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1. Singapore offices cost the most to outfit, Asia-Pacific survey says

   Singapore is the most expensive city in the Asia-Pacific region to outfit an office, driven by increased labour costs, a shortage of contractors and strict building standards, according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank. The city had the highest average fit-out cost at US$2,029 per square metre – ahead of Tokyo (US$1,994) and Taipei (US$1,593) – in the firm’s survey of 23 cities across...

2. Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

   For years, debates about US-China competition have defaulted to the obvious categories: ships, chips, tariffs and security pacts. Soft power was often treated as America’s home turf, the domain of Hollywood, top universities, global brands and a political ideal that still attracts even when it disappoints. That assumption is getting riskier. The world has entered a new emotional weather pattern:...

3. 10% rise in costs expected as shipping firms halt Middle East bookings, add risk charges

   The conflict in Iran could raise cargo transport costs from Asia to Europe by at least 10 per cent, according to Hong Kong sector representatives, as major shipping companies suspended bookings to and from the Middle East or imposed significant war-risk surcharges. Lawmaker Tommy Chung Ki-fung, who represents the import and export constituency, explained on Wednesday that rising fuel prices and...

4. China’s sovereign debt is becoming a strategic alternative to US Treasuries: economist

   China’s sovereign debt is emerging as a strategic alternative to US Treasuries as global investors look for geopolitical hedges, though greater market liquidity and deeper yuan internationalisation are still needed to cement its status as a global safe haven, an economist at a Chinese government think tank has said. “[These bonds] circumvent the restrictions of the non-convertibility of the...

5. North Korea’s hostage strategy packs more bite in post-Iran US shake-up

   For decades, North Korea’s most potent insurance policy has been the threat it poses to Seoul, guaranteeing that any US move against Kim Jong-un’s regime would first exact an unbearable toll on the South. Now, a new Pentagon blueprint may have just offered that survival strategy Washington’s seal of approval. The new National Defence Strategy, presented to a Senate Armed Services Committee...

6. Low-cost models surpass Tesla in China; Geely makes bets amid price wars: 7 EV reads

   We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Low-cost models dominate China EV sales, surpassing Tesla and BYD Amid intensifying competition among Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) makers last year, relatively inexpensive models from...

7. Philippines’ Duterte-Carpio ordered to answer impeachment charges over wealth, threats

   Philippine lawmakers ordered Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Wednesday to respond to impeachment complaints against her after finding substance to allegations involving unexplained wealth, the misuse of public funds and making public threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte is seen as a front runner for the 2028 presidential election,...

8. Israel says next leader of Iran also a ‘target for elimination’

   Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday threatened whoever Iran picks to be the country’s next supreme leader, saying he will be “a target for elimination”. Israel Katz made the statement on X. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the...

9. How Persian Gulf turmoil is reshaping Europe-Asia aviation landscape

   With major Persian Gulf aviation hubs largely paralysed by airspace closures amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, travellers have flocked to direct Asia-Europe routes, driving a sharp surge in airfares. This week, economy class on most direct one-way Beijing-Paris flights is fully booked, with a small number of economy seats – plus premium economy and business class...

10. Thailand’s PTT to freeze pump prices as Iran attacks spur panic buying in Mekong area

    Thailand’s state-backed energy giant PTT will freeze pump prices for 15 days as war in the Middle East disrupts oil and gas shipments through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, spurring panic buying and some fuel rationing across parts of the Mekong region. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, whose flows have been choked since the weekend after the...