Vietnamese crab exporterdouble-skinned crabs
Advertisement
Advertisement
This Week in Asia /

Politics

Related Topics:
Asean
South China Sea
the Asian angle
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gestures to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Manila in 2023. She is expected to return next year to sign a trade pact. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

After EU-Philippines trade breakthrough, is Asean-wide deal next?

A bloc-to-bloc free-trade agreement offers Asean real economic clout, but analysts warn there is still a ‘long way to go’.

Pakistan

Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

videocam
India

India’s ‘cockroach’ movement targets election chief in political pivot

videocam
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Najib ‘has no money’ to pay fine for house arrest, lawyer says

The ex-prime minister’s legal team also dismisses a ‘stupid question’ about ‘the billions’ donated by the Saudi royal family.

A supporter of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gesture as she gathers outside his residence in Kuala Lumpur last Friday. Photo: AP
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak looks on as he is escorted during an appeal hearing at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2024. Photo: AFP
North Korea

Ukraine’s POW transfer reveal deals propaganda blow to North Korea

Zelensky’s UN disclosure punctures Pyongyang’s soldier-loyalty narrative, but risks damaging ties with Seoul and endangering POW families.

The Philippines

‘So happy’: Philippines pardons death row inmate repatriated from Indonesia

Mary Jane Veloso is expected to be freed after the clemency since there are no other active cases against her.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Philippines

Does Philippine rule change clear way to convict vice-president?

Omitting absent senators cuts the votes needed to oust Sara Duterte-Carpio from 16 to 14, setting up a clash over the court’s legitimacy.

Supporters of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio gather as she visits the Quezon city justice hall in Quezon City in September. Photo: AP
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio leaves a Quezon City court following a deferred arraignment on grave threat charges in September. Photo: EPA
Philippine senators are sworn in as jurors for the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio at the Senate in Manila in May. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Najib Razak’s fundraising in Malaysia draws 1 sen donations, mockery

Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, claims that supporters from Singapore, Brunei, Italy and Canada are willing to contribute to the fund.

South Korea

South Korea has plan for phased denuclearisation. But will North bite?

The South Korean president’s proposal reflects the reality that North Korea already has significant nuclear capabilities, analysts say.

videocam
South Korea

Can South Korea solve the US military’s ammunition shortage?

Depleted stockpiles from the Middle East and Ukraine wars are spurring South Korean arms makers to build US production hubs.

South Korean K9 Thunder 155mm howitzers during a live-fire drill in Pocheon. South Korea’s leading defence company Hanwha Aerospace has announced a US$2.2 billion investment to make 155mm shells in the US. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Why younger Filipinos are warming to China despite maritime tensions

A Pew survey shows 47 per cent of Filipinos aged 18 to 34 view China favourably, with some respondents also expressing confidence in its leadership.

videocam
7
People walk at Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown, in Manila, the Philippines, in August. Photo: Reuters
People walk at Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown, in Manila, the Philippines, in August. Photo: Reuters
India

India backs new P4M forum, but can middle powers fix the UN?

Without early wins on climate or UN reform, analysts say the Partners for Multilateralism risks becoming a talking shop.

South China Sea

Why Brunei prefers ‘quiet diplomacy’ over confrontation in South China Sea

As a nation with a small military, Brunei would rather work with Beijing in safe zones such as peacekeeping than butt heads, analysts say.

videocam
Malaysia

Malaysians joke about nettle beds to end Negeri Sembilan royal row

With two men claiming the throne and no legal exit in sight, commenters suggest nettle-bed endurance tests to end the fight.

A nettle plant. Some social media users suggested making rival claimants to the Negeri Sembilan throne sleep on a bed of nettles for a week. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar faces political reckoning in Melaka as state calls for poll

The Melaka state election is Malaysia’s third this year. Anwar’s coalition performed badly at previous polls in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Children play outside a traditional Malay wooden house in Melaka city. Photo: AFP
Children play outside a traditional Malay wooden house in Melaka city. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

Japan

Russia targets ‘unfriendly nations’ as asset seizures spook Japanese firms

The takeover of Swiss and French brands raises the spectre of retaliation against some 230 Japanese businesses still in Russia.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Canada

Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

A recent Rockefeller Foundation survey shows strong regional belief in global cooperation and a reluctance to accept superpower dominance.

5
The ASEAN flag flies alongside the flags of member countries ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia in January 2025. Photo: Reuters
The ASEAN flag flies alongside the flags of member countries ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia in January 2025. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan royal crisis escalates as chief minister defies ruler

The disagreement centres on competing interpretations of Negeri Sembilan’s state constitution.

Malaysia

Will Anwar’s coalition in Malaysia implode amid Loke exit, Najib house arrest?

Observers say the numbers in cabinet remain in Anwar’s favour for now, but warn that a DAP walkout could embolden rival Umno.

videocam
Malaysia

Anwar was on song in India. Will Malaysia reap the rewards?

The Malaysian PM’s rendition of a Bollywood ballad went viral, but his India trip was about more than just the music.

A still from a social media video of Anwar Ibrahim singing in New Delhi while at the Brics summit. Photo: X/AnwarIbrahim
Australia

Named as an enemy: Indonesia’s uneasy Aukus moment

Aukus inquiry testimony in Australia cast Indonesia as a foe in a hypothetical war, reviving old suspicions.

23
US Navy officers stand aboard a Virginia-class submarine docked in Western Australia in February 2025. Under Aukus, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines like the Virginia-class. Photo: AFP
US Navy officers stand aboard a Virginia-class submarine docked in Western Australia in February 2025. Under Aukus, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines like the Virginia-class. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Loke resigns as minister following Najib’s house arrest approval

The former prime minister’s conditional pardon is a severe blow to Anwar’s ruling coalition, which is facing its worst internal strife.

8
Singapore

Singapore minister Chan Chun Sing’s Mandarin diplomacy strikes China chord

Chan quoted ancient philosopher Mencius in his speech at Xiangshan Forum, winning praise on social media for his knowledge of Chinese thought.

13
The Philippines

Why the ICC is cracking down on ‘fake news’ as Duterte trial looms

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner warns parties to ‘avoid speculation’ and urges prosecutors to trim their witness list and evidence.

videocam
The Philippines’ former president Rodrigo Duterte attends a preparatory session at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW