South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung marked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s state visit with an AI-generated video animating their shared past as factory workers, before the two men embraced as heads of state.
Lula arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day trip – his first to South Korea in 21 years – with the two countries agreeing at a summit on Monday to elevate ties to a strategic partnership.
The 11-second clip, posted to Lee’s social media account on Monday, begins with…
Malaysian police arrest student for desecrating Koran in viral social media post
Malaysia’s Communications Ministry has ordered an investigation and immediate action following a social media post showing the desecration of the Koran.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government strongly condemned the act, describing it as disrespectful, insulting to Islam and a challenge to the sensitivities of Malaysia’s multiracial society.
He said enforcement action had been directed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has…
Judgment clarifies when third-parties can intervene in South African mergers
A recent judgment by the Constitutional Court of South Africa has clarified when a third party can intervene during mergers under the Competition Act.
Sabah quake strongest to hit Malaysia in 11 years, tremors felt in Singapore
The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Sabah early Monday morning is the strongest to hit Malaysia in over a decade.
Malaysian Meteorological Department Director General Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said that based on the department’s records, the previous strongest earthquake in the country occurred on June 5, 2015, in Ranau, Sabah.
The 6.0-magnitude temblor in Ranau claimed 18 lives and is still regarded as one of the most notable earthquakes in the country’s history.
According to…
US-Indonesia deal threatens China’s ‘entrenched position’ in nickel market: analysts
China will accelerate investment in alternative nickel supply sources and strengthen its role across the metal’s wider supply chain, analysts said, after the United States finalised a deal with Indonesia on Thursday that will give America unrestricted access to the country’s industrial commodities.
While the US Supreme Court’s tariff ruling last week could add some uncertainty to US-Indonesia trade, the agreement has the potential to reshape the global supply chain for nickel – a metal used to…
Unlocking contractual freedom and dispute resolution in China’s GBA
Fuelled by foreign investment and innovation, the GBA economy’s growth means more business transactions and cross-border deals, which had led to more contracts and disputes requiring resolution.
Chinese shoppers are Asia’s biggest airport spenders, study finds
Chinese travellers are outspending their Asian peers at the region’s airports in search of gifts, food and luxury purchases, a trade association has found.
Passengers from China have led the recovery in Asia’s airport retail since the Covid-19 pandemic, spending twice the regional average on luxury goods, according to a study by the Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East released earlier this month.
China’s travellers have logged the “highest spend per passenger of any…
China’s C909 jet gets international uplift with funding for adoptive airline
China’s leading planemaker is redoubling its efforts to boost the international profile of its home-grown jets in 2026, injecting a sizeable amount of capital into a subsidiary carrier as it attempts to widen its planes’ coverage area and attract more overseas buyers.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), manufacturer of the C909 regional airliner and the company’s flagship narrowbody C919, recently infused 634 million yuan (US$91.76 million) into C909 launch customer…
Thailand sees Lunar New Year travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves
Resorts are near capacity in Pattaya, Bangkok restaurants are doing a roaring trade and the strict time slots to visit the Louis Vuitton pop-up “hotel” in the Thai capital are fully booked.
As this year’s Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close, Thailand’s tourist businesses are totting up the receipts from what many hope will be an enduring rebound in Chinese visitors.
More than 30,000 Chinese visitors have arrived each day since the start of January. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)…
Ancient Chinese astrology gets a Gen Z rebrand in Southeast Asia
Yik Wai Chee doesn’t think of himself as a believer.
The 33-year-old senior executive at a Malaysia-based AI company is the kind of person who deals in data and decision-making frameworks, not destiny.
Yet for years, he has consulted bazi, the ancient Chinese system of elemental forecasting, as a kind of strategic gut check on his life.
“For me, it is just a long-term ‘luck check’ to see if there are general strategies I can adapt to get through some life challenges,” he said. “If it doesn’t…