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This Week in Asia /

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Protesters hold slogans that read “Junk the oil deregulation law” during a rally against the recent big oil price increase on Tuesday outside a petrol station in Quezon City, the Philippines. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Philippines’ fuel shock exposes limits of deregulated oil market

Consumer groups say households are left to absorb rising costs as the government rolls out conservation measures and considers fuel tax relief.

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The Philippines

‘Ghost projects’ push Philippines to record US$26.5 billion budget deficit

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South Korea

South Korea pulls rare move in bid to shield residents from Iran oil shock

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India

India’s 30-day Russian oil waiver comes with a steep US price tag

Washington has granted New Delhi a brief waiver for stranded Russian crude – but expects it to ramp up American oil purchases in return.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters
Malaysia

1 holy month, 1 year’s income: Malaysia’s Ramadan bazaar boom

Rents have doubled, ingredient costs keep climbing, yet for the stallholders at Malaysia’s bazaars, no other month comes close.

Singapore

‘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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Indonesia

Indonesia’s US trade deal faces a sovereignty reckoning at home

Nearly 80 civil groups and 65 academics have signed a petition urging parliament to block ratification of the ‘shameful’ deal.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (left) and US President Donald Trump at a summit in Egypt last year. Photo: AFP
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (left) and US President Donald Trump at a summit in Egypt last year. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore real estate giants feel the heat amid China’s property woes

Analysts say Singaporean companies are still likely to bet on China’s massive market, but could now adopt a more selective investment approach.

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Qatar

Qatar’s LNG halt exposes Asia’s energy vulnerability

Analysts say the turmoil underscores Asia’s need to shift to renewable energy, as nations scramble for alternatives amid the disruption.

Indonesia

Is Indonesia’s fuel subsidy sustainable as Iran war continues?

Higher oil prices would mean bigger fuel subsidies, piling on the pressure on a budget that is already under investor scrutiny.

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A motorist rides past a Pertamina petrol station displaying prices of fuel in Jakarta on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Thailand

Thailand’s PTT to freeze pump prices as Iran attacks spur panic buying in region

The energy firm will maintain prices for 15 days, even as Thailand says it will still export oil to Laos.

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Rubble from a police station in Tehran, damaged in airstrikes on Tuesday. The US and Israel have continued their joint attack on Iran that began on Saturday. Photo: TNS
Rubble from a police station in Tehran, damaged in airstrikes on Tuesday. The US and Israel have continued their joint attack on Iran that began on Saturday. Photo: TNS
India

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

India needs to triple its uranium supply to meet its nuclear targets. Canada, with mines already in the pipeline, is well placed to deliver.

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Middle East

Asia’s travel sector rattled by Iran attacks, fears of ‘domino effect’ slowdown

Airlines are bracing for higher oil prices, continuous flight disruptions and plunging traveller confidence.

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Middle East

Asia’s main oil artery is all but blocked. What happens now?

Oil has surged by the most in four years. Tankers are fleeing the Gulf and up to 10 million barrels a day may be stripped from global supply.

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A map showing the Strait of Hormuz and Iran. An estimated 20 million barrels of oil per day pass through the chokepoint. Photo: Reuters
India

India’s AI superpower dream: flush with cash, short on capacity

India’s AI ambitions could add half a trillion dollars to its economy or deepen inequality if cannot train up its workforce fast enough.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with global tech leaders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19. Photo: India’s Press Information Bureau/Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with global tech leaders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19. Photo: India’s Press Information Bureau/Reuters
Central Asia

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

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India

India in limbo over Russian oil imports as talks with US on trade deal continues

Washington has previously tied lower tariffs on Indian exports to the US to New Delhi’s commitment to curb its purchases of Russian oil.

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Singapore

Singapore budget surplus: poor ‘fiscal marksmanship’ or prudent forecast?

MPs have questioned whether the GST rise was necessary after the government projected a US$12 billion surplus in the current financial year.

Singapore dollar notes being withdrawn from an automated teller machine. Photo: AFP
Singapore dollar notes being withdrawn from an automated teller machine. Photo: AFP
Singapore

As Deliveroo leaves Singapore, spotlight turns on city state’s tight market

The platform’s departure has underscored the challenge of turning a profit in a dense, tightly contested market.

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Brics

Why Brics can’t do away with US dollar even as currency cooperation rises

Brazil says there has been no proposal or talks within Brics to create a common currency across the bloc.

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India

India and Brazil set sights on US$30 billion trade milestone by 2030

The two founding Brics members are deepening links on rare earths, innovation and AI to diversify growth beyond the West.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a press conference after a meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Malaysia’s biggest state wants its energy wealth back – and it’s going to court

Sarawak state is challenging oil giant Petronas’ dominance in the highest court, in a test for the prime minister’s unity coalition.

An oil and gas platform off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Photo: Shutterstock
An oil and gas platform off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Cross-border trips to Johor push Singapore checkpoint traffic to new high

About three-quarters of the record 245 million travellers who crossed Singapore’s checkpoints last year went via the land border.

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Trade

Tariff whiplash throws Asia’s recent US trade deals into doubt

India has already paused trade talks with Washington as other Asian nations are left to question the validity of their recent agreements.

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Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
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