Asia news

• Doomed to fail? Hong Kong’s attempt to tackle ‘shoebox housing’ runs into trouble

  03-01-2025 02:00
  
  Authorities are seeking to fix the city’s problem of tiny, overcrowded housingbut critics say the new regulations fail to capture the worst offendersLai Shan Zse moves quickly, bounding up the grungy, dimly lit stairwell of the unit block in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district. The social worker knocks on a door and announces her arrival, moves into a tiny entranceway and past the tiled kitchenette from where an elderly lady waves, and into a skinny hall lined with what look like plywood c
  
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• Indonesia places a $28bn bet on free school meals

  08-01-2025 03:03 via ft.com
  
  President Prabowo Subianto wants to cater for 82mn students and pregnant mothers to boost growth and attainment
  
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• The maps that show how China’s military is squeezing Taiwan

  08-01-2025 01:01
  China has increased its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace over the last year, part of strategic harassment that is taking a toll on the island’s resourcesChina’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan in 2024 as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade.Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan&rsq
  
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• Bangladesh requests UK minister’s bank account details in corruption probe

  07-01-2025 18:38 via ft.com
  UK City minister Tulip Siddiq under scrutiny for links to ousted regime of her aunt Sheikh Hasina
  
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• Bangladesh requests Siddiq’s bank account details as part of corruption probe

  07-01-2025 18:38 via ft.com
  UK City minister under scrutiny for links to ousted regime of her aunt Sheikh Hasina
  
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• An economically dynamic India is Manmohan Singh’s greatest legacy

  07-01-2025 18:17 via ft.com
  He drove radical reform of an anti-market policy regime that was strangling growth
  
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• Thailand bans imports of plastic waste to curb toxic pollution

  07-01-2025 15:05
  
  Campaigners welcome move but say success depends on enforcement and global agreement on a treatyThailand has banned plastic waste imports over concerns about toxic pollution, as experts warn that failure to agree a global treaty to cut plastic waste will harm human health.A law banning imports of plastic waste came into force this month in Thailand, after years of campaigning by activists. Thailand is one of several south-east Asian countries that has historically been paid to receive plastic wa
  
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• Tibet earthquake: at least 95 reported dead as strong quake strikes near holy Shigatse city – as it happened

  07-01-2025 13:27
  
  Chinese state media also say 130 injured as rescue efforts in remote high-altitude terrain underway in below-freezing conditionsFull report: dozens dead as 6.8-magnitude quake strikes holy city of ShigatseChinese state media reported earlier that at least 53 people were killed and 62 others injured after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning. The death toll, given by Chinese state media, has now been increased to 95. 130 people were reported to have
  
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• China’s biggest football club kicked out of league as financial woes mount

  07-01-2025 12:39 via ft.com
  
  Guangzhou FC’s struggles relate to collapse of property developer China Evergrande
  
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• Why China’s industrial giants won’t be damaged by latest US blacklisting

  07-01-2025 12:34 via ft.com
  
  Being placed on the Chinese military blacklist does not carry specific penalties or immediate bans
  
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• Tencent and CATL consider legal action over inclusion on Pentagon blacklist

  07-01-2025 12:21 via ft.com
  
  Tech giant and biggest EV battery maker say designation as Chinese military companies is a ‘mistake’
  
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• Tibet earthquake: at least 95 reported dead as strong quake strikes near holy Shigatse city – live updates

  07-01-2025 11:56
  
  Chinese state media also say 130 injured as rescue efforts in remote high-altitude terrain underway in below-freezing conditionsFull report: dozens dead as 6.8-magnitude quake strikes holy city of ShigatseChinese state media reported earlier that at least 53 people were killed and 62 others injured after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning. The death toll, given by Chinese state media, has now been increased to 95. 130 people were reported to have
  
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• The 'new China' in Thailand: ‘if you want hope, you have to leave’ – video

  07-01-2025 11:47
  
  After 30 years of relentless growth and capitalism, a new trend has emerged in China. The search for a simpler, calmer life is leading some Chinese people to seek a life abroad. The trend is so popular that it’s gained its own internet buzzword: the 'run philosophy'.Chiang mai, in northern Thailand is the country’s second biggest city. It’s a tourist hotspot popular with backpackers but has recently become an unlikely second home for thousands of Chinese people seeking alternat
  
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• Taiwan investigating Chinese vessel over damage to undersea cable

  07-01-2025 11:16
  Shunxing 39 was briefly detained by coastguard on Friday on suspicion of dragging anchor over cable running to USTaiwanese authorities are investigating a Chinese-owned vessel that is suspected of damaging an undersea internet cable, causing limited disruption.The Cameroon-registered vessel Shunxing 39 was briefly detained by Taiwan’s coastguard on Friday on suspicion of dragging its anchor over an international subsea cable north-east of the island. The cable runs to the US and is co-owne
  
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• US adds Tencent and CATL to blacklist of companies working with China’s military

  07-01-2025 08:39 via ft.com
  
  Shares of WeChat owner and EV battery maker fall after defence department discloses designation
  
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• North Korea says new hypersonic missile will 'contain' rivals

  07-01-2025 05:32 via bbc.com
  
  Pyongyang fired a missile for the first time in two months, while Antony Blinken was in Seoul.
  
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• China earthquake: Dozens dead as tremor strikes Tibet

  07-01-2025 05:31 via bbc.com
  
  Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.
  
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• US adds Tencent and CATL to list of companies working with China’s military

  07-01-2025 04:40 via ft.com
  
  Shares of WeChat owner and EV battery maker fall after defence department discloses designation
  
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• US says tech giant Tencent works with Chinese military

  07-01-2025 03:17 via bbc.com
  
  The Chinese embassy in Washington called the decision "unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies".
  
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• Indian investors rush into highly valued defence stocks

  07-01-2025 03:00 via ft.com
  
  Asset managers have launched specialist funds as push for domestic armaments sends share prices soaring
  
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• Tencent and CATL added to Pentagon list of companies working with China’s military

  07-01-2025 02:58 via ft.com
  Shares of WeChat owner and EV battery maker fall after US defence department discloses designation
  
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• Are the new personal data rules workable?

  07-01-2025 02:30 via ft.com
  
  Also in this newsletter: India’s forex reserves fall to an eight-month low and Kumar Mangalam Birla’s mantra
  
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• Tencent added to Pentagon list of companies working with China’s military

  06-01-2025 20:22 via ft.com
  
  US-listed shares of WeChat owner fall after US Department of Defense discloses designation
  
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• China’s yuan hits 16-month low amid fears over Trump tariffs

  06-01-2025 17:33
  CSI 300 blue-chip stock index also trades weakly, hitting its lowest point since SeptemberChina’s currency hit a 16-month low on Monday, despite efforts by the central bank and stock exchanges to soothe investor worries about impending US tariffs under a Donald Trump presidency.The tightly controlled yuan reached 7.3301 per US dollar, its weakest level since September 2023. It has routinely hit multi-month lows since Trump won the US election, promising massive tariffs on Chinese imports.
  
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• S Korea's impeached president defiant as arrest deadline passes

  06-01-2025 16:10 via bbc.com
  
  Yoon remains in his residence after investigators fail to detain him over an attempt to impose martial law.
  
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• KKR urges Fuji Soft to take legal action against Bain in $4bn takeover fight

  06-01-2025 14:54 via ft.com
  Public battle between private equity bidders for software company tests new ground in Japan
  
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• South Korea investigators seek extension of arrest warrant for president

  06-01-2025 11:42
  
  Request comes after attempts to detain Yoon Suk Yeol were thwarted by presidential security service guards last weekSouth Korea’s investigating authorities have requested an extension of a warrant to arrest the country’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol.The corruption investigation office for high-ranking officials (CIO) made the application at Seoul western district court on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• The Indian farmer leader on hunger strike for 40 days

  06-01-2025 10:56 via bbc.com
  
  Doctors say Jagjit Singh Dallewal's health has deteriorated but he has refused medical aid so far.
  
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• 'Stressed' elephant gores Spanish tourist to death in Thailand

  06-01-2025 10:24 via bbc.com
  
  Blanca Ojanguren García was gored to death while bathing the animal.
  
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• China’s regulators rush to reassure investors as equities and renminbi fall

  06-01-2025 09:28 via ft.com
  
  CSI 300 down 4.2% this year and currency slides to 15-month low as Donald Trump’s return weighs on markets
  
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