This Week in Asia

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Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian as he appeared on the Suara Lokal Mengglobal podcast. Photo: YouTube/HelmyYahyaBicara

Health & Environment

‘Just say thank you’: Malaysians fume as Indonesian minister belittles flood aid

Tito Karnavian dismissed the US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared to Jakarta’s own disaster response, touching a raw nerve online.

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Will holiday high season survive Thai-Cambodian border conflict?

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Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

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Politics

Kick-off in Kolkata: how Lionel Messi was dragged into an Indian election battle

The BJP has latched on to the crowd chaos during Messi’s visit to West Bengal to demand the resignation of the state’s chief minister.

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A man ducks to avoid chairs being thrown by fans after Argentine football star Lionel Messi leaves the Salt Lake Stadium during his tour in Kolkata on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
A man ducks to avoid chairs being thrown by fans after Argentine football star Lionel Messi leaves the Salt Lake Stadium during his tour in Kolkata on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Malaysia’s Anwar reshuffles cabinet to focus on ‘stronger growth’

The changes come after months of pressure on his government, sparked by several key resignations and rising inflation.

People

Can UN anti-corruption pact bring Zaldy Co back to Philippines?

The former lawmaker, who is facing charges linked to the Philippines’ flood control scandal, is suspected to have fled to Portugal.

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Politics

India wary as US backs Pakistan with F-16 upgrades and mineral projects

Analysts say New Delhi faces an ‘uncomfortable truth’ as Washington and Beijing find rare common ground on stability in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) and army chief Syed Asim Munir (right) meet US President Donald Trump in Washington in September. Photo: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office/AFP
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) and army chief Syed Asim Munir (right) meet US President Donald Trump in Washington in September. Photo: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office/AFP

Politics

What North Korea’s war dead tribute reveals about Kim’s endgame

In Kim Jong-un’s public grief for fallen mine-clearers, observers see a strategic play to lock in a role in Russia’s post-war rebuilding.

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Health & Environment

‘It’s life’: ex-NBA star in Singapore for brain cancer treatment exudes hope

Jason Collins, who is seeking an experimental treatment, has progressed from being ‘basically a vegetable’ to taking a two-hour walk.

Health & Environment

Does India’s HIV success story overlook its poorest state?

Figures from one district in Bihar show thousands living with HIV, contrasting sharply with India’s broader success in cutting infections.

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A student displays messages painted on his hands during an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in Chandigarh, India. The country has made significant progress in controlling the disease, though concerns persist in some regions. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Anti-dynasty bill in Philippines slammed as ‘ridiculous’ and weak

A proposal co-filed by one of President Marcos Jnr’s sons could allow 10 family members to hold office at once, critics warn.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr having a casual chat with his son and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos in a video. Photo: YouTube/Bongbong Marcos
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr having a casual chat with his son and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos in a video. Photo: YouTube/Bongbong Marcos

People

Hong Kong fire victim sent frantic final video to husband in Indonesia

Darwati, 48, died alongside the elderly woman she cared for, refusing to abandon her ward as the Wang Fuk Court fire spread.

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People

Malaysian religious authorities probe viral claim of woman having ‘2 husbands’

The allegation has renewed focus on cross-border marriages between Malaysia and southern Thailand that are used to bypass domestic approvals.

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People

Martial law plot was Yoon’s plan all along, South Korean prosecutors say

Announcing the results of a massive 180-day inquiry on Monday, special prosecutors said Yoon Suk-yeol aimed to form a military junta.

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Yoon Suk-yeol speaks in Seoul on March 10, 2022, shortly after winning that month’s presidential election. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

Japan’s retreat from global health funding hands China diplomatic opening

Tokyo’s over 52 per cent funding cut to a global body fighting Aids and malaria risks damaging its hard-won reputation as a ‘peace nation’.

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Mothers wait for their babies to receive a malaria vaccine in Malawi in 2019. Japan has slashed funding to a global health agency fighting infectious diseases. Photo: AFP
Mothers wait for their babies to receive a malaria vaccine in Malawi in 2019. Japan has slashed funding to a global health agency fighting infectious diseases. Photo: AFP

Economics

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

From Hot Wheels to headphones, new levies are squeezing the supply of Americans’ festive favourites.

Health & Environment

Japan tremors raise fears of overdue megaquake killing 199,000

Authorities are urging residents to review evacuation plans as simulations suggest a ‘maximum-class’ winter night quake could trap thousands.

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Economics

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

Health & Environment

6 cyclones, 5 weeks: Philippines can’t escape its endless cycle of disaster

Corruption, complacency and climate chaos conspire to turn the Philippines’ natural hazards into man-made tragedies.

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Politics

‘It’s time for us to rise’: India races to rebuild its lost maritime muscle

India is eyeing a future as a leading shipping and shipbuilding nation, backed by big investments – and expertise from South Korea and Japan.

Politics

Malaysia’s poorest state prepares a poll shock for the prime minister

Decades of neglect and withheld resource revenue have left short-changed Sabah seething and primed for a political fight.

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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Politics

Will holiday high season survive Thai-Cambodian border conflict?

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Displaced residents prepare a shelter at a temporary camp set up outside a pagoda in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province on December 12. Photo: AFP

Politics

Malaysia’s Anwar reshuffles cabinet to focus on ‘stronger growth’

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur in October. His new cabinet will be sworn in on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

People

Can UN anti-corruption pact bring Zaldy Co back to Philippines?

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Fugitive Philippine lawmaker Zaldy Co (left) and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photo: Handout, AFP

Australasia

‘He was a nice person’: alleged Bondi gunman’s path to violence stuns Australia

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People attend a floral memorial in honour of the Bondi Beach shooting victims in Sydney on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia

Abandoned baby reveals incest case involving teen siblings in Malaysia

Malaysian police have arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of abandoning a baby in Terengganu state. Photo: Shutterstock
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OPINION
Frances Mangosing

Asian Angle | Is the new Philippines-Germany defence pact built to last?

Frances Mangosing
Walter Woon

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Walter Woon
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Dien Nguyen An Luong

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Dien Nguyen An Luong
Surachanee Sriyai

Asian Angle | The Thai influencer bringing viral warfare to Cambodia’s border

Surachanee Sriyai
Jared Bissinger

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

Jared Bissinger
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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
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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
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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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Ex-NBA player with deadly brain cancer turns to Singapore for new treatment

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‘It’s all in English now’: South Koreans fall out of love with K-pop

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Gunmen kill 15 people in attack on Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach

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