This Week in Asia4 min read
India's Citizenship Law Slammed As Anti-Muslim, Modi's Election Ploy To Woo Hindu Voters
Mohammad Ishaq was shopping in New Delhi ahead of Ramadan when he read news of India's implementation of a citizenship law that critics have slammed as discriminatory against the country's Muslims and further proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's p
This Week in Asia6 min readWorld
Indonesia's Falling Marriage Rate Sparks Concern About Low Fertility And 'Undesirable Consequences' On Economy
Siswanto Cokro, a grandfather of three, was surprised to hear about the declining number of registered marriages in Indonesia over the last few years, a trend which has put the government on alert for fear of "undesirable consequences" on the economy
This Week in Asia4 min readDiet & Nutrition
Why Are More People In India Eating Millet? Is The Ancient Grain The Flavour Of The Month?
For years, Thalin Raj ignored his parents' advice to eat millet at breakfast because of its bland taste. But the 12-year-old student's interest in the grain was piqued after he took part in a millet planting campaign in the Indian city of Chennai in
This Week in Asia5 min read
Malaysians Feel The Pinch As The 'Shringgit' Returns - And There's No Quick Fix For PM Anwar
Two small bags of top soil worth 10 ringgit (US$2.13) were all Al-Amin Mat Jeni managed to sell at his stall in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on a recent weekday morning - barely enough to buy lunch. For the last 20 years, the 75-year-old has dilig
This Week in Asia3 min read
Taylor Sheesh? Drag Act In Singapore Soothes Post-concert Blues For Some Taylor Swift Fans
For diehard fans recovering from post-concert blues after American pop star Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour in Singapore, Taylor Sheesh was the answer. The 29-year-old drag queen from the Philippines performed for a nearly sold-out, two-night show in Si
This Week in Asia4 min read
Japan Schools Face 'Major Crisis' If Officials Fail To Cut Teachers' Work Hours, Unions Warn
Two of Japan's largest teaching unions have submitted petitions to the government signed by nearly 900,000 people, calling for reductions in the long hours of unpaid overtime they are expected to do. The Japan Teachers' Union (Nikkyoso) on Wednesday
This Week in Asia3 min read
Philippines' Chocolate Hills Closure Spotlights Unclear Guidelines For Eco-tourism Projects
Outraged Filipino netizens have temporarily shut down a resort in the world-famous Chocolate Hills region on the central Philippine island of Bohol, even as more of such establishments are being approved to be built within the protected area. The lat
This Week in Asia5 min readCrime & Violence
Minority Communities In Canada's Quebec Slam 'Discriminatory' Secularism Law: 'I Feel Alienated'
A recent ruling by the top court in Canada's Quebec province upholding a law barring people from wearing religious symbols at public workplaces has enraged the minority community that denounced the policy as "discriminatory". Amrit Kaur, one of multi
This Week in Asia11 min readInternational Relations
In Gaza At Ramadan, Starvation Adds To Death Toll, Despair As Israel-Hamas Talks Reach Impasse
The international community is holding its breath following the failure of prolonged negotiations between Israel and Hamas to agree on a truce in Gaza during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting that began on Monday. Several rounds of talks have bee
This Week in Asia5 min readWorld
What's Behind Australian Investors' Reluctance To Venture Into Southeast Asia?
John Walker, a former executive at leading Australian investment firm Macquarie Bank, recalled Canadian investors telling him decades ago they "just had to be in India" so they could be among the first to tap into the burgeoning returns from investin
This Week in Asia3 min read
Malaysia's Outrage Over Cultural Sensibilities Is The New Normal In Politics
There is a growing tendency among Malaysians to express outrage over things that hurt their cultural sensibilities. If it is not about food, it is something else that gets the goat of politicians claiming to uphold the cultural purity of those who th
This Week in Asia2 min readCrime & Violence
Rights Groups Slam South Korean Adult Festival Featuring Japanese Porn Stars
An "adult festival" starring Japanese pornography actresses in South Korea is facing opposition from women's rights groups, who have accused the event of promoting sexual exploitation. Organisers expect thousands of age-verified fans to flock to the
This Week in Asia2 min read
EU Investigates AliExpress Over Possible 'Dissemination Of Illegal Content' And Other Violations
Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress has become the first online marketplace to be investigated under the EU's digital services act (DSA), after Brussels began a formal probe on Thursday. The European Commission said it was looking into the "dissemina
This Week in Asia2 min readWorld
In South Korea, Netizens Slam Another K-pop Star For Drinking Starbucks Coffee And 'Ignoring Genocide'
K-pop singer Huh Yun-jin of girl group Le Sserafim has been caught in the eye of a pro-Israel storm as fans unleashed a social media barrage against her for drinking a Starbucks coffee, saying she should "educate" herself and boycott the American cha
This Week in Asia4 min read
Asian Garment Makers Push New Boundaries Amid 'Wake-up Call' Towards Sustainable Fashion
For years known as the world's garment factory, Asian manufacturers are now embracing a tectonic shift in consumption towards sustainable fashion to ease out fast-changing fashion trends that are choking landfills and accelerating climate change. Eur
This Week in Asia2 min readWorld
Top Beijing Envoy To US Criticises Biden's Moves Targeting Chinese Products Over National Security
China's top envoy to the US criticised President Joe Biden's recent moves targeting Chinese products on national security grounds, even as he acknowledged that the American leader's recent summit with President Xi Jinping helped to stabilise the bila
This Week in Asia4 min readWorld
Consumer Boycott Widens To Include Israeli Dates As Muslims In Malaysia, Indonesia Observe Ramadan
Dates from Israel are the latest goods to fall foul of a consumer boycott across Muslim nations in Southeast Asia, after Malaysian customs arrested a man for allegedly mislabelling the fruit for local sale, while Indonesia's highest Muslim authority
This Week in Asia2 min readPopular Culture & Media Studies
Japan's Kirin Pulls Ad For Alcoholic Drink After Economist's Past Remarks On 'Elderly Suicides' Resurface
Japanese drinks giant Kirin Brewery has hastily cancelled an advertising campaign for one of its chūhai alcoholic drinks, after learning that the man fronting the promotion once proposed that Japan solve the problem of its ageing population by having
This Week in Asia4 min readWorld
Can South Korea's Star Shine On International Stage As It Seeks To Join Space Race?
South Korea is reaching for the stars as it banks on aerospace technology to power its future growth, but observers said the government has its work cut out to develop a sector and talent pool that can compete internationally by 2045. President Yoon
This Week in Asia2 min readInternational Relations
Top Ukraine Official Speaks With China's Ambassador About Peace Summit Plans
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff met with China's ambassador on Wednesday, as Kyiv pushed for a global peace summit and Beijing stepped up diplomatic efforts to mediate an end to the war with Russia. Andriy Yermak, head of Zelens
This Week in Asia3 min read
Malaysians Deride Minister's Idea To Rebrand Palm Oil Workers As 'Specialised Harvesters'
Low wages mean Malaysia remains unlikely to fill chronic labour shortages in the key palm oil sector, despite a minister's attempt to rebrand plantation workers as "specialised harvesters" to attract locals rather than migrant workers. On Thursday, P
This Week in Asia4 min read
As Japan Welcomes Sakura Season, Study On Popular Cherry Variety Facing Extinction Damps Mood
As Japan prepares its annual festivities to welcome the arrival of cherry blossoms, a new report has delivered a chilling warning that climate change could cause the nation's most popular variety in the sakura season to become extinct in parts of the
This Week in Asia7 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
India's Politics Becomes An AI Arms Race As Deepfakes Threaten Elections - And The Risks Are Being Felt Globally
As India gears up for its next general election, artificial intelligence has opened a new front among rival parties, with political observers warning that existing regulations cannot keep pace with fast-evolving technologies such as deepfakes. The sh
This Week in Asia3 min read
It's The Cost That Counts: More Japanese Men 'Fed Up' With Splurging For Obligatory White Day Gifts
Like an increasing number of Japanese men, Ken Kato will not be shelling out for chocolates, a bottle of nice wine or a meal out with his wife for "White Day" on Thursday. Kato says he is tired of "manufactured" occasions designed to guilt people int
This Week in Asia5 min readPolitical Ideologies
Indonesia's Electoral Integrity Under Scrutiny As Prabowo Subianto Set To Be Named President
As Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto is set to be named the official winner of last month's presidential race, allegations of electoral fraud and retaliatory investigations have cast a shadow over the nation's democratic integrity, following what analysts
This Week in Asia2 min readWorld
Indonesia Keen To Work With Singapore To Stage Big Concerts After City State's Taylor Swift Success
Indonesia has expressed its desire to team up with Singapore on attracting big-ticket concerts to the archipelago nation, following US pop star Taylor Swift's exclusive six-date shows in the city state that sparked envy and disquiet among regional ne
This Week in Asia4 min readWorld
China Urged To Save Coral Reefs In Asian Waters Amid Booming Illegal Trade In Giant Clams
China's thriving black market for jewellery made from giant clams continues to drive the destruction of biodiverse coral reefs in Indonesian and Philippine waters as Chinese marine scientists are urged to participate in joint efforts to survey the da
This Week in Asia4 min readInternational Relations
Australia Should 'End Servility To US' And Have Independent China Policy, Greek Ex-minister Says
A year after the road map for Aukus nuclear-powered submarines was unveiled, a former Greek official has urged Australia to end its "servility" to the United States and rebuild its credentials as a country that "acts on its own", including engaging w
This Week in Asia2 min read
American Teen Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Pregnant Horses In Thailand, Causing One To Miscarry
An American teenager has been accused of sexually assaulting pregnant horses at a stable owned by a Thai couple in Phuket, causing one of the animals to miscarry. Chatroj Lek-arwut and his wife Prapada filed a police complaint against the 19-year-old
This Week in Asia4 min read
South Korea Doctors Ask ILO To Intervene In Dispute As Yoon Uses Issue To 'Win Votes'
South Korea's trainee doctors have asked the International Labor Organization to intervene in their stand-off with the government, claiming the back-to-work orders imposed on them constitute a breach of international norms against forced labour. The
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