While China clamps down on cross-border gambling, countries in Southeast Asia are looking to corner more offshore gaming capital. Online gambling is illegal in mainland China and Beijing wants to crack down on cross-border gambling because it is morally corrupt, and a venue for capital flight and money laundering. But Chinese revenue has made cross-border gambling a lucrative industry for many of China’s neighbours, where gambling is mostly legal. This is particularly so for the Philippines,…
Indonesia’s election riots offer a lesson on the perils of fake news
Indonesia ’s riots in May serve as a warning to all democracies with polarised electorates, high social media penetration and institutions labouring under the strain of populist politics.The unrest was the first time in a democracy that social media-fuelled fake news and disinformation led to election riots.Supporters of opposition candidate Prabowo Subianto rejected the results of the presidential election, alleging incumbent Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, had stolen victory through…
Japan’s 84-year-old former empress Michiko has breast cancer surgery
Japan’s former empress Michiko “safely” underwent surgery on Sunday after the 84-year-old was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, the Imperial Household Agency said.Michiko’s husband Akihito formally stepped down as emperor in April, the first abdication for 200 years in the world’s oldest monarchy.Her operation began Sunday morning “as scheduled” at the University of Tokyo Hospital, the agency official said.“It ended safely and (she) went back to her room,” the official said, adding that…
Non-Muslim goods boycott a ‘ticking time bomb’ in Mahathir’s Malaysia
A movement calling for Malays to boycott non-Muslim products has emerged in Malaysia, where a campaign of fake news and political rhetoric continues to stoke racial and religious tensions, prompting a member of the Perak state’s royal family to describe the situation as a “ticking time bomb”.Messages urging the country’s Malay-Muslim majority to boycott goods produced by non-Muslims, even those that are halal, have been actively shared on Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups. Names of mini-markets…
Blast wounds 7 people at public market in southern Philippines
An explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines wounded at least seven people early on Saturday, the fourth blast in that area in 13 months, the military said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but a militant group operating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan in the province of Sultan Kudarat was among the suspects, the military said.The latest blast comes at a time of heightened tensions in the volatile southern Philippines after three incidents in…
Indonesia’s Yogyakarta targets Chinese students and tourists in bid to become another Bali
Yogyakarta contains multitudes. The Indonesian city is a tumult of culture shot through with rich veins of history – it’s still ruled by a functional monarchy; it has been home to storied, spectacular Buddhist and Hindu holy sites for well over a millennium; and is internationally renowned for everything from literature to silversmithing.All the same, the city is now better known for being an education hub. Besides its four state universities, Yogyakarta is home to more than a dozen private…
Asia’s beaches go quiet as China’s economy slows and tourists stay at home
From quiet beaches in Bali to empty rooms in Hanoi’s hotels, pangs from China’s economic malaise and weakening yuan are being felt across Southeast Asia’s vacation belt.A boom in Chinese outbound travel in recent years that stoked tourism across Southeast Asia is now in reverse gear. The abrupt decline of Chinese travellers is becoming a painful lesson for nations such as Thailand and Indonesia that had become overly dependent on Asia’s top economy.“The slump in Chinese arrivals and tourism…
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe dies in Singapore hospital aged 95
Robert Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe, has died in a Singapore hospital where he had been receiving treatment since earlier this year. He was 95.His health has been the subject of increased speculation in recent years and authorities in March arrested two journalists over a report alleging that he was “in bad shape”.It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe (1/2)— President of Zimbabwe (…
Jokowi tells ministers to take advantage of US-China trade war, as investors bypass Indonesia
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has demanded that his cabinet ministers serve foreign investors better, after research by the World Bank revealed Chinese companies choosing to relocate operations to Southeast Asia had bypassed Indonesia in favour of Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, was calm but forceful when he spoke at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, looking intently at the ministers as he underlined how Indonesia had been slow to take advantage of…
Grab and Gojek vie for Southeast Asia’s booming food delivery market
Nanik Soelistiowati, the owner of a banana fritter stall in West Jakarta, is the unlikely prize in a battle between two of the most valuable technology start-ups in Asia.The 64-year-old woman signed up for Gojek’s new food delivery service in 2015 after hearing about it from her children. Delivery motorbikes slalomed through traffic jams to deliver her delicious snack, which uses honey for a caramelised flavour, to all parts of congestion-choked Jakarta. Sales took off.Then in 2017, rival Grab…