This Week in Asia

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Lifestyle & Culture
Effigies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) and Vice-President Sara Duterte are seen at a protest march in Manila. Photo: AFP

Politics

Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos vs Duterte clash

Analysts warn of a ‘very messy year’ ahead as coup fears swirl, the economy falters and political warfare rages out in the open.

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‘Foreigner fatigue’: how xenophobia hijacked Japan’s national conversation

Japan snaps into action as alligator weed chokes waterways

People

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Young people across Southeast Asia are using city spaces and new technologies to improve on traditional farming methods to grow produce.

Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele

Politics

Most Singaporeans not upbeat on future of next generation: survey

But the city state also ranks highest in trust among people with differences in society, tied with Saudi Arabia in the Edelman global report.

Politics

‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

While officials tout a diplomatic win, rights groups ask how a nation that ‘criminalises expression’ can lead the UN Human Rights Council.

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Economics

Can US-led bloc ease China’s ‘vice-like grip’ on rare earths?

Washington is working with its allies to accelerate projects in rare earths and diversify their supply in response to China’s export curbs.

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A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: AP
A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: AP

Economics

Feathered fortunes, sky-high stakes: inside Asia’s richest pigeon race

In eastern Thailand, 5,000 pigeons brave predators and exhaustion in a gruelling sprint for a US$2 million purse.

Lifestyle & Culture

Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

The government is threatening to pull the plug on social media for under-16s after a spate of youth violence linked to life online.

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People

Fears of growing school violence in Japan as bullying clips go viral

Experts cite social media as a key factor contributing to rising bullying cases in schools, warning of cases that go unnoticed.

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Schoolchildren cross a street in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Politics

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

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A Russian corvette ship is seen near Cape Town, South Africa, on January 9. The Will For Peace exercise brings together navies from Brics-plus countries. Photo: AFP
A Russian corvette ship is seen near Cape Town, South Africa, on January 9. The Will For Peace exercise brings together navies from Brics-plus countries. Photo: AFP

Politics

Singapore’s opposition chief debate draws comparisons with Westminster system

The post is vacant after Pritam Singh’s removal, sparking discussions on its non-statutory nature and executive control.

Politics

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

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Economics

In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self-sufficiency

China has reportedly imposed curbs on rare earth shipments to Japan, and there are concerns that these could be extended to medical products.

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People wearing face masks walking on a street in Tokyo. Japan imports most of its antibiotics from China. Photo: AP

Politics

French ‘intimacy’: Philippines, France near deal for Indo-Pacific strength

The visiting forces deal comes on top of similar pacts with other nations and could help the Philippines attain a ‘muscular defence arsenal’.

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Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Miguel Malvar during a naval exercise in the South China Sea in August 2025. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office via AP
Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Miguel Malvar during a naval exercise in the South China Sea in August 2025. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office via AP

Politics

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

Pakistan and China have been drawing closer to Bangladesh and Myanmar in areas such as defence and trade at India’s expense, analysts say.

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People

Malaysia’s Umno chief denies he ‘sidelined’ Najib to save himself

Ahmad Zahid, who has been cleared of corruption charges, says the party has ‘never wavered’ from its position of supporting its ex-leader.

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Politics

Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos vs Duterte clash

Analysts warn of a ‘very messy year’ ahead as coup fears swirl, the economy falters and political warfare rages out in the open.

videocam
Effigies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) and Vice-President Sara Duterte are seen at a protest march in Manila. Photo: AFP
Effigies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) and Vice-President Sara Duterte are seen at a protest march in Manila. Photo: AFP

Economics

India overtakes Japan in economic size – while prosperity trails far behind

Becoming the No 4 economy is a source of pride. Now, the race is on to turn statistical success into 8 million new jobs a year.

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Economics

Fair or fowl? Malaysia struggles to stomach its US trade pact

Local chefs fume over ‘lousy’ US poultry flooding the market, as critics call the trade agreement hastily reached and unfairly lopsided.

Economics

Thailand’s tourism crown slips as troubles in paradise mount

Border clashes with Cambodia, fierce competition from Malaysia, deadly floods and a strong baht threaten the kingdom’s holiday appeal.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

East Asia

Alarm bells ring for Japan’s Tepco as glitch delays nuclear restart

An aerial photo shows the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant on April 2021. Photo: Kyodo/AP

Southeast Asia

Philippines’ new gas find offers lifeline as Malampaya field starts to run dry

The Malampaya natural gas fields are predicted to run dry in the next few years. Photo: Shell Philippines Exploration

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Foreigner fatigue’: how xenophobia hijacked Japan’s national conversation

Foreign tourists pack Kiyomizuzaka in Kyoto. Japan has seen a surge in tourist arrivals in recent years. Photo: Kyodo

People

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele

Australasia

Boy, 12, ‘fighting for life’ after Sydney Harbour shark attack

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Shark Beach in Sydney, Australia. On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy was attacked by a bull shark while swimming off the beach. Photo: Reuters
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OPINION
Chandran Nair

Asian Angle | China has a worthy blueprint to improve the UN. Why is the West ignoring it?

Chandran Nair
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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire

Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Marco Kamiya

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

Marco Kamiya
I Gusti Bagus Dharma Agastia

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s digital 2045 ambition rests on a fragile seabed spine

I Gusti Bagus Dharma Agastia
Amani Braa

Opinion | From memes to the streets: Gen Z’s fight back against corruption

Amani Braa
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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
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
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‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire

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