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This Week in Asia

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Health & Environment
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An electronic signboard in Ofunato city, Iwate prefecture, displays a sign saying “Hokkaido and Off the Sanriku Coast Aftershock Advisory” early on Tuesday. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP

Health & Environment

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

The Japan Meteorological Agency has upped the risk of a megaquake to 1 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent at other times.

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‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

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Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

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Economics

Strait talking: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia unite to secure safe shipping

Together, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore form the world’s busiest corridor for crude oil and petroleum liquids by volume.

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Small boats sail beside vessels anchored in the Strait of Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Small boats sail beside vessels anchored in the Strait of Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Work-from-home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.

Politics

Why Japan’s Takaichi is already facing resistance inside her own party

Observers say the prime minister’s assertive style and policy agenda have caused unease among the Liberal Democratic Party’s old guard.

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Politics

Iran firing on Indian oil tankers in Hormuz sparks ‘mistaken identity’ fears

Analysts say the episode reveals how easily military pressure and confusion in Hormuz can affect vessels not meant to be in the line of fire.

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Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Politics

‘Intelligence leak’ claims expose trust gap in US-South Korea ties

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young rejects accusations he leaked sensitive information about North Korea’s Kusong nuclear facility.

Politics

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

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Health & Environment

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

Smoke rising from a hillside wildfire in Chiang Mai, Thailand, earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Economics

Can a US-governed ‘Pax Silica’ hub turn Philippines into a chip powerhouse?

The chip-focused ‘economic security zone’ will reportedly operate under US law despite being on Philippine soil.

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An employee of a semiconductor company in Manila displays computer chips manufactured in the Philippines in 2008. The country has long been confined to the lower-value work of chip assembly, testing and packaging. Photo: AFP
An employee of a semiconductor company in Manila displays computer chips manufactured in the Philippines in 2008. The country has long been confined to the lower-value work of chip assembly, testing and packaging. Photo: AFP

Economics

Delays, rising costs hit Asia’s trade as Gulf crisis spills beyond oil

Port congestion has resulted in longer vessel queues and mounting scheduling pressure, forcing Malaysian operators to tighten access.

Politics

Vietnam and Philippines trust Japan. Why doesn’t Indonesia?

Analysts say Indonesia worries about its neutrality as Tokyo ramps up ties with the US and lags behind China on green investment.

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Economics

Rover and out? Japan pivots after US puts Lunar Gateway on ice

Japan’s space agency has invested at least US$78.5 million to build components for Nasa’s now-halted project.

JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa speaks next to a replica of Resilience, a moon lander built by Japan-based start-up ispace, on June 6, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

Politics

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

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Armed Houthi loyalists attend a rally in Yemen last month demanding a resumption of attacks against Red Sea shipping. Photo: Xinhua
Armed Houthi loyalists attend a rally in Yemen last month demanding a resumption of attacks against Red Sea shipping. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

South Korea targets India, Vietnam in ‘co-prosperity’ push for trade and tech

President Lee embarks on a strategic trip to New Delhi and Hanoi, boosting economic ties and supply chains amid the Middle East chaos.

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Economics

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

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Health & Environment

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP
Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP

Politics

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

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Lifestyle & Culture

Cultural capitals: Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast the buzz

The region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up.

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Health & Environment

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

East Asia

Japan’s Takaichi sends Yasukuni shrine offering, South Korea expresses ‘regret’

Japanese nationalists visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine during the 79th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II in 2024. Photo: dpa

Health & Environment

‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

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Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands is a popular tourist destination. Photo: Shutterstock

Health & Environment

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

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An electronic signboard in Ofunato city, Iwate prefecture, displays a sign saying “Hokkaido and Off the Sanriku Coast Aftershock Advisory” early on Tuesday. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP

Politics

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (right) shakes hands with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta in November 2024. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Work-from-home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Motorists drive along a road in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on April 6. Thailand has ordered its civil servants to work from home amid the energy crisis. Photo: EPA
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Chandran Nair

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Chandran Nair
10
Nilufer Oral

Opinion | Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is a right in war and peace

Nilufer Oral
5
Nguyen Khac Giang

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

Nguyen Khac Giang
Joseph Sipalan

Singapore’s refusal to negotiate over Hormuz creates waves in Malaysia

Joseph Sipalan
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Joanne Lin

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

Joanne Lin
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
03:09
Video

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
02:34
Video

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
02:02
Video

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
04:27
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In Malaysia, unlicensed street photography becomes focus of crackdown

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Tsunami warning issued in Japan after magnitude-7.5 quake hits northeast

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Stepfather tells Japanese police ‘there’s no doubt’ he killed missing boy