FOLD ME CLOSE

The smartphone race never ends and when it comes to foldable instruments, the Koreans are first off the block. South Korean electronics giant Samsung unveiled its most anticipated smartphone, the Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone, during a Wednesday media event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Trevor Tan says similar announcements are expected by other rivals later this week. Samsung also announced a 5G version of the handset, the first mainstream 5G smartphone, but details were not immediately available for this variant. The Samsung Galaxy Fold is a smartphone with a 4.6-inch (1,960 x 840 pixels) cover display when folded, but unfolds into a 7.3-inch (2,152 x 1,536 pixels) tablet. Who said small is beautiful?

Full story: Samsung unveils first mainstream folding phone, first 5G handset with Galaxy Fold

HANOI HANDSHAKES

Once it was the name of a war. Today, it stands for a fast-developing economic story in Southeast Asia. Next week, it has the responsibility of protecting the president of the United States, a nation that wreaked so much death and destruction on it a half-century ago. Reflective of the shifting strategic sands, the US leader agreed to sit down for a second summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un on Vietnamese territory. Indochina bureau chief Tan Hui Yee says Vietnam, having hosted the World Economic Forum on Asean last year and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in 2017, is no stranger to big-name events. Apart from boosting Vietnam's diplomatic stature, the Feb 27 to 28 meeting throws the spotlight on the distinct ties it has with the US as well as North Korea that make Hanoi a suitable host.

Analysis: Summit throws spotlight on Vietnam as strategic player

NATUNA, MY TUNA

Indonesia, the world's largest tuna fishing nation, thought it was not a party to the South China Sea dispute but breaches by Chinese fishing vessels and a surprise intervention by the Chinese Coast Guard to rescue a Chinese poaching vessel being towed in Indonesia waters has changed thinking in Jakarta considerably. Two years ago, a senior Indonesian government official unrolled a map depicting an expansion of the nation's maritime territory, with the section of the South China Sea north of the islands named as North Natuna Sea. Now, says Indonesia Correspondent Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, the government is moving to further assert its sovereignty by building a designated fishing sea port and cold storage facility on one of the Natuna islands by the third quarter of 2019.

Full story: Indonesia to establish fishing ground in waters off Natuna islands

NUT RAGE SEQUEL

South Korea's 'nut rage' heiress has struck again, this time literally, it would appear. Cho Hyun-ah, formerly Korean Air vice president, made headlines in 2014 when she forced the cabin crew chief off a Korean Air plane because she was upset with how her macadamia nuts were served. Now, a video clip has been shown in court where a woman who appears to be Cho shouts at her husband, alongside photos showing his injuries. In the video, the woman shouts "Die! Die!" at her husband, surnamed Park, who filed for divorce last year citing physical and verbal abuse against him and their twin sons. Photos released along with the video show injuries to the man's neck - apparently strangulation marks.

Full story: 'Die! Die!': Video shows Korean Air 'nut rage' heiress assaulting husband

FANLING'S FINAL DAYS

Fancy a golf game in land scarce Hong Kong? Your options are soon going to be shorter by one. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is muscling through a plan to take back an initial 32 hectares of the exclusive 172 hectare Fanling golf course, home to the famed Hong Kong Golf Club, to build public housing says Hong Kong Correspondent Claire Huang. This comes after lawmakers in the Executive Council "fully endorsed" eight suggestions put up by a government-appointed land supply task force to look into ways to ease the city's housing crunch, which has made it the world's least affordable property market. By 2027, the golf course will be gone.

Full story: Exclusive HK golf course to lose land to public housing

IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Australia's relationship with China, its largest trading partner, have become increasingly rocky in recent years amid concerns Down Under that Beijing has been meddling in its politics, media and universities. Now, Customs officials in China's northern port of Dalian have banned Australian coal imports indefinitely, Reuters reported, citing an unidentified official at Dalian Port Group, in an escalation of tensions between the world's biggest consumer and exporter of the fuel.

Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first gay marriage law on Thursday, a Bill offering same sex-couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives.

A British teen who joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group has no claim to Bangladeshi nationality, Dhaka's foreign ministry said Wednesday (Feb 20), after the British government decided to revoke her citizenship.

Indian billionaire Anil Ambani, younger sibling of Asia's richest man, has been found guilty of contempt of court by India's Supreme Court in a case brought by Sweden's Ericsson. Indian newspapers said he has been told by the court that he, and two other directors of his firm, will be jailed if he does not complete a US$77 million payment to Ericsson.

That's it for today. See you tomorrow.

- Ravi Velloor

'Do not create in anger what you lack in reason'. - Chinese proverb