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March 10th, 2022

The trials of Samsung

Vice Chairman Lee's legal troubles could threaten tech dynasty

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The Big Story

The trials of Samsung: Vice Chairman Lee's legal troubles could threaten tech dynasty

Jae-yong's court hearings illuminate entanglement of South Korean politics and conglomerates

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been attending weekly court hearings in Seoul since Oct. 2020 for alleged financial crimes. The outcome of his trial will determine the future of the Lee family's hold over Samsung. (Photo by Jean Chung)
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Bosporus Strait in August 2018. Warships of outside countries like the U.S. cannot stay more than 21 days in the Black Sea. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Ukraine war

Why can Turkey block the Bosporus? 5 things to know

1936 Montreux Convention and geography give it leverage over Russia

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has led Singapore for 17 years. The next leader faces the task of steering the city-state to steady growth in an unstable world.
Asia Insight

Singapore's succession: COVID and war raise stakes in PM search

City-state seeks a new economic path, and its next leader, amid global crises

Actors perform a play that teaches the history of the Chinese Communist Party at a theme park in Shaanxi Province operated by the Dalian Wanda Group. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
The age of 'Great China'

Dealing with the dilemma of the Chinese market

Move close and get burned at home, move away and lose traction with 1.4bn people

Social media furors over what are acceptable and unacceptable images of Chinese beauty are becoming harder to predict. Controversies are not just engulfing foreign advertisers like Dior but also now domestic brands such as Three Squirrels. (Nikkei montage/AP, Getty Images and Reuters)
Business Spotlight

Advertisers struggle to navigate China's shifting beauty standards

Models that don't conform to a narrow ideal can spark a social media outcry

Narendra Modi welcomes Vladimir Putin ahead of their meeting in New Delhi in December 2021: Modi may conclude that sticking close to Putin is a bad bet.
Opinion

Western nagging will not ease India's Russia-China dilemma

Anxiety over New Delhi's unwillingness to condemn Ukraine attack is mostly overdone

Taliban forces ride in a car in Kabul in November 2021: the extremist government will struggle to stop the local Islamic State affiliate from drawing in militants to settle in ungoverned expanses of the country.
Opinion

Expect the world's ungoverned places to export instability

Outside actors prove increasingly reluctant to intervene

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Nikkei Asia that sanctions against Russia should include blocking its largest bank, Sberbank, and urged Japan to close its ports to Russian ships.
Interview

Russia's top bank must be hit with sanctions: Ukrainian minister

Kyiv seeks not NATO planes and pilots, but 'surface-to-air defense systems'

One Southeast Asia scholar says China may take advantage of a U.S. distracted by events in Ukraine to cement its grip on the South China Sea. (Source photos by Rie Ishii, AP and Reuters) 
Ukraine war

Ukraine crisis leaves ASEAN jittery over South China Sea

Russian, Chinese moves seen as unilateral attempts to change status quo

Naomi Osaka during a news conference after losing her third-round match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Australian Open on Jan. 21.
Sports

This is Naomi: A journey to overcome fear of losing

Tennis player finds social media to be a great outlet for expression

Netflix's apocalyptic South Korean series "Hellbound" became the world's most-watched television show on Netflix in a mere 24 hours upon its release in 2021. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Tea Leaves

Asian horror films challenge Western dominance

Global smash hits have raised the bar on quality of future productions