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This Week in Asia

Asia
Politics
Economics
People
Opinion
Health & Environment
Lifestyle & Culture
Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Singapore’s Balakrishnan warns Hormuz just a ‘dry run’ if US, China clash

Politics

Why Myanmar’s token amnesties are ‘no cause for celebration’

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is now due for release in 2043 – provided she survives to the age of 97.

A protester from Myanmar living in Japan holds a placard showing detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally in December outside Myanmar’s embassy in Tokyo denouncing the junta’s election. Photo: Reuters
A protester from Myanmar living in Japan holds a placard showing detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally in December outside Myanmar’s embassy in Tokyo denouncing the junta’s election. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan

Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.

Economics

Indonesia’s state energy firm raises fuel prices, risking subsidy strain

Analysts warn the price increases could encourage better-off consumers to switch to products meant for lower-income households.

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People

South Korean police seek arrest warrant for Hybe’s Bang after travel request

The US embassy in Seoul reportedly asked authorities to allow Bang to travel while under investigation for fraudulent stock trading.

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Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk answers reporters’ question upon his arrival at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on September 15, 2025. Photo: Newsis/AP
Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk answers reporters’ question upon his arrival at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on September 15, 2025. Photo: Newsis/AP

Health & Environment

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

The Japan Meteorological Agency has upped the risk of a megaquake to 1 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent at other times.

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Health & Environment

‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

Environmental NGO calls on authorities to adopt a more responsible approach when granting approvals for development projects in the area.

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Politics

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

For decades, Indonesia’s standing was a given. A new survey suggests the region’s opinion leaders are no longer so sure.

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (right) shakes hands with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta in November 2024. Photo: AFP

Economics

Strait talking: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia unite to secure safe shipping

Together, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore form the world’s busiest corridor for crude oil and petroleum liquids by volume.

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Small boats sail beside vessels anchored in the Strait of Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Small boats sail beside vessels anchored in the Strait of Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Work-from-home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.

Politics

Why Japan’s Takaichi is already facing resistance inside her own party

Observers say the prime minister’s assertive style and policy agenda have caused unease among the Liberal Democratic Party’s old guard.

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Politics

Iran firing on Indian oil tankers in Hormuz sparks ‘mistaken identity’ fears

Analysts say the episode reveals how easily military pressure and confusion in Hormuz can affect vessels not meant to be in the line of fire.

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Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

‘Intelligence leak’ claims expose trust gap in US-South Korea ties

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young rejects accusations he leaked sensitive information about North Korea’s Kusong nuclear facility.

The test-fire of an improved Hwasongpho-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Sunday. Photo: EPA/KCNA
The test-fire of an improved Hwasongpho-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Sunday. Photo: EPA/KCNA

Politics

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

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Health & Environment

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

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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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Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP
Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP

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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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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Health & Environment

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP

Politics

Singapore’s Balakrishnan warns Hormuz just a ‘dry run’ if US, China clash

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (centre) during a panel at CNBC Converge Live with host Steve Sedgwick at Jewel Changi Airport on Wednesday. Photo: CNBC

Health & Environment

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Bali recorded 547 earthquakes last year. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Singaporean man charged after viral Lucky Plaza assault on Filipino woman

A Singaporean man has been charged for assaulting a Filipino woman at a shopping centre in Singapore in an incidents that went viral online. Photo: Handout

Lifestyle & Culture

Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan

A couple admires the autumn leaves in Japan. Japanese youth are increasingly turning to matchmaking apps to find life partners. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Chandran Nair

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

Chandran Nair
10
Nilufer Oral

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

Nilufer Oral
5
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
41
Joanne Lin

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

Joanne Lin
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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
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
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Singapore tycoon wants banks to pay US$1 billion for Australian NewSat collapse

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3

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Tsunami warning issued in Japan after magnitude-7.5 quake hits northeast

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