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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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Asean
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the Asian angle
Barisan Nasional supporters attend the announcement of the party’s slate for the Negeri Sembilan election. Photo: Facebook/barisanasional
Malaysia

Malaysian snap poll threatens to chip away at Negeri Sembilan’s tech hub goals

Last year, the state recorded US$4.7 billion in approved investments across 295 projects, almost three times the amount logged in 2024.

The Philippines

Philippines’ plan to fortify coastal defences: deterrence or target?

South Korea

Why South Korea is racing to build a sovereign AI model for cybersecurity

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Japan

Why Ukraine’s Patriot missile request may be a step too far for Japan

Agreeing to Kyiv’s co-production proposal risks triggering a backlash from Beijing and Moscow, analysts say.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot missile system during his visit to a military training area in northeastern Germany in 2024. Photo: dpa
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot missile system during his visit to a military training area in northeastern Germany in 2024. Photo: dpa
The Philippines

Philippine military assures ‘no vacuum’ over top officer’s retirement

The transition comes at a sensitive time due to ongoing tensions in the South China Sea and Manila’s row with some retired officers over Marcos.

Malaysia

Can Malaysia’s PAS deliver the votes in Negeri Sembilan despite Johor wipeout?

The party says it helped BN secure victory in Johor and has promoted cooperation with the coalition for the coming Negeri Sembilan election.

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Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina’s return bid threatens to upend Bangladeshi politics

The ousted leader, who has been sentenced to death, plans a December homecoming in a high-stakes bid to resurrect her banned party.

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Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's then prime minister, attends a security conference in Munich in 2024. Photo: dpa
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's then prime minister, attends a security conference in Munich in 2024. Photo: dpa
Japan

‘Very worried’: US campaign against ICC leaves Japan in a bind

The initiative will make Tokyo weigh its international law commitments against its dependence on the US security umbrella, analysts say.

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Britain

UK grooming gangs scandal deepens Labour’s woes amid voter backlash

Analysts warn the failure to protect vulnerable girls and deport a convicted ringleader has ‘undermined’ the ruling party.

South Korea

Sunk deals: why South Korea’s submarine exports are running aground

After losing bids in Canada and Poland, analysts say Korean shipyards are learning how strategic alignment can trump commercial merit.

South Korean submarines take part in a naval fleet review off the southern port city of Busan last year. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

PH’s ‘marriage’ of convenience with BN unravels in Melaka over lawmaker bill

A bill allowing up to seven unelected members with voting rights in Melaka has further strained the PH-BN federal alliance.

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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends an event on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Cebu in May. Anwar has urged the DAP to delay its exit from the Melaka government until the state election. Photo: Reuters
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends an event on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Cebu in May. Anwar has urged the DAP to delay its exit from the Melaka government until the state election. Photo: Reuters
Pacific nations

Australia, Fiji and now New Zealand: a new Pacific alliance takes shape

Wellington’s bid to join the pact flags a hard-security pivot, but analysts ask if such treaties serve Pacific societies’ best interests.

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Malaysia

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

The navy’s first littoral combat ship is arriving later this year without the anti-ship missiles meant to give it offensive teeth.

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Singapore

Tharman’s state visit signals ‘mature’ era for Singapore-Malaysia ties

Singapore’s president, in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of Malaysia’s king, says both nations need each other in a troubled world.

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (right) and Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar inspect honour guards during a welcoming ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Photo: Facebook/officialsultanibrahim
Singapore

Singapore ministers each awarded US$177,860 in damages in Bloomberg case

The judge found the defendants had acted with malice in the article mentioning the ministers’ personal property deals.

Singapore ministers K. Shanmugam (left) and Tan See Leng. Photos: Singapore International Cyber Week, Facebook/Tan See Leng
Singapore ministers K. Shanmugam (left) and Tan See Leng. Photos: Singapore International Cyber Week, Facebook/Tan See Leng
India

Can Australian uranium fuel India’s nuclear future without sparking arms race?

A new deal gives Delhi access to the world’s largest known uranium reserves for ‘peaceful’ use, advancing its nuclear energy goals.

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Japan

Is Japan a ‘spy paradise’ fuelling Russia’s war machine?

A New York Times article claims Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov, a top Russian official, is leading the covert operation in Japan.

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The Philippines

Why a Chinese academic claim over Batanes has unsettled the Philippines

A symposium in Guangzhou has claimed Batanes ‘constitutes a natural geographical extension of Taiwan’ and therefore belongs to mainland China.

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The port of Basco in Batanes, the Philippines. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem
The port of Basco in Batanes, the Philippines. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem
The Philippines

South China Sea: 10 years after Hague ruling, how has the Philippines’ stance evolved?

Officials and analysts say Manila’s deterrence strategies can now make China ‘at least hesitate’, even though there is still much to be done.

Myanmar

Myanmar edges out of isolation as Asean steps up engagement

Bangkok talks spark warnings that Southeast Asian diplomats are legitimising a military regime still waging a bloody war on its own people.

Malaysia

DAP’s election loss in Johor prompts soul-searching ahead of next key poll

Following two recent electoral defeats, PH’s coalition ally faces another stern test at the Negeri Sembilan poll on August 1.

DAP Secretary General Anthony Loke during a recent campaign event. The party lost 11 of the 17 seats it contested in the Johor state election. Photo: Facebook/Anthony Loke Siew Fook
Malaysia

Malaysia’s top court clears Syed Saddiq of corruption, ending 6-year legal drama

The acquittal removes the threat to the Muar MP’s parliamentary seat and gives him room to rebuild his political career.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks in Malaysian parliament. Photo: Facebook/Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks in Malaysian parliament. Photo: Facebook/Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman
North Korea

A purge among North Korean generals – and why Kim wants everyone to see

As the army’s economic roles grow, Kim Jong-un seeks to remind the generals who really holds power in Pyongyang.

Japan

Nasa knows how to deflect an asteroid. Can Japan’s Hayabusa2 pull it off?

Analysts say the Torifune fly-by highlights Tokyo’s growing role in global space safety efforts and its ‘goodwill science’ policy.

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Malaysia

Hard questions for Anwar’s PH after BN sweeps Malaysia’s Johor

The result will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction within the ruling coalition.

Barisan Nasional supporters celebrate at the coalition’s Johor Bahru command centre during Saturday’s election. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof
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