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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. Malaysia’s US$500 million warship set for delivery, minus the missiles
Malaysia’s navy is preparing to take delivery of a warship fully equipped for anti-submarine, anti-air and electronic warfare – everything, that is, except a way to sink an enemy ship.
2. Did fear of the US force Indonesia’s ‘slap in the face’ to Iran?

When Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest in Tehran earlier this month, Indonesia, home to more Muslims than any other nation on Earth, decided to send only its ambassador – at first.
3. Philippines’ Pax Silica AI hub plan slammed for mineral ‘plunder’

On a 1,620-hectare (4,000 acres) site north of Manila, Philippine and US officials are pitching a hi-tech hub as a global gateway to AI, semiconductors and critical minerals.
4. Bali’s ‘big leap’: from holiday paradise to international financial centre

Indonesia is pushing ahead to transform the holiday island of Bali into an international financial centre, with its parliament set to debate new laws this week while a key conference set out targets and cited models such as Hong Kong as an example.
5. How India’s ‘practical’ alliances could reshape Indo-Pacific security

India is stepping up engagement with Indo-Pacific middle powers as uncertainty grows over the future of US security commitments in Asia, with analysts saying New Delhi is building a web of partnerships that allows countries with different strategic interests to cooperate without joining a formal alliance.
6. ‘Very worried’: US campaign against ICC leaves Japan in a bind
Japan has voiced concern about the United States’ campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC), exposing a diplomatic bind for Tokyo as it seeks to defend a tribunal it has long championed without provoking its most important security ally.
7. Singapore cabinet minister resigns over inappropriate interactions with woman
Singapore’s acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from the cabinet and parliament following inappropriate interactions he had with a woman that resulted in harassment accusations by both parties.


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SCMP Highlights

A French Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel, of the design on which Malaysia’s littoral combat vessel is based. Photo: AFP

The grave of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen inside the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad, Iran, on July 10. Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Office/EPA

Protesters hold a rally against the US-led Pax Silica  project and defence deals between the US and the Philippines in Manila on July 4. Photo: EPA

Dancers perform the sacred Rejang dance during Kuningan holiday in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: AP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese pose for a picture in the stands at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 10. Photo: Reuters

Can Philippines turn reforms into gains in Southeast Asia’s FDI race?

Containers and cranes at the international port of Manila last year. Risk analysts have praised the Philippines for its market openness, regulatory strength and labour rights. Photo: AFP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s government has pushed through new laws to entice global capital. Photo: Kyodo

Workers walk beside stacks of containers at a port in Manila. The Philippines trails its neighbours in total FDI. Photo: AP

A barge is loaded with nickel ore in Pangasinan province, Luzon. The Philippines has the world’s second-largest reserves of nickel. Photo: AFP

Workers monitor an automated assembly line for semiconductors at a factory in Laguna, the Philippines. Photo: AFP

Call centre workers attend to clients at a facility in Quezon City. The Philippines’ business process outsourcing industry is second only to India’s. Photo: AFP

Jobseekers look at vacancies at a job fair in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, on July 9. Photo: EPA

Asia’s AI boom has a dirty secret: the coal that powers it

Illustration: Huy Truong

Workers walk past a data centre under construction in Malaysia’s Johor state in 2024. Photo: AP

A night view of Singapore’s financial district. Demand for backup power systems in the city state and neighbouring countries has skyrocketed amid the AI boom. Photo: AFP

 A motorcyclist drives past a coal-fired power plant in the Philippines. Photo: AP

A farmer inspects a dry river bed and paddy fields amid hot weather in Malaysia’s Johor state in 2019. Photo: Shutterstock

A labourer shovels coal at a coal storage site in China’s Anhui province in 2011. Photo: Reuters

The sun sets behind a coal-fired power plant in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. Photo: AP 

Workers installs solar panels on the roof of a warehouse near Jurong Island in Singapore last year. Photo: AP

South Korea’s lost Canadian deal; BN’s election win in Malaysia’s Johor: 7 Asia highlights

Media attend a press briefing where Thai police showed pictures of surrogate babies in 2014, the year before Thailand banned commercial surrogacy. Photo: AP

The Royal Canadian navy hosts the South Korean navy’s Dosan Ahn Chang-ho during a welcome ceremony in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on May 25. Photo: The Canadian Press/AP

Barisan Nasional leaders cheer at the coalition’s command centre in Johor Bahru as unofficial results show BN leading in the state election in Malaysia on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Tourists throng a shopping street in front of Sensoji Temple in the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan, last month. Photo: Kyodo

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr pictured on Thursday during his visit to Vancouver, Canada. Photo: The Canadian Press/AP

News

Asia

From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Malaysia’s US$500 million warship, Philippines’ Pax Silica AI hub: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. Malaysia’s US$500 million warship set for delivery, minus the missiles

From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting