This Week in Asia

Health & Environment

Lifestyle & Culture

A sign outlining Sunway Square Mall’s pet-friendly house rules, and a dog-themed installation at the Selangor shopping complex. The mall has since barred pets from enclosed indoor areas following a backlash online. Photos: Facebook/Sunway Square Mall

Lifestyle & Culture

Paws for thought: Malaysian mall reverses pet-friendly policy after uproar

The reversal comes after videos of a dog being wheeled through the mall in a trolley stirred anger in the Muslim-majority country.

42 minutes agovideocam

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

2 hours agovideocam

Indonesian helper who died in Hong Kong fire ‘was always there’ for others

4 hours agovideocam

Lifestyle & Culture

Viral golden logo find turns old AC units into hot property in South Korea

A YouTube video revealing a pure gold logo on certain LG air conditioners has sparked a nationwide hunt for the 20-year-old units.

5 hours agovideocam

A gold shop owner examines gold letters taken from an LG air conditioner. Photo: YouTube/Ringring Unnie

Economics

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

2 hours agovideocam

Politics

Bangladeshi politician’s threat targeting India’s northeast deepens row

His claim of Delhi’s election interference comes days after a leader of the 2024 uprising in Bangladesh was shot in Dhaka.

2 hours ago

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Lifestyle & Culture

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

2 hours agovideocam

Australia banned social media for children under 16 earlier this month. Photo: dpa

People

Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate

The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:50PM

Health & Environment

Deadly Indonesia fire fuels claims of ‘back-room dealings’ on safety

Unions blame bribery for lax enforcement after 22 workers died in a burning Jakarta office building with no emergency exits.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Politics

Why the Philippine Army is turning to locally built remote weapons systems

The roll-out of the new Cobra weapon system is part of Manila’s push to build a self-reliant defence industry.

17 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Soldiers from the Armour Division operate the Cobra system during a demonstration in Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac on Thursday. Photo: Philippine Army

People

South Korean court rules Yoon’s ‘self-coup’ illegal as walls close in

Judges are fast-tracking verdicts to beat statutory time limits, dashing the ex-president’s faint hopes of walking free early next year.

17 Dec 2025 - 3:02PMvideocam

A television screen shows a file image of Yoon Suk-yeol in court at a railway station in Seoul on Monday. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Nepal rolls out delayed tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreign visitors

Starting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:10PM

Health & Environment

Calls to halt Indonesia’s free meal drive after horror crash injures 21 children

One child lost 18 teeth and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Critics blame the scheme’s ‘chaotic’ roll-out for the tragedy.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:06PMvideocam

Health & Environment

‘Just say thank you’: Malaysians fume as Indonesian minister belittles flood aid

Tito Karnavian dismissed the US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared to Jakarta’s own disaster response, touching a raw nerve online.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:59PMvideocam

Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian as he appeared on the Suara Lokal Mengglobal podcast. Photo: YouTube/HelmyYahyaBicara

Politics

Will holiday high season survive Thai-Cambodian border conflict?

Curfews, increased airport screening and the bombing of the province housing Angkor Wat have rattled foreign travellers.

3 hours agovideocam

Displaced residents prepare a shelter at a temporary camp set up outside a pagoda in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province on December 12. Photo: AFP

Politics

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.

16 Dec 2025 - 1:39PMvideocam

Politics

Kick-off in Kolkata: how Lionel Messi was dragged into an Indian election battle

The BJP has latched on to the crowd chaos during Messi’s visit to West Bengal to demand the resignation of the state’s chief minister.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:02PMvideocam

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Economics

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

15 Dec 2025 - 3:32PMvideocam

Illustration: Huy Truong

Health & Environment

6 cyclones, 5 weeks: Philippines can’t escape its endless cycle of disaster

Corruption, complacency and climate chaos conspire to turn the Philippines’ natural hazards into man-made tragedies.

6 Dec 2025 - 8:17AMvideocam

Politics

‘It’s time for us to rise’: India races to rebuild its lost maritime muscle

India is eyeing a future as a leading shipping and shipbuilding nation, backed by big investments – and expertise from South Korea and Japan.

30 Nov 2025 - 5:12PM

Politics

Malaysia’s poorest state prepares a poll shock for the prime minister

Decades of neglect and withheld resource revenue have left short-changed Sabah seething and primed for a political fight.

24 Nov 2025 - 5:02PM

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP

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LATEST Asia NEWS

Lifestyle & Culture

Paws for thought: Malaysian mall reverses pet-friendly policy after uproar

42 minutes agovideocam

A sign outlining Sunway Square Mall’s pet-friendly house rules, and a dog-themed installation at the Selangor shopping complex. The mall has since barred pets from enclosed indoor areas following a backlash online. Photos: Facebook/Sunway Square Mall

Southeast Asia

Thai-Cambodia border dispute reignites with bombing claims of casino hub

3 hours agovideocam

A view of the closed Poipet international border checkpoint between Cambodia and Thailand in Poipet town in June. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

2 hours agovideocam

A fallen tree spray painted with “Help” lies among debris in Aceh Tamiang, northern Sumatra, on Tuesday in the aftermath of last month’s flash floods. Photo: AFP

People

Indonesian helper who died in Hong Kong fire ‘was always there’ for others

4 hours agovideocam

Desi Widiana was one of nine Indonesian helpers who died in the fire at Wang Fuk Court. Photo: Handout

East Asia

South Korea’s police chief removed for supporting martial law plot

2 hours agovideocam

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min (right), Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho (centre), and Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea in December 2024. Photo: AP

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Frances Mangosing

Asian Angle | Is the new Philippines-Germany defence pact built to last?

Frances Mangosing

14 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Walter Woon

13 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

Dien Nguyen An Luong

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Dien Nguyen An Luong

7 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM

Surachanee Sriyai

Asian Angle | The Thai influencer bringing viral warfare to Cambodia’s border

Surachanee Sriyai

6 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

Jared Bissinger

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

30 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

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