Made-in-Russia equipment, once perceived as cheap but reliable, has taken a hit to its reputation because of poor battlefield performance by the country’s forces in Ukraine.

Whoever wins the Philippine election will have to deal with the security and political complexities in Mindanao, analysts say, including seeing through a peace process.

Several Indonesian women living in Ukraine have refused to leave despite narrowly escaping bombings, as they stand by their Ukrainian husbands whom they proudly declared as “very good men”.

The ban comes at a time when the export tonnages of all other major oils are globally under pressure, including sunflower oil amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Discovery of a plot to overthrow the government by the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) came during ‘interrogation’ of suspects and seized documents.

Amid a labour shortage, Malaysia is prepared to hire 180,000 foreign workers to harvest palm oil as consumers seek alternatives to sunflower and rapeseed oil no longer available from Ukraine.

Yazid Sufaat, 58, has been allowed to leave the house and use the internet as a ‘free man’ since being removed from surveillance in November 2021.

With the US drawdown of troops and Asian fighters returning from the Middle East, the centre of gravity will shift to the region. ‘Our only real viable tool is intelligence’, says Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen

No kidnappings for ransom last year in once-notorious seas, seen as proof of Trilateral Cooperation Agreement’s success.

To produce clean energy, Biofuels use crops that could be put to better use for food production.

Anthony Loke’s DAP is supported by the country’s ethnic Chinese minority, but to broaden its political appeal it must connect with Malay voters, who make-up close to 70 per cent of Malaysia’s population.

Envoys from both countries have met Yahya Staquf, the recently elected leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, amid a battle to gain the support of the group’s 90 million members.

Southeast Asia’s 70 million small and medium-sized enterprises emit more carbon each year than Cambodia and Brunei combined, but even when they have the will to fight climate change, they lack skills and financial resources.

Olexander Nechytaylo says everything Russia earns will be spent one way or another on the ‘criminal war in Ukraine’ and reiterates nuclear threat; ‘world never been closer to disaster of such global magnitude’.

European envoys say doing so will protect ‘right to make own choices’. The call comes as 15 Asian states have either spoken or are due to speak in the extraordinary UN General Assembly debate.

Slowing inward investment has cast a shadow over Malaysia’s aim to turbocharge the digital economy, as the country remains beset by political feuding.

The Southeast Asian country is still too focused on ‘jungle warfare’ despite the rise in incursions into its EEZ in the South China Sea, said its former deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong.

With more Malaysian firms accused of labour abuse, analysts warn the country’s reputation as a global production base could suffer.

Wariness towards Chinese workers in Indonesia have also fuelled support for Jemaah Islamiah, which is spreading a ‘massive’ amount of radical propaganda online.

In a rare interview with This Week in Asia, the entrepreneur reflects on a journey that began with his grandparents leaving China in the 1920s and has since come full circle.

An-ex diplomat called the presence of Najib, convicted over his role in the plunder of the 1MDB state fund, at the event a ‘calculated insult to our nation’s honour’.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s landslide victory in Saturday’s state election strengthened Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling federal coalition while exposing the opposition’s weaknesses, analysts said.

Mayors in Sulu Archipelago given target of recruiting 600 men to invade the state on Borneo island and spies told to scope out coastal towns, source tells This Week in Asia.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak is projected to hold the state on December 18, thanks to ‘unlimited resources’ – including helicopters – that can help it reach rural voters.

Move follows speech in which opposition MP Azis Jamman said perceived discrimination by the federal government was fuelling calls for Sabah to break away.

Brando Brayend Tewuh made a desperate escape attempt with three others after watching fellow workers die. One of them was never seen again.

Some say Indonesia’s more cautious approach is related to Chinese investment and Covid aid. Some say it’s a rejection of ‘megaphone diplomacy’. Others wonder if it has a set policy at all.

Aggressive moves by the Chinese coastguard are said to be focused on the Luconia Shoals, where Malaysia’s Petronas is exploring the Kasawari gas field.

Drilling in the Kasawari field, which holds an estimated 3 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas resources, has attracted Chinese vessels to Malaysian waters.

The cosmetics millionaire hints on Instagram that she is now in Australia, adding that she is ‘happy and free’ and planning a new shop.