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This Week in Asia
An illustration featuring US President Donald Trump holding bitcoin outside a cryptocurrency exchange in Hong Kong on December 5. Photo: Reuters

Blockchain

Consensus building: crypto conference arrives in Hong Kong amid Web3 changes

Hong Kong is leaning into its role in traditional finance as it courts Web3 enthusiasts to the city for CoinDesk’s Consensus Hong Kong.

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South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron found dead at her home in Seoul

Sri Lanka’s first elephant orphanage celebrates 50 years

Economics

South Asia after USAID: can India rise to the challenge?

The sudden suspension of USAID funds has delivered a gut punch to Nepal and Bangladesh – but it could be an opportunity for India to step up.

A USAID officer watches as a US military cargo plane taxis to a stop at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2015. Photo: AFP
A USAID officer watches as a US military cargo plane taxis to a stop at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2015. Photo: AFP

Politics

‘Wilful pollution’: China’s space debris puts Philippines on edge

For Manila, Beijing’s pursuit of the heavens is leaving a worrying trail of debris – and diplomatic challenges – back on Earth.

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Politics

Duterte’s ‘kill senators’ quip ignites controversy in Philippine midterms

Former president Rodrigo Duterte jokes that the candidates backed by him can win the May elections by way of “a bomb” aimed at their rivals.

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Politics

Japan’s 2035 tipping point looms as cities set to shrink amid population ageing

Japan faces urban population decline by 2035, with ageing societies challenging city sustainability and prompting calls for immigration reform.

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An elderly man walks through a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Reuters
An elderly man walks through a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Reuters

East Asia

Why Trump’s steel tariffs could break economic backbone of South Korea

Pohang, once a symbol of the country’s breakneck growth, faces a bleak future as US levies threaten the steel hub.

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Australasia

Australia slaps 2-year ban on foreigners buying existing homes as prices soar

The restriction would likely free up around 1,800 properties per year for local buyers.

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South Asia

18 dead in India stampede to catch trains to Hindu mega-festival

The Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, attracts millions every 12 years and has a history of crowd-related disasters.

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Passengers jostle with each other to board a train at New Delhi Railway station on Saturday. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village

Once a pristine fishing hamlet, Tanjung Uma is now drowning in garbage and disease as it bears the brunt of unchecked waste and environmental collapse.

A food stall in Tanjung Uma next to a trash-strewn waterway. Photo: Ken Kwek
A food stall in Tanjung Uma next to a trash-strewn waterway. Photo: Ken Kwek

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Boy sober’ and loving it: why Asia’s young women are swiping left on romance

More young women are opting out of traditional dating and marriage, prioritising career and personal freedom over societal expectations.

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East Asia

South Korea airline sparks controversy over crew taking photos on aircraft wing

Eastar Jet crew members reportedly posed for photos on the left wing of the aircraft while the plane was delayed due to heavy snow at Cheongju Airport.

East Asia

US, South Korea and Japan reaffirm pledge to seek North Korea denuclearisation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his counterparts from the two nations on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

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A television screen at a railway station in Seoul in January shows an image of a North Korean missile launch. Photo: AP

South Asia

Pakistan militant raid kills at least 4 soldiers

More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan in 2024 – the deadliest year in almost a decade.

Relatives and local residents attend the funeral of a police officer who was killed by suspected militants in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, on January 15 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Relatives and local residents attend the funeral of a police officer who was killed by suspected militants in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, on January 15 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

Southeast Asia

Myanmar militia ready to deport 10,000 cyber scam workers

The Kayin Border Guard Force are preparing to hand over daily ‘about 500 people including many different nationalities’.

East Asia

Japan’s Tepco takes on challenge of making space for Fukushima nuclear debris

Company has started dismantling water tanks and plans to build facilities to store the molten fuel debris after extracting it from inside the reactors.

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Health & Environment

Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village

Once a pristine fishing hamlet, Tanjung Uma is now drowning in garbage and disease as it bears the brunt of unchecked waste and environmental collapse.

A food stall in Tanjung Uma next to a trash-strewn waterway. Photo: Ken Kwek
A food stall in Tanjung Uma next to a trash-strewn waterway. Photo: Ken Kwek

Politics

Analysis | ‘Chindia’ returns as India and China prepare for a Trump earthquake

With Donald Trump back in the White House, India and China are forging a quiet detente that could have seismic implications.

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People

In Asia’s forgotten war, reluctant rebels mark 4 years of bloody chaos

For thousands of guerilla fighters, the dream of a free Myanmar still burns bright – even after four years of ruinous civil war.

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Economics

China’s Himalayan mega dam deepens India’s water worries

Just as ties seemed to be on the mend, a US$137 billion hydropower behemoth on the Yarlung Tsangpo River threatens to muddy the waters.

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The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet. Photo: AFP
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Highlights from
THIS WEEK IN ASIA

Health & Environment

Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village

A food stall in Tanjung Uma next to a trash-strewn waterway. Photo: Ken Kwek

Economics

South Asia after USAID: can India rise to the challenge?

A USAID officer watches as a US military cargo plane taxis to a stop at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2015. Photo: AFP

Politics

‘Wilful pollution’: China’s space debris puts Philippines on edge

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A Long March 8A rocket, carrying a group of low-Earth orbit satellites, launches from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on Tuesday. Photo: CNSPhoto via Reuters

Politics

Duterte’s ‘kill senators’ quip ignites controversy in Philippine midterms

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte delivers a message during the proclamation rally for his political party PDP-Laban’s senatorial candidates ahead of the midterm elections in Metro Manila, Philippines on February 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Japan’s 2035 tipping point looms as cities set to shrink amid population ageing

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An elderly man walks through a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Reuters
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