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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Indonesia’s plan for a rival to Singapore starts to take shape
Indonesia wants to build a financial centre to rival Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai, but analysts say the real work of persuading global investors has barely begun.
2. Japan voters ‘pretty angry’ with PM Takaichi as support frays
Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears to be fraying, with two new opinion polls suggesting voters are losing patience with a leader who won a sweeping mandate in February but has since spent political capital on conservative causes instead of tackling cost-of-living pressures.
3. The underdog girl group putting the ‘K’ back in K-pop

In an industry built on going global, K-pop’s freshest phenomenon has succeeded by doing the exact opposite: staying home.
4. Is it all economic doom and gloom for the Philippines?
A potent cocktail of domestic and international political headwinds continues to weigh on the Philippines’ economic recovery, even as inflation eased in June.
5. SpaceX took 4 attempts. India’s space start-up needed just 1

India’s first privately developed orbital rocket has given the country’s fledgling commercial space industry a long-sought proof point, but analysts say Skyroot Aerospace must now show it can launch regularly, cheaply and reliably enough to win customers in a crowded global market.
6. ‘Privacy lost so easily’: influencer’s bill leak rattles Malaysia’s telcos
A social media post over an unpaid phone bill has triggered a data-protection investigation in Malaysia, after one of the country’s most recognisable influencers questioned how a stranger obtained details from his telecoms account.
7. India aims for a 200-ship navy to counter China and Pakistan

India’s ambition to grow its navy past 200 ships within the next decade has taken on fresh urgency as China expands the world’s largest naval fleet and Pakistan adds advanced Chinese-built attack submarines, heightening New Delhi’s anxieties in the Indian Ocean.


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SCMP Highlights

The sun sets over Kuningan business district in Jakarta. Indonesia wants to build a financial centre to rival Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai. Photo: Shutterstock


Rescene members (from left) Zena, May, Minami, Woni and Liv. Photos: Instagram/rescene_official

A Vikram-1 orbital rocket model seen at Skyroot Aerospace’s facility on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India. Photo: AFP

INS Mahendragiri, the sixth stealth frigate of India’s Nilgiri-class, test fires a missile. It was commissioned into the navy on July 11. Photo: Instagram/IndianNavy

Woman rejects links to Singapore ex-minister Faishal’s resignation

Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim pictured during his swearing-in ceremony at the Istana in Singapore in May last year. Photo: AFP

A screenshot of Rasidah Caudal’s Instagram post rejecting the allegations against her. Photo: Instagram/rasidah.piloxing

Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim pictured during Mother’s Day outreach at Kembangan in May. Photo: Facebook/muhammad.faishal.ibrahim1

Malaysia’s 10% US tariff beats regional rivals, but for how long?

US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up trade deal documents during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in October. Photo: Reuters

Container ships are seen docked at Tanjung Pelepas Port in Gelang Patah, Malaysia, last month. Photo: Reuters

A worker inspects disposable gloves on a factory production line in Malaysia. Rubber gloves remain Malaysia’s largest tariffed product group. Photo: AFP

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said the latest round of tariffs are intended to push trading partners to adopt and enforce forced-labour import bans comparable with Washington’s own. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

From India’s orbital rocket launch to Japanese voters souring on Takaichi, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From India’s orbital rocket launch to Japanese voters souring on Takaichi, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Indonesia’s Singapore rival, India’s one-shot win over SpaceX: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From India’s orbital rocket launch to Japanese voters souring on Takaichi, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. Indonesia’s plan for a rival to Singapore starts to take shape

From India’s orbital rocket launch to Japanese voters souring on Takaichi, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting