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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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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

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.

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Malaysia

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

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The Philippines

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

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Singapore

Singapore’s ban on caged lorries revives debate over migrant worker transport

The government says the move improves workers’ safety, but advocacy groups say the wider transport risks remain.

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Migrant workers ride in the back of an open lorry in Singapore on Dec 6, 2025. The government is moving to ban the use of caged lorries to transport workers as part of efforts to improve transport safety. Photo: Kyodo
Migrant workers ride in the back of an open lorry in Singapore on Dec 6, 2025. The government is moving to ban the use of caged lorries to transport workers as part of efforts to improve transport safety. Photo: Kyodo
Nepal

Nepal election: rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah beats former prime minister

The 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor’s defeat of K.P. Sharma Oli means he is on track to head the next government.

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Pakistan

Pakistan imperils its IMF rescue as Afghanistan border violence rages

Without an IMF bailout, ‘Pakistan won’t survive’, one economist says. But financial collapse wouldn’t just be Islamabad’s problem.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s US trade deal faces a sovereignty reckoning at home

Nearly 80 civil groups and 65 academics have signed a petition urging parliament to block ratification of the ‘shameful’ deal.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (left) and US President Donald Trump at a summit in Egypt last year. Photo: AFP
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (left) and US President Donald Trump at a summit in Egypt last year. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia to ban under-16s from ‘high-risk’ social media platforms

Minister Meutya Hafid said the restrictions would protect children from online harms, but experts warned enforcement might prove difficult.

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Iran

How far could the war with Iran spread beyond the Middle East?

From Turkey and the Caucasus to South Asia, analysts warn the war could ignite new flashpoints along regional fault lines.

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South Korea

South Korea uneasy as US weighs moving air defences to Middle East

Fears are growing in Seoul that shifting US Patriot and THAAD missiles to fight Iran could leave it vulnerable to North Korea.

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US and South Korean soldiers take part in a joint river-crossing exercise as part of the Freedom Shield military drills in March 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Japan

Japan weighs military upgrade on Iwo Jima as China deepens Pacific activity

Tokyo is reportedly planning to enhance facilities and station aircraft on the island, and establish a Pacific defence initiative office.

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The island of Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi in the foreground, is seen from a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force transport plane. Photo: Reuters
The island of Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi in the foreground, is seen from a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force transport plane. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Can Japan build a ‘China-free’ military? The high price of defying a rival

Tokyo’s bid to boost ‘self-reliance’ may be costly and could take years given China’s dominance in critical materials, analysts say.

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The Philippines

Philippines advances Sara Duterte impeachment case, but ‘this is not a cakewalk’

A failed Senate conviction could ultimately strengthen Duterte-Carpio ahead of the presidential 2028 race, observers warn.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US submarine strike on Iranian warship near Sri Lanka rattles the region

Experts say the strike highlights the risk of the conflict spreading into Asian waters and tests India’s careful diplomatic balancing.

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Iranian warship IRIS Dena is seen in the Bay of Bengal during the International Fleet Review held at Visakhapatnam, India, on February 18. Photo: AP
North Korea

Why North Korea’s missile tests from new warship has Iran conflict in mind

Experts say the US strikes on Iran are sharpening Pyongyang’s resolve to diversify nuclear-capable forces, including new naval platforms.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the test firing of a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. Photo: KCNA/AFP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the test firing of a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. Photo: KCNA/AFP
Malaysia

‘I am not Jho Low 2.0’: Malaysia Arm chip deal probe turns political

The probe into a flagship chip-design deal has sparked criticism, with Prime Minister Anwar’s allies questioning the investigation.

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Pakistan

Pakistan aims to walk tightrope between Saudi Arabia and Iran as war flares

Islamabad has to navigate a tricky regional environment and manage the domestic blowback of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

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The Philippines

Philippine lawmaker slammed for ‘sexist’ remarks in defence of VP Sara

Analysts say lawmaker Angel Suntay’s comments have become an ‘effective distraction’ against the vice-president’s impeachment proceedings.

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte once admitted imagining herself beheading President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photo: Kyodo
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte once admitted imagining herself beheading President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photo: Kyodo
Malaysia

Reality check for Anwar’s reform push after Malaysian parliamentary setback

The failure to pass key reforms reflects ‘looser’ discipline in the ruling bloc and complex political negotiations facing Anwar, analysts say.

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North Korea

North Korea’s hostage strategy packs more bite in post-Iran US shake-up

The Pentagon wants Seoul to shoulder more of its defence burden. Analysts say it may have strengthened Kim Jong-un’s hand instead.

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The Philippines

Duterte allies use Iran war threat to attack Philippines’ US ties

Social media posts claim US bases in the Philippines are like ‘bullseyes on Filipino soil’, prompting the military to debunk the disinformation.

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A naval base in Cagayan province, the Philippines. The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, allows US forces rotational access to selected Philippine military bases. Photo: EPA-EFE
Indonesia

‘Nothing to them’: Indonesia’s US-Iran peace broker bid faces long odds

Indonesia’s president offered to fly to Tehran in person, but critics say joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ cost Jakarta its neutrality.

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Young Indonesians hold signs as they take part in a protest against Israel outside the US embassy in Jakarta last month. Photo: Reuters
Young Indonesians hold signs as they take part in a protest against Israel outside the US embassy in Jakarta last month. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf states take the fight to Iran as missiles target oil, gas and trade

The UAE, Qatar and others had a plan for staying out of a US-Iran war. It relied on the assumption that Iran would leave them out of it too.

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India

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

India needs to triple its uranium supply to meet its nuclear targets. Canada, with mines already in the pipeline, is well placed to deliver.

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Nepal

‘This is our moment’: Nepal’s Gen Z voters hope for ‘turning point’ in election

While all the parties have pledged economic growth and job creation, thousands are leaving Nepal each day in search of a better life.

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An art exhibition in Kathmandu displays slogans used in the Gen Z protest in September last year. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
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