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This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
Illustration: Mario Rivera

Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

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Malaysian bookshop hits on novel idea to hook readers addicted to ‘brain rot’

South Korea and Indonesia’s fighter jet is ready. But will it sell?

Politics

Softly, softly: why South Korea, France prefer diplomacy over force in Hormuz

Presidents Lee and Macron have agreed to cooperate on safety in the strait but they are likely to wade in only after the war, analysts say.

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) toasts with Emmanuel Macron during a luncheon for the French leader at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Photo: Yonhap/dpa
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) toasts with Emmanuel Macron during a luncheon for the French leader at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Photo: Yonhap/dpa

People

Malaysia drops appeal on abducted activist’s case, family still seeks answers

Rights group Suhakam says the police Special Branch was involved in the disappearances of Raymond Koh and another activist, Amri Che Mat.

People

New Zealand doctor invoices US embassy for rising fuel costs

Shane Dunphy asked the embassy to reimburse him for the US$1,600 spent on petrol vouchers for his staff so that they could travel to work.

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Economics

Malaysia urged to take more aggressive action to tackle energy crisis

Analysts warn of escalating risks to Malaysia’s economy and call for adjusting the subsidy scheme to stop the government from ‘burning cash’.

Vehicles are seen near the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 27. Photo: EPA
Vehicles are seen near the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 27. Photo: EPA

Economics

Helium supply shock threatens Asian chipmakers as economic slowdown fears mount

Iranian attacks on Qatar’s LNG facilities are curbing the supply of helium, a crucial gas used in chipmaking.

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Politics

Indonesia and Malaysia require geo-tracking for civil servants working from home

As governments roll out work-from-home policies to cut fuel use, civil servants face location tracking and other productivity measures.

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Economics

Indonesia rebalances energy policy as Iran war spurs new projects

As oil prices surge, Indonesia aims to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and intensify the use of crude palm oil for diesel blending.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Tokyo on Tuesday. Prabowo has invited Japan to develop Indonesia’s nuclear and renewable energy. Photo: Kyodo

Politics

From general to Myanmar president: Min Aung Hlaing’s ‘cosmetic’ rebrand

His transition from top general to president is a ‘veneer’ that poses a challenge for Asean, which has long shunned him, critics say.

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Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP
Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP

People

‘Feels unreal’: Indonesian grandma freed from Malaysian death row flies home

Ani Anggraeni spent nearly 15 years in prison for drug trafficking before her death sentence was commuted and she was later pardoned.

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Politics

‘Defining truth’? Worry in Philippines over controversial anti-fake news bills

Critics warn the proposals risk turning legitimate reporting, public-interest speech and fast-moving online discussion into criminal exposure.

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Health & Environment

Solomon Islands residents live in fear of WWII bomb explosions

With more people on the islands killed or injured due to the munitions, a UN team calls for international efforts to remove the danger.

Billy, a resident of the village of Yandina in Russell Islands, Solomon Islands, sits next to unexploded munitions near his home. Photo: UNDP Pacific Office/Christopher Teasdale

Lifestyle & Culture

Philippines weighs social media ban for minors, but will it be enough?

Analysts warn that restricting access alone will do little to fix the algorithms that expose young users to harmful content.

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Teenagers play games on their smartphones at a convenience store in the Philippines. Lawmakers have called for curbs on minors’ social media access. Photo: Shutterstock
Teenagers play games on their smartphones at a convenience store in the Philippines. Lawmakers have called for curbs on minors’ social media access. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle & Culture

Bali rocked by spate of murder cases – is Indonesian island more dangerous now?

The cases allegedly involving foreign suspects have spurred concerns that gang disputes have moved from other countries to the island.

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People

Malaysian minister steps in with aid for family of drink-driving victim

Amirul Hafiz Omar was on his way to buy his son a mathematics book when a car allegedly driven at high speed rammed his motorcycle.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
Illustration: Mario Rivera

Health & Environment

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

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.

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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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

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Illustration: Mario Rivera

Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysian bookshop hits on novel idea to hook readers addicted to ‘brain rot’

A couple reads using different methods at a Kuala Lumpur Reads event. Photo: Instagram/kualalumpurreads

East Asia

Safety fears bloom in Japan as ageing cherry trees collapse in Tokyo parks

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People picnic outside a cordoned-off area set up to inspect the health of cherry blossom trees at Kinuta Park in Tokyo on Friday. Photo: AP

Southeast Asia

Singapore’s Workers’ Party finishes probe into chief Pritam Singh’s conduct

Worker’s Party chief Pritam Singh (centre) is followed by journalists as he leaves the Supreme Court during an appeals hearing on November 4, 2025. Photo: AFP
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Dicky Yordan

Asian Angle | Hormuz is sending Southeast Asia a warning – and we can no longer ignore it

Dicky Yordan
Marianne Hanson

Opinion | One rule for Israel and another for Iran risks nuclear disaster

Marianne Hanson
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Francis C. Domingo

Asian Angle | The Philippine military must transform, not just modernise

Francis C. Domingo
Ian Storey

Opinion | Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity project than war machine

Ian Storey
Syaza Shukri

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

Syaza Shukri
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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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