This Week in Asia

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Lifestyle & Culture
A Pakistani soldier salutes while standing on an air defence missile system during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad in 2022. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Pakistan stunned by US fears over its missiles, assesses impact on South Asia

Washington’s assessment comes as Pakistan aims to balance its relations with the US and China amid fears of collateral damage.

Cambodia’s approval of Japanese naval visits signals ‘balanced’ foreign policy

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

6

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.

Politics

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

US analyst urges Trump to resume military exercises on disputed islands to send message of deterrence to China, reinforce sovereignty stance.

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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

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’.

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.

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

Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysian university suspends professor over sexual harassment claims

University says move to suspend professor over allegations of sending nude photos to students is in line with its zero-tolerance policy on misconduct.

Universiti Malaya has suspended a professor over allegations of unsolicited nude pictures sent to several students. Photo: Facebook/Universiti Malaya
Universiti Malaya has suspended a professor over allegations of unsolicited nude pictures sent to several students. Photo: Facebook/Universiti Malaya

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.

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

What Apple’s US$1 billion investment pledge means for Indonesia’s tech sector

Apple’s offer shows Indonesia’s push for local content rules is starting to pay off, but new entrants to its tech sector could be deterred, analysts note.

A customer inspects an Apple iPhone 15 at a mall in Denpasar, Indonesia’s Bali. Photo: EPA-EFE

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

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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Politics

Drop in number of Chinese students in Philippines ‘deeply concerning’

Experts say the decline is a result of stricter visa rules and country’s current atmosphere of paranoia that discourages Chinese visitors.

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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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LATEST Asia NEWS

Football

Minister Thohir determined to take ‘sleeping giants’ Indonesia back to World Cup

Indonesian cabinet minister and PSSI chairman Erick Thohir wants his country’s football team to be in the top 50 in the world by 2045. Photo: AFP

Politics

Pakistan stunned by US fears over its missiles, assesses impact on South Asia

A Pakistani soldier salutes while standing on an air defence missile system during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad in 2022. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Cambodia’s approval of Japanese naval visits signals ‘balanced’ foreign policy

Cambodian military police stand in front of the USS Savannah combat ship at Cambodia’s southern port city of Sihanoukville on December 18. Photo: AFP

Economics

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

6
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

Politics

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

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The disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo
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OPINION
Tetyana Malyarenko,Stefan Wolff

Opinion | Trump wants China’s Xi at his inauguration – to help broker peace in Ukraine?

Tetyana Malyarenko
Stefan Wolff
7
Dee Ninis

Opinion | Why Vanuatu should expect more aftershocks – and maybe another earthquake

Dee Ninis
Joseph Sipalan

My Take | Is Anwar’s anti-corruption pledge in Malaysia facing a reality check after 2 years?

Joseph Sipalan
Elisha M. Sonthra,David Yu Chak-wai,Donald Low

Opinion | A blueprint for revitalising Hong Kong tourism: lessons from Tokyo and Seoul

Elisha M. Sonthra
David Yu Chak-wai
Donald Low
7
Tengku Zafrul Aziz

Asian Angle | Why Asean’s neutrality is our greatest asset in a divided world

Tengku Zafrul Aziz
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MULTIMEDIA
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Pyongyang opens new beer bar in its growing suburbs

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Japan’s Honda, Nissan aim to merge

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Video

Vietnam’s biggest city gets its first metro line

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Can nuclear waste save this Japanese town?

23:42
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