Asia - South China Morning Post

A major immigration corruption scandal could mar Indonesia’s ambition to entice foreign funds and high-skilled workers, according to observers, further tanking investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

The country’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last week arrested eight high-ranking immigration officials, including then deputy minister Silmy Karim, for allegedly extorting foreigners seeking residency and work permits in Indonesia. KPK also detained nine visa agents...

Investors across Asia have been largely shut out of the world’s largest-ever initial public offering, which has forced them to find creative ways to make bets on SpaceX’s US$75 billion global spectacle.

With no direct access to the IPO, traders from Seoul to Shanghai are piling into companies along the space supply chain, industry-themed exchange-traded funds (ETF) and Nasdaq 100 Index-tracking funds in hopes of eventually capturing some of the gains that many expect once SpaceX shares hit the...

A South Korean court sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for sending military drones into North Korea, saying he planned the action as pretext for his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024.

The drone flights two months before Yoon suspended civilian rule had sparked anger in North Korea, which accused the South of dropping propaganda leaflets as well.

Judges said Yoon intended to provoke Pyongyang “into carrying out armed or equivalent acts against South...

The Philippines has a rare opening to turn its geography, skilled workers and deepening ties with Japan into a stronger maritime industrial base, but analysts say Manila’s push to make shipbuilding a strategic industry will be judged by whether fresh investment can produce lasting capacity.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gave that drive a concrete boost on June 3 when he ordered the addition of 64 hectares (158 acres) to the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP), one of the country’s key shipbuilding...

Ohin Construction, its managing director and several employees were charged on Thursday over alleged lapses linked to the sinkhole that appeared in Singapore’s Tanjong Katong neighbourhood in July last year.

The company faces eight charges, mostly under the Building Control Act, Workplace Safety and Health Act and Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) regulations.

Its managing director, 64-year-old Ivan Ong Khiaw Yang, and six others were also charged in relation to the case.

A car...

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the king’s eldest daughter, has died at the age of 47, the royal palace announced on Friday, more than three years after she slipped into a coma following a sudden illness.

She was suffering from an abdominal infection and “her condition continued to worsen” until she “passed away peacefully” on Thursday evening, the Bureau of the Royal Household said in a statement.

The late princess will lie in state at the Grand Palace in Bangkok and her funeral will be...

China’s ports continued to dominate global efficiency rankings in 2025, with seven Chinese trade hubs placing in the top 10, according to a study by the World Bank and S&P Global released on Wednesday.

The latest edition of the annual report comes at a time when ports are playing a more vital role in the global economy than ever, as facilities strive to handle intense disruptions to global supply chains amid the aftermath of the Red Sea crisis and the ongoing fallout from the US-Israel war on...

A spate of agreements Nvidia has reached with South Korean companies presents a long-term road map for the country to expand its role in the semiconductor and physical AI industries, observers say.

The most significant deal Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made during his whirlwind three-day trip to Seoul that ended on Sunday was with SK Telecom to build AI infrastructure, including factories.

An AI factory is a data centre running an end-to-end operational system that continuously collects and processes...

A Malaysian mother of two broke down in tears as she begged for leniency from the sharia High Court in Melaka for attempting to have sex with another woman’s husband last year.

According to Sinar Harian, the accused, Siti Iqbar Mazlan, 35, during the proceedings before Judge Abu Bakar Daud on Thursday said that she regretted her actions and also apologised to the man’s wife, Puteri Norfatimah Ishak, 25.

According to the charges, Siti Iqbar and Hairul Mokhsin Zaini, 24, were found to have...

The Philippine Senate’s political crisis has spilled into cyberspace after its official website went offline on Thursday following its defacement with a warning accusing lawmakers of betraying public trust.

“The people deserve truth. The people deserve accountability. The people deserve better. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect Us,” the message said, using a closing phrase long associated with the global hacktivist collective Anonymous.

The incident comes as the Senate remains locked...