Record low rupiah sparks memes, call for bank official to resign
The rupiah fell to a record low last week, trading at around 17,600 rupiah for 1 US dollar.
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Australia’s farmers, hit by Iran war costs and dry weather, grow less wheat
Australia may harvest up to 40% less wheat, with global supply set to tighten.
Indonesia heightens Ebola surveillance at border checkpoints after WHO’s global emergency alert
There is no approved vaccines or specific treatment for the disease’s Bundibugyo strain causing the current outbreak.
Starbucks Korea head fired after promotion sparks public uproar
The Tank Day promotion was seen to recall tanks ramming protesters who fought against dictatorship in 1980s.
Putin says Russia, China ready to back each other on issues such as protecting sovereignty
He will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 20.
Ex-mayor of Seoul’s ‘Brooklyn’ sets sights on running South Korean capital
Fintech start-ups and K-pop agencies occupy prime office space in the eastern Seoul neighbourhood Seongsu.
New Zealand to cut public service jobs in savings push
The government has been trimming costs and reprioritising existing spending since 2023.
Samsung strike? Four scenarios for the chipmaker’s labour dispute
Workers are increasingly frustrated that they are not reaping more of the rewards of its success.
Trump’s Taiwan gambit is already a gift to China, say some experts
China’s state media has used the US leader's comments to send a message at home and to Taiwan.
US approves $5.4 billion in helicopters, upgrades for Seoul
The sale will boost South Korea’s ability to respond to “current and future threats”.
On the fog of Beijing
One of the difficulties in analysing summit meetings between leaders such as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump is that the events are a blend of public theatre and private discussion. With previous presidents of China and the United States such summits represented the culmination of
Wall Street guru struck speechless by Trump insider stock trades
One of Wall Street’s most recognizable gurus, Jim Cramer, became notably tongue-tied on Monday after President Donald Trump’s recent stock-trading spree entered into a televised conversation with his colleagues on CNBC. Disclosures published by the US Office of Government
Explainer-What do we know about the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus?
May 18 - A rare strain of Ebola has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern. Most of the cases have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 100 suspected deaths and nearly 400 suspected infections
‘Feels like a dream’: Indonesia’s domestic workers cheer long-awaited protection law, but concerns linger
Experts and domestic workers say the new law includes several important provisions that could bring change, but also express concern about potential gaps.
Commentary: Few deals from Trump-Xi summit, but it’s the underlying shift that matters
Don’t judge the Beijing summit by the lack of deals, because US President Donald Trump has once again invoked the “G2”, says former SCMP editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei.
Selling children to survive: Afghan fathers forced to make impossible choices
In Afghanistan today, a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs.
British Steel crisis derails China’s tariff-bypass strategy
A Chinese steelmaker’s attempt to use British Steel as a foothold in Western markets has turned into a political dispute, after the UK government introduced a bill that could nationalize the eastern England-based company. Jingye Group, a privately owned steelmaker based in
The 3-body problem of the dollar-yen exchange rate (hint: China)
In August 2024, currency markets briefly remembered how they were supposed to work. The Bank of Japan had begun raising interest rates. The Fed was signaling easing. The yen surged – USD/JPY dropped from around 160 to 140 in weeks. Narrower rate differentials, stronger
Bond markets overpowering the AI trade
Global investors are still trading as though the AI boom mattered more than the bond market. They may be about to discover the opposite is true. The most important threat to Asian equities is no longer tariffs, China’s slowdown or even geopolitics alone. It’s the collapse of
IEA chief: Only weeks of oil inventories left thanks to Iran war
With no end in sight to the Strait of Hormuz crisis caused by President Donald Trump’s illegal war with Iran, the head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday that global energy supplies are running dangerously low. IEA executive director Faith Birol told reporters in
Maldives investigates if Italian divers went too deep in fatal cave dive
MALE, May XYZ - Maldivian authorities are investigating multiple possible factors behind the deaths of five Italian divers in a deepwater cave last week, including whether they descended far deeper than expected, a government spokesperson told Reuters.
Bodies of missing Italian divers found in Maldives
The bodies of all five Italian divers who died in the Maldives last week have now been found, officials tell the BBC.
Thailand orders rail safety overhaul after deadly Bangkok crash
Narcotics screening and daily alcohol checks will be introduced for public transport drivers.
5 teen students drown while swimming in Vietnam river
The students, aged 13 and 14, had gone swimming after studying for an examination.
Two men arrested over stunt at enclosure of famous monkey Punch
Two US nationals have been arrested after one jumped the fence of the monkey, who went viral online, police say.
Gwangju massacre deniers still seek comfort in North plot
Originally published May 18, 2021, this article is republished five years later to the day with just a bit of updating. More than a week before elite South Korean troops – sent to put down pro-democracy protests in the southwestern city of Gwangju – sparked an uprising with
Guangxi’s Pinglu Canal to boost growing trade between South-east Asia and China
The canal, built by China, feeds into a bilteral trade corridor project to boost regional connectivity.
Gunmen in Pakistan kill police officers guarding polio workers
The attacks come as Pakistan kicked off a week-long polio vaccination campaign in 79 high-risk districts.
Marriage of Malaysian ruling partners is on the rocks. Will the alliance survive the polls?
PM Anwar Ibrahim warned Barisan Nasional that a breakdown in their alliance could trigger snap polls.
Trump says he paused attack on Iran as negotiations continue
US President Donald Trump said leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had urged him to delay the attack because they believed a deal could still be reached.
Pakistan sends new Iranian peace proposal to US
US President Donald Trump is reportedly expected to meet top national security advisers on Tuesday (May 19) to discuss options for resuming military action.
Philippines opens impeachment trial of V-P Sara Duterte amid political turmoil
If convicted, her ambitions to become president in 2028 could be derailed.
South Korean president orders full probe into botched recovery at Jeju Air crash site
He called for a full investigation into shortcomings in the government’s initial recovery efforts.
Philippines rejects special US status for planned Luzon industrial hub
Negotiations continue regarding investor protection.
North Sumatra running out of measles vaccines amid increasing cases
The situation is worsened with low basic and complete immunisation in hot spots.
Pakistan deploys jet squadron, thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia during Iran war
ISLAMABAD, May 18 - Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war.
Revised Iranian proposal to end war shared with US, Pakistani source says
ISLAMABAD, May 18 - Pakistan has shared with the U.S. a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday, as peace talks appeared to remain stalled.
Sarawak in talks to export power to Borneo, Singapore
He also said there were early discussions on exporting one gigawatt of power to Malaysia.
Cuban drone crisis: US fears Russia-China Caribbean threat
As the US confronts growing fears that Russian, Chinese and Iranian-backed drone and intelligence activities are turning Cuba into a new strategic pressure point near US territory, the island is reemerging as a focal point of great-power rivalry in the Western Hemisphere. This
Kremlin says it has ‘serious expectations’ for Putin’s trip to China
The Russian president is to visit China on May 19 and 20.
Ahead of Putin’s visit, Chinese media cast Sino-Russia ties as a source of ‘stability’ in global turmoil
State news agency Xinhua on Sunday (May 17) said relations between China and Russia will always remain “as unshakeable as a mountain amid wind and rain”.
Indonesia’s rice farmers test climate-friendly methods that cuts methane emissions, raises yields
Rice is a staple for billions but growing it contributes to climate change, as flooded paddy fields release large amounts of methane – a potent greenhouse gas.
China burns more fossil fuels for power as coal production slips
China is also facing falling output from wind turbines and nuclear reactors.
Taiwan open to direct talks between Trump and Lai amid concerns after Beijing summit
A direct conversation between sitting leaders of Taiwan and the US has not happened since 1979.
Gaza aid flotilla says Israeli forces boarded a vessel
ISTANBUL, May 18 - The organisers of a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza said on Monday that Israeli forces had boarded one of their vessels and that contact had been lost with another of the vessels in the eastern Mediterranean.
China denounces Taiwan foreign minister’s Geneva visit amid WHO assembly
Beijing began blocking Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly in 2017.
China denounces Taiwan foreign minister's Geneva visit amid WHO assembly
BEIJING, May 18 - China said on Monday it opposed countries providing platforms for \"Taiwan independence separatist\" activities, after Taiwan's foreign minister arrived in Switzerland for events on the sidelines of a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting.