Asia - South China Morning Post

The rate of Chinese wealth entering Singapore through family offices is reportedly slowing, but observers say the financial hub is not expected to lose out substantially as long as it can continue to attract the right kind of money.

Last week, American business news outlet CNBC reported that Singapore’s attractiveness as a wealth hub was weakening, with applications from Chinese clients to set up family offices or relocate wealth to the city state currently dropping by 50 per cent compared with...

The youngest son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has filed criminal charges against four cabinet secretaries and several senior officials, accusing them of “kidnapping” his father and spiriting him to The Hague to face crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court.

But legal scholars and political insiders contend the case is a thinly veiled attempt by the Duterte camp to derail the appointment of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla as the...

Laos’ ambition to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” has left the country awash with surplus electricity, but burdened by soaring debts from a decades-long dam-building spree.

Now, in a bid to turn this excess into economic gain, the government is embracing the energy-intensive business of cryptocurrency mining – drawing both international intrigue and local controversy.

The multibillion-dollar business of digital asset mining, which rewards participants with tokens such as bitcoin for...

The way people eat, make nutritional decisions and monitor health is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation in Asia. Artificial intelligence (AI), wearables and online applications are reshaping the food landscape, embedding personalised nutrition services into daily life.

From WeChat’s nutrition-tracking mini-programmes to Grab’s food delivery algorithms helping users discover healthier options, digital platforms are becoming sophisticated intelligent systems that help advance...

Malaysian police have arrested three men on suspicion of poaching a critically endangered Malayan tiger, after the animal’s carcass was discovered inside the boot of a car in the southern state of Johor.

The grisly discovery was made during a joint operation by the Bukit Aman Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and the Johor Department of Wildlife and National Parks on Tuesday morning in Felda Tenggaroh, Mersing.

In a statement on social media, the FRU said its intelligence unit had inspected a Perodua...

The Philippines must move decisively beyond routine diplomatic protests in the face of China’s latest assertion of control over Scarborough Shoal, a retired Supreme Court justice has warned, as Beijing’s declaration of a vast marine nature reserve in contested waters deepens fears over regional stability and Philippine sovereignty.

“China’s declaration raises the issue of what state has sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc – the Philippines or China,” Antonio Carpio, an ex-Supreme Court senior...

India can seize an opportunity to reset its ties with Nepal and strengthen regional stability following the leadership shake-up in Kathmandu sparked by the Gen Z-led protests, according to analysts.

But they warn that any such move by India must avoid triggering perceptions of “big brother” interference – a legacy of its past interventions in South Asia that have pushed Nepal and Bangladesh closer to China.

The recent unrest in Nepal led to the resignation of prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli last...

For the first time in a quarter-century of independent prosecutions, a sitting South Korean lawmaker has been arrested amid a corruption scandal that has shaken the nation’s political and religious establishments to their core.

Kweon Seong-dong – a towering figure in the conservative People Power Party and a close confidant of impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol – has been detained on charges of accepting illicit funds from the Unification Church.

Kweon, a five-term lawmaker and former...

US President Donald Trump sparred with an Australian journalist over his personal wealth during an exchange on the White House lawn, where he also appeared to confirm plans to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at next week’s United Nations summit.

When asked Tuesday by an Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter how much richer he had become since returning to office, Trump replied, “I don’t know”, noting his children handle the family business and that “most of the deals that I’ve made...

A new coalition of Filipino content creators has pledged to expose corruption and demand accountability, extending the digital crusade that has seen so-called nepo babies of the country’s elite publicly shamed for flaunting allegedly ill-gotten wealth.

The group – dubbed Creators Against Corruption (CAC) – formally launched in Pasig City on Thursday. Its members, who range from tech reviewers to horror storytellers, say their goal is to transform social media into a force for civic action amid...