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A “sky garage” in a luxury condominium in Bangkok. Photo: Richmont’s, Christie’s International Real Estate

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

5 hours agovideocam

In India, tycoon’s call to adopt ‘996’ work culture in China spurs debate

12 Dec 2025 - 5:56PM

Japan’s English skills crash to record low, behind Laos and Vietnam

12 Dec 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

The Philippines

Brutal dog killing in Philippines sparks outrage, calls for tougher protections

Viral footage of Axle the dog’s shocking death has galvanised the country’s animal activists to demand harsh legal repercussions.

11 Dec 2025 - 9:12PMvideocam

A photo of Axle circulating on social media (left) and a screenshot from the viral video showing the moments before the dog was fatally beaten in Sadanga, Mountain Province. Photos: Handout

Airbnb ban in Bali? Indonesia says no, but crackdown on illegal stays looms

Bali’s governor wants to ban the online platform but the island’s problems with illegal rentals go beyond Airbnb, critics say.

11 Dec 2025 - 10:51PMvideocam

As more department stores in Singapore struggle, can they adapt and survive?

The closure of more Isetan outlets comes in the wake of brands like Robinsons, Daimaru and SOGO that have ceased operations in Singapore.

11 Dec 2025 - 6:16PM

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‘Wanted to make her ugly’: South Korean man arrested over scalding of partner

Police were called in after the couple went to hospital for treatment, raising suspicions of assault.

11 Dec 2025 - 5:47PM

The woman shown with gauze on her face on December 3 suffered second-degree burns. Photo: Nnutt Aaomsin

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

10 Dec 2025 - 8:22AMvideocam

Gotta pay ’em all: Singapore Pokemon card bust sparks Malaysia customs warning

Malaysia’s customs chief reminds citizens about undeclared goods, saying personal items are ‘not a magic spell for duty-free immunity’.

9 Dec 2025 - 5:21PM

South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

Cho Jin-woong has quit acting after a decades-old robbery conviction shattered a public image built playing morally upright heroes.

9 Dec 2025 - 5:19PM

Cho Jin-woong in a still from “Believer”. Photo: Next Entertainment World

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

9 Dec 2025 - 2:36PM

A screenshot of a WeChat account that posts videos of Nepali girls and hosts live streams. Photo: Handout

AI-powered hunt for manga pirates as Japan seeks to recover wind in its sales

Piracy costs publishers an estimated US$55 billion a year, forcing a hi-tech shift to protect a sector aiming to rival car exports by 2033.

8 Dec 2025 - 1:13PM

Japan’s youth are now the most hostile to immigration, survey finds

Observers say daily exposure to overcrowding and disruptive behaviour in urban centres has made young adults the most resistant to change.

8 Dec 2025 - 5:09PMvideocam

‘Everyone gets a cut’: why Southeast Asia’s scam industry refuses to die

Authorities are seizing assets and raiding compounds, but analysts warn the clumsy crackdown is merely scattering syndicates to new hideouts.

8 Dec 2025 - 9:51AMvideocam

A woman counts US dollars and Japanese yen banknotes in Phnom Penh. Scam money’s reach extends far beyond the Mekong. Photo: AFP

In race for tourists, Singapore pumps up appeal with push into fitness events

High-octane competitions like Hyrox and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon are helping drive more visitors to the city state.

7 Dec 2025 - 2:30PM

More than 2,200 international participants took part in the Hyrox race in Singapore on November 30. Photo: Hyrox

Malaysians swap hotels for RVs to drive down holiday costs

Rentals are up 200 per cent, with families finding a six-berth campervan more affordable than booking seaside resorts.

7 Dec 2025 - 12:06PM

Can Japan find space for Muslim burials? Not if right-wing rhetoric prevails

A viral video showing a Sanseito MP telling foreign residents to cremate their dead or ship them home spotlights discomfort with diversity.

7 Dec 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

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Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

As the government demands global tech firms like Cloudflare bend to its will, critics say it’s ‘burning the rice barn to kill the rats’.

8 Dec 2025 - 10:17AM

Young men play online games and surf the internet at a cyber cafe in Jakarta last month. Photo: AFP

One-Punch Man and the human cost of Japan and South Korea’s soft power

Behind the multibillion-dollar export boom lies a hidden crisis of low wages, 60-hour work weeks and unliveable pressure on invisible staff.

6 Dec 2025 - 12:00PM

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’.

6 Dec 2025 - 2:55PMvideocam

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

The city state is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents.

5 Dec 2025 - 5:47PM

Singapore is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents. Photo: TNS

The Philippines

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

Critics call the Philippine trade chief’s 500-peso Noche Buena price guide for a family of four a ‘fantasy’ that insults the poor.

5 Dec 2025 - 6:24PMvideocam

Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque’s 500-peso budget tip for a family of four to spend on the coming Christmas Eve dinner has irked Filipinos as unrealistic. Photo: Facebook/DTISecretaryCrisRoque

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

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

Fans of “Squid Game” in Seoul, South Korea. The hallyu wave has spread to countries far and wide, including Brazil in Latin America. Photo: Reuters

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