This Week in Asia

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Karachi Electric Corporation technicians work on a high voltage line in Pakistan. Photo: AFP

Economics

Pakistan’s bitcoin reserve plan aims to turn energy surplus into tech investment

The strategy to diversify the economy and hedge against currency volatility carries high risks, but the rewards could be great, analysts say.

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Malaysia’s Anwar faces more woes as sexual harassment case against him proceeds

Body found in Malaysia confirmed to be the missing British backpacker

Economics

Philippines boosts air power with 12 FA-50 jets amid South China Sea tensions

The light combat aircraft is ‘as good a deal as Manila can get’ as an alternative to the US F-16 multirole fighters, analysts say.

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Two Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets fly during a joint patrol and training session with the US over the South China Sea on February 4, 2025. Photo: Philippine Air Force/AP
Two Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets fly during a joint patrol and training session with the US over the South China Sea on February 4, 2025. Photo: Philippine Air Force/AP

People

Why Duterte’s diehard fans are carrying cardboard cut-outs around The Hague

The life-size standees have been seen around the Philippines and The Hague, where the former president is in ICC detention.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Facing gender ratio crisis, Vietnam proposes tougher laws on sex selection

Officials warn Vietnam could have 1.5 million more men than women by 2034 without action.

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Economics

India projected to accelerate solar power generation as storage costs fall

Solar power plus storage in India is now cheaper than industrial electricity tariffs in most states, according to a new report.

The costs of solar and its storage in India have fallen and will remain stable for the next 25 years, according to a new study. Photo: Reuters
The costs of solar and its storage in India have fallen and will remain stable for the next 25 years, according to a new study. Photo: Reuters

Economics

Singapore’s health minister ‘dismayed’ at GP clinic with US$40,000 rental bid

Health chief Ong Ye Kung says such high rental bids ‘do not necessarily translate to the best healthcare that the community needs’.

Politics

South Korea’s new president to restart talks with North, boost ties with allies

Lee Jae-myung says he will open a communication channel with Pyongyang, and boost trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation.

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Economics

‘Can’t allow this to continue’: Japan’s tax-free tourist shopping under fire

Japan may end tax-free shopping for tourists to curb fraud and boost state revenue, despite industry opposition.

People walk along Nakamise shopping street in Tokyo’s Asakusa area. Photo: Kyodo

Economics

South Korean father admits killing family amid overwhelming debt crisis

Facing financial ruin, the man told police he drugged his family and drove them into the sea off Jindo Island.

Mokpo coastguard retrieve a vehicle carrying a family of four from the sea at Jindo Port in South Jeolla Province, on Monday. Photo: Handout
Mokpo coastguard retrieve a vehicle carrying a family of four from the sea at Jindo Port in South Jeolla Province, on Monday. Photo: Handout

Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysia to fine Singaporeans without vehicle entry permits US$70 from July 1

Drivers of unregistered vehicles will not be allowed to leave Malaysia until they have completed the permit process and paid the fine.

Economics

‘Nepotism city’? Malaysian leader’s megaproject plan criticised by the public

Critics are asking why the prime minister is splurging on a mega-project while vital infrastructure crumbles and doctor shortages persist.

People

Vanuatu seeks to cancel Andrew Tate’s ‘golden passport’ citizenship

A spokesman for Vanuatu’s government says there is a ‘lapse’ in Tate’s case under the citizenship-for-sale scheme.

Influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania in December 2022 on charges of rape and human trafficking. Photo: AP

Politics

India’s Modi likely to skip G7 in Canada as strained relations persist

India’s expected G7 absence reflects lingering tensions from a fallout over the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

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Canada’s then-prime minister Justin Trudeau meets India’s Narendra Modi at the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz, France. Photo: Reuters
Canada’s then-prime minister Justin Trudeau meets India’s Narendra Modi at the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz, France. Photo: Reuters

Health & Environment

Japan on alert as Hokkaido tremors reignite megaquake fears

While scientists stress earthquakes are impossible to predict, residents are being urged to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

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Lifestyle & Culture

‘We won’t tolerate it’: Japan’s maid cafe staff join fight against groping

Tokyo police have launched an anti-‘chikan’ campaign, introducing a new safety app and intensifying patrols to curb unwanted sexual advances.

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Politics

Battle for the Philippines’ 2028 presidency begins: ‘they’ve smelled blood’

A surprising Duterte-Marcos midterm stalemate has shifted focus to the vice-president’s impeachment fight – and the next presidential race.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong

People

Anwar Ibrahim mints a dynasty – but Malaysia’s youth aren’t buying it

The rapid ascent of Anwar’s heir apparent Nurul Izzah has alienated many young Malaysians who are tired of old feuds and unfulfilled promises.

Economics

Silicon rally: can Malaysia reclaim its semiconductor glory?

Outpacing regional chip rivals won’t be easy for ‘Silicon Malaysia’, but insiders say it has the subsidies, labour and will to succeed.

Politics

Water wars: as India weaponises rivers, Pakistan thirsts for security

India’s suspension of a decades-old water treaty has left Pakistan’s farmers facing ruin. Rivers are becoming battlegrounds elsewhere, too.

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A parched stretch of the Indus River in Hyderabad, Sindh province, Pakistan. Photo: Shutterstock
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Politics

Malaysia’s Anwar faces more woes as sexual harassment case against him proceeds

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing a sexual harassment suit filed by his former aide, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther. Photo: AFP

Economics

Philippines boosts air power with 12 FA-50 jets amid South China Sea tensions

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Two Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets fly during a joint patrol and training session with the US over the South China Sea on February 4, 2025. Photo: Philippine Air Force/AP

Southeast Asia

Singaporean charged over hoax bomb threat made on Abu Dhabi-bound plane

A man is accused making a hoax bomb threat while aboard an Etihad Airways plane bound for Abu Dhabi. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia

Even White Lotus magic can’t help Thai tourism hit by ‘bad news’ events

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Tourists visit a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 22. Photo: EPA-EFE

Economics

Pakistan’s bitcoin reserve plan aims to turn energy surplus into tech investment

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Karachi Electric Corporation technicians work on a high voltage line in Pakistan. Photo: AFP
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Alexander M. Hynd

Opinion | Will South Korea’s next president be able to heal a fractured nation?

Alexander M. Hynd
Chandran Nair

Opinion | Why US exceptionalism, export of crassness are losing their shallow appeal

Chandran Nair
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Biman Mukherji

My Take | Is India poised to rival US universities in a global academic shift?

Biman Mukherji
Lee Hwok-Aun

Asian Angle | Preparing Malaysia’s toolkit to weather Trump’s tariff storm

Indira Zahra Aridati

Asian Angle | In Southeast Asia’s climate battle, AI could prove a double-edged sword

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MULTIMEDIA
Video

At least 11 killed in India stampede

At least 11 killed in India after stampede at cricket victory celebrations
02:57
Video

Mass jailbreak after earthquake in Pakistan

Hundreds of prisoners break out of Pakistani jail after earthquake
02:17
Video

South Korea inaugurates new president Lee Jae-myung

South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung vows to fix economy, hold talks with North Korea
03:17
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Japanese shoppers scramble for government-issued rice

Japanese shoppers scramble for cheap government-issued rice amid shortage crisis
01:24
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