Southeast Asia

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The Ulun Danu Beratan Hindu temple in Bali. Photo: AFP

Bali mulls Airbnb ban to put a lid on revenue leak, overtourism

Airbnbs have emerged as a cheaper alternative to the sprawling resorts that dot the island, eroding tax revenue from hotels.

2 hours agovideocam

The Philippines

Filipinos slam official’s US$8.50 advice for Christmas feast

1 hour agovideocam

‘Crowd is missing’: stronger ringgit keeps Singapore shoppers away from Johor

5 hours ago

Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image stirs debate

Social media users said Singapore had no Vivian Chow or Edison Chen, but experts warned against warped beauty standards shaped by media.

6 hours ago

The viral image has sparked a debate on beauty standards in Singapore. Photo: X, source unknown

Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

PT Peter Metal director Lin Jingzhang faces investigation after domestic scrap caused caesium-137 contamination and US export recalls.

5 Dec 2025 - 3:15AM

‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

The two countries have disagreed over water supply for decades, such as the perceived low prices charged by Malaysia’s Johor.

3 hours ago

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Chinese tourists pivot to South Korea, Thailand amid Japan travel ban

Spat began when Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi suggested potential military intervention in Taiwan Strait, leading Beijing to issue a travel warning.

4 Dec 2025 - 5:06PM

An alley crowded with tourists in central Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village. Photo: Korea Times

In wake of Hong Kong blaze, Southeast Asia’s fire hazards come under scrutiny

Serious structural defects and inefficient bureaucracy tainted by corruption are common in the region, fire safety experts say.

4 Dec 2025 - 6:42PM

Penang set to scoop up Chinese tourists skipping Japan, Thailand’s Hat Yai

Penang anticipates a surge in year-end visitors, with events and food-driven itineraries boosting hotel bookings.

4 Dec 2025 - 4:02PMvideocam

China’s wealthy tone down the bling in Singapore as asset scrutiny deepens

Increased audit sees super-rich buyers favouring art and wine over Bentleys and private jets, adopting a discreet lifestyle.

4 Dec 2025 - 3:03PM

China’s super-rich in Singapore have shifted to discreet luxury amid scrutiny. Photo: Reuters

Anwar’s ex-aide to stand trial on corruption charges linked to Sabah businessman

The aide is accused of receiving cash and gifts as inducement to help the businessman secure mineral exploration projects.

4 Dec 2025 - 2:21PMvideocam

Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, former senior political secretary to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, brought to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Oxford slammed for not naming Indonesian researchers in rare flower find

After an uproar over the perceived snub, the university named the Indonesian researchers involved in Rafflesia’s rediscovery on social media.

5 Dec 2025 - 7:39AM

Singapore’s Pritam Singh loses appeal against conviction for lying

The Workers’ Party chief was in February found guilty of two counts of giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee and fined.

4 Dec 2025 - 7:39PM

Escaped Malaysian reveals torture, rape inside Cambodia job scam centre

Muhammad Syafiq said hundreds of Malaysians are still trapped in the Phnom Penh site, where he was beaten up daily.

4 Dec 2025 - 9:42AMvideocam

Computers and equipment at an online scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: EPA/Agence Kampuchea Presse

‘We side with Indonesia’: ex-minister rejects claims of China bias

Luhut Pandjaitan says China’s technological prowess and deep pockets made it an ideal partner for propelling Indonesia’s economy.

3 Dec 2025 - 7:29PM

The Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, one of the biggest nickel producers in Konawe Utara. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

Philippines’ first family says financial scrutiny welcome amid graft allegations

A spokesperson for the president said his family was open to lifestyle checks after questions emerged over funds sent to his son’s district.

3 Dec 2025 - 6:19PMvideocam

Extreme weather

Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

From Indonesia’s deadliest disaster since 2018 to a state of emergency in Sri Lanka, Asia reels from a week of climate-fuelled destruction.

3 Dec 2025 - 5:45PMvideocam

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Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Analysts warn relations are in a ‘fragile place’ as the neighbours trade barbs and leverage international law at a UN meeting in Geneva.

3 Dec 2025 - 5:07PMvideocam

A member of the Thailand Mine Action Centre shows a landmine during a media visit to the border province of Surin, Thailand, in August. Photo: Reuters

Thais in good spirits after government lifts ban on afternoon alcohol sales

The eased rules permit alcohol sales from 11am to midnight during the six-month trial period.

3 Dec 2025 - 4:55PM

Indonesia’s cyclone tragedy exposes lethal cost of forest destruction

Green groups say plantations and mines have degraded Sumatra’s land, amplifying a disaster that killed more than 700 and displaced thousands.

4 Dec 2025 - 3:26PMvideocam

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

3 Dec 2025 - 4:59PM

Myanmar residents displaced by conflict work in an illegal poppy field in February. Photo: AFP

Search for Malaysia’s MH370 resumes in Indian Ocean after more than a decade

US-based Ocean Infinity confirmed it would recommence intermittent seabed search operations for 55 days from December 30.

3 Dec 2025 - 6:12PM

A man walks past a mural representing the missing flight MH370 in August 2015. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

Why the Philippines’ anti-flood control corruption movement could be receding

Analysts warn the government’s anti-corruption drive could stall if public mobilisation continues to thin.

3 Dec 2025 - 4:24PM

China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

3 Dec 2025 - 12:58PMvideocam

Saudi adviser lauds parallels with Singapore in modernisation efforts

Mohammed Khalid Alyahya cites the late Singaporean leader’s pragmatic and results-driven governance as a template for Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.

2 Dec 2025 - 9:16PM

The Riyadh city centre from the terrace of the Al Faisaliah Tower. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2023 aims to diversify the country’s economy into a global, modern powerhouse. Photo: dpa/Getty Images

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