India’s State Elections See AI Moving From the Margins to the Mainstream
India’s 2026 state assembly elections have turned artificial intelligence from a novelty into a core campaign tool. Parties across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry operate AI‑powered digital war rooms that generate content, clone voices, translate speeches and conduct hyper‑personalised micro‑targeting. The Election Commission also deployed AI for booth‑level surveillance and voter‑awareness videos, while controversies over AI‑driven voter‑roll clean‑ups and deepfake propaganda have intensified. Salaries for AI engineers in Tamil Nadu now reach ₹80‑90 k (≈$860‑$970) per month, underscoring the technology’s professionalisation.
Commentary: Southeast Asia’s Scam Centres Are a New US-China Battleground
Cyber‑fraud scam centres across Southeast Asia entrap roughly half a million people and siphon about $43.8 billion a year, roughly 40% of the region’s combined GDP. China and the United States both vie to lead anti‑fraud initiatives, but their competing digital...
Chinese Travellers Hit by Wave of Southeast Asia Flight Cancellations, Singapore Routes Affected Amid Fuel Crisis
Chinese holidaymakers heading to Southeast Asia for the May Labour Day break are confronting a wave of flight cancellations as airlines grapple with soaring jet‑fuel costs triggered by the US‑Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Major...
Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit, China Moves to Build Leverage and Limit Risks
China has launched an intensive diplomatic tour, hosting senior officials from Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and sending its foreign minister to North Korea within a week. President Xi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and welcomed Taiwan’s opposition...
‘Sharing the Pain’: Domestic Airfares in Indonesia Soar, but Who’s Really Feeling the Pinch?
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister raised the fuel surcharge to 38%, pushing domestic airfares up to 50% on routes such as Medan‑Jakarta—far above the government’s 9‑13% target. Jet‑fuel prices surged about 70% in April, inflating airline operating costs that are roughly 40%...
Commentary: ASEAN’s Energy Crisis Is Not About Energy
The Hormuz Strait blockade, triggered by U.S. military action against Iran, has halted the primary oil corridor for Southeast Asia, exposing ASEAN’s inability to influence the crisis. Member states have responded with price freezes, subsidies, work‑from‑home mandates, and temporary coal...
Indonesia’s Board of Peace Dilemma: Prabowo Caught Between Domestic Backlash and US Ties
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto joined the U.S.-initiated Board of Peace (BoP) on 22 January 2026, positioning the nation as a middle power in post‑conflict reconstruction. Domestic opposition surged after three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon amid the US‑Israel‑Iran war, with...
‘Very Troublesome’: Shenzhen’s E-Scooter Clampdown Before APEC Summit Disrupts Routines, Exposes Gaps
Shenzhen, home to 18 million residents and over 6 million e‑scooters, has rolled out a city‑wide crackdown ahead of the November APEC summit. New regulations effective April 1 impose fines up to 2,000 yuan (≈$290), ban scooters from pedestrian streets and highways, and...
Malaysia’s Work-From-Home Policy: Experts Flag Minimal Fuel Savings, Businesses Wary of Economic Fallout
Malaysia will let eligible civil servants work from home three days a week starting April 15, aiming to curb fuel consumption amid Middle‑East energy disruptions. The scheme covers about 260,000 of the 1.3 million public employees who live more than 8 km...
'Devastated': Cop Testifies Fatally Shooting Assailant After Seeing Colleagues Killed in Attack on Johor Police Post
A police corporal testified that he fatally shot the assailant during a May 2024 terror attack on a Johor police post, after witnessing two fellow officers killed. The attacker, 21‑year‑old Radin Luqman, attempted to seize an MP5 submachine gun before being shot....
Commentary: China’s Muted Response to the Iran War Speaks Volumes
China’s response to the Iran war was deliberately muted, limiting its public statements to a generic expression of concern while focusing on evacuating thousands of citizens and dispatching a special envoy. The restraint reflects Beijing’s calculation that the conflict poses...
Sri Lanka Struggles to Avert Economic Collapse over Mideast War
Sri Lanka’s government has slashed fuel supplies, raised fuel prices by a third and hiked electricity tariffs up to 40% as the Middle‑East war strains global energy markets. The country is also coping with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which...
US Tariff Uncertainty Pushes Indian Exporters to More Stable Markets Like Japan
Indian textile exporters are facing near‑impossible conditions in the United States after a Supreme Court decision overturned Trump‑era tariffs and a new 10% global duty was imposed. The uncertainty has forced manufacturers to cut production, lay off workers, and accept...
How 3 Sisters From Surabaya Turned Peggy Hartanto Into One of Indonesia’s Most Recognisable Fashion Exports
Peggy Hartanto, founded in 2012 by Surabaya sisters Peggy, Petty and Lydia, has become one of Indonesia’s most recognizable fashion exports. The label’s architectural silhouettes and precision tailoring have earned shelf space across Singapore, the Middle East, Europe and the United...
Energy Security versus Geopolitics: ASEAN States Face Tough Choices over Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Passage
As the Middle East conflict drags on, Iran is selectively allowing ships from energy‑import‑dependent Asian nations to transit the Strait of Hormuz, often under a toll‑booth system. Countries such as Malaysia, India, China and Thailand have secured toll‑free or paid...
UK Universities Expand Into India Amid Shifting Demand, Tighter Visa Rules
British universities are establishing campuses in India as part of a £40 billion (≈$53 billion) education export target by 2030. Nine institutions, including Southampton, Liverpool and York, now offer British‑accredited programmes at lower fees, responding to tighter UK visa rules that cut...
Oil-Thirsty Asian Nations Seek Russian Crude as Iran War Strains Supplies
Asian nations are scrambling for Russian crude as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has cut roughly one‑fifth of global oil supply, especially through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States temporarily eased sanctions on Russian shipments, first for India and...
South Korea Considers Nationwide Driving Curbs as Oil Prices Soar
South Korea is weighing a nationwide driving‑curb policy if global crude oil prices climb to roughly $120‑$130 per barrel, up from the current $100‑$110 range. The measure would extend the current public‑sector vehicle rotation system, marking the first country‑wide restriction...
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026: Hong Kong’s Chairman Takes Top Spot, Odette Is Singapore’s Top Restaurant
Hong Kong’s Cantonese institution The Chairman has been crowned Asia’s Best Restaurant in the 2026 edition, with fellow Hong Kong venue Wing taking the runner‑up spot. Mainland China and Macau dominate the top ten, while Singapore secures six places in...
ChatGPT Moment for Humanoid Robots 2 to 10 Years Away, Say Chinese Tech Leaders
Chinese tech leaders at the Boao Forum warned that a "ChatGPT moment" for humanoid robots—where they become as ubiquitous as smartphones—could arrive anywhere from two years to a decade. They cited reliability, affordable training data, and physical durability as the...
Malaysia Eyes New Energy Sources as Oil Prices Rise Amid Middle East Conflict: DPM Fadillah
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said Petronas is preparing contingency plans to source oil and gas from Australia and other Asia‑Pacific nations as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to the Middle East conflict. The closure has pushed...
Why Guests Keep Returning to The Surin Phuket, Season After Season
The Surin Phuket, originally opened as The Pansea in 1982, has been repeatedly refreshed by architect Ed Tuttle and now blends classic Thai charm with modern luxury. Recent renovations introduced sustainable cedar shingle roofs and six new pool villas, bringing...
Asia's EVolution: Indonesia’s Nickel Powers Global Electric Vehicle Boom but at What Cost to the Country?
Indonesia now provides roughly 40% of the world’s nickel, a critical component for electric‑vehicle batteries. A 2014 export ban and a 2020 full ban forced the country to build a domestic refining sector, which exploded from six plants in 2015...
IN FOCUS: Why Have Malaysia’s Homes Remained ‘Seriously Unaffordable’ for a Decade and Counting?
Malaysia’s housing market remains “seriously unaffordable,” with median home prices in Kuala Lumpur climbing 7% to RM560,000 in 2025 and the house‑price‑to‑income ratio staying above the World Bank’s affordability threshold of three. First‑time buyers like Nur Syarah Alya, earning RM3,900 a...
Nurses Beyond Borders: The Philippine Dilemma – Wanted Worldwide, Needed at Home
The article highlights the ongoing exodus of Filipino nurses, driven by low domestic pay, heavy workloads, and better overseas opportunities. While the Philippines supplies 300‑350 k nurses abroad and earns a record $38 billion in remittances, the home health system faces severe...
Commentary: US War on Iran Forces Japan and South Korea to Confront Geopolitical Realities
The United States’ new war against Iran is diverting military assets and attention away from its long‑standing Asian pivot, leaving its key East Asian allies exposed. Japan and South Korea now confront a stark choice: deepen security cooperation to counter...