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This Week in Asia
Qantas is already raising airfares as Australia faces a jet fuel supply crunch amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Photo: AFP

China Economy

Australia and Japan face jet fuel supply crunch as China cuts exports

Both Australia and Japan are heavily reliant on Chinese jet fuel, but shipments have plunged in recent weeks amid the Iran war.

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Dog lost for a week in New Zealand bush found after strangers fund search

Malaysian anti-corruption body offers to pay for witness’s flight in chips probe

East Asia

No oil for BBQ: South Korean restaurants gasp for help amid fuel crisis

Prices for ingredients and packaging have risen by as much as 30 per cent since the start of the Iran war.

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A Korean barbecue restaurant. Small business owners in South Korea are feeling the pinch from rising fuel prices. Photo: Shutterstock
A Korean barbecue restaurant. Small business owners in South Korea are feeling the pinch from rising fuel prices. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

Malaysian minister warns of ‘very, very serious’ energy crisis

Anthony Loke urges Malaysians to plan their travel and reduce resource wastage, saying energy supply would not be disrupted until May.

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Politics

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

If Islamabad can successfully carry off the talks, it stands a chance of bringing in much-needed investments and weapon sales, analysts say.

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East Asia

Businesses, smokers burnt by Japan’s record US$8 billion defence budget

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

A launcher for an upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile is displayed at the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Kyodo
A launcher for an upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile is displayed at the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Kyodo

Diplomacy

China-Pakistan five-point plan to end Iran war

China and Pakistan launched an initiative to restore stability in the Middle East.

Politics

Japan races to limit fallout from Chinese embassy break-in

Chinese state media seized on the breach as proof of Japan’s militarism and ‘rampant far-right ideology’.

Southeast Asia

Scottish man linked to gang caught in Indonesia’s Bali after Interpol red notice

Steven Lyons is wanted in Spain and Britain in connection with organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering.

Steven Lyons (centre) is escorted by police officers in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Litterbugs in Shibuya to be fined on the spot as visitor numbers surge

The initiative, which will see offenders fined US$12.50, reflects a broader rethink of the ward’s earlier decision to remove public rubbish bins.

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Aluminium cans, bottles, and other trash stashed next to a vending machine in Shibuya. Photo: Shutterstock
Aluminium cans, bottles, and other trash stashed next to a vending machine in Shibuya. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

The Iran war could be forcing Filipinos to rely on credit cards. Here’s why

Analysts warn credit card use could increase further to partly cope with higher prices and reduced disposable incomes.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines to rename disputed South China Sea islands

The features to be renamed belong to the Spratly archipelago, site of repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels.

East Asia

Japan rape accuser condemns prosecution’s failure to protect victims

The victim, a prosecutor herself, in 2024 accused Osaka’s then-top prosecutor of raping her 6 years ago.

Osaka’s Dotonbori district. Kentaro Kitagawa, the head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor’s Office was arrested in 2024 and admitted the assault but later withdrew his statement, saying the sex was consensual. Photo: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau/dpa

Lifestyle & Culture

Untouchable no more: Nepal to apologise to Dalits for first time

Nepal has banned caste discrimination, yet many Dalits still live in poverty. Can a formal state apology inspire change?

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A Dalit woman sits with a child in Humla district, in Nepal’s remote northwest. Photo: AFP
A Dalit woman sits with a child in Humla district, in Nepal’s remote northwest. Photo: AFP

East Asia

Japan deploys long-range missiles to bases amid China tensions, irking locals

The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Filipino singer’s Golden Buzzer win stokes #SEAblings’ Southeast Asian pride

The reactions to his breakout moment on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ highlight how regional audiences increasingly champion one another’s artists.

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Health & Environment

Burning daylight: Iran war energy shock revives Asean’s power grid plans

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

Health & Environment

Mortal combat: Southeast Asia fights fears of death to plan for the end

Birth rates are falling. Populations are ageing. In Southeast Asia, the business of dying has never been bigger.

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Politics

Graft and gridlock: in Anwar’s Malaysia, reformist cracks widen

Malaysia’s prime minister can’t pass his own reform bills. His coalition appears to be cracking – and time is running out.

People

‘It’s inevitable’: Singapore’s workers brace for AI disruption

The city state wants 100,000 workers to become ‘AI bilingual’. But with entry-level roles already vanishing, time may not be on its side.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Politics

Malaysian anti-corruption body offers to pay for witness’s flight in chips probe

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency is seeking the help of former government aide James Chai as a witness over a US$250 million deal with Arm Holdings. Photo: Facebook/James Chai

Economics

Malaysian minister warns of ‘very, very serious’ energy crisis

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A man fills his car with petrol in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Photo: EPA

Politics

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) and Army Chief Asim Munir (right) meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 26, 2025. Photo: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office/AFP

Politics

Japan races to limit fallout from Chinese embassy break-in

A policeman stands guard at an entrance to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo on March 25. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Litterbugs in Shibuya to be fined on the spot as visitor numbers surge

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Aluminium cans, bottles, and other trash stashed next to a vending machine in Shibuya. Photo: Shutterstock
MORE IN This Week in Asia
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OPINION
Jawad Khalid

Opinion | How selective outrage over Iran war exposes the limits of realpolitik

Jawad Khalid
Richard Heydarian

Opinion | How US war in Iran is pushing Philippines closer to China

Richard Heydarian
Neeta Lal

Opinion | Why India is quietly deepening its engagement with the Taliban

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Nicholas Spiro

The View | Japan’s wobbly economy at odds with robust property market

Nicholas Spiro
Sandra Marco Colino

Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’

Sandra Marco Colino
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MULTIMEDIA
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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
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Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
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Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
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Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
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