The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects.
Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it.
Co resigned from the…
Vietnam and China are now perfectly aligned
Even before Donald Trump returned to the White House, Vietnam’s military planners were already busy preparing for a possible second invasion by the United States and its allies. In the “Second US Invasion Plan”, secretly issued in August 2024, the Vietnamese military rejected playing any part in America’s China containment strategy in the Asia-Pacific.
Rather, it sees the US promotion of “freedom and democracy” as a cynical ploy to maintain hegemony in the region. The document, released in…
CJEU makes pastiche ruling in long-running Kraftwerk sampling case
A new ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) on one of the longest running court cases in music brings much needed clarity over the rules around copyright, according to an expert.
Trade tensions make rest of world less keen to invest in US and China, survey finds
Trade tensions between the US and China have made companies around the world less keen to invest in either country, with the United States almost twice as unpopular, according to a new report from Allianz Trade.
The report, based on an annual survey by the Paris-based international insurance company, said US-China decoupling had not materialised, but investment intention towards China had dropped “significantly” to 24 per cent of survey respondents, down from 53 per cent a year ago.
The survey…
Malaysia and Australia strike energy supply pledge to bypass Iran war disruptions
Malaysia and Australia pledged on Thursday to keep oil and gas flowing between them as the Iran war’s continuous squeeze on global fuel supplies compels regional countries to deepen energy trade cooperation.
Across Asia, governments have been scrambling for alternatives after crude oil and gas shipments from the Middle East were disrupted following Tehran’s move to choke access to the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli strikes against Iran that began on February 28.
The disruption has…
CBK gives banks ‘operational headroom’ to absorb potential shocks
New measures introduced by Kuwait’s Central Bank (CBK) signal the bank’s concerted efforts to respond proactively to the challenging geopolitical environment, experts have said.
Why Southeast Asian nations are hesitant to join major US-Philippine Balikatan drills
Balikatan, the flagship annual military exercise between Manila and Washington, begins in the Philippines this month without a single neighbouring Southeast Asian member taking part, despite the drills’ growing scale and multinational reach.
Analysts say that hesitation helps explain Balikatan’s place in the region: for some Asean members, it is a reassuring sign of US commitment, but joining it risks looking like a strategic choice in the sharpening rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
“To…
Malaysia’s content creators battle AI abuse as deepfakes, scam ads spread online
In Malaysia, artificial intelligence is already causing harm to content creators through deepfake nudes, cloned voices, scam advertisements and stolen likenesses, experts have warned.
They shared the view at the Freedom Film Network’s second International Conference on Film & Society in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, where creators, researchers and advocates from across Southeast Asia gathered under the theme “Cultivating Artistic Freedom in a Volatile World”.
Melissa Lim Shi Hui, a lawyer and legal…
What to expect as DIFC new crypto regulations take effect
Following the announcement of its new rules governing crypto token regulation in the Dubai International Financial Centre, the Dubai Financial Services Authority has issued additional guidance on how they will impact companies operating in the DIFC.
Malaysians urged to tighten their belts as Iran war fallout starts to bite
Malaysia’s government has urged the public to be ready to tighten their belts over an extended period, with the full effects of the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war expected to kick in as soon as June after the country’s economic buffers run their course.
Domestic gas production and costly fuel subsidies have so far shielded the country’s population of 34 million from most of the fallout from the war, which has choked supply for 25 per cent of global seaborne oil trade and nearly a fifth…