This Week in Asia

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

People

Marcos vs Marcos: the bitter truth behind the Philippine first family’s feud

From awkward wedding encounters to public snubs and shouting matches, President Marcos Jnr and his sister Imee are now openly estranged.

videocam

Asean-GCC economic axis: the Global South’s answer to US volatility?

No India, no go? Why a new China-led South Asian bloc may falter

Lifestyle & Culture

How Thai monks use sacred saffron rituals to save trees

The monks in Thailand’s Chaiyaphum province wrap saffron robes around endangered trees to ‘ordain’ them and protect them from being cut down.

A monk and a villager wrap a large tree in a saffron robe as part of a tree ordination ceremony in Chaiyaphum province, Thailand, on July 11. Photo: Kim Jung-yeop
A monk and a villager wrap a large tree in a saffron robe as part of a tree ordination ceremony in Chaiyaphum province, Thailand, on July 11. Photo: Kim Jung-yeop

Politics

Japan upper house election: Ishiba accepts ‘harsh result’, says to stay on as PM

The ruling LDP-led coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, with exit polls projecting it may only win 41 seats.

videocam

Health & Environment

After 2025’s string of aviation scares, are the skies still safe?

Experts say air travel is still the safest mode of transport and accidents such as the Air India crash remain ‘statistical outliers’.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Politics

Everyone gets a BrahMos? Global interest in missile raises India’s profile

New Delhi has to expand its defence sector’s capabilities and ease relevant policies to build on the success of the missile, analysts say.

videocam
15
The BrahMos missile system being set up for a rehearsal in January in New Delhi ahead of the Republic Day parade. Photo: Reuters
The BrahMos missile system being set up for a rehearsal in January in New Delhi ahead of the Republic Day parade. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Disinformation and deepfakes drive growing partisan divide in the Philippines

Experts say low digital literacy, high social media use and eroding trust make the Philippines fertile ground for fake political content.

videocam

Politics

South Korea raids Unification Church as Kim Keon-hee’s corruption probe widens

It is ‘extremely rare’ for South Korean law enforcement to raid the church’s headquarters, the head of a religious research institute says.

videocam

Politics

Is Gibran being ‘exiled’ to Papua? New mission sparks chatter among Indonesians

The public is speculating about President Prabowo Subianto’s reason for assigning the vice president to handle the restive region.

videocam
Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has been assigned to handle Papua affairs by President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: AP

Politics

No to Nick Adams: Malaysian activists warn of protests against US envoy pick

The appointment could test Malaysia’s diplomatic pragmatism as it seeks a trade deal with the US amid Gaza tensions, analysts say.

videocam
Protesters hold signs and a picture of US envoy pick Nick Adams outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Protesters hold signs and a picture of US envoy pick Nick Adams outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

Reel to real romance: more Japanese women find love with South Korean men

There were 1,176 such marriages last year, a significant rise from 2023.

Politics

More violence in store? Bangladesh student clashes expose political fault lines

Worries that the country may face more violence have grown since student leader Nahid Islam floated the prospect of another march.

Lifestyle & Culture

Fur real? Indonesia’s ‘first cat’ gets presidential security detail

A video of Bobby Kertanegara being showered with attention at an event has sparked an online debate over the feline’s special treatment.

Indonesia’s “first cat” Bobby Kertanegara, President Prabowo Subianto’s pet. Photo: bobbykertanegara/YouTube

Politics

Did Laos intend to send troops to Ukraine to back Russia?

Vientiane might have held back because of worries about international reprisals, observers say.

videocam
A Laotian soldier looks on from an armoured vehicle during the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane last year. Photo: AFP
A Laotian soldier looks on from an armoured vehicle during the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane last year. Photo: AFP

Economics

Trump’s tariff deadline spurs frenzy among Asian countries to seal deals

While some countries could clinch trade deals with Trump before August 1, others may miss the deadline and face higher tariffs, analysts say.

videocam

People

Malaysia has a new chief justice but appointment stirs fresh controversy

Wan Ahmad Farid’s political ties to 1MDB scandal-hit Najib have raised concerns about judicial independence.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

People

Marcos vs Marcos: the bitter truth behind the Philippine first family’s feud

From awkward wedding encounters to public snubs and shouting matches, President Marcos Jnr and his sister Imee are now openly estranged.

videocam
Illustration: Mario Rivera
Illustration: Mario Rivera

Politics

In US-China tug of war, Australia puts itself first

With one eye on the past and the other on the Asia-Pacific’s future, Australia’s prime minister is championing sovereignty in an uncertain age.

6

Economics

Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim promised the new taxes would only affect the rich, but many ordinary families are starting to feel the pinch.

Politics

From Iraq to Iran: the US quest for Israeli military dominance – and its fallout

This decades-long strategy has not only redrawn the regional map but also exposed the limits of China’s Middle East influence, analysts say.

videocam
27
Illustration: Huy Truong
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
LATEST Asia NEWS

Southeast Asia

Indonesian haze reaches Malaysia as forest fires rage in Sumatra

A police officer sprays water in a bid to extinguish a fire at a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, on Sunday. Photo: AP

Southeast Asia

Indonesia ferry fire kills five as are rescued

A passenger ship caught fire in the waters of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, killing three people. Photo: Seaman Worldwide/Facebook

China Economy

US and EU aid cuts see China’s star on the rise in Southeast Asia, report says

23
A high-speed train at the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway’s Tegalluar station in Bandung, West Java, in May last year. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Singapore plans to list etomidate in vapes as illegal drug

Singapore’s authorities recently randomly tested more than 100 vapes that were seized, and one-third were found to contain etomidate. Photo: Shutterstock

Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s autogates back to normal after worst chaos in years

Tens of thousands of foreign travellers faced hours-long queues at Malaysia’s major entry points on Friday after an autogate system breakdown. Photo: Facebook: Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers
MORE Asia NEWS
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Tricia Yeoh,Francis E. Hutchinson

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad: a 100-year mixed legacy

Tricia Yeoh
Francis E. Hutchinson
4
Laura Wilcox,Bjorn H. Samset

Opinion | Is Asia’s cleaner air driving global warming?

Laura Wilcox
Bjorn H. Samset
Joseph Sipalan

My Take | Malaysian lawyers’ march a marker of falling public trust in Anwar

Joseph Sipalan
Isabelle Chua

Asian Angle | Food for thought: how Chinese brands serve up soft power in Southeast Asia

Xu Jingzhi

Asian Angle | Is Vietnam’s tech dream stuck in the assembly line?

Xu Jingzhi
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

Torrential rain kills at least four in South Korea

Heavy rainfall kills at least four and displaces over 1,000 in South Korea
01:12
Video

Pakistan monsoon floods kill more than 150

Pakistan monsoon floods kill more than 150
01:13
Video

Bangladesh political rally turns deadly

At least four killed in Bangladesh political party rally violence
01:09
Video

Prabowo calls Trump ‘tough negotiator’ after tariff deal

Indonesia’s Prabowo reaches ‘landmark deal’ with Trump, saying trade talks will continue
01:50
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Singapore
Malaysia
The Philippines
Indonesia
South China Sea
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MOST POPULAR
1

2 Americans rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji prompt more calls for tougher rules

2

Bangkok calling: Thailand’s digital nomad visa proves a runaway success

3

‘Not welcome here’: Malaysia lashes out at ‘Zionist’ US envoy pick Nick Adams

4

Retiring AIA chairman Edmund Tse reflects on 64 years with the insurer

5

Filipino film that China wanted to cancel wins at New Zealand festival

videocam