This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in 2019 while still president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters

Politics

What Duterte’s downfall means for Marcos – and 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
4

Japan warns up to 298,000 could die in potential Nankai Trough ‘megaquake’

videocam

Myanmar diaspora rallies for quake victims with 1 rule: do not help the junta

videocam

Health & Environment

‘The sooner, the better’: Bali governor wants island waste-free by 2027

A sustainable waste management facility which can convert rubbish to energy is in the works for the resort island.

Workers clean up a river filled with rubbish in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA-EFE
Workers clean up a river filled with rubbish in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Economics

Chicken on credit? Debt trap fears in Malaysia over deferred payment schemes

Lack of safeguards against multiple Buy Now, Pay Later borrowings could lead to surging indebtedness among low-income earners, consumer group warns.

Health & Environment

Japan to spend a record US$133 billion on earthquake resilience

One focus will be on strengthening essential services affected by recent disasters, such as the Noto Peninsula earthquake last January.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Economics

Can Danantara deliver? Indonesia’s sovereign fund vows to be ‘super transparent’

Investment chief Pandu Sjahrir is confident the new sovereign wealth fund can overcome market jitters and keep political meddling at bay.

videocam
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (centre) shakes hands with former leader Joko Widodo during Danantara’s launch in Jakarta on February 24. Photo: AFP
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (centre) shakes hands with former leader Joko Widodo during Danantara’s launch in Jakarta on February 24. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Glassman’ jailed: PNG hopes ruling can curb tribal sorcery violence

After a horrific machete killing, a landmark ruling in Papua New Guinea aims to curb deadly sorcery accusations driven by jealousy and greed.

Politics

AIKEYME in action: India counters China with African naval outreach

India’s naval diplomacy focuses on building trust and offering a ‘non-coercive’ alternative to China’s investments, analysts say.

Politics

Can Manila become Beijing’s ‘plus one’ amid South China Sea tensions?

The Philippines’ economic zones chief says Manila is being eyed as ‘the next preferred destination’ for China’s ‘plus-one’ strategy for firms dodging US tariffs.

videocam
5
A member of the Philippine Coastguard holds flags during the arrival of Chinese naval training ship for a goodwill visit at Manila’s port, in the Philippines in June 2023. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

‘We are on our own’ in quake-hit Myanmar, as rescuers wait for aid to arrive

‘The cemetery is packed with bodies, there are so many that we are cremating them every three minutes,’ a Sagaing resident says.

videocam
Rescuers work to save residents trapped under the rubble of a destroyed condominium in Myanmar’s Mandalay on March 29. Photo: AFP
Rescuers work to save residents trapped under the rubble of a destroyed condominium in Myanmar’s Mandalay on March 29. Photo: AFP

People

Chasing Jho Low: blockchain bounty breathes new life into hunt for 1MDB fugitive

Can a memecoin help uncover Jho Low’s whereabouts? New evidence is surfacing about the scandal, thanks to a crypto reward system.

People

Is Duterte’s ‘capable’ daughter reshaping her image for a 2028 presidential run?

Showcasing a kinder image to overseas Filipinos, Sara Duterte-Carpio appears to be positioning herself for a future presidential bid.

videocam

Health & Environment

Black carbon: the super pollutant melting Asia’s glaciers

While CO2 gets the spotlight, black carbon’s potent, short-lived warming effect is pushing Asia’s glaciers past the tipping point.

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

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.

6
Singaporean tourist Jordy Cheah, 28, at Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, China, last year. Photo: Jordy Cheah
Singaporean tourist Jordy Cheah, 28, at Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, China, last year. Photo: Jordy Cheah

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.

Health & Environment

‘It’s like apocalypse’: Myanmar, Thailand quake death toll tops 1,600

Over 3,400 people have been injured, with deaths and injuries expected to rise significantly amid devastating and widespread damage.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Politics

What Duterte’s downfall means for Marcos – and 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
4
Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in 2019 while still president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in 2019 while still president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters

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.

videocam

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?

14

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.

videocam
Illustration: Huy Truong
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
LATEST Asia NEWS

South Asia

India’s hotter-than-usual weather may strain power networks, put crops at risk

An Indian rickshaw puller drinks from a plastic bottle during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, on March 27. Photo: EPA-EFE

Health & Environment

Japan warns up to 298,000 could die in potential Nankai Trough ‘megaquake’

videocam
A wave approaches Miyako City from the Heigawa estuary in Iwate prefecture, Japan, after an earthquake struck the area on March 11, 2011. Photo: Reuters

South Asia

Bangladesh’s ‘remittance warriors’ deliver record US$3 billion boost

videocam
People buy clothes at a market in Dhaka. Bangladesh’s overseas workforce is estimated to be some 10 million strong. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Eid celebrations in Indonesia and India face economic and political challenges

A balloon vendor waits for customers at the site where Indonesian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jakarta on March 31. Photo: AFP

People

Myanmar diaspora rallies for quake victims with 1 rule: do not help the junta

videocam
People inspect the site of a damaged building in the aftermath of a 7-7-magnitude earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
MORE Asia NEWS
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Nguyen Hong Thach

Asian Angle | Will Vietnam’s trade charm offensive be enough to placate Trump?

Nguyen Hong Thach
Sara Loo

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

Sara Loo
Elisha M. Sonthra

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

Elisha M. Sonthra
John Keane

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

John Keane
6
John Keane

Opinion | The rise of China and the retreat of the US: a new global empire takes shape

John Keane
15
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

Quake survivors await news of trapped loved ones

Aftershocks hamper rescue efforts in Myanmar and Thailand as earthquake death toll climbs
04:57
Video

US to stand with Japan against ‘aggressive’ China

Hegseth reaffirms US-Japan alliance against ‘aggressive Communist Chinese’
01:49
Video

Danantara targets economic growth amid investor concern

Indonesia's new sovereign wealth fund is focused on economic growth amid market jitters
08:19
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
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Singapore
Malaysia
The Philippines
Indonesia
South China Sea
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MOST POPULAR
1

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

videocam
2

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

videocam
3

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