Indonesian man killed by rooster’s blade during cockfight in Bali

A man has died after being fatally struck by a rooster’s blade at a cockfight in Bali, marking the second deadly incident linked to such events on the Indonesian island in recent weeks and prompting renewed scrutiny of the practice.
The victim, identified as I Nengah Sudana, aged about 50, was attending a tajen, or traditional Balinese cockfight, in the city of Denpasar on Sunday afternoon when the incident occurred.
Local media reported that one of the roosters, which had been outfitted with a…

Strangulation murder of 6-year-old boy stuns Malaysia

A six-year-old boy in Malaysia whose body was found buried in a shallow grave by a roadside in a district in Pahang last week died after being strangled, police said on Wednesday.
The boy was reported missing from his home in Iskandar Puteri, Johor – more than 200km away – on July 24. His body was discovered two days later, following the arrest of his 36-year-old father.
His death has shocked Malaysians, with the arrest of his father over the alleged murder adding grim interest to the…

Does Chinese privilege exist in Singapore? Study finds views differ by age, race

Das still remembers an offhand remark from a former colleague who, upon seeing his hairy legs, said that they resembled a monkey’s.
For the 30-year-old ethnic Indian Singaporean postgraduate student, who spoke to This Week in Asia under a pseudonym, the comment reflected a kind of casual insensitivity he said he had encountered as a racial minority in Singapore.
“I would ascribe the confidence of saying such things without having to endure a blowback or to blow it off as a joke to Chinese…

Thailand-Cambodia row benefits Bali, as tourists trade temples for beaches

The tourism industry in Indonesia’s holiday hotspot Bali is preparing for a potential influx of travellers who are re-routing their holidays from Thailand, spooked by the recent border conflict with Cambodia, even though a fragile ceasefire is now in place.
Local officials and hotel operators have reported early signs of shifting travel patterns as global tourists seek out safer alternatives in Southeast Asia, according to I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya, deputy chair of the Indonesian…

Inflation, political turmoil won’t put investors off Japanese property

Japan has entered a period of profound change. Inflation has returned after decades of deflation and stagnation. Japan’s relations with the United States, which helped underpin the post-war global order, have deteriorated dramatically. A culturally homogenous nation is experiencing an epic boom in tourism.
More surprisingly, a country renowned for political stability is at risk from the anti-establishment populism that has upended politics in other advanced economies.
The ruling Liberal…

‘Terrible’: Sara Duterte impeachment ruling sparks Philippine constitutional row

Monday’s opening of the Philippines’ Congress has been thrown into chaos by a Supreme Court ruling that effectively killed the long-awaited impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The Supreme Court’s decision, delivered late on Friday, quashed the Senate’s long-delayed trial on a technicality, ruling that the impeachment violated the constitutional “one-year rule” against multiple proceedings within a year for the same official.
The fallout has cast a pall over what would…

Brave migrant workers rescue woman from Singapore sinkhole

Migrant workers in Singapore have been praised for their quick action in saving a woman after her car was swallowed by a sinkhole.
Social media videos showed a three-metre (10-foot) deep sinkhole suddenly appearing on Saturday evening along Tanjong Katong Road in the eastern part of the city state, causing a black Mazda to topple sideways into the hole.
Immediately afterwards, nearby construction workers can be seen in the footage rushing to the woman’s rescue. One worker leans into the sinkhole…