This Week in Asia

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A protester in the Hague holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa

Politics

Duterte’s downfall: will Marcos face an election backlash in the Philippines?

Ex-president Duterte is behind bars in The Hague and his daughter is fighting for political survival. But don’t discount a comeback in 2028.

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‘It’s like apocalypse’: Myanmar, Thailand quake death toll tops 1,000

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Black carbon: the super pollutant melting Asia’s glaciers

Economics

Indonesia’s Danantara fund faces constitutional challenge over corruption concerns

Critics fear the new law underpinning the fund weakens oversight of state-owned enterprises, potentially fuelling corruption risks.

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Exterior facade of the building housing Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as Daya Anagata Nusantara or Danantara, in Jakarta. Photo: AFP
Exterior facade of the building housing Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as Daya Anagata Nusantara or Danantara, in Jakarta. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

‘It’s easy’: as Singaporeans rediscover China, young travellers lead the way

Fuelled by visa-free entry and social media buzz, tech-savvy Gen Z travellers are discovering a modern China that shatters old stereotypes.

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Health & Environment

Japan faces 99 times more heatwaves if global warming intensifies, report warns

A new report reveals global warming could cause “once-in-a-century” heatwaves annually.

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Politics

US bolsters Philippines defence with ‘game-changer’ missiles to deter China threat

During a visit to the Philippines, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stressed alliance, deterring Beijing’s ‘aggression’ in the South China Sea.

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Manila on Friday. Photo: AFP
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Manila on Friday. Photo: AFP

Politics

Malaysians trust media more while consumer boycott hits confidence survey

Local companies dominate the most trusted brands across the sectors, according to the Ipsos survey.

Politics

Kurds ponder future in Turkey, Syria and Iraq with guarded optimism

The mood among the Kurds has changed after Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan urged the PKK to end its struggle against Turkey.

People

Declassified 1994 files show how diplomats doubted North Korea’s ‘goofy’ Kim Jong-il

Newly released files show experts from the US and Russia were sceptical he could hold onto power in the wake of his father’s sudden death.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il smiles as he inspects the Sinam cooperative farm in Ryongchon county in North Korea, in this undated file photo released by Korea News Service in Tokyo on June 8, 2007. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Philippines pulls Asean card on East Timor over extradition row. Will it work?

Manila is seeking the extradition of Arnolfo Teves Jnr, a former politician, who is facing murder and other charges.

Prime Minister of East Timor Xanana Gusmao (far right) poses for a photo at the 14th Asean-UN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, last year. Photo: Reuters
Prime Minister of East Timor Xanana Gusmao (far right) poses for a photo at the 14th Asean-UN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, last year. Photo: Reuters

Health & Environment

South Korean mayor sparks outrage by blaming female workers for wildfire woes

Kim Doo-gyeom of Ulsan city cites limitations in fighting the devastating blaze, saying it is not easy to send women into ‘rugged mountain areas’.

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Politics

Malaysia arrests Muslim preacher as temple relocation row rages on

Controversy refuses to die down even as PM Anwar declared ‘victory’ after laying foundation stone for a mosque to be built on temple site.

Health & Environment

Over 150 dead across Myanmar, Thailand as quake traps scores under rubble

A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok as rescuers rush to the site of a collapsed building where at least 80 workers are unaccounted for.

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Rescue personnel near a building in Bangkok that collapsed after a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Trump’s immigration crackdown hits Filipino green card holder, sparking fears

The detention of a Filipino who has lived in the US for 50 years shows the huge shift in immigration enforcement under Trump, observers say.

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A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer talks to a group of undocumented immigrants detained in Kansas. Photo: TNS
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer talks to a group of undocumented immigrants detained in Kansas. Photo: TNS

Politics

Is North Korea’s nuclear submarine a game changer or ‘vanity project’?

North Korea’s first SSBN is likely to lag far behind its US and South Korean submarine rivals, analysts say.

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Politics

Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee Seafoods in landmark forced labour case

The human-trafficking case highlights the exploitation within the seafood industry, emphasising the need for corporate accountability and systemic reform.

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Politics

Duterte’s downfall: will Marcos face an election backlash in the Philippines?

Ex-president Duterte is behind bars in The Hague and his daughter is fighting for political survival. But don’t discount a comeback in 2028.

videocam
A protester in the Hague holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa
A protester in the Hague holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa

Lifestyle & Culture

Cosmetic cravings: Asia’s Gen Z risk it all to keep their youthful looks

Young Southeast Asians are running a gauntlet of bootleg botox, fake fillers and clandestine clinics in their quest to defy ageing.

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Politics

How Singapore’s opposition hopes to loosen the PAP’s 66-year grip on power

The Workers’ Party aims to build on its gains. Tan Cheng Bock’s PSP is back in the fray, too. Can they chip away at the PAP’s supermajority?

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Economics

Emas or gelap? Prabowo’s golden dream and Indonesia’s ‘dark’ realities collide

With a shrinking middle class, falling commodity prices and youth unemployment on the rise, experts warn of an economic paradox in the making.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

World

‘Very big threat’: global aid effort begins after Myanmar, Thailand quake

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A huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday has killed over 1000 people and injured at least 2000, with many residents missing. Photo: Facebook/Hla Myo Aung via AFP

Health & Environment

‘It’s like apocalypse’: Myanmar, Thailand quake death toll tops 1,000

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Residents inspect the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda in the city of Mandalay, Myanmar, following a devastating earthquake. Photo: EPA-EFE

Health & Environment

Black carbon: the super pollutant melting Asia’s glaciers

The Rikha Samba glacier in Nepal photographed in 2024. Photo: Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa/ICIMOD

Southeast Asia

Explainer | Why was the Myanmar, Thailand earthquake so damaging? What science says

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Rescue workers at the site of a building that collapsed in Bangkok, following Friday’s strong earthquake, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Duterte’s downfall: will Marcos face an election backlash in the Philippines?

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A protester in the Hague holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Sara Loo

Asian Angle | Data centres are booming in Johor. Now comes the hard part – job creation

Sara Loo
Joseph Sipalan

My Take | Flags on Malaysian school uniforms a badge of honour or a burden to parents?

Joseph Sipalan
Elisha M. Sonthra

Opinion | The gravity of ‘space oil’: understanding Hong Kong teens’ new drug of choice

Elisha M. Sonthra
Sundeep Waslekar

Opinion | A nuclear war started by AI sounds like science fiction. It isn’t

John Keane

Opinion | The decline of the American empire: how Trumpism threatens democracy worldwide

John Keane
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Rescue efforts intensify day after deadly quake in central Myanmar

Earthquake death toll tops 1,000 as new images emerge from Myanmar, Thailand and China
03:56
Video

Massive quake causes widespread damage in Myanmar, Thailand

Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok
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Video

Japan’s Unification Church vows to fight court order

Head of Japan's Unification Church vows to fight loss of legal protections
02:55
Video

Who’s behind the scam network in Southeast Asia?

The Chinese criminal gangs behind Southeast Asia’s scam centres
08:49
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Over 150 dead across Myanmar, Thailand as quake traps scores under rubble

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Move over Singapore, Vietnam is now Southeast Asia’s third-most-visited country