This Week in Asia /

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Staff members wait for the arrival of passengers at Pokhara International Airport in December last year. Photo: China News Service/VCG/Getty Images
Nepal

Nepal charges Chinese contractor with corruption over airport deal

A watchdog alleges the company colluded with ex-ministers to inflate costs and siphon off US$74 million from the Pokhara airport project.

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Nepal

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

Thailand

‘Everyone gets a cut’: why Southeast Asia’s scam industry refuses to die

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The Philippines

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

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

Asia makes the chips driving the AI boom, but the technology threatens to erase jobs and widen the region’s wealth gap, a new UN report says.

Singapore

‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

The two countries have disagreed over water supply for decades, such as the perceived low prices charged by Malaysia’s Johor.

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India

Cyber scams threaten confidence in India’s outsourcing industry

Fraudsters leveraging India’s cost advantages and skilled workforce create a systemic risk for legitimate businesses, analysts warn.

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Sophisticated cyber scam networks are threatening to inflict “reputational damage” on India’s thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, observers warn. Photo: Shutterstock
Sophisticated cyber scam networks are threatening to inflict “reputational damage” on India’s thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, observers warn. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Saudi adviser lauds parallels with Singapore in modernisation efforts

Mohammed Khalid Alyahya cites the late Singaporean leader’s pragmatic and results-driven governance as a template for Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.

India

India’s strong economic growth impresses amid doubts on ‘overstated’ data

Questions about India’s latest 8.2 per cent GDP quarterly growth have been raised by ANZ Bank and analysts.

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India

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia promises millions of gig workers a safety net, but critics see holes

A new law would mandate written contracts and dispute resolution, but labour groups argue it still leaves workers at the mercy of algorithms.

A delivery rider for Grab passes in front of a house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
A delivery rider for Grab passes in front of a house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Japan

Hotels hit back as Tokyo plans to hike lodging tax with percentage-based system

The plan would replace the current flat-rate hotel tax with a 3 per cent levy that hoteliers say would unfairly burden certain travellers.

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India

‘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.

Indonesia

Indonesian durian sellers smell big opportunity in China, world’s largest market

In 2024, Indonesia exported US$1.8 million worth of the fruit to Thailand and Hong Kong, and began shipping fresh durians to China this year.

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Durian for sale at a roadside stall in Lombok, Indonesia. Photo: Getty Images
Malaysia

From Singapore to Malaysia, tech firms double down on AI despite bubble fears

Bubble bursting? Not here. Meet the regional founders who see a potential global AI crash as a ‘healthy’ correction.

An electronic chip board used for AI processing. Photo: Shutterstock
An electronic chip board used for AI processing. Photo: Shutterstock
Indonesia

Indonesia blindsided by ruling against Nusantara’s 190-year land right law

The ruling has compounded the challenges in completing the planned new capital, including lukewarm interest from investors.

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Russia

As Asia’s oil markets eye Ukraine-Russia peace deal, will prices fall further?

Oil prices have been falling in recent trading sessions on expectations of an imminent deal to end the war in Ukraine.

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India

Economics above politics? India and Canada to resume trade agreement talks

While their ties plunged in 2023 over the death of a Sikh separatist, they are keen to restart trade talks due to US tariffs, analysts say.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney speak before a meeting at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. Photo: AP
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney speak before a meeting at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. Photo: AP
Saudi Arabia

The China factor behind Trump’s decision to upgrade Saudi air power

The deal swaps F-35 jets for ‘guardrails’ on Chinese tech in the Gulf, analysts say – with Israel assured its military edge is safe.

India

India still behind as China-made submarines boost Pakistan’s naval power

The Indian Navy’s self-reliance drive is being undercut by chronic ‘sluggishness’ in procurement, analysts say.

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China-India relations

India, China align on climate at Cop30 as ties thaw

Analysts say pairing China’s cleantech prowess with India’s energy needs has the potential to redefine Asia’s decarbonisation trajectory.

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A solar farm in China’s Shandong province. China leads the world in clean-energy investment, spending US$625 billion on the sector last year alone. Photo: Xinhua
Malaysia

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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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Asean

Widodo hails Southeast Asia’s rise as ‘global force’ in entrepreneurship

Former Indonesian leader says the next unicorn could emerge from Southeast Asia and urges the region to prepare for an ‘intelligent economy’.

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The Philippines

Philippines’ Marcos orders arrest of Zaldy Co, 17 others in flood control scandal

‘The wheels of justice are turning,’ the Philippine president said when announcing that an arrest warrant has gone out against Co and others.

Asean

Why Asean’s AI ambition may lead to widening economic and tech divide

While countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are ahead in the AI race, others like Cambodia and Laos risk being left behind, analysts say.

An illustration of stock market trading using artificial intelligence. Asean is aiming to expand the use of AI across sectors. Photo: Shutterstock
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