Politics

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Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced new cabinet members on Dec. 16. (Photo taken from Anwar's official X account)
Politics

Malaysian PM Anwar names new trade, economy ministers in cabinet reshuffle

Changes to administration seen as crucial in meeting political, economic challenges

16 December 2025
In 2026, Asia's choices could set the stage for everybody else in the world.
Opinion

The choices Asia makes in 2026 will reset the global order

The region is no longer reacting to global turmoil but generating it

16 December 2025
A major bridge in Bireuen regency was one of many swept away by cyclonic inundation in Indonesia's Aceh province three weeks ago. Flash floods and landslides caused such widespread damage to infrastructure in the region hundreds of villages remain cut off, according to local officials. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Natural disasters

In Indonesia's Aceh, slow flood aid spurs comparisons with 2004 tsunami

Residents struggle with disaster aftermath as Sumatra deaths top 1,000

16 December 2025
A Bangkok container terminal run by the Port Authority of Thailand.  A sharp increase in exports this year from Thailand, Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia is stirring debate about trans-Pacific trade flows.
Trade war

Are Vietnam and Thailand helping China dodge US tariffs?

Trade and investment patterns reflect strategic supply chain shifts

16 December 2025
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku speaks to reporters in Bangkok on Dec. 12: Analysts say Anutin hopes to capitalize on nationalist sentiment in the general election. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand sets Feb 8 for general election despite border clashes

Latest survey shows 41% of voters see no suitable person as new PM

15 December 2025
People wait to receive supplies at a refugee camp amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia, on Dec. 13.
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Cambodia says Thailand bombed Siem Reap province, home to Angkor Wat

Malaysia postpones ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting as conflict appears to escalate

15 December 2025
Flood survivors carry relief goods distributed by an Indonesian Air Force helicopter in Central Aceh, Indonesia, on Dec. 6. Provincial officials say hundreds of villages remain cut off from road transport.
Natural disasters

Indonesia's Aceh appeals to UN for help with flood disaster recovery

Move comes despite central government rejecting foreign aid, saying it can cope

15 December 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, with Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at a summit in Bangkok, Thailand. (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X via AP)
Myanmar Crisis

India's backing of Myanmar polls tests image of largest democracy

New Delhi takes pragmatic approach to maintain regional influence amid neighbor's fragmentation

15 December 2025
Military personnel carry the coffin of Private Kritdikorn Sroiraya, draped in the Thai flag, during a procession at a military airport in Ubon Ratchathani on Dec. 14, amid clashes with Cambodia along a disputed border.
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Thailand declares curfew along coast as Cambodia border fighting spreads

Military actions escalate as Bangkok seeks to disrupt supply lines of its neighbor

14 December 2025
Coffee bags produced by the Letefoho Specialty Coffee Roaster cafe have become souvenirs. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Agriculture

Japan NGOs help East Timor grow Letefoho coffee exports

Groups provide assistance to farmers of specialty bean in newest ASEAN member

14 December 2025
A file photo of U.S. President Donald Trump speaking on the phone in the Oval Office. Trump said Dec. 12 that he had persuaded the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to cease shooting as of that evening. (White House)
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Trump fails in renewed bid to end Thai-Cambodian border clashes

Airstrikes continue hours after US president claims leaders agreed to stop fighting

14 December 2025
Philippine authorities say three fishermen suffered minor injuries in the encounter with Chinese coast guard ships. (Philippine Coast Guard)
South China Sea

Philippines says fishermen hurt, boats damaged by China in South China Sea

Manila condemns Beijing's coast guard for 'unprofessional' and 'unlawful' acts

14 December 2025
The dominant figures in Thailand's general election will be, left to right, People’s Party leader Nattaphong Ruengpanyawut, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (Source photos by Yuki Kohara, Ken Kobayashi and Suzu Takahashi) 
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Anutin plays military nationalism card to boost election hopes

Prime minister seeks to exploit Cambodia conflict as campaign kicks off

13 December 2025
Abdul Manaf Jusoh, left, chairman of Darussalam Islamic Alternative Treatment Center in Gombak, performs a ritual service on a patient. Spiritual practitioners like Manaf criticize the spread of faith healing on TikTok as "entertainment," saying it does not conform to Islam. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Big in Asia

From temples to TikTok: Inside Malaysia's evolving world of spiritual healing

Accessibility fuels demand for faith healers in parallel with growing modern medical business

13 December 2025
Indonesia's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development faces resistance from Israel. (Source photos by AP)
Politics

Indonesia's pro-Palestine stance solid as Israel resists its OECD bid

Tel Aviv can benefit from Jakarta's membership in rich-nation bloc, expert says

12 December 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the ASEAN-U.S. Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26.
Opinion

America's Indo-Pacific strategy moves at the pace of Trump's impulses

President has sidelined process, softened on China, surprised Cambodia while unsettling everyone

12 December 2025
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul speaks to reporters in Bangkok on Dec. 12. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand set for early election: 5 things to know

PM Anutin dissolves parliament amid Cambodia conflict and weak economy

12 December 2025
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12 December 2025
Rosmah Mansor, wife of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak, arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court in February 2021. 
Politics

Malaysia drops appeal against acquittal of ex-PM Najib's wife

Couple still faces multiple trials linked to 1MDB scandal

12 December 2025
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, pictured at the venue of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26. Anutin and his Bhumjaithai Party have faced strong criticism since late November over the handling of the flooding in the south.
Turbulent Thailand

Thai PM to dissolve parliament, says he will 'return power to people'

General election to be held by early February after king endorses request

12 December 2025
A Thai police officer splashes water to control fire at a house that Thai security forces say was damaged by a Cambodian artillery in Surin province on Dec. 11.
11 December 2025
Myanmar Air Force personnel welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and Myanmar's President Win Myint in Naypyitaw in January 2020.
Myanmar Crisis

At least 30 killed after junta airstrike hits hospital in Myanmar

Military intensifies use of air power against rebel-held areas

11 December 2025
The Court of Appeal in Paris, where judges on Dec. 10 annulled a legal bid by the heirs of a former sultan who sought nearly $15 billion from Malaysia. 
11 December 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaking in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9: During his speech, he said he would call the Thai and Cambodian leaders about the renewed border clashes.
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Trump to call Thailand, Cambodia leaders on Thursday

Phnom Penh withdraws team from Southeast Asian Games being held in Thailand

11 December 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, greets his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 10. 
International relations

Putin offers Indonesia's Prabowo support on nuclear energy

Leaders agree to stronger military ties, training at Russian universities

10 December 2025
Thai soldiers stand guard close to the border with Cambodia in Ban Nong Chan, Sa Kaeo province, in October. Clashes between the neighbors' armed forces continued for a third day on Tuesday. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Thai-Cambodian border clashes resume: 5 key questions

Diplomats have no proof to blame either side but both have reason to start fighting

9 December 2025
An injured Thai soldier is evacuated following clashes along the the Thai-Cambodian border in Thailand's Sisaket province on Dec. 7. (Photo by Royal Thai Army)
Thailand-Cambodia conflict

Thai military launches airstrikes on Cambodia as cross-border clashes erupt

Four Cambodians and three Thais reported killed as both nations accuse each other of opening fire first

8 December 2025
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, left, and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, right, appear alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, this year’s ASEAN chair, at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, marking Timor-Leste’s formal accession as ASEAN’s 11th member. 
Comment

Why bringing East Timor into ASEAN cuts both ways

Poor yet fiercely democratic, the bloc's 11th member could prove a divisive force

7 December 2025
Philippine coconut farmer Ellizer Manza walks toward his trees in Lopez municipality, Quezon province. He says the elimination of U.S. tariffs on coconut products is likely to make little difference to his livelihood. (Photo by Ramon Royandoyan)
Trump tariffs

Philippine coconut farmers remain downbeat despite US tariff reprieve

Domestic structural reform seen as more crucial to smallholder livelihoods

5 December 2025