This Week in Asia /

Explained

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South China Sea
Malaysia 1MDB scandal
China-India border dispute
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gestures as he leaves the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Putrajaya in 2018. Photo: AP
Malaysia 1MDB scandal

Explainer | Why is Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal still casting a long shadow over its economy?

About 70 per cent of the US$10 billion funds pilfered from the sovereign wealth fund have been recovered, Malaysia’s MACC says.

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Malaysia

Explainer | What to know about Najib’s house arrest bid and the existence of a royal ‘decree’

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South Korea

Explainer | South Korea’s first lady Kim: from Dior bag scandal to martial law fallout

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Japan

Video | Will Japan’s economy recover under a new leader?

The island nation slipped into recession in 2024, losing its status as the world’s third-largest economy.

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Will Japan’s economy recover under a new leader?
Will Japan’s economy recover under a new leader?
Thailand

Explainer | Srettha’s exit: are Thailand’s conservatives on the rise, democracy in retreat?

Despite challenges from other parties, Pheu Thai “will almost certainly remain in government”, an analyst says

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Thailand

Explainer | Thai PM next in firing line as country struggles to shrug off political chaos

All you need to know about two decades of political upheavals in the kingdom.

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Bangladesh

Explainer | With Hasina gone, Bangladesh peers into the unknown. Here’s what we know

Elections expected to be held as soon as possible but shape of future government uncertain over role of army, future of protesting students.

A vendor hangs a newspaper with the front page article reading “Bangladesh Burns” along a roadside in Hyderabad on Tuesday, a day after Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by anti-government protestors. Photo: AFP
A vendor hangs a newspaper with the front page article reading “Bangladesh Burns” along a roadside in Hyderabad on Tuesday, a day after Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by anti-government protestors. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Explainer | ‘Train-wreck Day’ for Thailand as courts hold political future in their hands

Thailand’s courts will hear evidence against key figures including PM Srettha Thavisin, in cases that could undermine the government and opposition.

Japan

Talks on China-Japan-South Korea FTA merely ‘symbolic’ given US opposition

Leaders of the three countries have pledged to “speed up negotiations” for a trilateral FTA after a delay of several years.

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Iran

Explainer | How Ebrahim Raisi’s death could affect Iran’s leadership and regional ties

Tehran has stressed political continuity, even as analysts caution that a ‘harsh struggle’ is expected in the race to become Iran’s next president.

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Iranians gather in Tehran on Monday to mourn the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa
India

Explainer | India election: what stands between victory and PM Modi’s ruling BJP?

Voter concerns such as inflation and unemployment are unlikely to derail PM Modi and his ruling BJP’s path to victory, analysts say.

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Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party wear masks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election campaign in Ghaziabad. Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party are the favourites to win a high-stakes parliamentary election, analysts say. Photo: AP
Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party wear masks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election campaign in Ghaziabad. Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party are the favourites to win a high-stakes parliamentary election, analysts say. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Explainer | Indonesia election 2024: everything you need to know

Controversies have dogged this election cycle, especially of President Joko Widodo’s influence over state institutions for his preferred candidate Prabowo Subianto.

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Malaysia

Explainer | Why are rivals of Malaysia’s PM Anwar ensnared in a corruption investigation?

Malaysia’s ex-minister Daim Zainuddin, the former aide of Mahathir Mohamad, faces questions over his wealth as PM Anwar Ibrahim cracks down on endemic corruption.

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Pacific nations

Explainer | As PNG vows return to normality, will chaos mar its ties with US and China?

Papua New Guinea’s PM James Marape has cancelled a trip to Davos as he fends off calls to resign while trying to defuse the national crisis sparked by a police pay dispute.

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Looters leave shops with goods amid a state of unrest in Port Moresby on January 10. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Explainer | Could Myanmar’s military be deposed by armed groups fighting across the country?

The junta is facing its gravest challenge from armed groups following their coordinated attacks in Shan State.

Members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army at a town in Myanmar’s northern Shan State. It is one of around a dozen ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar fighting against the military. Photo: AFP
Members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army at a town in Myanmar’s northern Shan State. It is one of around a dozen ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar fighting against the military. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Explainer | Indonesia election 2024: the biggest issues facing the 3 presidential hopefuls

Campaigning is likely to spotlight political dynasties, Indonesia’s new capital Nunsantara, youth and Muslim voters, and intra party rivalry in the ruling party.

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Israel-Gaza war

Analysis | Why Qatar, Egypt and Turkey are struggling to mediate the Israel-Gaza war

Brokering a ceasefire appears all but impossible amid the escalating violence, as fears grow of a massive humanitarian crisis – and Israel vows to wipe the Palestinian militant group ‘off the face of the Earth’.

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Israel-Gaza war

Explainer | Could the Israel-Gaza war become multi-front involving Iran and Hezbollah?

The Israel-Gaza war is set to put the region on a knife-edge with risks of escalation involving Iran, its Lebanon-based ally Hezbollah and even others.

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A fireball erupts after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Monday. Photo: AFP
A fireball erupts after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Monday. Photo: AFP
War and conflict

Explainer | What to know about the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

This week’s offensive was due to ‘decades of frustration after the failure of the international community’ to resolve conflict, say analysts, and with the war in Ukraine distracting Russia.

Malaysia

Explainer | What a weak ringgit means for Malaysia’s economy and PM Anwar in the state polls

Greater exposure to China’s economy and easing commodity prices are among the factors likely to have contributed to the ringgit’s decline compared to its Asean peers, observers say.

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Japan

Explainer | What to know about Japan’s plan to release Fukushima waste water into the sea

The plan to dump treated radioactive waste water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea has stirred debates in South Korea, and led to boycotts of Japanese goods in China. Japanese fishermen have also vehemently opposed the plan.

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Environmental activists denounce the Japanese government’s plan to start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. Photo: AP
South Korea

Explainer | What to know about South Korea-Japan ties as Yoon, Kishida meet

Building closer security ties to counter North Korea’s threat, expanding economic cooperation are among the issues likely to be the focus of Kishida’s Seoul trip.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida toast during dinner at a Tokyo restaurant in March. Photo: dpa
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida toast during dinner at a Tokyo restaurant in March. Photo: dpa
Thailand

Explainer | What to know about the major candidates, parties contesting Thailand’s election

Pro-democrats hope to oust the ruling coalition of former army types and conservatives, in an election set to be Thailand’s most unpredictable in two decades.

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Malaysia

Explainer | Malaysia’s jailed ex-PM Najib is seeking a royal pardon. What happens next?

Request for pardon to be deliberated by the Pardons Board which includes the king and PM Anwar Ibrahim, who has brushed aside concerns of conflict of interest.

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Australia

Explainer | What to know about Australia’s Aukus subs and why it’s causing anxiety in Asia

Critics worry that the deal could set a dangerous precedent that can be used by other states to hide highly enriched uranium or plutonium from international oversight.

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From left: Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, and UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leave after a joint press conference following their meeting at Point Loma naval base, to discuss the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under a pact between the three nations as part of Aukus. Photo: dpa
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