2 h. ago Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in...

Politics

9 h. ago Experts Warn of Tool China Is Using To Play ‘Long Game’ in New Cold War

Experts Warn of Tool China Is Using To Play ‘Long Game’ in New Cold War  AMAC - The Association of Mature American Citizens

Events

17 h. ago Bali mulls Airbnb ban to put a lid on revenue leak, overtourism

Bali is considering a ban on Airbnb’s accommodation, its latest attempt to impose order on a resort island struggling to cope with a record surge in tourism. Use of Airbnb-style rentals has exploded in recent years, eroding tax revenue from hotels even as foreign arrivals boom, Bali Governor I Wayan Koster told state news agency Antara. The proliferation of unregistered villas and guest houses in turn hampers the government’s ability to raise revenue to fund public services, he was quoted as...

Society

19 h. ago 2025/99 "RedNote’s Success and Beijing’s Soft Power in Southeast Asia" by Wang Zheng

2025/99 "RedNote’s Success and Beijing’s Soft Power in Southeast Asia" by Wang Zheng  ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute

Politics

20 h. ago US senators seek ban on Nvidia’s advanced chips to China, experts warn ‘shortsighted’ move further erodes Nvidia’s back into Chinese market

US senators seek ban on Nvidia’s advanced chips to China, experts warn ‘shortsighted’ move further erodes Nvidia’s back into Chinese market  Global Times

Events

24 h. ago Japan weighs plan to punish sex buyers, but will it be enough?

A campaigner who has been calling for changes in the law in Japan to allow the prosecution of men who pay for sex has welcomed reports that the government is finally considering the proposal. Experts warn, however, that an industry known as “the world’s oldest profession” will always find a way to circumvent new regulations and that the problem needs to be tackled from a number of angles simultaneously. In response to a question from independent Diet member Rintaro Ogata on November 11, Prime...

Politics

34 h. ago Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

Indonesian authorities on Thursday named a Chinese executive of a metal smelting company as a suspect in a caesium-137 contamination case that resulted in the recall of some exports to the US. Lin Jingzhang, who is a director of PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT), has been designated as a suspect, Bara Hasibuan, a spokesperson for the investigating task force, said. “The Certain Crimes Directorate of the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit has named Lin Jingzhang, a citizen of...

Politics

35 h. ago China risks emissions rebound amid policy shifts, experts warn

China risks emissions rebound amid policy shifts, experts warn  Climate Home News

Events

40 h. ago In wake of Hong Kong blaze, Southeast Asia’s fire hazards come under scrutiny

Last year, Mutalib Uthman was forced to look on helplessly as his house burned to the ground and all his possessions were incinerated in a wall of flames and thick, black smoke. The book publisher from Selangor said a faulty fuse box on the lower floor sparked the blaze inside his home in Bandar Baru Bangi. His two-storey house in the town near Putrajaya was destroyed quickly despite a neighbour trying to help with a fire extinguisher. “The box was inside the store room, which was full of unused...

Events

48 h. ago Manslaughter hard to prove in Hong Kong fire amid regulatory gaps, experts warn

Shortcomings in Hong Kong’s building regulations could complicate efforts to prove manslaughter in the Tai Po housing estate blaze that killed 159 people, according to legal and construction experts. Police have arrested 21 people so far, including 15 for alleged manslaughter, after authorities found flammable foam panels and nets that were not flame-retardant on the scaffolding that covered the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court, which had been under renovation since July last year. The blaze at...

Events

63 h. ago Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

More than 1,400 people have been killed across South and Southeast Asia in a week of catastrophic floods, exposing how rising global temperatures are amplifying extreme weather, even as international negotiations to phase out fossil fuels stall. Successive storms, cyclones and relentless rains have triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, overwhelming local authorities already operating at the limits of their capacity. While...

Events

66 h. ago Thais in good spirits after government lifts ban on afternoon alcohol sales

Thailand on Wednesday relaxed decades-old alcohol sales restrictions, allowing consumers to buy wine, beer and spirits during previously prohibited afternoon hours in a six-month trial. The predominantly Buddhist country still maintains strict alcohol laws, limiting sales to specific hours and banning them on religious holidays. Liquor stores, bars and other purveyors were banned from selling alcohol from 2pm to 5pm, but the eased rules permit sales from 11am to midnight during the trial while a...

Politics

68 h. ago Search for Malaysia’s MH370 resumes in Indian Ocean after over a decade

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume on December 30, Malaysia’s transport ministry said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the China-bound flight disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014. Multiple search operations for the plane have been conducted since then but all proved fruitless. The most recent search in the...

Politics

68 h. ago Search for Malaysia’s MH370 resumes in Indian Ocean after more than a decade

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume on December 30, Malaysia’s transport ministry said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the China-bound flight disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014. Multiple search operations for the plane have been conducted since then but all proved fruitless. The most recent search in the...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese involvement stalls Manila Bay bridge project due to security fears

The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals were “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, Manila’s public works department said in a statement on...

Events

3 d. ago How a husband’s secret life between Singapore and Malaysia was exposed

A man who had been married for 15 years secretly wed again in Sarawak, Malaysia, and fathered two more children, all the while keeping this second family from his wife and two kids in Singapore. Ng Teong Min’s deception lasted 30 years from 1995 until August this year, when a whistle-blower exposed his double life in an email to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. The 67-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence of bigamy and was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail on Tuesday. Ng,...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Unconstitutional’: Mahathir reports PM Anwar to police over Trump trade deal

Mahathir Mohamad has lodged a police report against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim regarding the Reciprocal Trade Agreement (ART) between Malaysia and the United States. According to Sinar Harian, the former prime minister claimed that Anwar’s actions were taken without the full mandate of the entities meant to represent the Federation of Malaysia. “The agreement is not valid because he [Anwar] is not the sole representative of the Federation. Such agreements should require the consent of four...

Events

3 d. ago AirAsia boss says ‘bizarre’ Airbus glitch a ‘good warning’ to industry

AirAsia Aviation Group, one of Airbus’ largest customers of single-aisle jets, says testing protocols for aircraft software need to be re-examined in the wake of the weekend glitch that required an urgent update. Tony Fernandes, the founder of the Southeast Asian carrier, said it was likely the software was not thoroughly tested. “It seems a bit bizarre, it is something it has to look at, it’s obvious it wasn’t tested,” Fernandes said in an interview on Tuesday. “I’m not an expert but it failed...

Events

4 d. ago Chinese national jailed in Singapore for attempted rape of ex

A PhD student who attempted to rape his former housemate after his repeated advances were rejected was sentenced to jail and caning in Singapore on Monday. Gao Xiong, a 31-year-old Chinese national, will be imprisoned for six years, six months and six weeks, and receive three strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to four charges which include attempted rape and criminal trespass, with another three charges taken into consideration. The court heard that Gao was completing his PhD studies in...

Events

4 d. ago Soldiers deployed in Sri Lanka, Indonesia as Asian flood toll approaches 1,000

Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four countries in Asia in recent days. Separate weather systems brought torrential, extended rainfall to the entire island of Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week. Arriving in North Sumatra on Monday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the government’s “priority now is how to...

Events