Showing 1 - 10 of 58
Time to tone down Taiwan tensions
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 08/08/2022
» It was a picture-perfect shot, really. That was my thought when I saw US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing side by side with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei last Wednesday. But the one-day visit to the self-ruled island by the 82-year-old American politician has created no end of tension, not only for the US and China but also many of their allies across the Asia Pacific region.
Pakistan and Nepal pursue better understanding
Asia focus, Malika-e-Abida Khattak, Published on 20/06/2022
» Most bilateral relations in South Asia, including those between Nepal and Pakistan, are dominated by India's massive influence in the region. Nepal and Pakistan have a long history of diplomatic and political ties, and India has played an important role in their considerations.
Retail can not only survive, it can thrive
Asia focus, Alia Gogi, Published on 18/04/2022
» From Beijing to Bangkok, the combination of a growing middle class -- and a young population that is increasingly aspirational in its consumer choices -- has resulted in the Asia Pacific region driving the global retail industry forward.
Ancient brew has retro appeal in South Korea
Asia focus, Chang W Lee and Mike Ives of the New York Times, Published on 07/02/2022
» SEOUL: Jeong Mi-hee used to buy a lot of whisky in airports. When the coronavirus pandemic brought her business travel to halt, she started paying more attention to local drinks she had overlooked.
Myanmar soldiers collecting bills at gunpoint
Asia focus, By Richard C Paddock of the New York Times, Published on 31/01/2022
» The schoolteacher had just got out of bed when four Myanmar army soldiers pounded on her door. Her electricity payment was overdue, they said, and ordered her to pay it immediately at the government power company office.
'Out with man haters', cry Korean anti-feminists
Asia focus, Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times, Published on 17/01/2022
» SEOUL: They have shown up whenever women rallied against sexual violence and gender bias in South Korea. Dozens of young men, mostly dressed in black, taunted the protesters, squealing and chanting, "Thud! Thud!" to imitate the noise they said the "ugly feminist pigs" made when they walked.
Year of Turbulence
Asia focus, Asia Focus Team, Published on 27/12/2021
» Pandemic drags on recovery: In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many Asian countries had enviable success, avoiding large-scale outbreaks and mass deaths. But the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant this year and sluggish vaccine rollouts compounded by low availability sent cases surging. Combined with poor monitoring and easy movement among countries, often unofficially, Southeast Asia became a virus hotspot. The ballooning health crisis collided with churning political discontent in the case of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Economically, the new wave of infections, and attendant restrictions imposed to curb the spread, stalled recoveries. After nearly two years of strict border controls, many countries started to loosen up and live with Covid. But the rise of the Omicron variant now threatens to scuttle those tentative reopening plans and usher in a third year of economic anxiety.
Securing our digital future
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 22/11/2021
» Paying bills and transferring money using a mobile phone is now second nature for most people in the digital era. My own digital journey started later than some, when the Covid-19 pandemic started to affect my life profoundly. Banks and restaurants were closed and commuting on public transport made me uncomfortable.
Transformation to a sustainable water future
Asia focus, Poul Due Jensen, Published on 27/09/2021
» Covid-19 continues to have a profound and indiscriminate effect on all of Asia and the world. Specifically, with safe water access of utmost priority during these challenging times, it has brought global attention to how critical our water systems are to our health and prosperity.
Indonesian village turns trash into Covid helper
Asia focus, Prasto Wardoyo of Reuters, Published on 20/09/2021
» TEMBOK GEDE, East Java: A homemade robot designed by Indonesian villagers and scientists for fun has found a new use during the pandemic -- bringing food and, hopefully, a smile, to self-isolating residents who have contracted Covid-19.