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Vendors sell traditional Uzbek clothing and jewellery inside a madrasah in Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan In September. Photo: EPA
Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

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Malaysia

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

Malaysia

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

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Malaysia

‘We’re just trying to survive’: young Malaysians buckle under rising debt

The country has seen a nearly 60 per cent increase in bankruptcies among those under 30 amid rising living costs and access to easy credit.

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Young Malaysians are struggling to stay afloat as rising costs and easy credit fuel growing financial stress. Photo: Shutterstock
Young Malaysians are struggling to stay afloat as rising costs and easy credit fuel growing financial stress. Photo: Shutterstock
India

Rupee slump ‘a little relief’ for Indian exporters amid US trade talks

The lower rupee is helping Indian industries that have been absorbing tariff losses in the hopes of a US-India trade deal, analysts say.

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India

India-EU trade pact nears finish line despite carbon tax dispute and Russia

Brussels is looking past India’s ties with Moscow to secure a vital economic win, with analysts predicting a deal within months.

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India

IndiGo flight chaos exposes risks of India’s aviation duopoly

India’s largest airline grounded nearly 3,000 flights last week, showing how easily a staffing crunch at one carrier can paralyse the sector.

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IndiGo employees tag stranded bags belonging to the airline’s passengers at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Monday following large-scale flight disruptions. Photo: Reuters
IndiGo employees tag stranded bags belonging to the airline’s passengers at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Monday following large-scale flight disruptions. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Philippines ‘flood control queen’ faces arrest over corruption scandal

Prosecutors accuse Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya of pocketing millions for a government-funded flood control project that was never built.

Nepal

Nepal charges Chinese contractor with corruption over airport deal

A watchdog alleges the company colluded with ex-ministers to inflate costs and siphon off US$74 million from the Pokhara airport project.

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Nepal

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

A screenshot of a WeChat account that posts videos of Nepali girls and hosts live streams. Photo: Handout
Thailand

‘Everyone gets a cut’: why Southeast Asia’s scam industry refuses to die

Authorities are seizing assets and raiding compounds, but analysts warn the clumsy crackdown is merely scattering syndicates to new hideouts.

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A woman counts US dollars and Japanese yen banknotes in Phnom Penh. Scam money’s reach extends far beyond the Mekong. Photo: AFP
A woman counts US dollars and Japanese yen banknotes in Phnom Penh. Scam money’s reach extends far beyond the Mekong. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Probe links Philippines flood corruption to Pogo crypto schemes

Cybercrime officials have uncovered a ‘definite link’ between the massive graft scandal and laundering rings run by banned gaming operators.

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Asean

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

Asia makes the chips driving the AI boom, but the technology threatens to erase jobs and widen the region’s wealth gap, a new UN report says.

Singapore

‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

The two countries have disagreed over water supply for decades, such as the perceived low prices charged by Malaysia’s Johor.

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The border crossing connecting Singapore to the Malaysian southern city of Johor Bahru. The state of Johor supplies untreated water to Singapore daily. Photo: AFP
India

Cyber scams threaten confidence in India’s outsourcing industry

Fraudsters leveraging India’s cost advantages and skilled workforce create a systemic risk for legitimate businesses, analysts warn.

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Sophisticated cyber scam networks are threatening to inflict “reputational damage” on India’s thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, observers warn. Photo: Shutterstock
Sophisticated cyber scam networks are threatening to inflict “reputational damage” on India’s thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, observers warn. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Saudi adviser lauds parallels with Singapore in modernisation efforts

Mohammed Khalid Alyahya cites the late Singaporean leader’s pragmatic and results-driven governance as a template for Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.

India

India’s strong economic growth impresses amid doubts on ‘overstated’ data

Questions about India’s latest 8.2 per cent GDP quarterly growth have been raised by ANZ Bank and analysts.

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India

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters
A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia promises millions of gig workers a safety net, but critics see holes

A new law would mandate written contracts and dispute resolution, but labour groups argue it still leaves workers at the mercy of algorithms.

Japan

Hotels hit back as Tokyo plans to hike lodging tax with percentage-based system

The plan would replace the current flat-rate hotel tax with a 3 per cent levy that hoteliers say would unfairly burden certain travellers.

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India

‘It’s time for us to rise’: India races to rebuild its lost maritime muscle

India is eyeing a future as a leading shipping and shipbuilding nation, backed by big investments – and expertise from South Korea and Japan.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Indonesia

Indonesian durian sellers smell big opportunity in China, world’s largest market

In 2024, Indonesia exported US$1.8 million worth of the fruit to Thailand and Hong Kong, and began shipping fresh durians to China this year.

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Durian for sale at a roadside stall in Lombok, Indonesia. Photo: Getty Images
Durian for sale at a roadside stall in Lombok, Indonesia. Photo: Getty Images
Malaysia

From Singapore to Malaysia, tech firms double down on AI despite bubble fears

Bubble bursting? Not here. Meet the regional founders who see a potential global AI crash as a ‘healthy’ correction.

Indonesia

Indonesia blindsided by ruling against Nusantara’s 190-year land right law

The ruling has compounded the challenges in completing the planned new capital, including lukewarm interest from investors.

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Russia

As Asia’s oil markets eye Ukraine-Russia peace deal, will prices fall further?

Oil prices have been falling in recent trading sessions on expectations of an imminent deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Tanks belonging to Transneft, a Russian operator of oil pipelines, at an oil terminal in Ust-Luga, Russia. Photo: dpa
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