Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency has launched a probe into the lawyers who represented the government and Goldman Sachs in a settlement deal over the 1MDB scandal. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided the offices of two law firms, Rosli Dahlan Sarvana Partnership (RDS Partnership) and Chetan Jetwani & Company, last week and seized documents related to the negotiations. The MACC said …

Two senior officials from Thailand’s anti-corruption agency have been dismissed from their posts after an investigation revealed that they had amassed huge amounts of wealth in their bank accounts. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) announced on Monday that its deputy secretary-general, Prayad Puangchampa, and its director of foreign affairs, Piset Nakapan, had been found guilty of being “unusually wealthy” and …

DBS Private Bank, a subsidiary of Singapore’s DBS Group Holdings, has been named the best private bank in Asia-Pacific for the third consecutive year by Global Finance magazine. The bank has also been recognized as the best innovative private bank in the region, thanks to its digital transformation and its focus on sustainable and family office investments. According to Global …

Singapore has once again emerged as the best performer in international education tests, scoring the highest marks in maths, science and reading among primary and secondary students. The city-state was followed by other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, which also ranked among the top five in the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study …

Japan is facing a serious challenge in keeping up with the global market as its people lack the proficiency and confidence to speak English, the lingua franca of the world. According to a recent survey by EF Education First, a global education company, Japan ranked 53rd out of 100 non-English speaking countries and regions for English language abilities in 2019, …

A passenger bus carrying more than 50 people fell off a winding road and crashed into a ravine in the northern Philippines, killing at least 28 people and injuring 24 others, police said on Wednesday. The bus was bound for Culasi town, Antique, from Iloilo City and had 50 passengers onboard. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, …

Indonesia is planning to release 200 million genetically modified mosquitoes in Bali as part of an experiment to combat dengue fever, a potentially fatal disease that affects millions of people in the country every year. The project, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and led by the World Mosquito Program (WMP), aims to reduce the transmission …

The recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a space launch center in the Russian Far East has raised concerns among the US and its allies about the growing cooperation between the two countries.  The summit, which took place on September 13, 2023, was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders …

Choi Min-hwan, the drummer of the K-pop band FTISLAND, and Yulhee, a former member of the girl group LABOUM, have decided to end their marriage after five years, according to their respective agencies. On Monday night, FNC Entertainment, Choi’s agency, confirmed the news in a statement, saying, “The two decided to divorce after careful consideration, and are in the process …

Malaysia is set to offer visa-free entry to Chinese tourists starting from next month, in a bid to boost its tourism industry that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the policy during his recent visit to China, saying that it would benefit both countries and strengthen their bilateral ties. However, some Malaysian tour …