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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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Asean
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Young Indonesians hold signs as they take part in a protest against Israel outside the US embassy in Jakarta last month. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

‘Nothing to them’: Indonesia’s US-Iran peace broker bid faces long odds

Indonesia’s president offered to fly to Tehran in person, but critics say joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ cost Jakarta its neutrality.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf states take the fight to Iran as missiles target oil, gas and trade

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India

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

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Nepal

‘This is our moment’: Nepal’s Gen Z voters hope for ‘turning point’ in election

While all the parties have pledged economic growth and job creation, thousands are leaving Nepal each day in search of a better life.

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An art exhibition in Kathmandu displays slogans used in the Gen Z protest in September last year. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
An art exhibition in Kathmandu displays slogans used in the Gen Z protest in September last year. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
The Philippines

‘Deliberate signal’: Philippines elevates officer amid South China Sea tensions

Analysts say Marcos is doubling down on the country’s ‘transparency initiative’ while engaging Beijing diplomatically behind closed doors.

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Singapore

Singapore strives to stay non-aligned amid US-China rivalry, new conflicts

Foreign minister says the city state must assert its distinctiveness to remain relevant and will not act as a proxy for any major power.

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India

Friend to all, foe to none: Iran war tests India’s Middle East balancing act

New Delhi has long prided itself on being friends with everyone in the Middle East. The killing of Khamenei just made that much harder.

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during a press conference on February 26. Photo: EPA
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during a press conference on February 26. Photo: EPA
Iran

Why US strikes on Iran just made North Korea less likely to play ball

Iran’s nuclear programme was aspirational. North Korea’s is not. That distinction explains everything, analysts say.

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Iran

Will Iran collapse without Khamenei or can its regime endure?

Experts see short-term stability, but warn that deeper structural strains could emerge once the immediate shock subsides.

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Iran

Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia

Protesters stormed the US consulate in Karachi as leaders, including Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim, condemned the killing and appealed for dialogue.

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Shiite Muslims mourn the killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Srinagar, India-run Kashmir, on Sunday. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Indonesia is getting an aircraft carrier. The Philippines isn’t. Does it matter?

Indonesia wants to project power. The Philippines wants to deny it. In the South China Sea, one approach may matter more than the other.

The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP
The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

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.

Pakistan

‘Managed escalation’: Pakistan-Taliban stand-off enters dangerous new phase

With positions entrenched, mediation efforts by regional powers are unlikely to deliver a swift breakthrough, observers say.

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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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A Taliban guard walks along railway tracks near a TAPI pipeline construction site at the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border in 2024. Photo: AFP
North Korea

Dress for succession? Why ‘twin look’ of Kim Jong-un, daughter is sparking talk

The appearance of the Kims in near-identical leather coats at a military parade is seen by some that Pyongyang’s succession plan is in place.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, attend a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, to mark the ninth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party. Photo: KCNA/YNA/dpa
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, attend a military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, to mark the ninth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party. Photo: KCNA/YNA/dpa
Malaysia

Malaysia considers royal commission to probe anti-corruption agency allegations

The cabinet said it would decide after reviewing a taskforce report, as pressure mounts for MACC chief Azam Baki to step down.

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Malaysia

Anti-corruption agency seeks Malaysians’ help to find Daim’s 4 children

A source from the agency says the late ex-finance minister’s children are under investigation for failing to declare their assets.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s ‘ridiculous’ push to curb LGBTQ apps tests limits of digital control

Officials are examining legislative steps to curb apps like Grindr, though removal from global stores is beyond direct state control.

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Malaysia is considering new laws to curb LGBTQ dating apps like Grindr. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia is considering new laws to curb LGBTQ dating apps like Grindr. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Hostage diplomacy’ fears mount over arrest of Japanese journalist in Iran

The incident comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, with a large American military force positioned near Iran.

North Korea

North Korea’s Kim warns of ‘eternal confrontation’ without US dialogue

As long as Washington acknowledges Pyongyang as a nuclear power, there is ‘no reason not to get along’, the North Korean leader says.

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Japan

Japan’s PM revives push to criminalise defacing national flag

It is already a crime to damage a foreign flag in Japan. Now, emboldened by a massive election win, the PM wants to protect her own.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks next to a Japanese national flag during a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on February 9. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Why Yoon’s life sentence and ‘sympathetic’ ruling divide South Korea

As the ex-president appeals his life sentence for a martial law plot, judicial reform is back on the agenda for a deeply divided nation.

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A supporter of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol reacts following a guilty verdict during the sentencing trial in his insurrection case on February 19. Photo: Reuters
A supporter of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol reacts following a guilty verdict during the sentencing trial in his insurrection case on February 19. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar faces pressure as allies demand new probe into MACC allegations

Democratic Action Party leaders said a task force does not go far enough to examine the alleged misconduct at the anti-corruption agency.

India

Trade and diplomatic reset top the agenda for Canadian PM’s India visit

Both sides are set to boost trade links and repair ties further following a fallout over the 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist, analysts say.

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South Korea

South Korea’s Lee uses AI to honour shared factory worker past with Brazil’s Lula

The gesture accompanied Lula’s state visit to Seoul, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral ties.

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Screenshots from an AI-generated video posted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung showing young versions of himself and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva embracing as well as the two of them hugging in real life during Lula’s state visit to Seoul. Photo: X / Jaemyung_Lee
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