Asia

Cut down to size

Pakistan’s politicians seize control of the judiciary

Powerful judges were seen as a threat to the government

Banyan

Yes sir: a bizarre initiation ritual for Indonesia’s cabinet

The newly-inaugurated president sends his ministers to boot camp

Hard ball

Australia is trying to ruck China in Papua New Guinea

Funding for a rugby team might be one way to do so

Prayer and profit

India’s startups pray for a Hindu super-app

The business of God could yet create an Indian unicorn

Neighbourhood strife

North Korea’s fanatical regime just got scarier

A new missile test, troops to Russia and death sentences for K-pop

Japan shakes

Voters deliver a historic rebuke to Japan’s ruling coalition

But the Liberal Democratic Party may still hang on to power

Prabowo’s plans for nickel

Making nickel is a nightmare. Unless you are Indonesian

Gluts and shortages notwithstanding, Indonesia wants to double down on resource nationalism

Banyan

Japan is remarkably open to AI, but slow to make use of it

The land of Doraemon embraces the new technology in theory but not in practice

South-East Asia’s criminal scams

Suck up to your fake CEO

The deepfake scam explosion has only just begun

Himalayan handshake

Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping meet and resolve a border row

The meeting in Russia signals a new era of closer ties

Getting to know Prabowo

Indonesia’s macho new leader is no “cuddly grandpa”

Prabowo Subianto has fought back from years of disgrace and exile

Banyan

Myanmar’s military junta has conjured up a crazy currency system

Desperate for cash, the Tatmadaw is distorting foreign-exchange markets