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This Week in Asia /

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The first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jet is unveiled during a ceremony at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon on March 25. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
South Korea

South Korea and Indonesia’s fighter jet is ready. But will it sell?

Only a handful of nations have ever built a supersonic fighter jet from the ground up.

South Korea

Softly, softly: why South Korea, France prefer diplomacy over force in Hormuz

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Indonesia

Indonesia and Malaysia require geo-tracking for civil servants working from home

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Myanmar

From general to Myanmar president: Min Aung Hlaing’s ‘cosmetic’ rebrand

His transition from top general to president is a ‘veneer’ that poses a challenge for Asean, which has long shunned him, critics say.

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Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP
Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

‘Defining truth’? Worry in Philippines over controversial anti-fake news bills

Critics warn the proposals risk turning legitimate reporting, public-interest speech and fast-moving online discussion into criminal exposure.

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Japan

Why Japan’s advanced fighter project may get Canadian tailwinds

With Ottawa’s interest in the stealth fighter, Tokyo hopes the multinational project for its air force’s modernisation can regain momentum.

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Indonesia

Indonesian peacekeepers’ deaths spur calls for Middle East exit plan

Lawmakers want Indonesia to pressure Israel for answers and urge Jakarta to rethink its Lebanon and Gaza peacekeeping mission.

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UN peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon drive past firefighters clearing the road at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Naqura in southern Lebanon last week. Photo: AFP
UN peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon drive past firefighters clearing the road at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Naqura in southern Lebanon last week. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Why Myanmar top general’s exit is window dressing to cement military rule

Min Aung Hlaing, who has resigned from the armed forces, is set to get approval from the military-allied parliament to become president.

Malaysia

Malaysia denies Anwar delayed release of MACC chief probe, plans legal action

The government says Anwar has committed to releasing the findings once related investigations are completed.

Malaysia

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

Ex-government aide James Chai, who is in London, said he was a ‘nobody’ who did not influence the US$250 million deal with Arm Holdings.

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
Pakistan

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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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
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
Japan

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’.

Japan

What Macron’s Tokyo visit means for an anxious Japan and its ties with France

Japan is enlisting French support amid a global energy shock and a diplomatic rupture with Beijing.

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The Philippines

Ahead of first Philippine visit since WWII, Japan’s past catches up with troops

Critics oppose the return of Japanese troops over Tokyo’s lack of a formal apology for the wartime abuse of Filipino ‘comfort women’.

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Philippine and Japanese aircraft patrol during a joint military exercise in February. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office / AFP
North Korea

North Korea tests powerful missile engine. Will an ICBM launch follow?

The engine may be used in the Hwasong-20, which analysts say is capable of hitting targets around the globe.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test of a solid-fuel rocket engine at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test of a solid-fuel rocket engine at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP
Cambodia

A US$19 billion scam industry is fleeing Cambodia. Where will it end up?

Scam bosses and their multibillion-dollar crime networks are fleeing to Myanmar, Laos and Thailand ahead of an April deadline.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

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Artificial intelligence

‘Economic own goal’? Vietnam’s AI law sets a risky pace for Southeast Asia

From Malaysia’s sovereign cloud to Vietnam’s data curbs, critics say the rush to regulate will deter investment.

Men use their phones at a cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January. Photo: AFP
Men use their phones at a cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January. Photo: AFP
Asean

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

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.

The Philippines

Why Philippines may face ‘strategic dilemma’ over Nato partnership, US demands

Manila has been forging closer ties with several Nato members amid tensions between the transatlantic security alliance and the US.

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The Philippines

As Philippines battles fuel crisis, will Marcos postpone Asean summit?

Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs.

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A fuel station worker prepares to refuel a jeepney, or local minibus, in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Why Japan’s troops are returning to Philippine soil for first time since WWII

The return marks an upgrade from the region’s previous ‘hub and spoke’ strategy to one of overlapping minilaterals, experts say.

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Japan Ground Self-Defence Force personnel on board amphibious assault vehicles take part in a joint landing exercise with Philippine and US troops in San Antonio, Zambales province, in 2018. Photo: AFP
Japan Ground Self-Defence Force personnel on board amphibious assault vehicles take part in a joint landing exercise with Philippine and US troops in San Antonio, Zambales province, in 2018. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Why Filipinos blame Marcos, not Trump, for the Iran war fuel crisis

A Philippine senator wants Filipinos to hold Trump accountable for their surging fuel bills. But public anger has a different target.

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Nepal

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

India

Pakistan steps in as Iran mediator while India watches from the wings

India’s ‘surprising’ silence on Iranian attacks amid uneasy ties with Tehran could affect its strategic relevance in the Gulf, analysts warn.

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
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