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A trader monitors share prices at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday. Photo: EPA

Economics

Pakistan’s IMF-backed recovery under pressure as Iran-US mediation stalls

While Islamabad continues to push for peace, the war threatens to erode its foreign exchange reserves and make financing harder to secure.

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Iran war tests India’s Brics leadership as ‘political relevance’ questions mount

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Filipino male pageant contestant’s viral swimsuit walk sparks body image debate

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People

Malaysian woman jailed 2 years for throwing baby daughter from 38-floor flat

The woman, who was convicted of infanticide for causing the death of her newborn, did not tell her family about her pregnancy.

File photo of a woman in handcuffs. Malaysian Lua Mei Zhu was convicted of infanticide for causing the death of her baby girl. Photo: Shutterstock
File photo of a woman in handcuffs. Malaysian Lua Mei Zhu was convicted of infanticide for causing the death of her baby girl. Photo: Shutterstock

People

Malaysian man who was married 9 times faces wife assault case again

The man, who is accused of attacking his pregnant wife until she miscarried, would ‘seek partners with stable jobs’, a police chief says.

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Economics

Elephant in room: can Sri Lanka’s ‘world’s emptiest airport’ attract investors?

Since opening in 2013, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has failed to generate enough revenue to cover even its electricity bills.

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Economics

What’s behind Japan’s novel move to share Mogami warship design with India?

Tokyo has offered to give Delhi the plans to its US$500-million Mogami-class ship so that it can be built in India using Japanese materials.

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A Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at the Japan Self-Defence Forces’ naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, on September 5, 2025. Photo: AFP
A Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at the Japan Self-Defence Forces’ naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, on September 5, 2025. Photo: AFP

Politics

Can Philippines’ new anti-Pogo playbook rein in fast-moving scam hubs?

The new inter-agency rules aim to give investigators a framework tailored to Pogo-linked crime and support a coordinated response.

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Economics

Brics to push for intra-currency payments as ‘immunity’ against Western clout

New Delhi has to be wary of any move to challenge the US dollar as it seeks to sign an interim trade deal with Washington, analysts say.

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People

Indonesia domestic worker law faces uphill battle against cultural attitudes

While the new law is a start, real changes will not happen instantly because of ingrained beliefs, women activists say.

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Domestic workers undergo skills training in Indonesia. Photo: International Labour Organization

Lifestyle & Culture

Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator

One of the employees reportedly told police he burned his wife’s body in an incinerator on the zoo’s grounds.

The animal crematorium at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
The animal crematorium at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Kyodo

Lifestyle & Culture

Singapore firm sorry after airport baggage handler caught tossing luggage

Ground-handling company SATS pledged to improve service standards and staff training after a video of the incident went viral.

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Politics

South Korea’s Yoon has jail term raised to 7 years in obstruction case

A court increased the ex-president’s sentence from five to seven years on charges related to his botched martial law bid.

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People

‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Despite all races being equally targeted, ethnic Indians lost the least because they would keep questioning until the scammers gave up.

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Little India in Kuala Lumpur. Ethnic Indians account for about 7 per cent of Malaysia’s population. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

Bridge too far? Hormuz crisis revives Thailand’s controversial plan

While the plan to bypass the Malacca Strait is popular with Anutin’s government, economists and environmentalists say it is not realistic.

Cargo ships are loaded with containers at the port of Bangkok on April 3, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Cargo ships are loaded with containers at the port of Bangkok on April 3, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Economics

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

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People

Mosque disputes expose tensions over Japan’s growing Muslim communities

Muslim leaders say local opposition has been fuelled by negative overseas coverage of Islam and claims circulating online.

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Economics

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

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A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters
A woman shops for vegetables in Depok, Indonesia, earlier this month near a sign asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. Photo: Reuters

Health & Environment

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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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.

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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.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Southeast Asia

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest

Aung San Suu Kyi speaks in New York in September 2012. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Gaming platform Roblox to require facial scans for users under 16 in Indonesia

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A girl plays Roblox on her mobile phone in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP

Economics

Pakistan’s IMF-backed recovery under pressure as Iran-US mediation stalls

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A trader monitors share prices at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Iran war tests India’s Brics leadership as ‘political relevance’ questions mount

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi chats with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the 2025 Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro last July. Photo: AP

Australasia

Australian police find body in search for missing indigenous girl

Volunteers join the police and emergency services in searching the scrubland surrounding Todd River on the third day of the search for a missing 5-year-old, whose family has asked her to be referred to as “Kumanjayi Little Baby” for cultural reasons, in Alice Springs, Australia, on Tuesday. Photo: via Reuters
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OPINION
Wesley Morgan,Ben Newell

Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Wesley Morgan
Ben Newell
Michael Vatikiotis

Opinion | Blinding the world with lies makes peacemaking an impossible task

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Chandran Nair

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Chandran Nair
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Nilufer Oral

Opinion | Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is a right in war and peace

Nilufer Oral
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Nguyen Khac Giang

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

Nguyen Khac Giang
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
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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
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