corridor was marketed as a solution to Thailand’s economic malaise. But concerns persist.

Thailand’s once-thriving economy, which grew an average of 5 per cent annually in the early 2000s, has been battered by two decades of political turmoil and coups. Image: Huy Truong
Thailand’s once-thriving economy, which grew an average of 5 per cent annually in the early 2000s, has been battered by two decades of political turmoil and coups. Image: Huy Truong

People

‘Now we know’: Malaysia’s Syrian refugees find Assad’s fall bittersweet

Malaysia offered sanctuary to thousands of Syrians who fled the Assad regime. Now Bashar is gone some want to return. Others aren’t so sure.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Australia faces seismic shift over social media ban – and it’s felt across Asia

As Thailand’s youth advocate for similar bans on under-16s, Malaysia and Singapore ramp up their own efforts to combat online dangers.

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Politics

‘What’s in it for me’: will Trump 2.0 squeeze the Philippines for US support?

The US president-elect’s interest in containing China militarily and supporting the Philippines’ defence remains an open question.

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Donald Trump hugs and kisses the American flag during an event in February. His return to the White House will put US-Philippine ties to the test. Photo: AP
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA
A Japan Self-Defence Forces soldier takes part in a drill at the Yokota Air Base in Fussa on the outskirts of Tokyo. Photo: Reuters

Economics

‘Japan’s neighbourhood more dangerous’? Fears over Chinese land purchases

Undersea cables connect continents and form the foundation of modern digital infrastructure. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

Will India’s undersea cable overhaul make it a global data powerhouse?

videocam
A new survey shows a record high 78.2 per cent of Japanese people are anxious about their lives. Photo: Getty Images

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Very worrying’: record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, survey shows

The disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo

Politics

Will a firm US stance on Diaoyu Islands be too ‘provocative’ for Japan?

videocam
15
India’s GST Council says non-branded popcorn mixed with salt and spices will attract a 5 per cent GST, pre-packaged and branded popcorn 12 per cent, and caramel popcorn, categorised as a sugar confectionery, 18 per cent. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Bit of a joke’: India’s popcorn tax sparks roasting of complex GST system

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