Asia news

• 'This is the end of Hong Kong': China pushes controversial security laws

  21-05-2020 19:45
  
  Proposed legislation would effectively end one country, two systems status, say criticsChina plans to push through sweeping national security laws for Hong Kong at its annual meeting of parliament, in a move that critics say will effectively end the territory’s autonomy.Beijing has been making it clear it wants new security legislation passed since huge pro-democracy protests last year plunged Hong Kong into its deepest turmoil since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Related: 'What bett
  
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• Japan’s $2.4bn banking IPO signals potential consolidation

  14-12-2025 06:00
  SBI Shinsei Bank could use funds to fuel purchases of smaller regional lenders
  
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• IPO of bubble-era Japan bank seen as trigger for more deals

  14-12-2025 06:00
  SBI Shinsei Bank could use funds to fuel purchases of smaller regional lenders
  
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• EU plans crackdown on ‘very dangerous’ Chinese parcels

  14-12-2025 06:00
  Bloc’s justice commissioner says action needed to protect consumers from products sold on platforms such as Shein
  
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• Australia’s social media ban carries health warning for Big Tech investors

  14-12-2025 06:00
  Full-on lobbying by the platforms caught in Canberra’s new law shows what is at stake
  
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• Risk-loving Korean investors made to watch training video before trading

  14-12-2025 03:11
  South Korean regulators want to strengthen oversight of retail traders
  
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• China’s $1tn trade surplus is a problem for Beijing — and the world

  14-12-2025 02:00
  The country’s growth model is becoming increasingly hard to sustain
  
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• Kim Jong-un admits North Korean troops clearing landmines for Russia

  13-12-2025 06:17
  Leader praises his soldiers for turning ‘danger zone into a safe one’ during ceremony in Pyongyang welcoming them back from Ukraine warNorth Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its deployed soldiers.According to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops
  
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• Ishkar, a London hub for Afghan crafts

  13-12-2025 06:00
  A trove of goods where sales go straight to the makers
  
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• Thailand denies Trump ceasefire claim as clashes with Cambodia continue at border

  13-12-2025 03:10
  Thai PM says military will keep fighting and Cambodia suspends border crossings as casualties riseThailand-Cambodia fighting explainedThailand’s caretaker prime minister has denied the existence of a ceasefire with Cambodia, despite Donald Trump announcing that both countries had agreed to halt fighting.As heavy clashes continued along the border between the two countries, Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Thailand had not agreed to a ceasefire with Cambodia and that its forces wou
  
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• Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continues despite Trump claim of renewed ceasefire

  13-12-2025 03:10
  Trump announced the agreement after calls with Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian prime minister Hun ManetThailand-Cambodia fighting explainedCambodia said Thai forces including fighter jets continued to strike targets across their disputed border hours after Donald Trump said both countries leaders had agreed to renew a truce brokered in October that has been strained by days of deadly clashes.“Thai forces have not stopped the bombing yet and are still continuing the bo
  
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• Australian users flock to new platforms after social media ban for under-16s

  13-12-2025 03:00
  ‘Magical numbers’ expected for some alternative apps as teenagers ‘look for somewhere else to go’
  
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• US lawmakers question basis for allowing sale of Nvidia H200 chips to China

  13-12-2025 01:05
  Committee chair warns the decision risks undermining Washington’s strategic advantage over Beijing in cutting-edge AI
  
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• See you in March? Debate in New Zealand over extremely long summer break

  13-12-2025 00:01
  The country’s ‘unofficial shutdown’ has sparked a national conversation, with arguments about whether the break is affecting productivity or a vital respiteIt sounds idyllic: weeks off work at the warmest time of the year, with relaxation mode kicking in before Christmas and little rush to return to the office until late February.But in New Zealand, there are concerns that what’s been labelled by some an “unofficial shutdown” could be hurting the country&rsquo
  
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• Thailand and Cambodia agree to restart ceasefire brokered by US, says Trump

  12-12-2025 20:02
  After deadly clashes between the two countries, the US president announces renewal of peace deal made in JulyThailand-Cambodia fighting explainedDonald Trump has said Thai and Cambodian leaders agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes that threatened to undo a ceasefire the US administration helped broker earlier this year.Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting after calls with Thai prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Cambodian prime min
  
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• The Coral Gardeners guide to Koh Mak and Koh Kood

  12-12-2025 18:00
  Titouan Bernicot celebrates the reefs and retreats of his Thai home
  
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• Indonesia floods were ‘extinction level’ disturbance for world’s rarest ape

  12-12-2025 14:42
  Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli orangutan population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 peopleThe skull of a Tapanuli orangutan, caked in debris, stares out from a tomb of mud in North Sumatra, killed in catastrophic flooding that swept through Indonesia.The late November floods have been an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, scientists have said, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects. Continue readi
  
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• South Korea exam chief quits after complaints English test was too hard

  12-12-2025 12:08
  Notoriously difficult entrance exam is regarded as gateway to economic security and even a good marriageThe chief organiser of South Korea’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned – after complaints that an English test he designed was too difficult.Passing the exam, known locally as the Suneung, is essential for admission to prestigious universities and regarded as a gateway to upward social mobility, economic security and even a good marriage. Continue reading
  
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• Norden, a wilderness camp that’s as comforting as cashmere

  12-12-2025 10:30
  A first look at the textile maker Norlha’s new retreat on the Tibetan steppes
  
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• Crypto mogul Do Kwon sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud

  12-12-2025 10:09
  Co-founder of Singapore-based Terraform Labs given more jail time by US judge than prosecutors soughtDo Kwon, the entrepreneur behind two cryptocurrencies that lost $40bn (£29.8bn) three years ago and caused the sector to crash, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud.The South Korean, 34, had pleaded guilty to two counts of US charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud. Continue reading...
  
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• Former ANZ CEO sues over axed $9mn bonus

  12-12-2025 06:18
  Australian bank had cut incentives after scandals under Shayne Elliott’s watch
  
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• Former ANZ CEO sues Australian bank over cancelled bonuses

  12-12-2025 06:18
  Lender had cut off millions of dollars in incentives after scandals under Shayne Elliott’s watch
  
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• Former ANZ CEO sues Australian bank over axed bonuses worth $9mn

  12-12-2025 06:18
  Lender had cut off millions of dollars in incentives after scandals under Shayne Elliott’s watch
  
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• Solar remains robust despite policy changes in US and China

  12-12-2025 06:00
  Emerging economies across Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East would likely see growth in renewables
  
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• ‘DeepSeek is humane. Doctors are more like machines’: my mother’s worrying reliance on AI for health advice – podcast

  12-12-2025 06:00
  Tired of a two-day commute to see her overworked doctor, my mother turned to tech for help with her kidney disease. She bonded with the bot so much I was scared she would refuse to see a real medicBy Viola Zhou. Read by Vivian FullThis essay was originally published on Rest of world Continue reading...
  
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• The data breach that rocked ‘South Korea’s Amazon’

  12-12-2025 04:26
  Record hack of SoftBank-backed online retailer Coupang prompts calls for more investment in cyber security
  
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• The data breach that hit two-thirds of a country

  12-12-2025 04:26
  Record hack of South Korean online retailer Coupang prompts calls for more investment in cyber security
  
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• Thailand to hold early elections after PM dissolves parliament

  12-12-2025 03:51
  Anutin Charnvirakul has faced border conflict with Cambodia, slowing economy and higher US tariffs
  
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• Microsoft and Amazon’s multibillion-dollar bets on India

  12-12-2025 02:30
  Also in this newsletter: broader investments for pension funds
  
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• Thailand set for early elections amid political deadlock and Cambodia skirmishes

  12-12-2025 01:51
  Move follows a disagreement with the largest grouping in parliament, with elections to be held within 45-60 daysThailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced on Thursday that he is “returning power to the people”, moving to dissolve parliament and clear the way for elections earlier than previously anticipated.Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the move followed a disagreement with the largest grouping in parliament, the opposition People’s p
  
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