This Week in Asia

Health & Environment

Lifestyle & Culture

People check a hospital that was hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U in Myanmar. Photo: AP

Politics

Are Myanmar hospital air strikes a bid to ‘intimidate’ voters ahead of poll?

The junta has been emboldened to strike as China, Russia and the US are looking the other way to serve their own interests, analysts say.

3 minutes agovideocam

China’s heat pump tech, Tokyo clarifies Taiwan stance: SCMP’s 7 highlights

21 minutes ago

Indonesian elephants tasked to help in flood recovery spur conservation debate

2 hours ago

Politics

South Korea’s top court seeks to restore trust after martial law controversy

The changes target high-stakes national security cases amid mounting criticism over delays and alleged bias.

5 hours agovideocam

South Korea’s Constitutional Court justices attend a hearing in Seoul on Thursday to deliver a verdict on the impeachment of former police chief Cho Ji-ho over his role in former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law bid. Photo: EPA

Politics

Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’

A US senator says the support for Manila and other allies reflects the threats posed by China and its partners in the ‘axis of aggressors’.

18 Dec 2025 - 10:12PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Paws for thought: Malaysian mall reverses pet-friendly policy after uproar

The reversal comes after videos of a dog being wheeled through the mall in a trolley stirred anger in the Muslim-majority country.

18 Dec 2025 - 7:08PMvideocam

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Health & Environment

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

Jakarta has pledged US$3.6 billion and a special agency to help restore homes and public facilities destroyed in last month’s cyclone.

18 Dec 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

A fallen tree spray painted with “Help” lies among debris in Aceh Tamiang, northern Sumatra, on Tuesday in the aftermath of last month’s flash floods. Photo: AFP

People

Indonesian helper who died in Hong Kong fire ‘was always there’ for others

Desi Widiana, one of nine Indonesian helpers killed in the Tai Po fire, was found huddled together with her elderly ward.

18 Dec 2025 - 3:51PMvideocam

Lifestyle & Culture

Viral golden logo find turns old AC units into hot property in South Korea

A YouTube video revealing a pure gold logo on certain LG air conditioners has sparked a nationwide hunt for the 20-year-old units.

18 Dec 2025 - 2:41PMvideocam

Economics

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.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:41PMvideocam

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

Politics

Bangladeshi politician’s threat targeting India’s northeast deepens row

His claim of Delhi’s election interference comes days after a leader of the 2024 uprising in Bangladesh was shot in Dhaka.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:52PM

Hasnat Abdullah (centre), a leader of the National Citizen Party, speaking at a rally in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: EPA

Lifestyle & Culture

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:29PMvideocam

People

Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate

The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:50PM

Health & Environment

Deadly Indonesia fire fuels claims of ‘back-room dealings’ on safety

Unions blame bribery for lax enforcement after 22 workers died in a burning Jakarta office building with no emergency exits.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Firefighters at a building in central Jakarta where a fire killed 22 people on December 9. Photo: TNS

Politics

Why the Philippine Army is turning to locally built remote weapons systems

The roll-out of the new Cobra weapon system is part of Manila’s push to build a self-reliant defence industry.

17 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Soldiers from the Armour Division operate the Cobra system during a demonstration in Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac on Thursday. Photo: Philippine Army

People

South Korean court rules Yoon’s ‘self-coup’ illegal as walls close in

Judges are fast-tracking verdicts to beat statutory time limits, dashing the ex-president’s faint hopes of walking free early next year.

17 Dec 2025 - 3:02PMvideocam

Health & Environment

Nepal rolls out delayed tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreign visitors

Starting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:10PM

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Economics

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

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

15 Dec 2025 - 3:32PMvideocam

Illustration: Huy Truong

Health & Environment

6 cyclones, 5 weeks: Philippines can’t escape its endless cycle of disaster

Corruption, complacency and climate chaos conspire to turn the Philippines’ natural hazards into man-made tragedies.

6 Dec 2025 - 8:17AMvideocam

Politics

‘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.

30 Nov 2025 - 5:12PM

Politics

Malaysia’s poorest state prepares a poll shock for the prime minister

Decades of neglect and withheld resource revenue have left short-changed Sabah seething and primed for a political fight.

24 Nov 2025 - 5:02PM

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a previous election in Malaysia. Photo: AFP

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LATEST Asia NEWS

Politics

Are Myanmar hospital air strikes a bid to ‘intimidate’ voters ahead of poll?

3 minutes agovideocam

People check a hospital that was hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U in Myanmar. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Indonesian elephants tasked to help in flood recovery spur conservation debate

2 hours ago

Sumatran elephants deployed to help clear tree debris last week following flash floods in Meureudu, Pidie Jaya district, Aceh province, Indonesia. Photo: AFP

South Asia

Violence erupts in Bangladesh after shot leader of youth uprising dies

2 hours ago

A protester reacts to the camera near the offices of the Prothom Alo newspaper, which were set on fire by angry protesters in Dhaka on Friday. Photo: AP

Politics

South Korea’s top court seeks to restore trust after martial law controversy

5 hours agovideocam

South Korea’s Constitutional Court justices attend a hearing in Seoul on Thursday to deliver a verdict on the impeachment of former police chief Cho Ji-ho over his role in former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law bid. Photo: EPA

Politics

Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’

18 Dec 2025 - 10:12PM

US and Filipino soldiers fire a howitzer during the annual joint “Balikatan” military exercises in Aparri, Cagayan province, Philippines in May. Photo: Reuters

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Frances Mangosing

Asian Angle | Is the new Philippines-Germany defence pact built to last?

Frances Mangosing

14 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Walter Woon

13 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

Dien Nguyen An Luong

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Dien Nguyen An Luong

7 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM

Surachanee Sriyai

Asian Angle | The Thai influencer bringing viral warfare to Cambodia’s border

Surachanee Sriyai

6 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

Jared Bissinger

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

30 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

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Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

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