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This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
Illustration: Huy Truong

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.

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

‘It’s really bad’: record fuel prices drive Filipinos off the road

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Politics

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.

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Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an attack amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an attack amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

South Korea’s cut-price interceptor outshines US Patriot in Iran war debut

The Cheongung-II hit 96 per cent of targets at a third of the cost of its US rival, triggering a scramble for the technology.

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Economics

India steps up regional energy diplomacy, supplies Bangladesh with diesel

Being a ‘first responder’ in the current energy crisis is in line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

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Economics

Why Philippines struggles to tap its US$1 trillion mineral wealth

Without a proper road map to grow its mining sector, the country remains a ‘second-tier mineral economy’.

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Nickel mining in southern Philippines. Analysts say a lack of a proper road map to realise the country’s mining potential is hindering its ambitions to grow the industry. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem
Nickel mining in southern Philippines. Analysts say a lack of a proper road map to realise the country’s mining potential is hindering its ambitions to grow the industry. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem

Politics

Trump’s Pearl Harbour joke falls flat in Japan over his ‘disrespectful remarks’

As Japan faces pressure over the Iran war, some observers commend Takaichi for steering her meeting with Trump towards trade deals.

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Politics

Is Pakistan building ICBMs? Non-proliferation experts dispute US warning

US fears of Pakistani ICBMs targeting America are overstated as Islamabad’s missile programme remains regional, observers say.

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Economics

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

Any deal with Iran could undermine South Korea’s alliance with the US and their US$350 billion trade deal.

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South Koreans protest against US President Donald Trump’s request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz in front of the US embassy in Seoul on Monday. Photo: TNS

Lifestyle & Culture

India’s weight-loss drug price war begins as key patent expires

Generic slimming drugs are expected to flood a market where one in four adults are currently either overweight or obese.

A group of women walk on a street in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. About a quarter of India’s adult population is either overweight or obese. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images
A group of women walk on a street in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. About a quarter of India’s adult population is either overweight or obese. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

Politics

Support for Duterte’s ICC trial has halved in a year. Here’s why

Only 30 per cent of Gen Z Filipinos now back the ICC drugs war case, as AI-generated disinformation floods TikTok.

Politics

Beyond ‘lip service’: Philippines urged to act on air defence gaps

The Iran war has underscored the need for robust air systems and Manila should look to build a layered defence architecture, experts say.

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Politics

Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos pressures economy

Facing economic challenges and border tensions with Cambodia, the prime minister has pledged swift responses to public needs.

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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reacts at parliament in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AFP

People

Ashes for ransom: the bizarre rise of urn thefts in Malaysia

In the past month, 30 urns in Negeri Sembilan and 22 urns in Johor were reported stolen at two memorial parks.

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The Xiao En memorial park in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Photo: YouTube/Xiao En Group
The Xiao En memorial park in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Photo: YouTube/Xiao En Group

People

‘I’ll burn down my school’: Philippine police foil shooting plot by teens

The case involving radicalised students in Laguna province highlights the need for cyber safety and parental vigilance, analysts say.

Lifestyle & Culture

Japan gets tough against teachers’ sexual misconduct, voyeurism after arrests

Sexual offences involving mostly male teachers targeting students remain high despite stricter rules against the menace in recent years.

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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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

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.

People

‘It’s inevitable’: Singapore’s workers brace for AI disruption

The city state wants 100,000 workers to become ‘AI bilingual’. But with entry-level roles already vanishing, time may not be on its side.

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Politics

Build fast, grow rich: To Lam’s blueprint for a rising Vietnam

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief is staking his legacy on 10 per cent growth, domestic megaprojects and an overseas charm offensive.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

East Asia

Iran ready to help Japan ships pass through Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi says

Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Nepal’s Mera Glacier is among the handful of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region that meets the World Glacier Monitoring Service’s benchmark standards. Photo: Patrick Wagnon/ICIMOD

Economics

‘It’s really bad’: record fuel prices drive Filipinos off the road

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Protesters hold signs opposing fuel price increases in Manila, the Philippines, on Friday. Photo: EPA

East Asia

At least 14 people die in South Korea fire at car parts factory

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other officials inspect what remains of a factory in Daejeon on Saturday, after a huge fire that killed 14 people. Photo: via Reuters

Politics

South Korea’s cut-price interceptor outshines US Patriot in Iran war debut

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A Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile is launched towards a simulated target during a drill in 2024. Photo: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff
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OPINION
Syaza Shukri

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s LGBTQ crackdowns aren’t hypocrisy, they’re politics

Syaza Shukri
Barbora Valockova

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

Barbora Valockova
Ben Dunant

Opinion | Myanmar’s junta staged an election. It couldn’t stage legitimacy

Ben Dunant
Napon Jatusripitak,Duncan McCargo

Asian Angle | How to win an election in Thailand: stage a rebrand, rely on rural votes

Napon Jatusripitak
Duncan McCargo
Donald Rothwell

Opinion | Australia needs to make its stance on the Iran attacks known

Donald Rothwell
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
03:09
Video

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
02:34
Video

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
02:02
Video

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
04:27
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