Dear ST reader,
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim scored well in an approval survey released this week, but his government could have done better. Meanwhile, the spy balloon saga that sparked the latest US-China spat has raised some pertinent questions about the definition of sovereign airspace. And it’s not all gloom in the tech sector - at least not in Indonesia.
Anwar’s first report card
Results of the first opinion poll conducted since Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took office late last year show he is still largely popular, but his government isn’t enjoying a honeymoon period, Malaysia correspondent Ram Anand reports. Meanwhile, Mr Anwar’s daughter has quit as economic adviser over nepotism accusations.
More on Malaysia politics:
King says there would be no political chaos if MPs had bridged differences to serve people
Spy balloon fallout
Two weeks since the downing of the suspected Chinese spy balloon from American airspace, the superpower conflict is still continuing to play out. Associate Foreign Editor Li Xueying discusses whether the saga has made the world a more dangerous place. Assistant News Editor Lim Min Zhang delves into two key questions raised in the incident: Was US sovereignty actually violated, and at what height is the threshold for a country’s sovereign airspace?
Read more:
Freak accident or calculated move? What China’s spy balloon over the US may be about
Listen:
Power Play Podcast: How the US and China reacted to a ‘balloon’
Silver linings in tech?
Indonesia’s technology firms have been laying off workers as the pandemic tech boom ends. But with the country digitalising its economy and Asean set to be a leading innovation hub, the sector is still abound with opportunities for those ready to seize them. Indonesia correspondents Hariz Baharudin and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja report.
Go deeper:
South-east Asia’s tech industry slows but is set to grow
Recent layoffs in Indonesia’s tech sector
Hard times for students
International students flooding back to Australia are now facing sky-high rents that have risen as much as 20 per cent in some areas. The shortage of accommodation is set only to worsen with China’s move to stop recognising online degrees, Jonathan Pearlman writes.
Also read:
Rents in Singapore narrow the gap with those in pricey Hong Kong
India’s new fast train
With its swanky revolving seats, hands-free taps and large speed metres, the Vande Bharat - India’s newest home-grown semi-high-speed train - has become the latest highlight of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s massive railway modernisation drive, says India bureau chief Nirmala Ganapathy.
Read also:
India’s first bullet train project gains momentum
Broken families in Assam
A controversial crackdown on child marriages in India’s north-eastern Assam state has split families from poor socio-economic backgrounds, put their main breadwinners in jail, and thrown their future into disarray. Fear of arrest has also led to several tragedies across the state, Debarshi Dasgupta and Nirmala Ganapathy report.
