Southeast

Mysterious large pieces of wreckage were discovered across Southeast Asia over the weekend, and evidence is growing that they came from a Chinese rocket booster that fell to Earth uncontrolled.  The booster of China's 25-ton Long March 5B rocket pushed a new segment of the country's space station into orbit in late July.Then, instead of pushing itself into the Pacific Ocean – a standard practice called controlled reentry – the booster entered Earth's orbit and slowly lost altitude over the course of a week, ensuring that…

Omni wants to be the human resources platform to rule them all—or at least all HR-related tasks. The software enables HR teams to digitize employee records, automate administrative tasks like employee onboarding and time-off management, and integrate employee data from different systems. Based in Singapore, it is currently active there and in Indonesia, and plans to roll out in other Southeast Asian markets after localizing for employment regulations. The startup announced today it is coming out of stealth mode with…

Alastair McCready / VICE: Online scam centers in Southeast Asia have perfected “pig butchering”, a romance-meets-investment fraud, to lure victims into bogus investment schemes — Thousands of imprisoned and abused workers are propping up Southeast Asia's ‘pig butchering’ industry, an online fraud emptying bank accounts across the world. Alastair McCready / VICE: Online scam centers in Southeast Asia have perfected “pig butchering”, a romance-meets-investment…

Raya and the Last Dragon — out March 5 in India — is Disney Animation's first original effort in over four years. That last one — before two sequels, 2019's billion-dollar-plus Frozen II, and Ralph Breaks the Internet the year prior — was Moana, centred on a young girl from the Pacific Islands. Moana was Disney's first “princess” from that region, and her appearance in Ralph Breaks the Internet's memorable “Disney Princesses” scene reiterated that diversity, given she was one of a handful (next to Mulan, Jasmine,…

Tech layoffs have hit almost every region in the world, and Southeast Asia is no exception, with companies like Sea, Crypto.com and JD.ID among those affected. In particular, fintech startups—BNPL, credit and lending, and inventory-holding businesses—are vulnerable, like in other parts of the world. Glints, one of Southeast Asia’s largest jobs platforms with over 30,000 active job listings per month and 40,000 employers, recently issued a report that shows the situation may not be so dour (even though it probably…

Site location and geological background off the southwest coast of Australia. The red dots are the locations of Site U1516 since the Miocene which is their research site. Credit: Science China Press The Miocene, 23 to 5 million years ago, was an important period for the formation of the Antarctic ice sheets (AIS). The mid-latitudes in the southern hemisphere are the area where the westerlies prevailed and the climate there is…

Logistics in much of Southeast Asia is not only complicated, but also expensive. Deliveree wants to solve that problem with a platform that not only lets clients book trucks, but also uses algorithms to determine the best route based on location, trucking loads and even the weather. The company announced today that it has raised a $70 million Series C led by Gobi Partners and SPIL Ventures, with participation from returning investor Inspire Ventures. This brings the company’s total raised so far to $109 million since…

Southeast Asia's tech companies are laying off workers as they brace themselves for a tougher fundraising environment.Guilliermo Perales Gonzalez | E+ | Getty ImagesHundreds of workers from start-ups in Southeast Asia have been fired in the last few months, proving that the fast-growing industry is not immune to the global economic slowdown.At least six tech companies have let go of their staff, including Sea Limited, the owner of Singapore-based e-commerce site Shopee.Tech investors say this is just the beginning of more…

After more than two years of lockdowns and border controls, Southeast Asia is finally experiencing some semblance of the old days of travel.Flights are steadily returning to 2019 levels in the region's major economies, with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia being the most popular destinations this year, according to the flight data analytics firm Cirium.In Singapore, which had the most inbound flight bookings in the region this year, bookings rose from around 30% of 2019 levels in January to 48% by mid-June. The…

Singapore-based neobanking platform Stashfin, which only serves the India market, on Tuesday raised $270 million in its Series C equity and debt led by global investors including Uncorrelated Ventures, Fasanara Capital and Abstract Ventures.The new round values Stashfin between $700-$800 million. The platform said it will use the funds to expand its footprint in Southeast and South Asia and upgrade its technology for new products."The fundraise is a key milestone in this challenging macro environment. We are now at the…