Asia - South China Morning Post

Australia, with its stable political and economic landscape, is likely to attract more property investors from Hong Kong and mainland China in the coming year, according to agents.

The luxury property segment of the world’s sixth-largest country is also expected to see increased interest from affluent investors looking for cost-efficient safe havens amid changes in the immigration and residency requirements of the US and the UK, among other jurisdictions.

“For many years, Australia has been a...

The abuse of a sedative-laced vape liquid called “zombie cigarettes” has been increasing among youths in southern Japan, with investigative authorities stepping up vigilance against its potential spread nationwide.

By the end of September, 10 people, mostly in their teens and 20s, had been arrested in Okinawa prefecture for possessing etomidate. In May, the Japanese government designated the substance, which is known to depress cerebellar neuronal activity essential for body coordination, as a...

When the cherry blossoms fail to bloom on cue or a lunch menu falls short of expectations, teachers in Japan know what to expect: a barrage of late-night emails, angry phone calls and, increasingly, a sense of despair.

The problem has reached such proportions that authorities in Tokyo are planning official guidelines intended to protect educators from parental harassment and establish boundaries around what schools can be asked to do.

According to a draft released this month by the Tokyo...

Baumkuchen originated in Germany but has become a wildly popular sweet in Japan, where a prisoner of war on a small western island started making the treat that has thrived in its new homeland.

Today, the confectionery known as “tree cake” because of the resemblance to a trunk with rings is considered a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Japan, where Baumkuchen festivals are regularly held.

Japanese adaptations, including those using matcha and sweet potatoes, are popular gifts at weddings...

A landslide on Indonesia’s Java island killed at least 11 people, an official said on Saturday, updating a previous tally as rescuers scrambled to find 12 others who were still missing.

The landslide, caused by heavy rainfall, hit three villages in Central Java province on Thursday, burying some houses and damaging others.

“As of Saturday afternoon, the number of victims who were found dead is 11, while 12 more are still being searched for,” said local search and rescue chief Muhammad...

In a recording studio in Dhaka, voice-over artist Rubaiya Matin Gity dubs the latest Turkish soap opera to become a megahit in Bangladesh – a pop culture trend that reflects growing ties between the two countries.

“Yasmeen! Yasmeen! I have fallen in love ...” the 32-year-old actor cried in Bangla, her eyes fixed on the screen playing new episodes of the Turkish drama Kara Sevda, or Endless Love, which has captivated millions of viewers in the South Asian nation.

The success of Turkish shows,...

Bangladesh is bracing itself for a landmark court verdict on Monday that could see its self-exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, with the case potentially fuelling an already combustible political climate ahead of national elections.

The outcome could either deliver long-awaited justice for the 1,400 people killed during a brutal crackdown last year or spark a repeat of the chaos, according to analysts.

Hasina, 78, fled to India in August 2024 after...

Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, opened positions in two of China’s leading autonomous driving companies in the third quarter of this year.

The state-owned company bought about 1.4 million shares of WeRide and 14,500 shares of Pony.ai in the September quarter, according to its 13F filings released on Friday. The total value of the shares was around US$13.7 million.

Temasek has a history of investing in autonomous driving companies. These included...

Once awash with venture capital, Asia’s start-up ecosystem is now weathering a deep freeze as investors reassess their risk exposure amid global economic uncertainty and China’s growth slowdown.

For regional entrepreneurs, the flight of risk capital has turned into a crisis, with funds seeking refuge in safer markets. Malaysian venture capitalists told This Week in Asia that fierce competition for a dwindling pool of funds had become the new normal.

“What winter? It’s the constant weather here,”...

Protesters in Pokemon costumes stomped around the United Nations climate conference on Friday to send a message to Japan: end financing of coal and natural gas projects across Southeast Asia and other regions of the Global South.

The Stop Japan’s Dirty Energy Plans protest aligned with the first of two thematic days with a focus on energy during the annual climate conference known as Cop30, held this year in Belem on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon.

Organisers of the protest said the...