5 d. ago New index reveals alarming online risks facing Southeast Asia’s children

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events

5 d. ago Southeast Asia’s children face alarming online risks, new index reveals

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events

7 d. ago Can Thailand’s tourism recover from a drop in Chinese arrivals?

Once a bright spot in the economy, Thailand’s tourism sector appears to be losing its shine. Even with an expected bump in foreign arrivals during the peak travel season at the end of the year, the country’s main tourism body still expects just 33.4 million visitors for 2025, an almost 6 per cent drop from 35.5 million last year. That’s the first decline in a decade outside the pandemic, and underscores the country’s challenge in trying to revive tourist arrivals, which remain below pre-Covid...

Politics

9 d. ago Australia’s youth social media ban will stream away safety, YouTube warns

Australia’s push to ban children from social media was “well intentioned”, but would not make them safer online, video streaming giant YouTube warned on Monday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year unveiled landmark laws that will ban under-16s from social media by the end of 2025. Popular platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram face heavy fines for flouting the laws. YouTube, which will also fall under the ban, has argued that it is not a social media platform and should receive...

Events

3 w. ago US to Southeast Asian chipmakers: move production to America or face tariffs

Semiconductor manufacturers in Southeast Asia must shift production to the US or face punitive tariffs, Washington’s top trade official warned on Thursday, saying tariffs “are the solution” if trade talks with regional governments fail to deliver results. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer delivered the message in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Greer’s comments came as members of the regional bloc raced to secure better...

Politics

3 w. ago Singapore gives Meta deadline to fight scams as US$776,400 fine looms

The Singapore government has ordered Meta to put in place measures such as facial recognition to curb Facebook impersonation scams in the first such directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA). Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has until September 30 to comply. Apart from implementing enhanced facial recognition measures, it is also required to prioritise the review of end-user reports from Singapore to reduce scam advertisements, accounts, profiles and/or business pages...

Events

4 w. ago Mother of children discovered in New Zealand suitcases found guilty of murder

A New Zealand mother was found guilty on Tuesday of killing her two children and stashing their bodies in suitcases. The case of Hakyung Lee drew international headlines after the remains of her two young children were discovered inside luggage bought at a storage unit auction in the city of Auckland in August 2022. The accused, a New Zealand citizen originally from South Korea, was extradited from her home country following a police investigation that identified her as the mother of the dead...

Events

4 w. ago South Korean woman found guilty of murdering children discovered in suitcases

A mother in New Zealand was found guilty on Tuesday of killing her two children and stashing their bodies in suitcases after a trial that drew international attention. Hakyung Lee, 45, was extradited from Seoul in 2022 after the remains of her children were discovered in suitcases that had been left at a storage unit in south Auckland. Authorities believe they had been dead for three to four years before their bodies were found. The children, Yuna Jo and Minu Jo, were aged eight and six at the...

Events