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Oil pouring from a barrel. Malaysia is seeking new oil sources, including Russia and Turkey. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia’s hunt for Russian oil tests Anwar’s ‘friends with all’ policy

Sourcing crude from Moscow to counter Middle East supply shocks risks drawing a backlash from the West.

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Malaysia

Malaysia rises as Asean ‘middle power’ through new Japan LNG deal

Donald Trump

Trump’s forced-labour tariffs put Southeast Asia in the firing line

Thailand

Once world’s largest, Thai shrimp industry on the edge as Malaysia bans imports

Prices have collapsed and buyers have vanished since Malaysia banned Thai shrimp. Bangkok is now threatening WTO action.

A Michelin-starred chef inspects a locally caught shrimp at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. Photo: AFP
A Michelin-starred chef inspects a locally caught shrimp at a market in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia tackles illegal foreign-owned firms, as regional crackdown widens

Thailand is investigating businesses that circumvent curbs on foreign ownership by using Thai nationals for majority ownership registration.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s gas-guzzling data centre boom clashes with its clean energy goals

Across Malaysia, dozens of data centres hum around the clock, powered by electricity that increasingly comes from gas-fired turbines.

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Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

Past failures haunt the Quad’s US$20 billion critical minerals push

The initiative aims to break China’s near-monopoly, but private-sector caution and a history of unfulfilled pledges stand in the way.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference during the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department in February. Photo: Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference during the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department in February. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Most Asia-Pacific firms use AI for tasks without cutting jobs: survey

About 74 per cent of companies surveyed across industries in the Asia-Pacific have deployed or piloted AI programmes.

India

Is US wielding new tariff threat to secure big bargain in India trade talks?

Additional 12.5 per cent levy over forced labour supply-chain concerns seen as leverage in negotiations, analysts say.

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Middle East

Asia-Pacific to lead global retail sales, weather Middle East conflict

The region is projected to contribute to two-thirds of global new retail sales over the next five years, fuelled by e-commerce.

Customers check out products at a retail store in Kochi, India. Photo: Reuters
India

As India rises in critical minerals race, can it dent China’s dominance?

While India could become a valuable part of an alternative supply chain, analysts say it is unlikely to replace China any time soon.

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A pile of minerals extracted in a rare-earth mine. Photo: Shutterstock
A pile of minerals extracted in a rare-earth mine. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

‘Lowest point’: Thai shrimp industry reels from Malaysia import ban

The ban comes as Thailand’s embattled fisheries sector faces increased competition, tariffs, shrimp disease, rising costs and reduced catch.

Malaysia

Malaysia taps Hong Kong battery firm to power ambitions for electricity grid

The deal will help tackle solar storage challenges and comes as Malaysia prepares to roll out its first major grid-scale battery procurement.

Malaysia

Why oil-hungry Asia ignores risks linked to Russia’s ‘dark fleet’

Asia prioritises fuel needs over security risks from Russian oil to survive the energy crisis, despite sanctions and diplomatic dilemmas.

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Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels wait in the unofficial anchorage area in the Gulf of Finland near Vaindloo, Estonia, on April 10. Photo: Reuters
Energy

Oil prices rally on Hormuz talks but will Asia’s energy woes ease?

Analysts say recovery ‘will take a far longer time’, with ship backlogs and damaged facilities weighing on Asia’s energy importers.

A worker fills up a motorcycle at a petrol station in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, in March. Photo: Reuters
A worker fills up a motorcycle at a petrol station in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, in March. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Chasing billions: Indonesia’s commodity export crackdown sows confusion

New export rules promise billions in recovered revenue, but analysts warn the ensuing chaos could cost more than the gains.

Singapore

Rising costs in Singapore spur business migration as regional alternatives rise

Analysts say the economic gains could come with trade-offs, such as increasing income inequality between skilled and unskilled workers.

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Artificial intelligence

Asia faces ‘costly paradox’ over divergent AI rules in US and EU

Regional countries are adapting either the US or EU legal framework, while Asian tech firms risk incurring a ‘regulatory fragmentation tax’.

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An AI robot looking into a crystal ball. Analysts say the compliance costs for AI rules in the US and the EU would be significant. Photo: Shutterstock
An AI robot looking into a crystal ball. Analysts say the compliance costs for AI rules in the US and the EU would be significant. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

US price-fixing probe on Singaporean tycoon signals consistent legal approach

Teo Siong Seng, CEO of a major container manufacturer, is named by the US as one of shipping executives allegedly involved in price-fixing.

South Korea

‘Transitory euphoria’: South Korea’s strong economic outlook masks key hurdles

The surge in demand for semiconductors is cyclical, while other sectors in the country are lagging, analysts say.

Japan

Japan Airlines wants to blast human culture into space and land it on the moon

The carrier is selling payload space to preserve Earth’s heritage from climate change and war, but sceptics dismiss it as a PR stunt.

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An illustration of Japan Airlines’ lunar transportation container. Photo: Handout
Singapore

Failed M1-Simba merger prolongs Singapore’s cutthroat telco price war

With a major merger scuppered by an official investigation, four telcos remain locked in a costly war to win over local customers.

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An M1 shop in Singapore. M1’s parent company has been looking to sell the telco. Photo: YouTube
An M1 shop in Singapore. M1’s parent company has been looking to sell the telco. Photo: YouTube
United States

Trump’s overseas application for US green card rule unnerves Asian workers

Hundreds of thousands of families and individuals in the US, particularly those from India and the Philippines, could be affected.

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The Philippines

US tech supply chain hub tackling China hits Philippine sovereignty wall

Manila pushes back against reports that a US-backed AI industrial hub will come under US laws and diplomatic protections.

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Singapore

Why Singapore wants to become the world’s ‘living lab’ for physical AI

These machines are set to complement humans in the workplace, but safety should be a priority for their deployment, analysts say.

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A robot demonstrates a task at the Nvidia booth during an AI conference in San Jose, California, on March 17. Photo: Reuters
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