Advertisement
Advertisement

This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends a National Economic Advisory Council meeting in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

Politics

What is really behind South Korea’s diplomatic row with Israel?

Lee Jae Myung’s clash was about more than human rights, analysts say – it was about energy security and sending a message to Donald Trump.

Malaysian bust spotlights shadow fleet oil trade in Southeast Asia

videocam

Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

videocam

Politics

What Pakistani jets in Saudi Arabia mean for Gulf security in Iran war

Analysts say the Pakistani air force’s presence ‘will complicate Iran’s targeting calculus’ and force it to reconsider its attack strategy.

videocam
Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 fighter jets fly past during a multinational naval exercise near Karachi in February 2025. Photo: AFP
Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 fighter jets fly past during a multinational naval exercise near Karachi in February 2025. Photo: AFP

People

In Malaysia, some laud car driver’s arrest over ‘world’s most expensive petrol’

The driver of a Singapore-registered vehicle faces a US$252,600 fine, jail or both if he is found guilty of pumping subsidised RON95 petrol.

videocam

Economics

Malaysia faces energy emergency amid Trump’s Hormuz blockade

With six tankers carrying up to 6 million barrels of oil potentially stranded, analysts say Malaysia is on a collision course with crisis.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Lifestyle & Culture

Japan’s rural rail crisis hits new low as JR East cuts toilet paper service

JR East’s decision to remove toilet paper at some unmanned stations underscores the financial pressures on rural rail services.

Oshikiri station in Japan’s Niigata prefecture no longer has toilet paper service. Photo: Handout
Oshikiri station in Japan’s Niigata prefecture no longer has toilet paper service. Photo: Handout

Lifestyle & Culture

Songkran is here. So is Thailand’s worst energy crisis in years

Soaring costs for fuel and ice fail to dampen the mood as a wave of ‘revenge travel’ provides a much-needed economic boost.

Lifestyle & Culture

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

videocam

Politics

‘Not a reliable ally’: Japan eyes Nato as Trump erodes faith in US guarantees

Tokyo and the transatlantic security alliance have a shared problem: what happens if the US walks away?

10
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte stands in front of Japanese and Nato flags during a visit to Tokyo in April last year. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

‘Alarming’ film poster sparks debate on child mental health in Indonesia

Psychologists warn provocative posters like the ones for ‘I Must Die’ can trigger suicidal ideation amid rising mental health struggles.

videocam
About 10 per cent of Indonesian children suffer from mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, a recent report has revealed. Photo: Shutterstock
About 10 per cent of Indonesian children suffer from mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, a recent report has revealed. Photo: Shutterstock

Politics

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

videocam
4

Economics

Manila vs Hong Kong: the 2 sides of Asia’s housing affordability crisis

Asia is home to 60 per cent of the world’s slum dwellers and some of the planet’s most expensive real estate.

videocam

Politics

UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation

As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.

videocam
8
A shopkeeper displays Iranian flags after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Economics

Singapore’s robotaxi drive revs up with help from Chinese AV leaders

The city state is working with Chinese companies like WeRide and Pony.ai to test and deploy shuttle taxi services on public roads.

videocam
A passenger’s view from inside an autonomous vehicle in Punggol, Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau
A passenger’s view from inside an autonomous vehicle in Punggol, Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

Economics

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

Nepal wants private schools to charge less and be more transparent. It could backfire, industry insiders say.

Economics

How the Gulf conflict recast risks for Asian investors in Dubai

Asian firms that use Dubai as a launch pad into the Middle East are weighing new threats to liquidity, logistics and confidence.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Politics

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

videocam
4
Storage tanks are seen at an oil refinery in Yokohama, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, as Mount Fuji looms in the background. Photo: AFP
Storage tanks are seen at an oil refinery in Yokohama, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, as Mount Fuji looms in the background. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

videocam

Health & Environment

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.

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.

videocam
Illustration: Huy Truong
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
LATEST Asia NEWS

Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s Anwar douses row over diesel supplied to Philippines

videocam
A jeepney driver refuels his vehicle with diesel in Manila last month. Photo: AFP

Economics

Malaysian bust spotlights shadow fleet oil trade in Southeast Asia

videocam
The Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency intercepted an alleged illegal transfer of more than 700,000 litres of diesel in waters off Bagan Ajam on Saturday. Photo: Facebook / Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia

Health & Environment

Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

videocam
US President Donald Trump met Japan’s economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in Washington on April 16, 2025. The meeting came as Tokyo sought relief from US tariff pressure. Photo: Reuters

Politics

What is really behind South Korea’s diplomatic row with Israel?

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends a National Economic Advisory Council meeting in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
MORE Asia NEWS
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Nguyen Khac Giang

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

Nguyen Khac Giang
Joseph Sipalan

Singapore’s refusal to negotiate over Hormuz creates waves in Malaysia

Joseph Sipalan
28
Joanne Lin

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

Joanne Lin
Flavio Romero Macau

Opinion | Why the ‘Gate of Tears’ may yet make the whole world weep

Dicky Yordan

Asian Angle | Hormuz is sending Southeast Asia a warning – and we can no longer ignore it

Dicky Yordan
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
03:09
Video

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
02:34
Video

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
02:02
Video

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
04:27
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Singapore
Malaysia
The Philippines
Indonesia
South China Sea
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MOST POPULAR
1

South Korea’s president hits back at Israel in row over ‘disturbing’ video

2

Australia receives fuel export guarantees from Singapore, Japan

3

Singapore’s refusal to negotiate over Hormuz creates waves in Malaysia

videocam
4

UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation

videocam
5

‘Their affair’: Anwar on Singapore’s refusal to negotiate over Hormuz

videocam