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Fame and celebrity

Performers at the HaveFun Live Show in Singapore. Photo: HaveFun

Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

A scheme allowing foreign performers to work up to six months at public entertainment outlets in Singapore will end, following ‘widespread abuse’.

5 Dec 2025 - 9:36PMvideocam

‘Better late than never’: Singapore parents laud curbs on phone use in schools

5 Dec 2025 - 5:47PM

The Philippines

Anger boils in Philippines over official’s US$8.50 Christmas feast budget

5 Dec 2025 - 6:24PMvideocam

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.

5 Dec 2025 - 6:42PM

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

Japan weighs plan to punish sex buyers, but will it be enough?

Experts warn the sex industry will find ways to circumvent new rules and the problem needs to be tackled from various angles simultaneously.

5 Dec 2025 - 7:08PMvideocam

‘Relive the magic’? K-drama dating service probed for sex crimes in Brazil

The KDramaDate platform offers curated outings with Korean men, including one of an ‘intimate experience’ at a motel or client’s home.

4 Dec 2025 - 5:05PM

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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

A close-up of the rare Rafflesia flower rediscovered in West Sumatra last month by Indonesian flower hunter Septian Andriki, a team led by researcher Joko Witono, Oxford scientist Chris Thorogood and local guide Iswandi. Photo: X/Chris Thorogood

Trump’s ‘terrible, stupid’ decisions test 8-decade bonds of US-Japan alliance

A new survey reveals approval for US ties has hit near-record lows amid political turmoil, punitive tariffs and shock at Trump’s agenda.

4 Dec 2025 - 6:28PM

Japan sympathises as 79-year-old kills mother, 100, out of exhaustion

Two cases of victims aged 100 and 102 killed by their children aged above 70 have highlighted the challenges faced by elderly carers.

3 Dec 2025 - 11:19AMvideocam

‘Malaysian promoting Singapore’: viral video sparks debate over talent use

Social media users question why Malaysian tourism authorities have not engaged local talent effectively to promote the country.

2 Dec 2025 - 4:31PM

Two shots from the short film produced by Malaysian VFX artist Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known as Sofyank, in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board. Photos: Instagram / sofyank96

‘Looming crisis’: why US universities are cutting critical Japanese studies

Academics bemoan the myopic approach after a recent report calls dropping Japan-focused subjects a ‘looming crisis in US-Japan relations’.

1 Dec 2025 - 3:41PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talk during a US-Japan trade deal signing on October 28. Photo: Reuters

Last frontier: Nepal slashes pricey permit, but will it boost tourism, economy?

Upper Mustang residents worry that they will not be able to reap the benefits from the cheaper permit and instead be like ‘animals in a zoo’.

30 Nov 2025 - 4:25PM

Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Beijing’s call to boycott Japan after Sanae Takaichi’s remarks is benefiting Southeast Asian countries, travel agents say.

30 Nov 2025 - 9:30AM

Singapore ‘sharenting’: where does openness end and overexposure begin?

While sharing children’s exam results may serve to document life’s journey, it may also expose them to danger, counsellors say.

28 Nov 2025 - 4:57PMvideocam

A group of children playing on a tablet. A recent trend in Singapore is of parents sharing videos of their children online. Photo: Shutterstock

Malaysian police chief urges more caning in schools, rues loss of ‘fear factor’

The call comes amid several cases in schools this year that have raised safety concerns, ranging from the killing of a student to bullying.

28 Nov 2025 - 2:02PM

Students sitting for a national examination in Terengganu. A spate of bullying and other wrongdoings involving students in Malaysia has raised concerns of school safety. Photo: Shutterstock

Indonesia scripts soft-power diplomacy push with film shot in China’s Ningxia

Analysts say ‘Assalamualaikum Beijing 2: Lost in Ningxia’ is a striking example of cinema being used to bridge cultural divides.

27 Nov 2025 - 4:03PMvideocam

South Korea kicks back after Canada’s TSN labels taekwondo clip ‘ninja training’

The mislabelling touched a nerve in South Korea, where conflating Korean and Japanese cultural symbols is often viewed as offensive.

26 Nov 2025 - 5:46PMvideocam

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Thailand to curb repeat visa-free entries amid rise in scams, illegal work

Around 2,900 foreigners have been barred by Thailand so far this year due to their multiple short-term entries.

26 Nov 2025 - 4:18PM

Tourists visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a major tourist destination in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Photo: Reuters

Kimchi deficit: South Korea faces pickle as Chinese imports outpace exports

Higher cabbage prices have sent many restaurants to lower-cost imports, leaving South Korea with a kimchi trade deficit of US$22.07 million.

25 Nov 2025 - 8:20PM

How did divisive China-backed Bali cliff lift get greenlit in the first place?

Indonesia has a ‘governance paradox’, with the central government often permitting projects that go against local vision, experts say.

25 Nov 2025 - 7:04PM

Backlash grows as Malaysia plans ID checks to ban under-16s from social media

With mandatory ID verification set for 2026, Malaysia debates: should parents or the state decide how children access the internet?

24 Nov 2025 - 3:59PM

A young boy looks at a mobile phone in Malaysia’s Johor state. The push to bar children from social media follows a string of troubling incidents including viral bullying videos. Photo: AFP

Apple of their eye: why South Korea’s Gen Z want American brands

A recent poll found most South Koreans in their twenties used an iPhone. The US is still seen as aspirational, despite recent frictions.

23 Nov 2025 - 8:00AM

A woman looks at an Apple iPhone at a shop in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Petition filed in Japan over K-pop act Aespa’s singer posting atomic bomb image

A petition has been filed calling for Aespa, a popular K-pop group, to be banned from taking part in a New Year’s Eve music event in Japan.

22 Nov 2025 - 3:11PMvideocam

What is oshikatsu? Nearly 50% of Japan’s young workers seek trend for fulfilment

A new survey shows the once-niche fandom culture has entered the mainstream, shaping how young Japanese workers spend their time and money.

21 Nov 2025 - 4:22PMvideocam

Chinese text at factory event in Kedah sparks double-standard accusation

Critics contrast the Chinese characters on a foundation stone at the event with the push by PAS to strictly use Malay and Jawi in Kedah.

21 Nov 2025 - 4:12PM

A foundation stone bearing Chinese characters at a groundbreaking ceremony for Prinx Tire Malaysia, the local subsidiary of Chinese tyre maker Prinx Chengshan, at Kedah Rubber City earlier this week. Photo: Threads/pokwiejebond

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