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Asia

This Week in Asia

Heavy smoke rise following a fire at a car parts factory in Daejeon on Friday. Photo: AFP

East Asia

South Korean factory fire injures at least 55

The district fire chief said authorities were looking for at least 14 other people.

1 hour ago

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

20 Mar 2026 - 8:10AMvideocam

Is Pakistan building ICBMs? Non-proliferation experts dispute US warning

1 hour agovideocam

Politics

Support for Duterte’s ICC trial has halved in a year. Here’s why

Only 30 per cent of Gen Z Filipinos now back the ICC drugs war case, as AI-generated disinformation floods TikTok.

19 Mar 2026 - 7:12PM

People protest in favour of the detention of former Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte during a rally in The Hague on February 23 outside the International Criminal Court. Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity. Photo: AFP

East Asia

Deep snow can’t hide inflation, foreign ‘takeover’ fears in Japan ski hub

An influx of foreign workers, inflated property prices and living costs are testing the patience of Niseko’s residents.

4 hours agovideocam

East Asia

Japan PM conveys to Trump her ‘strong intent’ to meet North Korea’s Kim

Takaichi said she has ‘received full support from the president towards an immediate solution’ to Pyongyang’s abductions of Japanese nationals.

20 Mar 2026 - 11:13AMvideocam

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Southeast Asia

Some tourists in Malaysia make most of ‘extended’ holiday amid flight mess

Stranded European visitors in Malaysia navigate visa extensions and rebooking woes as the conflict shows no sign of easing.

6 hours agovideocam

An Instagrammable spot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Facebook/malaysia.travel.my

Lifestyle & Culture

India’s weight-loss drug price war begins as key patent expires

Generic slimming drugs are expected to flood a market where one in four adults are currently either overweight or obese.

4 hours ago

Lifestyle & Culture

Japan gets tough against teachers’ sexual misconduct, voyeurism after arrests

Sexual offences involving mostly male teachers targeting students remain high despite stricter rules against the menace in recent years.

19 Mar 2026 - 4:26PMvideocam

Southeast Asia

Cambodia boosts Singapore and Malaysia fuel imports to survive energy crisis

Energy Minister Keo Rottanak says ‘an Asean power grid is the way to go’ as Vietnam and China restrict exports to Phnom Penh.

19 Mar 2026 - 12:57PMvideocam

An employee (second left) pumps fuel into the vehicle of a customer in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 9. Photo: AFP

Politics

Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos pressures economy

Facing economic challenges and border tensions with Cambodia, the prime minister has pledged swift responses to public needs.

19 Mar 2026 - 5:06PMvideocam

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reacts at parliament in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Politics

Russian hypersonic jets buzz Japan’s coast in ‘thinly veiled threat’

The exercises send a message that Tokyo should avoid antagonising Moscow or risk ‘repercussions’, observers say.

19 Mar 2026 - 5:23PM

People

Ashes for ransom: the bizarre rise of urn thefts in Malaysia

In the past month, 30 urns in Negeri Sembilan and 22 urns in Johor were reported stolen at two memorial parks.

19 Mar 2026 - 2:10PMvideocam

People

‘I’ll burn down my school’: Philippine police foil shooting plot by teens

The case involving radicalised students in Laguna province highlights the need for cyber safety and parental vigilance, analysts say.

19 Mar 2026 - 4:40PM

Philippine police thwarted a school shooting plot by radicalised teens and seized offensive materials from the suspects. Photo: Handout

Politics

Nuclear or nothing: why North Korea’s Kim expects the US to come ‘cap in hand’

With Washington tied up in Iran, Kim Jong-un’s message is clear: if the US wants a summit, it must pay his nuclear price.

19 Mar 2026 - 9:30AM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a shooting competition to mark the army’s “Snipers’ Day” at a training base on March 3. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Politics

Beyond ‘lip service’: Philippines urged to act on air defence gaps

The Iran war has underscored the need for robust air systems and Manila should look to build a layered defence architecture, experts say.

19 Mar 2026 - 5:35PM

Health & Environment

Too hot to handle? Southeast Asia’s AI data centre gold rush strains power grids

Data centres crave cold. Southeast Asia is anything but. Now, the AI boom is pushing tropical engineering to the limit.

18 Mar 2026 - 6:06PMvideocam

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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.

14 Mar 2026 - 10:30AM

Illustration: Huy Truong

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.

11 Mar 2026 - 12:24PMvideocam

Politics

Build fast, grow rich: To Lam’s blueprint for a rising Vietnam

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief is staking his legacy on 10 per cent growth, domestic megaprojects and an overseas charm offensive.

1 Mar 2026 - 8:00AM

Economics

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.

14 Feb 2026 - 4:03PMvideocam

Image: Kevin Wong

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Highlights from

THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Politics

Is Pakistan building ICBMs? Non-proliferation experts dispute US warning

1 hour agovideocam

Pakistan’s Shaheen-3 missile on display during a military parade in Islamabad in 2018. Photo: AP

Economics

South Korea risks US rift over Iran’s Hormuz Strait squeeze

20 Mar 2026 - 8:10AMvideocam

South Koreans protest against US President Donald Trump’s request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz in front of the US embassy in Seoul on Monday. Photo: TNS

Lifestyle & Culture

India’s weight-loss drug price war begins as key patent expires

4 hours ago

A group of women walk on a street in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. About a quarter of India’s adult population is either overweight or obese. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

Politics

Support for Duterte’s ICC trial has halved in a year. Here’s why

19 Mar 2026 - 7:12PM

People protest in favour of the detention of former Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte during a rally in The Hague on February 23 outside the International Criminal Court. Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity. Photo: AFP

Politics

Beyond ‘lip service’: Philippines urged to act on air defence gaps

19 Mar 2026 - 5:35PM

The Philippine Air Force’s SPYDER system is designed to counter aircraft, drones and missiles. Photo: Philippine Air Force

MORE IN This Week in Asia

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Outside In | As Iran war escalates, the US ramps up its trade war

David Dodwell

1 hour ago

Macroscope | China is weathering the Iran war oil shock better than others in Asia

Nicholas Spiro

19 Mar 2026 - 4:30PM

Brian McFeeters

Opinion | Tariffs grab headlines, but non-tariff barriers decide winners in Asean

Brian McFeeters

19 Mar 2026 - 5:50AM

Opinion | India’s reopening to Chinese investment reflects strategic pragmatism

Ambuj Sahu

18 Mar 2026 - 4:30PM

Barbora Valockova

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

Barbora Valockova

15 Mar 2026 - 12:00PM

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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

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TRENDING TOPICS

South China Sea

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