This Week In Asia (South China Morning Post)

As Singapore bets on becoming Asia’s leading wellness destination, tourism experts say the city state must prove that its attractions can draw international visitors in a region replete with spas, retreats and hot springs. A S$1 billion (US$770 million) waterfront complex scheduled to open in 2030 is expected to be a major driver of the country’s wellness sector. European develo...

A wave of power outages across Indonesia’s Java island has left millions of residents and business owners in the dark, igniting public fury and raising questions as to how the world’s largest coal exporter is failing to keep its own lights on. The answer, analysts say, lies less in a coal shortage than in the rules and incentives governing who gets to buy it, at what price and w...

Chinese-Filipino business groups have sent aid to earthquake-hit residents in the southern Philippines, continuing their tradition of providing disaster relief at a time when worsening Manila-Beijing ties have complicated public perceptions of people and organisations linked to China. In General Santos City, among the areas hardest hit by the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake...

After two teenagers opened fire at a Philippine high school this week, the first question lawmakers asked was not about gun control, but the internet. Three pupils were killed and 20 injured at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte province, on Monday – the highest total casualty count of any Philippine school shooting. It has renewed calls to restrict Filipino c...

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an investigation into allegations of mass cheating in civil service exams to attain government jobs, after thousands of tests were allegedly tampered with to boost scores in exchange for fees of up to US$24,000 each time. The scandal erupted after police and anti-corruption officials raided a company address in Nonthaburi...