8 h. ago UK, US freeze London assets tied to Southeast Asia scam empire

UK, US freeze London assets tied to Southeast Asia scam empire  The Real Deal

Politics

15 h. ago Man investigated for failing to declare £22,000 worth of Pokémon cards at Singapore airport

Pokémon trading cards have surged in value in recent years

Economics

18 h. ago Hot ash sent six miles high as Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts again

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is erupting for a second straight day

Politics

21 h. ago Chinese businessmen ‘built London property empire from huge romance scam’

Chinese businessmen ‘built London property empire from huge romance scam’  The Telegraph

Politics

42 h. ago Indonesia nearly doubles allowance for lawmakers weeks after public protests against perks

Government says ‘recess allowance’ hike necessitated by increase in food and transportation costs

Events

57 h. ago The Guardian view on the online scam industry: authorities must not forget that perpetrators are often victims too | Editorial

A lucrative sector is spreading fast as criminal enterprises force abused and trafficked workers to cheat othersA Chinese court last month sentenced 11 people to death over their roles in a illegal scam empire along the border with Myanmar. But it won’t end a noxious multibillion-dollar industry that devastates the lives of two sets of victims. The first are those cheated out of money, often by people posing as potential romantic or business partners in what are known as “pig‑butchering” schemes. The second are those who are forced to cheat them, working in conditions amounting to modern slavery.The recent study, Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds, by Ivan Franceschini, Ling Li and Mark Bo, paints a terrifying picture of the sector. Workers are trafficked into heavily guarded, prison-like compounds, where they are routinely abused and tortured for failing to meet targets, or extorted for ransoms. Others take the jobs willingly, but find that they cannot repay ru...

Events

5 d. ago Indonesia denies visa to Israeli gymnastics team amid Gaza outcry

Indonesia to bar Israeli athletes from gymnastics world championships in Jakarta

Politics

5 d. ago Philippines earthquake latest: Two dead and tsunami warnings lifted after powerful 7.4

Officials are telling people to ‘immediately evacuate to higher grounds until further notice’

Events

5 d. ago Philippines earthquake live: Tsunami warning issued and people fleeing coastlines after 7.6

Officials are telling people to ‘immediately evacuate to higher grounds until further notice’ as tsunami warnings are extended

Events

7 d. ago ‘Sensationally damning’: Malaysian football rocked by naturalisation scandal

Seven national-team players, including one from La Liga, have been suspended by Fifa over claims of cheatingThere hasn’t been that much to smile about for Malaysian football fans in recent years, so there was real jubilation among the 60,000 home spectators upon the final whistle in Kuala Lumpur on on 10 June. A 4-0 win over regional rivals Vietnam not just kept the Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) on course for the 2027 Asian Cup but well and truly confirmed they were dining back at the top table in southeast Asia. Four months later, they are still the talk of the region of 650 million people, but not in a good way.The story starts, as it does increasingly in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) football these days, with naturalisation. In January, the crown prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim football club, and former president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), wrote on social media: “We have identified 6-7 heritage p...

Politics

8 d. ago The faces of Asia's 'dirty old white men' are being plastered online. I have no sympathy for them

There's a new breed of tourist wandering through Asia. No, not the middle-aged men with sweaty foreheads and wedding rings stuffed into their wallets, but something just as self-serving.

Events

8 d. ago Thailand hopes beauty pageants and races can keep this humble farm animal from being wiped out

Century-old festival celebrates the ‘kwai’, or the Thai water buffalo

Politics

8 d. ago Indonesia school collapse: 61 students dead as rescuers find more bodies

The ceiling of a prayer hall caved in at an Islamic boarding school last week

Events

9 d. ago Malaysian cop’s call to punish girls in statutory rape cases slammed by rights groups

Remark made by Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat has drawn sharp criticism

Events

1 week ago Indonesia school collapse death toll jumps to 36 as desperate search reaches seventh day

The death toll following the collapse of an Islamic boarding school has reached 36

Events

1 week ago Country blocks TikTok’s licence, potentially jeopardising 100 million accounts

TikTok temporarily suspended its live feature during recent protests

Economics

1 week ago Indonesia’s radioactive shrimp case threatens livelihood of millions

Indonesia is the world's fifth largest shrimp exporter

Events

1 week ago British tourist faces death penalty after being arrested for drug smuggling in Thailand

Thai police allege George Wilson, 23, received suitcase containing narcotics from another Briton to deliver it abroad

Events

2 w. ago The Independent’s Aung San Suu Kyi film recognised for ‘outstanding excellence’ in documentary awards

Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi has been recognised for ‘outstanding excellence’ by Documentaries Without Borders

Events

2 w. ago London tax bombshell: 170,000 would be hit by stealth income threshold freeze extension

Rachel Reeves admitted during the Labour Party Conference that she no longer stands by her pledge last year not to raise taxes

Events