This Week in Asia

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of their historic first summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo: AFP

Politics

‘He’s a nuclear power’: Donald Trump’s North Korea remarks upend US doctrine

Donald Trump’s convention-busting acknowledgement of North Korea as a nuclear power bucks years of US policy – and sets South Korea on edge.

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South Korea seeks Iron Dome-like system as Trump touts friendship with Kim

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In Trump 2.0, Japan faces a familiar uncertainty

Lifestyle & Culture

Naomi Campbell to mentor Thais to be next top models, ex-PM Thaksin says

Supermodel expected to visit Thailand next month to advise Thaksin on how Thais can follow in her footsteps and compete with on the world stage.

Naomi Campbell poses with the medal of “Chevalier de l’Ordres des Arts et des Lettres” at the culture ministry in Paris in September 2024. Photo: AP
Naomi Campbell poses with the medal of “Chevalier de l’Ordres des Arts et des Lettres” at the culture ministry in Paris in September 2024. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Indian court’s ruling in rape, murder of junior doctor prompts more questions

More individuals should have been questioned in the case while working conditions in India’s hospitals remain abysmal, analysts say.

Politics

Can AI help Asean beat the scam gangs? Malaysia thinks so

Upskilling workforces, creation of Interpol-style Asean Cybercrime Task Force among proposals from Malaysian ministers to counter online fraud.

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Politics

Thai government under pressure to revise visa-free policy for Chinese tourists

Thai senator urges roll-out of visa-on-arrival initiative for Chinese tourists that will require them to give details of their travel itinerary.

Chinese tourists do a Thai traditional greeting while posing for photographs at the Temple of Dawn, or Wat Arun, in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier in January. Photo: EPA-EFE
Chinese tourists do a Thai traditional greeting while posing for photographs at the Temple of Dawn, or Wat Arun, in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier in January. Photo: EPA-EFE

Politics

Philippines’ arrest of Chinese ‘sleeper agent’ sparks fears of widespread spying

A group comprising Deng Yuanqing and two Filipinos is accused of spying on Philippine military bases, including where US troops have access.

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Politics

‘It’s a win’: Philippines, China uphold South China Sea resupply deal

Analysts say the agreement ‘commits both states to a status quo’ and urge the Philippines to hold firm on its South China Sea stance.

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Economics

‘We work to live’: Malaysians push back against Chinese business norms

Many prioritise work-life balance over money, but recruiters say Malaysians need to find ways to boost productivity as staffing issues persist.

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Many Malaysian employees say work-life balance is more important than earning more money as a wage slave. Photo: Reuters

Politics

How quiet US-Philippine South China Sea drills sent ‘a clear message’

As the world’s attention turned towards Washington and Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Pentagon was operating decisively under the radar.

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Aircraft from the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group take part in a maritime exercise in the Philippine Sea in January 2024. Photo: AFP
Aircraft from the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group take part in a maritime exercise in the Philippine Sea in January 2024. Photo: AFP

Politics

Malaysian police probe flags of China on dragon puppet at Johor parade

The other side of the dragon puppet seen at a parade to mark a Muar-based Chinese association’s anniversary was decked with Malaysia’s flags.

Politics

Should India be worried about Sri Lanka and China’s growing cooperation?

The new deals ‘signal a deepening of China’s influence in Sri Lanka’ and revive concerns of a debt trap, analysts say.

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Lifestyle & Culture

‘Life is getting harder’: more Japanese middle-aged men lose their cool

In the past week alone, three men were arrested after allegedly being involved in separate incidents of slapping and using an ice pick.

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More middle-aged Japanese men are involved in acts of violence, which analysts attribute partly to workplace stress. Photo: Shutterstock

Health & Environment

Foodborne illness cases mar roll-out of Prabowo’s free-meal scheme in Indonesia

Despite the reported lapses in food safety, officials say Prabowo aims to accelerate the programme’s expansion.

Pupils enjoy their breakfast in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, on January 6 as part of a free-meal scheme. Photo: Xinhua
Pupils enjoy their breakfast in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, on January 6 as part of a free-meal scheme. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

Court ruling over Koreans enshrined in Japan’s Yasukuni reopens wartime wounds

A group of 27 South Koreans fought to have their relatives’ names removed from the highly controversial shrine in Tokyo.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Malaysia gripped by Sports Toto lottery fever, even 2 ‘lucky’ snakes show up

From office workers and senior citizens, Malaysians flocked to Sports Toto outlets to have a shot at winning a US$27.7 million jackpot.

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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
The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet. Photo: AFP

Politics

Tariffs, turmoil and Trump: untangling Malaysia’s Asean chair to-do list

Can Anwar Ibrahim’s diplomatic finesse help Malaysia steer Asean through the storm of rising trade tensions and regional crises?

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Politics

‘We are a frontline state’: how the Philippines is preparing for a US-China war

The US treaty ally is spending billions to arm itself for a conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea it hopes will never come.

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Economics

Thailand’s hi-tech utopia starts to take shape – but will it deliver?

At its launch seven years ago, the Eastern Economic Corridor was marketed as a solution to Thailand’s economic malaise. But concerns persist.

Thailand’s once-thriving economy, which grew an average of 5 per cent annually in the early 2000s, has been battered by two decades of political turmoil and coups. Image: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Australasia

Australian cruise ship operator denies staff dressed in Ku Klux Klan fancy dress

A still from a social media video shows staff strolling across the deck of an Australian cruise liner in all-white jumpsuits and cone-shaped hats evoking the distinctive white robes and masked hoods worn by the racist Ku Klux Klan. Photo: X/LidZen5

Politics

‘He’s a nuclear power’: Donald Trump’s North Korea remarks upend US doctrine

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of their historic first summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo: AFP

Politics

South Korea seeks Iron Dome-like system as Trump touts friendship with Kim

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An interceptor missile is fired by a launcher as part of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. Photo: dpa

Southeast Asia

Malaysia makes a Trump pivot, seeing risks to its China investments

Ringgit banknotes. Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah plans to focus more on the US, Europe and Japan, its managing director said. Photo: AFP

People

In Trump 2.0, Japan faces a familiar uncertainty

A screen shows live footage of US President Donald Trump signing executive orders next to monitors displaying the yen to dollar exchange rate at a foreign exchange trading company in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
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OPINION
JC Punongbayan

Asian Angle | Manila must put brakes on car-centric policies, seek viable transport solutions

Archanun Kohpaiboon,Prasert Vijithnopparatand

Asian Angle | How Thailand can tackle influx of Chinese imports beyond tariffs and bans

James Chai

Asian Angle | Malaysians’ embrace of Mandarin is a win for multiculturalism

James Chai
Le Hong Hiep

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s private banking sector has a ‘chronic disease’. Can it be treated?

Le Hong Hiep
Joseph Sipalan

My Take | Can Johor-Singapore SEZ be a flag-bearer for Southeast Asia’s economic clout?

Joseph Sipalan
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

How Wynn is transforming Macau

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Will Indonesia keep feeding Prabowo’s free school meal scheme?

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‘Women on wheels’ defy norms in Pakistan

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Inside one of Manila's brutal cockfighting pits

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TRENDING TOPICS
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Singapore jails Australian tourist who threatened to crash plane at airport

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Japan’s Masahiro Nakai sex scandal prompts dozens of companies to pull TV ads

3

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

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‘Our society has not learned’: Masahiro Nakai sex scandal sparks anger in Japan

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Bird feathers, blood found in engines of crashed Jeju Air plane

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