Showing 1 - 10 of 42
Climate needs urgent actions now
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 27/06/2022
» Cities around the world are no strangers to riverine flooding. In December 2021, the four main rivers running through Kuala Lumpur hit dangerous levels, causing nearby rail lines to shut down and halting mobility across the city. In March this year, storms prompted flood warnings along Australia's east coast, including in Sydney. Thousands of residents had to flee their homes.
Biden-BTS summit fuels hope
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 06/06/2022
» Perhaps Joe Biden's pursuit to engage more with Asia has just started. Just days after a trip to South Korea and Japan late last month, his first visit to Asia as US president, the 79-year-old leader followed up with a message that touched the hearts of millions of Asians, particularly those living in his country.
Asean-US balancing act
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata and Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 25/04/2022
» The commitment of the United States to Southeast Asia since the end of the Vietnam War has been subject to a series of ebbs, flows and imbalances. History shows that it tends to wane whenever Washington is distracted by other global developments.
How to get more women working
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 14/02/2022
» Shrinking populations are becoming a major demographic challenge for several countries. East Asia, in particular, has been seeing an alarming fall in fertility rates. The figure in Japan averaged just 1.31 from 2015 to 2020, but Taiwan (1.15) and South Korea (1.11) fared even worse.
Time to rein in tutoring firms
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 02/08/2021
» I have always been puzzled about why so many Thai parents send their children to private tutors after school. Even my 9-year-old niece has to study on weekends when she could be enjoying time with her parents or playing with two lovely cats at home.
China's three-child policy won't help
Asia focus, Nancy Qian, Published on 21/06/2021
» In an effort to address rapid population ageing, China recently announced that it would allow all families to have up to three children. The decision comes on the heels of widely publicised new data showing that the Chinese fertility rate in 2020 was only 1.3 per woman, similar to that of Japan (1.36 in 2019) and notably lower than that of the United States (1.7).
Falling birth rates spell trouble for Southeast Asia
Asia focus, Thaweelap Rittapirom, Published on 14/06/2021
» Birth rates have been declining in nearly every country for decades, alarming demographers and causing governments to begin asking a hard question -- what happens if our population growth stalls, or even begins to slide backwards?
Can we stop the baby bust?
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/06/2021
» Raising three children might not have been so difficult in the old days when most people lived in extended families. Take my mother and my aunt for example. Mom raised her three kids -- me and two brothers -- at home while she made desserts for sale with the help of grandma, while my auntie did so with a helping hand from her mother-in-law.
Learning to live with robots
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/05/2021
» China's once-in-a-decade census data released last week make clear that the world's most populous country is ageing more rapidly than many developed nations, including the US. People of working age will make up just 60% of China's population in 2050, down from 75% in 2010, the figures show.
Men's cosmetics taking off in Asia
Asia focus, Thaweelap Rittapirom, Published on 17/05/2021
» Covid-19 has dealt a blow to the US$500-billion cosmetics industry as fewer people feel the need to dress up while stuck at home. Men's cosmetics, however, is an outlier with sales surging since the pandemic began -- in part due to men wanting to look presentable for the now-ubiquitous Zoom calls.