This Week in Asia

Health & Environment

Lifestyle & Culture

Indonesia’s newly appointed finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (left) signs a document in front of President Prabowo Subianto during a swearing-in ceremony at the state palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Can Indonesia’s cabinet reshuffle restore public trust and calm protesters?

Analysts say the move was meant to signal responsiveness to protesters, but warn few will be satisfied without deeper reforms.

5 hours agovideocam

Is Duterte’s ex-police ally set to give ICC drug war’s ‘smoking gun’ proof?

5 hours ago

Business leaders push for stronger Asean ties to tap region’s potential

5 hours ago

People

Philippine contractors allege political bribery in flood control scandal

The Discayas have offered to turn state witnesses but legal experts say their alleged role in the scandal could undermine their credibility.

9 Sep 2025 - 5:42PM

Pedestrians wade through a flooded street caused by heavy rains in Manila in July. Photo: AFP

People

Nepal’s prime minister resigns over deadly anti-corruption protests

K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned after 19 people were killed in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

6 hours agovideocam

Politics

Malaysia tightens security at Petronas’ Bintulu LNG hub to investigate ‘threat’

Authorities did not specify the nature of the threat to the complex, which is the world’s largest single-site LNG production facility.

9 Sep 2025 - 5:53PMvideocam

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People

Thaksin Shinawatra’s fall from grace ends in a Thai prison cell

A judge ruled that the billionaire ex-PM’s time in a VIP hospital room could not count as time served towards his jail sentence.

9 Sep 2025 - 6:01PMvideocam

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Politics

South Korea overhauls flawed prosecution office accused of selective justice

A key flashpoint was Kim Keon-hee’s case, which critics say highlighted a pattern of selective and politically motivated law enforcement.

9 Sep 2025 - 1:19PMvideocam

Economics

‘Prosperity for generations’: Malaysia urges Hong Kong to tap Asean ‘as a bloc’

Hong Kong’s fintech solutions, green finance skills and logistics innovation could streamline trade across Asean, Minister Anthony Loke says.

9 Sep 2025 - 4:07PM

Politics

Nepal’s Gen Z revolt turns deadly as police fire on protesters, killing 19

The government’s lethal crackdown on young protesters has deepened a crisis sparked by a social media ban and long-standing corruption.

9 Sep 2025 - 12:29PM

Protesters clash with police in front of the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency probing ex-PM Mahathir’s ‘UK assets’

The latest move is part of a wider investigation by PM Anwar Ibrahim into the country’s ultra-rich and powerful.

9 Sep 2025 - 3:58PM

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad leaves the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He has repeatedly denied claims that he had abused his power to amass his alleged riches. Photo: EPA

People

How Kim Jong-un’s travel toilet exposes his biometric espionage fears

From his own toilet to a scrubbed-down chair and coffee table, the North Korean leader’s anti-spy tactics reflect a new kind of arms race.

9 Sep 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Politics

Has Philippine Senate turned anti-Duterte with his camp ‘caught flat-footed’?

Senate head Vicente Sotto III is set to lend his heft to corruption probes and a potential bid for Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial.

8 Sep 2025 - 9:54PM

Economics

Are ‘unscrupulous’ insurers causing richer Malaysians to seek public hospitals?

With private healthcare costs surging, more pressure on the public healthcare system could deprive Malaysians of affordable and timely care.

8 Sep 2025 - 7:04PM

An elderly man receives a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a local hospital. A Malaysian lawmaker says many high-income Malaysians have fallen victim to “unregulated and irresponsible marketing” by insurers. Photo: Bernama

People

Indonesia removes finance minister Sri Mulyani after protests

Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who has served as chairman of the Deposit Insurance Corporation since 2020, has been sworn in as the new finance chief.

8 Sep 2025 - 9:51PM

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani stands during a cabinet inauguration ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on October 21, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

People

Stalking reports jump in South Korea after tougher laws enacted over murder case

Despite the surge, the court’s approval rate for protective measures to prevent stalkers from approaching victims has fallen.

8 Sep 2025 - 5:17PMvideocam

People

Korean mother accused of suitcase murders stands trial in New Zealand

Prosecutors allege the woman killed her two young children in 2018, shortly after her husband’s death, using sleeping medication.

8 Sep 2025 - 5:35PM

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Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysia is forced to confront its deadly school bullying problem

The death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl has brought Malaysia’s endemic school bullying problem out of the shadows, forcing government action.

8 Sep 2025 - 10:08AM

Illustration: Huy Truong

Politics

Will Singapore’s PAP rule forever?

The People’s Action Party may have found a lasting formula for governing, with Singaporeans wanting it to remain in power, analysts say.

30 Aug 2025 - 8:00AM

Economics

Malaysia’s oil and gas future finds itself adrift in the South China Sea

Decades of underinvestment have left Malaysia’s armed forces ill-prepared to protect its vital oil and gas reserves.

25 Aug 2025 - 9:35AM

Economics

Southeast Asia’s pinched middle class abandons the dream of owning a home

Luxury flats are still being built, but a growing number of middle-class Southeast Asians are being squeezed out of the market.

19 Aug 2025 - 10:57AM

Illustration: Mario Rivera

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LATEST Asia NEWS

Politics

Can Indonesia’s cabinet reshuffle restore public trust and calm protesters?

5 hours agovideocam

Indonesia’s newly appointed finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (left) signs a document in front of President Prabowo Subianto during a swearing-in ceremony at the state palace in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Is Duterte’s ex-police ally set to give ICC drug war’s ‘smoking gun’ proof?

5 hours ago

Placards showing victims of extrajudicial killings during former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war displayed at a media conference in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Banking & Finance

Asia-Pacific presents major climate-related insurance opportunities: Swiss Re

6 hours ago

A landslide at Bride’s Pool Road in Tai Po. Photo: Sam Tsang

Economics

Business leaders push for stronger Asean ties to tap region’s potential

5 hours ago

Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025, held at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, on Tuesday. Photo: May Tse

Southeast Asia

British duo face harsh Bali drug laws after cocaine smuggling arrest

9 Sep 2025 - 6:25PM

British nationals Kial Robinson and Piran Ezra Wilkinson at the Bali’s National Narcotics Agency office in Denpasar on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

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Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Budget cuts raise doubts about Indonesia’s new capital

Budget cuts raise doubts about Indonesia’s new capital

‘Blood moon’ lights up the sky across Asia

Blood moon’ lights up the sky across Asia

Putin thanks Kim for help fighting against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un leave after a meeting in Beijing, China September 3, 2025.

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TRENDING TOPICS

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‘Nothing will change’: Gen Z Filipinos’ faith in the future is fading

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