Asean’s neutrality set to be tested as Philippines welcomes world leaders

For some ⁠people, the blue, green and white striped socks hanging near the entrance of a FamilyMart convenience store may look more like an emergency purchase than a fashion statement. Yet the 390 yen (US$2.44) socks have become one of Japan’s best-known products at convenience stores, which are usually the go-to for snacks and drinks. With 40 million pairs sold since 2021, they have helped FamilyMart reinvent itself as a lifestyle brand in the competitive conbini market. Now, Japan’s...

China’s leading artificial intelligence model companies are beginning to curb the cybersecurity capabilities of their most advanced open-weight models, following a string of high-profile AI hacking incidents involving both US and Chinese companies. Earlier this month, Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings said it had stripped its latest Hy4 model of its cyber-hacking capabilities while retaining its cyber defence capabilities, following a similar move by Moonshot AI with its Kimi K3.1 Pro...

Identity politics could very well decide the outcome of Malaysia’s next national election, experts say, after parties and voters dug in their heels along ethnic lines in recent polls that have undermined Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s multicultural ruling coalition. On Saturday, Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) suffered its third straight electoral defeat this year in Melaka state as the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and its new partner, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal opposition...

China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan aren’t joining the singing contest. That leaves some of the region’s best-known musical cultures out of the mix.

Talks at Cop31, the United Nations climate change conference being held in Antalya, Turkey, come at a critical moment for climate-vulnerable countries across the Global South. Bangladesh is among those bearing the brunt of climate change despite having negligible historical responsibility for global emissions. As delegations negotiate how to finance climate action, the “how” matters no less than the “how much”: support must arrive in time, reach those who need it and avoid deepening debt. The...

The president plans to also discuss the war against Iran, but is not expected to bring up Russia’s war in Ukraine or the scandal that has engulfed Jensen Huang.

Filipino singer Carmelle won the first Asian edition of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a fiery performance of her dance-pop song “Sobra-Sobra”. The 19-year-old beat 10 other acts in the grand final in Bangkok, with the winner chosen through votes from national juries in participating countries and viewers worldwide. After her victory, Carmelle said her song celebrated female empowerment and was intended as “a tribute to all Filipino women”. “I made history, since this was the first...

Some were Asia-based Europeans chasing nostalgia. Others were Americans eager to experience their first edition of the song contest.

While global markets focus on the geopolitical and business implications of Jensen Huang’s resignation from Nvidia, another fierce debate is raging among Asian-Americans: whether race played a role in the downfall of one of corporate America’s most recognisable Asian faces. At the heart of the unease is the lack of public evidence for the most explosive allegation against Huang: that he had a romantic relationship with a Chinese businesswoman reportedly engaging in espionage for Beijing. The New...

While pulsating electro-pop tends to win in Europe, the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in Asia will mostly feature torch songs accompanied by traditional instruments.

So far, the contest’s organizers have kept politics offstage. The European edition shows how difficult that can be.