This Week in Asia

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Lifestyle & Culture
Cambodians flee renewed fighting along the border with Thailand in Oddar Meanchey province on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Politics

Fighting rages across Thai-Cambodian border as US calls for calm

Tens of thousands have fled their homes for the second time this year as Thailand and Cambodia trade heavy fire, leaving at least eight dead.

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Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats?

South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

People

Could ICC warrants against Duterte allies alter Philippines’ balance of power?

A former Duterte spokesman claims more of the ex-president’s allies will soon be arrested as part of a plot to ‘destroy the opposition’.

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate in Manila in October 2024. Duterte is currently detained in the Netherlands. Photo: AP
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate in Manila in October 2024. Duterte is currently detained in the Netherlands. Photo: AP

Politics

Why a leading party in Bangladesh is facing uncertainty as election looms

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s leadership crisis threatens to undermine its advantage ahead of the February election, analysts say.

People

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

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People

In Philippines, Marcos’ ratings sink as anti-corruption drive ‘backfires’

A new survey shows Marcos’ satisfaction ratings at only 21 per cent – his lowest since taking office in 2022.

A protester holds a slogan during an anti-corruption rally in Quezon City on November 16. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ satisfaction ratings fell to 21 per cent in November – his steepest decline since February this year. Photo: AP
A protester holds a slogan during an anti-corruption rally in Quezon City on November 16. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ satisfaction ratings fell to 21 per cent in November – his steepest decline since February this year. Photo: AP

Politics

Malaysian ex-minister Rafizi challenges PM Anwar’s anti-corruption credentials

He alleged that anti-corruption officers targeted PKR candidates who challenged the prime minister’s daughter in party polls.

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Politics

Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier killed

Thailand says the F-16 strikes were ‘executed with caution’ against military targets to neutralise a threat to national security.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Japan’s youth are now the most hostile to immigration, survey finds

Observers say daily exposure to overcrowding and disruptive behaviour in urban centres has made young adults the most resistant to change.

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Locals and foreign tourists crowd the streets to watch a performance in the Shibuya district of central Tokyo in August. Photo: AFP

Economics

‘Everyone gets a cut’: why Southeast Asia’s scam industry refuses to die

Authorities are seizing assets and raiding compounds, but analysts warn the clumsy crackdown is merely scattering syndicates to new hideouts.

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A woman counts US dollars and Japanese yen banknotes in Phnom Penh. Scam money’s reach extends far beyond the Mekong. Photo: AFP
A woman counts US dollars and Japanese yen banknotes in Phnom Penh. Scam money’s reach extends far beyond the Mekong. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

AI-powered hunt for manga pirates as Japan seeks to recover wind in its sales

Piracy costs publishers an estimated US$55 billion a year, forcing a hi-tech shift to protect a sector aiming to rival car exports by 2033.

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.

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Politics

Lee Kuan Yew’s pain and his deputy’s resolve in Singapore-Malaysia separation

A new book unveiled by ex-PM Lee Hsien Loong reveals how Goh Keng Swee shaped Singapore’s 1965 split from Malaysia.

Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre) launches “The Albatross File: Inside Separation” book on Sunday. Photo: Ministry of Digital Development and Information

Lifestyle & Culture

In race for tourists, Singapore pumps up appeal with push into fitness events

High-octane competitions like Hyrox and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon are helping drive more visitors to the city state.

More than 2,200 international participants took part in the Hyrox race in Singapore on November 30. Photo: Hyrox
More than 2,200 international participants took part in the Hyrox race in Singapore on November 30. Photo: Hyrox

People

Singapore launches book on Malaysia separation with declassified files

‘The Albatross File: Inside Separation’ sheds light on the negotiations leading up to Singapore’s break from Malaysia.

Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysians swap hotels for RVs to drive down holiday costs

Rentals are up 200 per cent, with families finding a six-berth campervan more affordable than booking seaside resorts.

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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.

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Satellite imagery shows Super Typhoon Fung-wong as it approaches the Philippines on November 9. Photo: NOAA/EPA
Satellite imagery shows Super Typhoon Fung-wong as it approaches the Philippines on November 9. Photo: NOAA/EPA

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.

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.

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Health & Environment

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Politics

Fighting rages across Thai-Cambodian border as US calls for calm

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Cambodians flee renewed fighting along the border with Thailand in Oddar Meanchey province on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Lifestyle & Culture

South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

Cho Jin-woong in a still from “Believer”. Photo: Next Entertainment World

People

Could ICC warrants against Duterte allies alter Philippines’ balance of power?

videocam
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate in Manila in October 2024. Duterte is currently detained in the Netherlands. Photo: AP

East Asia

30 injured after massive quake in Japan, warning of more stronger tremors

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A fire broke out after a massive earthquake in Aomori City, Japan, on Tuesday. Photo: JIJI Press/AFP

Politics

Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats?

Singapore’s central business district. The city state has a tailored and multilayered system to deal with misinformation and inflammatory online material. Photo: Reuters
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OPINION
Dien Nguyen An Luong

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

Dien Nguyen An Luong
Surachanee Sriyai

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

Surachanee Sriyai
Jared Bissinger

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

Jared Bissinger
Nguyen Khac Giang

Asian Angle | The hidden domestic agenda behind Vietnam’s baffling foreign policy

Nguyen Khac Giang
Bill Hayton

Opinion | Self-interest is now the main driver of Britain’s Asia policy

Bill Hayton
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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
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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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