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August 26th, 2021

Anatomy of a disaster

The Taliban's triumph over the U.S. in Afghanistan sends shock waves across Asia

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The Big Story

Taliban triumph: anatomy of a disaster in Afghanistan

Washington's humiliation will be felt throughout Asia

America’s 20-year effort to remake Afghanistan in its own image has given way to a humanitarian and political crisis.
In the 20 months since Makoto Uchida took the reins of Nissan, the executive has struggled to rejuvenate the troubled automaker. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Restarting Nissan: Makoto Uchida takes corporate Japan's toughest job

Finally on track to profitability, the carmaker navigates the post-Ghosn era

Foxconn head Young Liu has vowed to have the company's designs, components, mechanical parts or software inside 5% of the world's EVs by 2025. (Source photos by EPA/Jiji and Reuters)
Business Spotlight

'An iPhone with four wheels': Inside Foxconn's bid to build EVs

Apple maker confident of becoming a dominant player in auto supply chain

Communities that live along Papua New Guinea's snaking Sepik River have a deep, even spiritual connection to the waterway. They say an ambitious mine project threatens the river.
Asia Insight

China-backed mining deepens Papua New Guinea's golden dilemma

COVID raises economic need but history of disputes and Beijing's rise fuel opposition

Toyota vehicles await export at the port of Laem Chabang, Thailand. A chip crunch is slowing the global auto industry. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Automobiles

Toyota production cut highlights ASEAN supply chain vulnerability

Malaysia chip processing suspension spills over to global companies

BYD, China's biggest carmaker by market valuation, is looking to list its chipmaking arm in Shenzhen. 
Semiconductors

China carmaker BYD's chip unit IPO plan halted by regulatory woes

Probe into law firm handling deal comes as Beijing ramps up scrutiny on tech

Ismail Sabri Yaakob waves to reporters before his inauguration as Malaysia's ninth prime minister on Aug. 21.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's old guard returns as Ismail Sabri is sworn in as PM

COVID and resentment over party's scandal-tainted past to test new leader

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to arrive in Singapore on Aug. 22, before moving on to Vietnam on Aug. 24.
Biden's Asia policy

Harris to visit ASEAN in shadow of Afghan exit: 5 things to know

VP's trip to Singapore and Vietnam set to 'reassure' about US commitment to Asia

A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, August 15, as the Taliban began entering the Afghan capital from all sides.
Opinion

America's Afghan misadventure is not Biden's 'Saigon moment'

Predictions about what will follow should be accompanied with a degree of humility

Activists shout slogans during a protest against Indian government of using Pegasus spyware in New Delhi on Aug. 2: mistrust among the government, opposition and local leaders has rarely been higher.
Opinion

Pegasus spyware threatens to chip away our freedoms

Tech companies are already playing a larger and more destabilizing role

Ismail Sabri Yaakob sits at his desk on his first day of work as prime minister, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Aug. 23.
The Nikkei View

Malaysia must quickly stabilize its political situation

Once pandemic is under control, government should determine people's will through election

Ko Min, left, and his wife Ma Moe. Together with their two young children, they live in this poor district on the outskirts of Yangon. Ko Min was a bricklayer but lost his job when construction sites closed due to recent civil unrest. (©WFP Myanmar/2021)
Life

Photo essay: Close-up on Myanmar's growing hunger

'It's for my family': Parents struggle to keep children fed amid country's multiple crises

Western tourists cut conspicuous figures while strolling through a village on Mabul Island in the east Malaysian state of Sabah. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan)
Tea Leaves

Developing Asia can do without Western 'influencers'

Tough line needed on ill-informed social media and antisocial tourists