Asia

Australasia
East Asia
Southeast Asia
South Asia
This Week in Asia
Smartphone stands and acrylic stands featuring a photo of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a gift shop in Nara. Photo: AFP

Politics

Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election after ally’s exit

Komeito’s decision to sever its alliance with the LDP means the ruling party is expected to forgo millions of votes at the election.

videocam

Singapore MPs back motion deeming Pritam Singh unfit to be opposition leader

6

Trump’s 500% tariff push raises risk of India-US trade freeze

People

Caucasian ‘sugar daddy’ sextortion scam lands Malaysian in Singapore jail

Rajwant Singh Gill Narajan Singh was sentenced to 12 years in jail for pretending to be a rich white man and coercing women into sex.

People take pictures next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore. Photo: AFP
People take pictures next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

Crane collapses on moving train in Thailand, killing at least 32

The equipment at a China-backed railway project hit the passing train, causing it to derail in Nakhon ‌Ratchasima province.

videocam

Southeast Asia

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Lifestyle & Culture

Satire on trial: Indonesian comic faces blasphemy complaints over Netflix jokes

Pandji Pragiwaksono’s unfiltered set took aim at the president, but it was a quip about religious groups that triggered police reports.

A still from the trailer for Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono’s new Netflix special “Mens Rea”. Photo: YouTube/pandji.pragiwaksono
A still from the trailer for Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono’s new Netflix special “Mens Rea”. Photo: YouTube/pandji.pragiwaksono

Southeast Asia

‘I know I’ll cry’: BTS frenzy grips Malaysia as fans worry about scalpers

The K-pop band is returning to Malaysia for two shows in Kuala Lumpur after over a decade, sparking fan frenzy and ticket battles.

videocam

Politics

South Korea-Japan summit exposes ‘strategic’ divide amid great-power tensions

While Seoul urged broader regional cooperation that would include China, Tokyo emphasised closer alignment with Washington.

videocam

People

Philippines ‘comfort women’ demand apology during Japan foreign minister visit

Analysts say Manila is unlikely to back the surviving victims of sex slavery, fearing it could jeopardise billions in infrastructure funding.

Protesters display placards and portraits of former Filipino “comfort women” during a rally in Manila last year. Photo: AFP

Politics

South Korea’s Yoon could become ‘martyr’ if given death penalty: analysts

While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely.

videocam
A protester punches an effigy of Yoon Suk-yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul in 2024. Photo: AFP
A protester punches an effigy of Yoon Suk-yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul in 2024. Photo: AFP

China Economy

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

videocam
9

Politics

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

People

Japan’s ‘love hotel’ mayor stages comeback, shattering political taboos

Akira Ogawa’s return suggests voters are finally judging women in Japanese politics by the same imperfect standards as men.

videocam
Akira Ogawa speaks to her supporters in Maebashi, Japan’s Gunma prefecture, on Monday after her re-election as mayor. Photo: Kyodo

Southeast Asia

Can Singapore’s farming future grow in Malaysia’s US$123 million food hub?

The city state’s farmers eye the Johor-Singapore SEZ for cheaper land and labour to boost food security amid high local costs.

videocam
A vertical smart farm in Singapore. Photo: Hyundai Motor Group
A vertical smart farm in Singapore. Photo: Hyundai Motor Group

Economics

Building bridges? India proposes inviting Chinese firms back to public projects

India plans to remove curbs that effectively shut Chinese firms out of most of its government projects in a bid to ease shortages and delays.

videocam
7

People

‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire

The embassy’s International Space Station image prompted self-deprecating jokes about oil, US power and being strategically uninteresting.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

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.

4
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.

videocam
6
Illustration: Huy Truong
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Economics

Trump’s 500% tariff push raises risk of India-US trade freeze

A train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, in August 2025. The US is India’s largest export market, receiving about 18 per cent of its total goods exports. Photo: AFP

Politics

Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election after ally’s exit

videocam
Smartphone stands and acrylic stands featuring a photo of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a gift shop in Nara. Photo: AFP

People

Caucasian ‘sugar daddy’ sextortion scam lands Malaysian in Singapore jail

People take pictures next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Politics

Singapore MPs back motion deeming Pritam Singh unfit to be opposition leader

6
Pritam Singh, secretary general of the Singaporean opposition Workers’ Party, leaves the Supreme Court in November during an appeals hearing against his conviction and sentence for lying to a committee. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Satire on trial: Indonesian comic faces blasphemy complaints over Netflix jokes

A still from the trailer for Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono’s new Netflix special “Mens Rea”. Photo: YouTube/pandji.pragiwaksono
MORE IN This Week in Asia
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
James Borton

Opinion | High Seas Treaty will both boost China’s power and hold it accountable

James Borton
Gaurav Kumar

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

Gaurav Kumar
Fu Fengshan

Opinion | The US wants to block China’s peaceful reunification. It won’t work

Fu Fengshan
5
Chan Young Bang

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

Chan Young Bang
6
Richard Heydarian

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Richard Heydarian
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
03:09
Video

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
02:34
Video

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
02:02
Video

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
04:27
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Singapore
Malaysia
The Philippines
Indonesia
South China Sea
Advertisement
Advertisement