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This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
Illustration: Huy Truong

Politics

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.

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

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

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Economics

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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A display board at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi shows cancelled flights to Dubai and Doha on Monday, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Photo: Reuters
A display board at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi shows cancelled flights to Dubai and Doha on Monday, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Photo: Reuters

Politics

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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People

‘Not going anywhere’: Thai workers in Israel refuse to flee despite Iran threat

Bangkok has been here before: 46 Thais died in the Hamas assault that started the Gaza war. Now it fears history may be repeating.

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Economics

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

People

Viral clip of Malaysian man clinging to ex-wife’s moving car leads to arrest

Police said the man clung to the car for around 2km and that he tested positive for ketamine use.

Politics

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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Politics

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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Government supporters mourn during a gathering after state TV officially announced the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Sunday. Photo: AP

Politics

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

Politics

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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Economics

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.

Lifestyle & Culture

Party sober? Asia’s bars and drink giants shift gears as Gen Z ditch alcohol

As young Asians turn more health-conscious and watch their spending, drinks giants and bars are planning more low- and no-alcohol options.

Funkytown, a cocktail bar in Bangkok, offers non-alcoholic versions of its signature cocktails, including Green Curry. Photo: Funkytown

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Time for us’: the Malaysian rapper putting her country on the SXSW map

Zamaera is taking five Malaysian artists to Texas next month after asking herself a simple question: why doesn’t Malaysia have a stage yet?

Zamaera at last year’s South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Photo: Handout
Zamaera at last year’s South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Photo: Handout

Politics

‘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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Economics

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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Politics

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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

Economics

Philippines’ AI reckoning puts millions of jobs on the line

The US$30 billion outsourcing sector is fighting to adapt, leaving millions of workers with a stark choice: upskill or be left behind.

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Economics

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

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Politics

‘Critical point’: can Thailand election pave way for national reset?

With the economy struggling and corruption rife, Thai voters will look to the February 8 election as a chance to turn the country around.

Thailand’s prime minister and Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul (second from right) greets people at a market during an election campaign at Chinatown in Bangkok on January 20. Photo: AFP
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LATEST Asia NEWS

East Asia

Millions of Asian migrant workers in Gulf at risk as war with Iran rages on

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Smoke rises from a burning building in Bahrain hit by an Iranian drone strike, after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran. Photo: Reuters

World

Record-breaking? El Nino may return in 2026, making planet even hotter

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A waste picker drinks water while working at a rubbish dump on the outskirts of Jammu, India, during a heatwave in 2024. Photo: AP

Global Economy

Why the US-Israel war with Iran leaves Asian economies exposed

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Tanker traffic has largely halted on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman along Iran’s southern coast. The disruption is expected to hit global crude supply. Photo: Reuters

South Asia

‘Renewed relationship’: India, Canada forge deals, including uranium supply

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India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hands with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: AP

Politics

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

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Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela gestures beside Senator Risa Hontiveros during a visit to Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea on February 21. Photo: Reuters
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
David Lam

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia needs AI sovereignty – the Grok scandal proved it

David Lam
Stephen Olson

Opinion | Southeast Asia, do not mistake Trump’s tariff defeat for a reprieve

Stephen Olson
Alex Capri

Opinion | Who will save the world from a US-China AI arms race?

Alex Capri
Ivan Franceschini,Charlotte Setijadi,Ling Li

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

Ivan Franceschini
Charlotte Setijadi
Ling Li
Sharon Seah

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Sharon Seah
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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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