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March 16th, 2023

Pakistan's Taliban problem

Terror attacks are on the rise as Islamabad's support for Afghanistan's new rulers backfires

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The Big Story

Pakistan faces terrorism surge post-Afghan war

Islamabad helped bring the Taliban to power, now it faces the consequences

A suicide blast killed 101 in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan in January. Terror attacks in the country have increased since the Taliban took power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021.
U.S. officials are concerned that TikTok could be used for spying or the dissemination of propaganda by China.(Source photos by AP) 
Business Spotlight

TikTok's U.S. woes grow as efforts to lobby Washington falter

Bipartisan senate proposal would enable president to ban social media app

A South Korean FA-50 fighter jet purchased by the Philippines. Malaysia has also ordered 18 of the fighter jets.
Defense

Malaysia buys South Korea fighter jets as ASEAN arms market grows

Southeast Asian countries turn to Asia for affordable high-tech military supplies

Many Gen Z and millennial shoppers are prioritizing sustainability over "fast fashion." (Photo courtesy of Bombay Closet Cleanse)
Retail

India's trendy thrift stores offer cheap alternative to fast fashion

Environmentally conscious young people turn to secondhand clothing

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is promoting the Maharlika Investment Fund with an eye on his legacy, some observers say.
Asia Insight

Maharlika Investment Fund provides 'make or break' test for Marcos

Amid opposition and historical baggage, president pushes sovereign wealth fund

Switzerland is one of China's oldest diplomatic and economic partners, but deepening global divisions are complicating the relationship. (Source photos by Getty Images and AP)
International relations

China and Russia test Switzerland's long-standing neutrality

Critics say sanctioning only Moscow shows Bern's inconsistency on democratic values

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will host a G-7 summit in May. (Photo courtesy of the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan) 
Supply Chain

With China in mind, G-7 to call for groupwide supply chains

Economic security to be major topic at Hiroshima summit in May

President Joko Widodo visits the site of Nusantara, which he envisions as Indonesia's next capital, on the island of Borneo, on Feb. 23. (Photo courtesy of Indonesia's presidential office)
Politics

Jokowi promotes Indonesia capital project as Asia's fintech hub

Bigger Nusantara role hints at president's haste on legacy bid before term ends

Given the scarcity of academic achievements since the 2010s, Japan will likely see its Nobel Prize winners fall sharply from the 2030s.
Datawatch

Japan sees pool of Nobel hopefuls drain

Nation's scholars lag Chinese and other rivals in high-tech academic citations

Vladimir Putin inspects a military training center for mobilized reservists in the Ryazan region in October 2022: The Russian president has no good military options.
Opinion

Russia will prove more formidable spoiler than Iran

With asymmetric warfare, Putin is seeking to weaken NATO unity

Shanghai's Pudong Lujiazui financial district on Jan. 8: Beijing may have concluded that a shorter leash on financial market players is now essential.
Opinion

China's anti-corruption agency has financial sector in its sights

CCDI takes aim at 'shadow shareholders' and warns industry cleanup is coming

The Japanese photographer Kai Fusayoshi at Kyoto's Galerie Miyawaki on the occasion of his mini-retrospective exhibition there in October 2022. (Photo by Edward M. Gomez)
Arts

Photographer is preserving Kyoto's past -- and, urgently, his own

Kai Fusayoshi captured city's soul on film, only to see much of his precious archive go up in flames

Marologa Bhavan, a South Asian restaurant located in suburban Tokyo's Nakano ward, is part of Tokyo's rich culinary mosaic. (All photos by Melinda Joe)
Tea Leaves

Small is beautiful but perilously fragile in Tokyo's dining scene

Tiny food outlets struggle to survive but form the backbone of a celebrated food culture