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Commercial buildings and residential housing in Kuala Lumpur. MM2H homeowners tend to cluster around prime districts in the Malaysian capital. Photo: AFP

Chinese buyers top the list in Malaysia’s MM2H golden visa scheme

While Chinese nationals lead the pack, Malaysia’s tourism minister also cites interest from the US, UK, Australia and Bangladesh.

4 Feb 2026 - 3:35PM

As Japan’s Takaichi eyes big election win, will China stance shift?

4 Feb 2026 - 12:05PMvideocam

‘People are so polite’: why do Russian spies find Japan such an easy target?

3 Feb 2026 - 5:21PM

Thai police arrest 2 Russian men over ‘heinous’ dismemberment of fellow national

Two Russians have been accused of murdering Mikhail Emelianov after his body parts were found across abandoned land near Pattaya.

2 Feb 2026 - 8:32PM

Two Russians have been arrested in Thailand in connection with a “heinous” crime after the dismembered body of a 30-year-old fellow national was found in scrubland near Pattaya. Photo: Handout

Agency defends South Korean star Kim Seon-ho over tax evasion claims

Kim is accused of running a one-man family company to inflate corporate expenses and potentially reduce tax liabilities.

2 Feb 2026 - 4:52PM

Malaysia’s PM brushes off Epstein speculation with queasy emoji post

Anwar Ibrahim has rubbished an old email describing him as a potential ‘gold mine’, insisting he had no connection to the US sex offender.

2 Feb 2026 - 1:40PM

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Indonesian woman collapses after 140 lashes for sex and alcohol

Three female officers took turns striking the woman with a rattan cane before she lost consciousness, witnesses said.

2 Feb 2026 - 12:08PMvideocam

The woman reacts while being publicly caned by a member of the sharia police in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

A tale of two cities: Singapore, Hong Kong and their contrasting paths

Historian Wang Gungwu reflects on how political legacies have shaped Hong Kong and Singapore, two of Asia’s economic ‘tigers’.

2 Feb 2026 - 5:07PM

Meet the PM candidates vying for leadership in Thailand

Reformers, conservatives and populists face off in the coming election with lofty promises to fix the country’s economy and political system.

1 Feb 2026 - 12:00PM

Will young Malaysians play a key role in next election through swing votes?

Gen Z voters are more concerned about practical policies than party ideology, analysts say.

31 Jan 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Voters wait in line at a polling station during Malaysia’s 15th general election on November 19, 2022, in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: TNS

In his Singapore book launch, Wang Gungwu recounts own journey through history

Wang says in his book that there are no borders between civilisations and that the past provides the ‘guideposts to the future’.

30 Jan 2026 - 11:34PM

Australian sinologist Wang Gungwu (left), speaking about his new book “In No Borders: Journeys Across Islands and Continents” at its launch in Singapore on Thursday. Photo: Jean Iau

Singapore court rules man, 97, mentally fit to marry mistress

The widower, who had an extramarital affair with his secretary since 1971, has filed separate lawsuits against his second son and grandson.

29 Jan 2026 - 4:13PM

Why ‘rampant baby trafficking’ is a growing concern in Indonesia, Singapore

Analysts warn the driving factor for the rise in baby trafficking is the ‘lure of the Singapore dollar’, urging authorities to step up vigilance.

29 Jan 2026 - 5:44PMvideocam

Will North Korea compensate Japanese citizens lured into ‘paradise on Earth’?

A Tokyo court has ordered Pyongyang to pay damages, but the plaintiffs are now bracing for a long fight to enforce the ruling.

29 Jan 2026 - 8:18AM

Plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters gather outside the Tokyo District Court after winning its decision ordering North Korea to pay damages over its decades-long human rights violations after luring them to move to the North by Pyongyang’s false promises of living in “paradise on Earth”, on Monday in Japan. Photo: AP

Would you intervene? Singapore train-spitting case spotlights bystander culture

A viral MRT incident has revived debate over whether Singaporeans should intervene when disorderly behaviour plays out in public.

28 Jan 2026 - 6:40PMvideocam

Screengrab from a viral video of a woman spitting out water on the floor and at passengers on an MTR train in Singapore. Photo: Instagram / summeryeow0573

The Philippines

Filipino’s death fuels concern over coercive recruitment in Ukraine war

Observers say the case of John Patrick reflects human exploitation and the structural pressure on Russia’s manpower resources.

30 Jan 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Why 25 years after Tokyo rail tragedy, ‘drunk passenger’ problem still persists

The 2001 tragedy, where two men died trying to rescue a drunk passenger, spurred a series of upgrades, including installation of platform doors.

27 Jan 2026 - 9:01AM

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Corruption suspect’s wheelchair court appearance sparks mockery in Malaysia

The wife of a former army chief was seen walking before later using a wheelchair in court, prompting cynical social media commentary.

26 Jan 2026 - 5:36PMvideocam

Former Malaysian army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan’s wife, Salwani Anuar, is escorted in a wheelchair by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers at the Kuala Lumpur Court on January 22. She and her husband are facing multiple charges under Malaysia’s anti-money-laundering law.
Photo: EPA — Former Malaysian army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan’s wife, Salwani Anuar, is escorted in a wheelchair by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers at the Kuala Lumpur Court on January 22. She and her husband are facing multiple charges under Malaysia’s anti-money-laundering law. Photo: EPA

Thailand’s Pita hopes to rise again through reformist People’s Party successor

The former leader was blocked from leading government and banned from politics after his party stunned the ruling elite in 2023.

26 Jan 2026 - 7:53PMvideocam

The Philippines

‘Bitter fruits’: why the Philippines faces a 10-year climb to fix its schools

Its ‘historic’ US$23 billion education budget might not be enough to close long-standing gaps, experts say.

26 Jan 2026 - 4:07PMvideocam

Groomed at 15: Indonesian actress lays bare her stolen youth in viral memoir

Aurelie Moeremans’ book has sparked a national debate in Indonesia on how a teenager could be manipulated and abused in plain sight.

25 Jan 2026 - 11:52AM

Indonesian actress Aurelie Moeremans’ memoir, “Broken Strings: Fragments of Stolen Youth”, details her experience of being groomed as a teenager. Photo: Handout

3 children accused of setting man on fire in Thailand for a video

The suspects, aged just nine to 15, allegedly doused the sleeping man in liquid and filmed him as the flames erupted.

23 Jan 2026 - 5:44PM

An incident involving three children who allegedly set a man on fire under a bridge in Prawet, Bangkok, on Monday was caught on video. Photo: Facebook

‘So fake’: viral Lisa image for Thai tourism fuels AI concerns

The image of K-pop star Lisa Manobal framed against blooms of the Red Lotus Sea has sparked a meme wave and debate about AI in creative work.

23 Jan 2026 - 4:27PM

K-drama star Cha Eun-woo’s ad campaigns pulled amid tax scrutiny in South Korea

The actor is contesting an additional tax assessment of more than US$13 million tied to a company registered under his mother’s name.

23 Jan 2026 - 4:09PMvideocam

Rohingya refugees at risk of removal as Malaysia begins biometric documentation

Rohingya are often undocumented as Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognise them as a legitimate community.

22 Jan 2026 - 4:52PMvideocam

A wooden boat carrying suspected Rohingya migrants is detained in waters off the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, in 2020. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP

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