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This Week in Asia /

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Anwar Ibrahim
Xi Jinping
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Screenshots from an AI-generated video posted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung showing young versions of himself and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva embracing as well as the two of them hugging in real life during Lula’s state visit to Seoul. Photo: X / Jaemyung_Lee
South Korea

South Korea’s Lee uses AI to honour shared factory worker past with Brazil’s Lula

The gesture accompanied Lula’s state visit to Seoul, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral ties.

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South Korea

Shaman’s bribery conviction spells trouble for South Korea’s former first lady

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Malaysia

‘They do listen sometimes’: Malaysians cheer US U-turn on controversial envoy

Japan

Future of Japan’s ‘naked festival’ in doubt after 3 men left unconscious

Organisers said they would review safety rules after six men collapsed during the annual scramble for good-luck talismans.

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Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Lunar New Year

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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Malaysia

Malaysian police arrested over crypto extortion of Chinese nationals

Officers allegedly stormed a Selangor bungalow, seized laptops and forced a Chinese national to fork over US$51,000 in digital assets.

Malaysian police parade at National Day celebrations in Putrajaya on August 31, 2024. Photo: AFP
Malaysian police parade at National Day celebrations in Putrajaya on August 31, 2024. Photo: AFP
Singapore

No proof of any Singaporean fighting for Israel in Gaza, government says

Two Singapore passport holders were among the close to 200 Southeast Asians who fought for Israel, according to two media reports.

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South Korea

South Korea’s ex-president Yoon sentenced to life in prison for insurrection

Yoon Suk-yeol is the first democratically elected South Korean leader to be convicted of the crime.

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Indonesia

‘Rude and ignorant’: OnlyFans model slammed for Bali bikini theft

Gemma Doyle, 26, says she stole the US$21 swimsuit ‘for fun’, but has now paid more than US$1,100 to avoid a stint in Indonesian prison.

Australian OnlyFans model Gemma Doyle, 26, apologised and admitted to shoplifting a bikini from a boutique in Bali after she was caught on CCTV. Photo: Instagram/gem.doyle
Japan

‘Enormous failure’: naked man exposes gaps in Japan’s royal security

Princess Kako reportedly witnessed the chaos firsthand as a shrieking intruder stripped off and scaled a barrier below the royal balcony.

(From left) Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Kako, Prince Hisahito, Princess Nobuko and Princess Akiko attend the traditional new year’s greeting ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2. Photo: AFP
(From left) Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Kako, Prince Hisahito, Princess Nobuko and Princess Akiko attend the traditional new year’s greeting ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

‘Wake-up call’: child deaths in Indonesia spotlight gaps in social aid

Experts warn many other such cases may not be recorded, and urge educators to be more vigilant to signs of emotional distress among students.

South Korea

‘The game is over’: South Korea braces for Yoon Suk-yeol’s insurrection verdict

Two earlier convictions have defined Yoon’s martial law decree as part of an insurrection plot, raising the stakes ahead of Thursday’s ruling.

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Japan

Russia emerges as unlikely growth market for Japan tourism as China pulls back

New visa centres in Moscow and St Petersburg reflect a sharp rise in Russian demand as Chinese arrivals fall amid diplomatic tensions.

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Foreign tourists wearing Japanese traditional kimono clothes pose for a photograph near Sensoji temple at Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Philippines’ AI reckoning puts millions of jobs on the line

The US$30 billion outsourcing sector is fighting to adapt, leaving millions of workers with a stark choice: upskill or be left behind.

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Image: Kevin Wong
Image: Kevin Wong
Malaysia

Malaysia to investigate anti-corruption chief as resignation calls mount

MACC chief Azam Baki says he welcomes any ‘transparent, independent’ investigation into his shareholdings.

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Thailand

Thai teacher who died in gun attack while saving pupil hailed as ‘selfless’

Sasiphat Sinsamosorn, 54, had negotiated with the attacker for the release of a pupil in exchange for herself.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar defends anti-corruption chief over new share scandal

MACC chief Azam Baki has clarified that he had openly declared the shares and held on to them for less than a year.

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Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Azam Baki speaks at a press conference in August last year. Photo: SCMP
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Azam Baki speaks at a press conference in August last year. Photo: SCMP
Indonesia

How a major Bali bust is putting Indonesia’s tourist visa in the spotlight

The case also underscores Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, which continues to flourish despite repeated crackdowns.

The Philippines

Philippines vows aid for Filipino assaulted in Singapore shopping centre

‘It’s assault, physical assault. It’s a crime anywhere in the world, especially in Singapore,’ said a Philippine labour official.

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Australia

Australia demands answers from Laos over methanol poisoning ‘injustice’

While 10 were convicted of destroying evidence, not a single person has been charged in connection with the deaths of two Melbourne teens.

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Bianca Jones (left) and Holly Morton-Bowles were among six tourists who died after drinking tainted cocktails in Laos in 2024. Photo: Handout
Japan

‘Job terrorism’: 1 in 4 workplaces in Japan victims of employee pranks

Psychologists say the quest for online clout is driving the rise in ‘meaningless’ workplace pranks, also known as part-time job terrorism.

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A chef picks his nose and then wipes his finger on some dough in a “baito tero” video. Photo: Handout
A chef picks his nose and then wipes his finger on some dough in a “baito tero” video. Photo: Handout
Indonesia

6-year-old Indonesian girl killed in Singapore accident laid to rest

Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani was killed on Friday after a car struck her and her mother during a family holiday in Singapore.

Malaysia

Malaysian police face off with Singapore car driving wrong way at checkpoint

The encounter at Johor Bahru land checkpoint also saw another officer hit the car’s bonnet with a traffic cone to stop the errant motorist.

Thailand

Thailand rejects radical change with Anutin’s ‘right-wing turn’

Voters weary of upheaval embraced Bhumjaithai’s technocratic promises of debt relief and subsidies, sidelining the reformist People’s Party.

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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul poses as he arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on February 9. Photo: AFP
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