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This Week in Asia
Yap Shing Xiuen, 16, was found dead in a school toilet in Malaysia on October 14, stabbed more than 200 times from her neck to thigh, according to her mother. Photo: Facebook

Southeast Asia

Malaysia rules 15-year-old fit to stand trial in 2025 murder of Yap Shing Xuen

Following a psychiatric review, a teen faces trial for the stabbing of schoolmate Yap Shing Xuen, who suffered over 200 wounds.

French ‘intimacy’: Philippines, France near deal for Indo-Pacific strength

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Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

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People

Malaysia’s Umno chief denies he ‘sidelined’ Najib to save himself

Ahmad Zahid, who has been cleared of corruption charges, says the party has ‘never wavered’ from its position of supporting its ex-leader.

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Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reacts after being acquitted of corruption on September 4, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reacts after being acquitted of corruption on September 4, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Banking & Finance

HSBC reviews Singapore insurance unit amid high Hong Kong, mainland China growth

It ‘makes sense’ for HSBC to focus on ‘core high-growth markets’ that have ‘underpenetrated’ insurance needs, analyst says.

People

South Korean church deploys ‘special force’ to recruit Australian youths

The Shincheonji church compiles profiles of potential members to draw up personalised recruitment plans, according to a former member.

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Politics

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia plan defence deal to counter chaos in Middle East

Iran’s neighbours are worried that the US’ increasingly erratic behaviour may pose a risk to regional power balance and trade, analysts say.

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A protester waves the Iranian flag outside UN headquarters in New York during a Security Council meeting on Iran on Thursday. Photo: AFP
A protester waves the Iranian flag outside UN headquarters in New York during a Security Council meeting on Iran on Thursday. Photo: AFP

People

Malaysian man arrested for forcing son, 10, to shoplift regularly

The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media and cast the spotlight on causes of child abuse.

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Politics

South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison over martial law charges

The ruling comes days after prosecutors in a separate case demanded Yoon Suk-yeol be sentenced to death for masterminding insurrection.

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Health & Environment

Philippines’ Cebu residents cry foul over mounting garbage, health risks

The fatal collapse of a garbage landfill in Cebu has also exposed lax enforcement and poor waste management.

Family members of missing workers react as rescue operations continue at a collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, Philippines, on January 11. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Thai PM moves to strip scandal-hit firm of contracts after second deadly accident

Amid public anger, PM Anutin issued an order to end two contracts and blacklist Italian-Thai Development after two crane disasters killed 34 people.

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A crushed car sits among the debris after a crane collapses at the under-construction Rama II Expressway on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
A crushed car sits among the debris after a crane collapses at the under-construction Rama II Expressway on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

Singapore’s PM Lawrence Wong removes Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition

Wong invites the Workers’ Party to nominate another elected MP to serve as the next Leader of the Opposition.

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Economics

Japan’s next-generation fighter jet project gets boost as European rival stalls

Germany, France and Spain have put their project on hold, prompting speculation that some may turn to the Japan-UK-Italy programme.

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Economics

‘Trump’s wrath’: India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces tariff threat

The 25 per cent tariff against countries that trade with Iran may curtail India’s plan to develop the Chabahar port in Iran.

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Officials attend a ceremony in 2019 to mark the first export convoy to India via Iran at Chabahar port. Photo: Getty Images

Politics

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

The bloc should encourage Indonesia’s approach of engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis, observers say.

An official of the Union Election Commission displays a ballot for counting during the second phase of the general election at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua
An official of the Union Election Commission displays a ballot for counting during the second phase of the general election at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Southeast Asia

Horrified Malaysian mum disowns daughter after loan sharks’ mutilation threats

‘I don’t care how she’s raising the money but I expect her to settle the debts,’ the woman says.

Politics

Token gesture? Why US is spending US$45 million on Thai-Cambodian border war

Washington is looking to reposition itself as the main peacemaker in Southeast Asia following Beijing’s mediation successes, analysts say.

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Economics

India overtakes Japan in economic size – while prosperity trails far behind

Becoming the No 4 economy is a source of pride. Now, the race is on to turn statistical success into 8 million new jobs a year.

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Shoppers walk along a street illuminated with decorative lights ahead of New Year celebrations in Bengaluru, India, last month. Photo: AFP
Shoppers walk along a street illuminated with decorative lights ahead of New Year celebrations in Bengaluru, India, last month. Photo: AFP

Economics

Fair or fowl? Malaysia struggles to stomach its US trade pact

Local chefs fume over ‘lousy’ US poultry flooding the market, as critics call the trade agreement hastily reached and unfairly lopsided.

Economics

Thailand’s tourism crown slips as troubles in paradise mount

Border clashes with Cambodia, fierce competition from Malaysia, deadly floods and a strong baht threaten the kingdom’s holiday appeal.

Economics

As Southeast Asia’s middle classes lose their homes, the rich get sky garages

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
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Politics

French ‘intimacy’: Philippines, France near deal for Indo-Pacific strength

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Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Miguel Malvar during a naval exercise in the South China Sea in August 2025. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office via AP

Politics

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets then Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina before a meeting in New Delhi on June 22, 2024. Photo: AP

People

Malaysia’s Umno chief denies he ‘sidelined’ Najib to save himself

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Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reacts after being acquitted of corruption on September 4, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

People

South Korean church deploys ‘special force’ to recruit Australian youths

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South Korean police officers bar entry to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu after a coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

Politics

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia plan defence deal to counter chaos in Middle East

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A protester waves the Iranian flag outside UN headquarters in New York during a Security Council meeting on Iran on Thursday. Photo: AFP
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