Asia

Jetstar’s plan to charge passengers for overhead locker space is set to test how far budget airlines in the Asia-Pacific region can go in making travellers pay separately for what was once part of a basic fare. The Australian carrier’s move comes as rising costs and competition push airlines to find new revenue beyond the ticket price, potentially giving regional rivals cover to study similar fees. Aviation analysts described the plan by Qantas’ low-cost arm as an “extreme” form of unbundling –...

A pilot allegedly caught with tens of thousands of Ecstasy pills in Jakarta is the most high-profile case in a recent string of arrests that police and criminologists say points to a growing problem: transnational syndicates are using Malaysia to move drugs and recruit couriers. The case was followed within days by other arrests involving Malaysians in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, suggesting a pattern of criminal organisations exploiting the country’s transport links, porous borders and...

Britain’s new Labour government is trying to reassure Southeast Asia that its push to rebuild ties with Europe will not come at the region’s expense, analysts have said, after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband made an Asean meeting in Manila his first overseas stop. Appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on July 20, Miliband attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ Meeting about 48 hours after taking office – a choice observers said pointed less to a policy reset than...

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul’s military said, with the launch coming after Pyongyang lambasted Japan’s military build-up in the Pacific. North Korea, which since 2019 has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state, featured among growing regional threats in a recent Japanese government assessment. Tokyo’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said this week that Japan’s military needs to be boosted with a “sense of urgency...

A Philippine Navy personnel who previously served aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, one of Manila’s most sensitive military outposts in the South China Sea, is under investigation over alleged illegal drug use, sources have told This Week in Asia. The 34-year-old sailor was also involved in resupply missions to and from the grounded warship, which has long served as an Armed Forces of the Philippines outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls the Ayungin Shoal. One source who tipped off...

Uniqlo’s new stand-alone hijab line for Malaysia was meant to expand the Japanese clothing giant’s reach in one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent modest-wear markets, but its initial marketing has been met with online controversy. Ahead of the exclusive launch next Monday, teaser images posted on Uniqlo Malaysia’s social media showing the scarves wrapped turban-like around the head, leaving parts of the neck and upper chest visible, triggered debate over whether the campaign reflected Muslim...

Indonesia has sought to assuage security concerns ahead of its 81st Independence Day as it vows to fight misinformation about potential disorder in its capital marring the celebrations, saying the situation is “fully under control”. Some shopping centres and office complexes in Jakarta installed additional safety barriers on their premises last week, sparking wild speculation of possible unrest surrounding the August 17 event. Images of the heightened measures went viral on social media,...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday failed to explicitly pledge that Japan will maintain its non-nuclear principles, simply saying the government “is upholding” the long-held policy, as the country marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima. At a press conference after a memorial ceremony in the western Japanese city, Takaichi said Japan will promote “realistic and practical” efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons, repeating the wording she used in...

“Ozempic face” could spawn the next K-beauty craze. South Korean biotech L&C Bio plans to launch an injectable skin booster made from donated human fat to restore lost facial volume, betting demand for cosmetic fixes tied to blockbuster weight-loss drugs will drive its next phase of growth. L&C – which pioneered the use of donated human tissue in K-beauty skin boosters – developed the technology about five years ago, CEO Lee Whan Chul said in an interview. The company holds patents on the...

Claims that the recent magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck southwestern Japan was man-made have been spreading online, with experts dismissing the theory as unrealistic in technological, financial and practical terms. On July 28, the day the deadly earthquake hit Kumamoto prefecture, a user on social media who has previously shared false claims about earthquakes wrote that the “seismic wave is of an explosion, not a quake” in a post that has had around 3 million views as of Wednesday. Searches...

While global markets watched closely for another joint move by Washington and Tokyo to prop up the Japanese yen this week, Australian dollar traders have been laser-focused on the actions of another economic power: China. Some analysts view the Australian currency as particularly sensitive to policy moves in Beijing. If China intervenes to boost domestic growth, that could also lift the Australian dollar, the theory goes. But in reality, the currency’s exposure to the world’s second-largest...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s once-commanding approval rating has continued to slide in a new survey, as voters weigh his ambitious welfare and village-economy agenda against concerns over household finances and the government’s ability to deliver. The poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) put Prabowo’s approval rating at 51.1 per cent, down from 81.2 per cent in November and 66.4 per cent in March, while dissatisfaction with his performance rose from 16 per cent in...

Meta Platforms’ ⁠CEO Mark ⁠Zuckerberg has apologised to the ⁠Indian government over child sexual abuse material on the company’s platforms and for operational errors, local television channels reported on Wednesday. Zuckerberg apologised for the presence of the material, as well as deepfake content and operational ‌lapses on Meta’s platforms, financial news publication Moneycontrol reported, citing sources. The publication added the apology was conveyed during a meeting between Meta executives...

Malaysian authorities vowed to identify and close security loopholes in its airports after a pilot allegedly transported drugs from the country before being arrested in Indonesia last week. Malaysia’s home and transport ministries would implement steps to improve aviation security, and would place police officers at certain checkpoints, the government’s spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said in a briefing on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting. “Malaysia Airlines will also revise their protocols for...

A rare joint intervention to stabilise the yen has given US-Japan relations a near-term lift, according to analysts. But whether that goodwill endures depends on how long the currency’s rebound can survive mounting market and policy pressures. Friday’s operation, Washington’s first yen purchase since 1998, came after the Japanese currency had slumped to a four-decade low of almost 164 yen to the US dollar. The intervention briefly lifted the yen to a three-month high of 155.2 on Friday before it...

Malaysia is considering a levy on electric vehicles (EVs) to fund charging infrastructure, even as export and pricing conditions on high-volume foreign assembly projects have left Chinese giant BYD’s planned 1.3 billion ringgit (US$318 million) factory in limbo. Economists and industry experts warn the two policy moves could raise ownership costs while weakening Malaysia’s appeal as a manufacturing base at a time when regional rivals are competing for EV investment. EV sales more than doubled to...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is keen to visit North Korea – a trip that could boost Jakarta’s diplomatic clout and allow it to act as a bridge between Seoul and Pyongyang. But Indonesians might not support another overseas trip, given negative public opinion of Prabowo’s frequent travels, analysts warn. Plus, he has not even been invited by the increasingly isolated North Korea. At a meeting with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce at the Presidential Palace on Friday, Prabowo said his...

The door is fast closing on Malaysia’s reform experiment after nearly a decade of false starts and political intrigue, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition facing the real possibility of being booted out of office as the country’s ethnic majority seeks the return of strong Malay leadership. Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) suffered bruising losses in three state elections since last November, most significantly losing control of Negeri Sembilan on Saturday after nearly eight years in...

Foreign travellers arriving in South Korea through Incheon International Airport can expect a long wait at the immigration counters. The lengthy queues were apparent at Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 1 on Friday, where foreign visitors stood waiting to clear immigration. The line stretched beyond the 10 waiting lanes marked out by retractable belt barriers. Chaos ensued near the entrance as 300 to 400 new arrivals spilled into an already packed waiting area. Three or four guides from...

The glass door closes, and a curtain of cool air spills over your head, neck and shoulders, delivering instant relief from the punishing summer heat. This is what it is like to chill in the Do Hiemon Box, an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator that looks big enough to fit a human being, because that is exactly what it is designed to do. Trusco Nakayama has sold about 200 of the 1.5 million yen (US$9,500) booths to steel mills, construction sites, golf courses, universities and leisure...

Sanctioned and wanted for war crimes in the West and reviled at home by the millions fighting his army, Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing is this week set for a red-carpet welcome in Thailand, as the diplomatic deep freeze begins to thaw. The former general toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people – mostly civilians – and cratered its economy, which had only just opened up after five decades of military...

France’s offer to share nuclear expertise with the Philippines could potentially boost Manila’s long-term energy security, as analysts say any push to revive nuclear power in the country would have to overcome safety and governance concerns. Marie Fontanel, the outgoing French ambassador to the Philippines, said last week that France was ready to share its nuclear energy expertise with Manila, while deepening defence cooperation, according to a report by ABS-CBN News. Her remarks came just after...

North Korea said it will pursue unspecified “additional military options” in response to Japan’s expanding defence capabilities, accusing Tokyo of reviving the ambitions of a “war criminal state”. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Pyongyang would not remain a “passive onlooker” to what she described as Japan’s accelerating transformation into a military power, according to a statement published on Wednesday by the official Korean Central News Agency. “War...

A silver Montblanc fountain pen owned by Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is up for auction with a starting bid of S$20,000 (US$15,600). Singapore auction house Hotlotz said on Wednesday that the pen, engraved “SM Lee Kuan Yew”, was previously sold at the Lee Kuan Yew Family Collection charity auction in July 2003. Hotlotz has valued the silver Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen at S$30,000 (US$23,000) to S$50,000 (US$39,000). At the 2003 charity auction, it was estimated...

A recent interview featuring English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, 51, has struck a chord with Singaporeans, for the unlikeliest of reasons. On Saturday, British publication The Telegraph uploaded a clip of its interview with Oliver, where he declared that if he could ban one thing, it would be chewing gum. “I was walking up the street the other day and the whole street was ruined with a patchwork quilt of chewing gum. So I wouldn’t ban a flavour combination, but I would ban chewing gum, unless...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s push to reorganise Southeast Asia’s largest economy around a stronger, more interventionist state has put him increasingly at odds, analysts say, with the country’s so-called Nine Dragons. Known locally as Sembilan Naga, the label is a loose shorthand for some of Indonesia’s richest tycoon families – many of them Chinese Indonesian – with interests spanning banking, tobacco, property, palm oil, mining and consumer goods. It has never referred to a formally...

A viral clip renews the headlined question for me. Jameela Jamil, a British actress of Pakistani and Indian descent, caused a public row in the UK for her interview last month on Yestergays, a pop culture podcast. She said: “Americans think British people are so sweet, which is crazy because British people are truly the most evil people in history. Like, they are Thanos. They owe 43 trillion to India … We colonised the world.” A similar figure came from Indian economist Utsa Patnaik. Based on...

The coastguard rescued the crew of an Indian-flagged commercial ship that sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday after an attack, a local official in the Yemeni city of Mokha said, with New Delhi condemning the “unprovoked” aggression. Yemen’s internationally recognised government blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the attack, according to the official Saba news agency. Last month, the Houthis declared a Red Sea maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of crude, and have...

The detention of a Chinese national accused of posing as a Filipino for more than two decades has sharpened concerns in the Philippines that identity fraud could be used to gain access to sectors vital to national security. Immigration authorities arrested Lawrence Ke Sy, president, largest incorporator and majority shareholder of Maxipro Development Corp., on June 27, although the arrest was only disclosed to the public on Monday. Maxipro is a contractor involved in projects for the National...

South Korea’s President Lee ‌Jae Myung urged on Tuesday authorities to step up support for people affected by a record heatwave in the country, calling it a national disaster after scorching conditions were blamed for 19 deaths. Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee ordered officials to take necessary measures to protect the daily lives of people and inspect power systems as demand for air conditioning surges. “An even greater concern is that abnormal weather conditions make it highly likely ⁠that...