Showing 1 - 10 of 63
Digitisation needed
Oped, Postbag, Published on 02/10/2025
» Re: "New DES minister urged to prioritise AI", (Business, Sept 23). My son, who completed a BBA, has just joined an MBA programme at a local university. For this, he had to cancel his existing visa from his college and apply for a fresh one through his new university. He reached the immigration office at 8am and was given token 78 for cancellation and 900 for issuance of a new visa. With each applicant's process taking about 10 minutes, he would easily be spending over 12 hours there. The officials work beyond 4.30pm and until 9pm to issue or reject every visa.
When films speak louder than missiles
Oped, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/06/2025
» Jafar Panahi tells it as he sees it: "An attack on my homeland, Iran, is in no way acceptable," the Iranian filmmaker wrote on Instagram last week. "Israel has violated Iran and should be tried in an international trial as a war aggressor."
Beyond police lines, community and culture persist
Oped, Joe Mathews, Published on 11/06/2025
» On Saturday, I went to a riot and found myself at a quinceañera -- a traditional coming-of-age celebration for girls in Latino culture.
Why faith is indispensable to global development
Oped, Alaa Murabit, Published on 04/06/2025
» For nearly two decades, I have worked at the intersection of development, health, and security. In roundtables with heads of state, emergency briefings, and donor forums, I have noticed a glaring pattern: faith-based actors are often excluded from global strategies. When present at all, they are sidelined, treated as symbolic figures rather than as genuine partners. This isn't just a blind spot. It's a strategic failure.
Breaking the silence over North Korea
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 29/05/2025
» Speaking out to break the information barrier inside the North Korean dictatorship is in itself nothing new, and usually quickly forgotten. North Korean exiles, friendly governments, and humanitarian organisations periodically raise the oft-forsaken banner of human rights, only to be confronted by realpolitik through another round of North Korean missile launches or nuclear proliferation.
Do you know what kids do at school?
Oped, Mariano Miguel Carrera, Published on 09/05/2025
» In the 1970s and 1980s, regular public service announcements (PSAs) went along: "It's 9pm. Do you know where your children are?" These announcements contributed to a major pendulum shift in parenting (positively and negatively). Having PSAs in the 2020s is required to create the required major shift in education to put the focus on parents' role in learning rather than just making sure their kids attend school. "Do you know what your child is doing at school?" should be the new announcement.
Trump must learn from history's Arctic profiteers
Oped, Peter C. Mancall, Published on 18/04/2025
» The US president has not been subtle about his goals for the Arctic: "We'll go as far as we have to go" to acquire Greenland, he stated while sitting behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. The desk, made from the British Arctic exploring vessel called HMS Resolute, is itself a reminder of the northern voyages of empire builders -- the type of pursuit the president is after.
What's next after same-sex marriage?
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/01/2025
» Jan 23, 2025 will be remembered as a historic day for both Thailand and Southeast Asia. As a result of the amendments to the Thai Civil and Commercial Code -- which will come into effect on that day, 120 days after it was royally endorsed in the final months of 2024 -- same-sex couples will be able to register their marriage, and enjoy the rights of spouses under the law, regardless of their gender, without discrimination.
Australia's big experiment for social media
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 15/01/2025
» Late last year, Australia's parliament, reacting to concerns about the effect of social media on children's mental health, amended the Online Safety Act to require users to be at least 16 years old to open an account on social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and X. The amendment is expected to come into effect by the end of 2025.
I never panic, but I'm panicking now
Oped, Lydia Polgreen, Published on 23/11/2024
» For over a month now, my mother has been pestering me about her missing passport. It was in her closet, she said, and suddenly it was gone. It was expired, and renewing would be easier if she had the old one. She had no immediate travel plans, just a vague desire to visit Ethiopia, the country where she was born and raised, at some point in the future.