Advertisement
Advertisement
-

Asia

Australasia
East Asia
Southeast Asia
South Asia
This Week in Asia
A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft in formation with US and Australian fighter jets. Photo: Australian Defence Force via AFP

Australasia

Australia to send missiles to UAE, deploy reconnaissance plane, but no troops

Prime minister emphasises ‘purely defensive’ role for Australia as Iranian strikes escalate across the Gulf.

Thai police thought she was drunk. She was already dying

‘Ghost projects’ push Philippines to record US$26.5 billion budget deficit

videocam

Economics

India’s 30-day Russian oil waiver comes with a steep US price tag

Washington has granted New Delhi a brief waiver for stranded Russian crude – but expects it to ramp up American oil purchases in return.

8
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters

Economics

South Korea pulls rare move in bid to shield residents from Iran oil shock

As a nation that imports nearly every drop of oil it consumes, South Korea is hitting the panic button to shield citizens from rising prices.

videocam

Lifestyle & Culture

North Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon weeks before race, with no reason given

The race had been set for April 5 and would have marked the second year since Pyongyang resumed the event after the pandemic.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Australasia

Australia grants asylum to 5 Iranian women footballers after anthem controversy

Some players did not sing their country’s national anthem before a match, sparking fears they might face trouble back home.

Iranian players warm up before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between Iran and the Philippines on the Gold Coast on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Iranian players warm up before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between Iran and the Philippines on the Gold Coast on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Politics

Malaysia’s Anwar risks reformist image as Daim family sues over ‘Zionist’ claims

The prime minister said that a group of Malaysians were working with foreign media and a ‘prominent Zionist group’ to topple the government.

videocam

Politics

Asia’s longest communist revolt is dying, Manila says. The rebels disagree

The Philippine military claims the 56-year insurgency is near the finish line. But veteran rebels say the roots of rebellion remain.

videocam

Lifestyle & Culture

Fire safety upgrades stall at Japan’s castles, shrines and temples

Work has yet to begin at about 30 per cent of priority heritage sites nearly 7 years after the blaze that destroyed Okinawa’s Shuri Castle.

videocam
Flames engulf Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, in October 2019. The fire destroyed several major structures at the Unesco World Heritage site. Photo: EPA-EFE

Southeast Asia

A heatwave is coming to Southeast Asia. So is an energy shock

Indonesia and Malaysia are set to feel the worst of an early summer first, compounding an LNG supply crisis triggered by the Iran war.

A women uses an electric fan to cool off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
A women uses an electric fan to cool off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

A forgotten theatre lane in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown gets a new lease on life

The restored lane, once home to an early theatre scene, is part of Kuala Lumpur’s broader effort to revive its historic Chinatown.

videocam

People

‘It’s inevitable’: Singapore’s workers brace for AI disruption

The city state wants 100,000 workers to become ‘AI bilingual’. But with entry-level roles already vanishing, time may not be on its side.

videocam

Health & Environment

Malaysia slashes gym licence fees by 80% to fight urban obesity

Faced with some of Southeast Asia’s highest obesity rates, officials are dangling a regulatory ‘carrot’ to gym operators – but will it work?

A man runs on a treadmill with a view of Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

Singapore real estate giants feel the heat amid China’s property woes

Analysts say Singaporean companies are still likely to bet on China’s massive market, but could now adopt a more selective investment approach.

videocam
Buildings under construction in Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu province, in February. Photo: AFP
Buildings under construction in Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu province, in February. Photo: AFP

Economics

1 holy month, 1 year’s income: Malaysia’s Ramadan bazaar boom

Rents have doubled, ingredient costs keep climbing, yet for the stallholders at Malaysia’s bazaars, no other month comes close.

Lifestyle & Culture

Iran war oil shock accelerates Southeast Asia’s EV revolution

Southeast Asia was already going electric. Then war broke out in the Middle East and it started going faster.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

People

‘It’s inevitable’: Singapore’s workers brace for AI disruption

The city state wants 100,000 workers to become ‘AI bilingual’. But with entry-level roles already vanishing, time may not be on its side.

videocam
Illustration: Huy Truong
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.

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.

videocam

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.

5
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and European Council President Antonio Costa at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27. Photo: European Council/dpa
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Health & Environment

Thai police thought she was drunk. She was already dying

A Thai officer interacts with a woman who was brought to a police station instead of a hospital following a motorcycle crash in Bangkok. Photo: Facebook / anuwatf.ch7

Economics

‘Ghost projects’ push Philippines to record US$26.5 billion budget deficit

videocam
A shopkeeper looks at his smartphone while waiting customers in Manila. The Philippines’ budget deficit hit a record high last year. Photo: EPA

Economics

South Korea pulls rare move in bid to shield residents from Iran oil shock

videocam
A board shows prices as cars queue at a petrol station in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Economics

India’s 30-day Russian oil waiver comes with a steep US price tag

8
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

North Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon weeks before race, with no reason given

videocam
Foreign runners take part in the Pyongyang marathon on April 6, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
MORE IN This Week in Asia
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Julien Chaisse

Opinion | Superpower contest puts Iran, Panama, Venezuela and Greenland on one map

Syrus Solo Jin

Opinion | Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea is burying the dream of reunification

Syrus Solo Jin
Napon Jatusripitak,Duncan McCargo

Asian Angle | How to win an election in Thailand: stage a rebrand, rely on rural votes

Napon Jatusripitak
Duncan McCargo
Donald Rothwell

Opinion | Australia needs to make its stance on the Iran attacks known

Donald Rothwell
Ren Yan

Being Chinese | In China, some of us are keeping elderly care in the family – for now

Ren Yan
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Singapore
Malaysia
The Philippines
Indonesia
South China Sea
Advertisement
Advertisement