Asia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday called for a delay in passing a new law that would outlaw gay and pre-marital sex after the controversial plan sparked a public outcry. The proposed criminal code overhaul should get a closer look given the backlash, Widodo said, as he asked that parliament scrap a planned vote on […]

Chinese experts arrived in Thailand to investigate the death of a beloved giant panda, zoo officials said Thursday, as millions of netizens in China questioned the cause of the male bear’s sudden demise. Chuang Chuang, a resident of Chiang Mai Zoo since October 2003, died Monday aged 19 after years of living in an air-conditioned […]

Millions of Indonesians risk jail if a new penal code criminalising consensual sex outside marriage gets passed. Rights groups criticised the initiative as an intrusive assault on basic freedoms if the criminal code is adopted next week following parliament and the government’s go-ahead on a final draft, Reuters reported. The Jakarta Post said among other things, the bill outlaws […]

by Yan ZHAO / Sean GLEESON As pro-democracy protests grind on for a fourth month, Hong Kong has been left counting the cost, with the city’s tourist industry battered and businesses forced to lay off staff as they struggle to stay afloat. Images beamed around the world of black-clad demonstrators battling police in full riot […]

The maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois beers has revived plans to list its Asia unit in Hong Kong, saying it wants to raise almost $5 billion in what would be the world’s second-biggest initial public offering this year. The decision by Belgium-listed Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell the stake will provide a much-needed boost to […]

Mandopop singer Jay Chou’s much anticipated new single has hit 1.93 million views in eight hours after it was released on Monday (September 16). After waiting for three years, this is the new material being released by the popular singer. The song ‘Won’t Cry’ sees him collaborating with Mayday’s Ashin and the song was released […]

A white British man had his jaw shaved down, among other plastic surgeries to look like his Korean boyband idol. 29-year-old Oli London from London broke the news in Oct 2018 when he spent over 75,000 pounds (SGD128,000) on surgeries to look like K-pop star Jimin from Korean boyband BTS. The Londoner is particularly infatuated […]

Jacqueline Wong’s last work on screen might be the television series ‘Finding Her Voice’. The actress has reportedly retired from the entertainment industry and is now residing in Canada. According to Hong Kong media China Press, the actress has also changed her name. The TV series Finding Her Voice was previously scheduled for airing next month in […]

The haze which is allegedly caused by forest and land fires in Riau is also wreaking havoc in South Sumatra. After three days of intense haze invading their home, Ngadirun (34) and Ita Septiana’s (27), 4-month-old baby became very sick. Elsa Pitaloka caught a cold, cough and flatulence. And on Sunday, September 15, in the morning, Elsa was rushed by […]

An Indonesian woman married to a Malaysian has been accused of human trafficking, a crime she did not commit, says her family who pleaded with the authorities to get her out of jail in Malaysia. Supinah (43) is now involved in legal issues in Malaysia. She came to Malaysia as an Indonesian citizen working abroad […]

by Sophie DEVILLER Skipping school to glide through a dirty Bangkok canal on a paddleboard, Lilly fishes out rubbish in her mission to clean up Thailand, where the average person uses eight plastic bags every single day. “I am a kid at war,” the bubbly 12-year-old says after a painstaking hour-long routine picking up cans, […]

by Yan ZHAO and Jerome TAYLOR Hong Kong police on Monday denied accusations their officers showed comparative lenience towards gangs of pro-Beijing men who attacked pro-democracy supporters during a weekend marked by multiple bloody street brawls. The once stable international hub has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic […]

by Dessy SAGITA Working around the clock, thousands of firefighters are struggling to contain smog-belching blazes raging across rainforests and farmland in Indonesia, one of the frontlines against fires blamed for aggravating global warming. Those leading the response are short on equipment, with some wearing just flimsy masks and rubber boots as they blast streams […]

Cora Liu Zhuo-mei, the girlfriend of Chinese actor Lin Wei said she was unaware that he was an actor before she started dating him. She said that if she knew that, she would have stayed away from the married actor. According to ChinaPress, the businesswoman said, “If I knew he was an actor from the […]

Celebrity couple Fann Wong and Christopher have enjoyed 10 years of marital bliss while others struggle to find love. Despite spending a large amount of time in showbiz surrounded by good-looking people, they are not straying from each other. Christopher Lee, 48 said, “When you have a happy and complete family, naturally, you won’t be […]