Friday, 12 Sep 2025

Stay ahead of Asia’s biggest stories. Get our weekly news digest delivered to your inbox – it’s free!

Economy
EconomyShow More

Chinese Luxury Buyers Pivot to Experiences, Value and Homegrown Brands
A new reality for Chinese luxury shoppersIn a quiet corner of a…

September 12, 2025

Bangladesh Increases Power Imports from India to Meet Electricity Demand
Why Bangladesh is turning to imported electricityBangladesh is buying more power from…

September 11, 2025

Hong Kong to Raise Air Passenger Departure Tax to HK$200 from October 1, 2025
What is changing and why it mattersHong Kong will raise its Air…

September 9, 2025

Why More Japanese Banks Now Close for Lunch
A new routine at the teller windowAcross Japan, a growing number of…

September 9, 2025

Malaysias 2025 Reform Drive: Taxes, Subsidies, Wages, and What Changes for Everyone
Why the reform push gathered paceMalaysias Madani administration was elected on promises…

September 9, 2025
Education
EducationShow More

Global Korea Scholarship 2026 Goes Fully Online: Dates, Eligibility, and How to Apply
Applications open for 2026 Global Korea Scholarship for undergraduatesSouth Korea has set…

September 8, 2025

Japan seminar confronts discrimination against children with foreign roots
A timely call to protect students who stand outWith classrooms diversifying across…

September 7, 2025

Cambodia speeds up repairs and mine clearance to reopen 600 border schools
A race to reopen classrooms along the frontierCambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth…

September 7, 2025

English Textbook Addresses Skills Gap in Japan’s Anime Industry
Why an English textbook for anime, and why nowAnime has never been…

September 5, 2025

Why Record Numbers of Students Are Leaving South Korea’s Elite Universities to Pursue Medical School
A wave of withdrawals as medicine draws top talentSouth Korea’s most prestigious…

September 2, 2025
Entertainment
EntertainmentShow More

Bruno Mars Music to Ignite 60 Minute Fireworks Spectacle in Saitama and Osaka This November
A pop icon meets Japan hanabi traditionJapan celebrates fireworks on a grand…

September 9, 2025

Param Sundari sparks debate on Kerala stereotypes and authenticity in Bollywood
Why this romance has inflamed a cultural debateA glossy Hindi romcom has…

September 8, 2025

Pop Culture Revives a Controversial Sejong Statue Once Branded the Grim Reaper
Why a Sejong statue is back in the spotlightA metal sculpture in…

September 7, 2025

KPop Demon Hunters Take Flight in Seoul with 1,200 Drone Spectacle Over the Han River
A blockbuster night on the Han RiverSeoul will paint the night sky…

September 7, 2025

Monchhichi Returns Worldwide as Gen Z Turns Plush Charms Into Fashion
A 1970s icon finds new life with Gen ZWhen Australian influencer Sam…

September 6, 2025
Environment
EnvironmentShow More

Worst floods in a decade hit Bali as rescues and recovery intensify
A deluge that caught Bali off guardAt least nine people have been…

September 11, 2025

Vape Litter Puts Malaysia at Risk of Fires and Toxic Electronic Waste
Malaysia grapples with toxic vape litter and a quiet fire riskDiscarded vape…

September 11, 2025

China’s Green Tech Revolution Reduces Pollution
Inside China's cleaner growth pushAcross two decades of fieldwork and policy shifts,…

September 9, 2025

Singapore Weighs Small Modular Reactors to Cut Gas Reliance and Meet Net Zero Goals
Why Singapore is revisiting nuclear options nowSingapore is taking a fresh look…

September 9, 2025

Philippines weighs nationwide closure of coal mines and plants to speed clean energy shift
A national study with high stakesThe Philippine government is weighing a nationwide…

September 8, 2025
Health
HealthShow More

Malaysia to ban vaping nationwide in phases amid fierce debate
What is changing and whenMalaysia is preparing to ban vaping nationwide in…

September 12, 2025

Konnyaku Goes Global as Health Trend Drives Demand in the US and France
A Japanese staple meets Western health goalsKonnyaku, a traditional Japanese food made…

September 9, 2025

Seoul sets a record in foreign medical travel as spending nears 860 million dollars
Seoul sets a new peak in patient arrivals and spendingSeoul emerged as…

September 7, 2025

Pakistan Launches First HPV Vaccination Drive for Girls Aged 9 to 14
A landmark push to prevent cervical cancerPakistan will launch its first national…

September 7, 2025

Abortion Pill Legalization Debate in South Korea Reaches a Critical Crossroads
Inside a legal gray zone: rights without accessSix years after South Korea’s…

September 7, 2025
International
InternationalShow More

Taiwan steps up patrols to shield undersea cables as China linked threats rise
Patrols target a new front in gray zone pressureTaiwan has intensified maritime…

September 11, 2025

US and Japan start Resolute Dragon drills with Typhon and NMESIS as China protests
Why these drills matter nowThe United States and Japan have opened a…

September 11, 2025

ICE Raid at Georgia Battery Plant Tests US South Korea Alliance and Future Investment
A raid that jolted an allianceHundreds of South Korean technicians and other…

September 11, 2025

Nepal Upheaval Tests India on Security, Trade and China
Unrest in Kathmandu reverberates across the Indian borderNepal has been thrust into…

September 11, 2025

Japan and the Philippines Expand Military Ties as Reciprocal Access Pact Nears Implementation
Manila looks to Tokyo amid rising maritime tensionsThe Philippines is accelerating defense…

September 9, 2025
Politics
PoliticsShow More

Talks gather pace on easing Macau residency curbs for Portuguese citizens
Momentum builds for a fix after talks in MacauPortuguese Prime Minister Luís…

September 11, 2025

Arrests and online censorship as Indonesia protests spread
What started the protestsIndonesia has been gripped by its largest street unrest…

September 11, 2025

Thai Supreme Court Sends Thaksin Shinawatra to Prison After Hospital Stay Ruled Unlawful
Supreme Court declares hospital detention unlawful, orders prison termThailand’s Supreme Court ordered…

September 11, 2025

Gen Z uprising in Nepal topples prime minister amid deadly unrest
A youth led uprising shakes KathmanduSmoke rose over Kathmandu as soldiers patrolled…

September 11, 2025

China’s Rise and Rule by Engineers
How engineers ended up wielding power in BeijingExpressways, high speed rail, and…

September 9, 2025
Science
ScienceShow More

China’s Dual-Use Asteroid Mission Raises Satellite Security Concerns
Why this asteroid mission is stirring a satellite security debateChina plans to…

September 11, 2025

Blood Moon to Glow Over Japan in Rare Total Lunar Eclipse Early Monday
A red moon for tsukimi and night sky fansJapan is set for…

September 6, 2025

Tiny Generators Achieve 117% Efficiency in Converting Ocean Wave Energy to Electricity: A Revolution in Blue Energy Harvesting
Ocean Waves: The Next Frontier in Renewable EnergyAs the world races to…

August 31, 2025

Chinese Scientists Unveil Multicolored Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents: A Leap Toward Sustainable Plant-Based Lighting
Succulents That Shine: The Breakthrough in Plant-Based LightingImagine a garden that glows…

August 28, 2025

Breakthrough One-Step Process Converts Plastic Waste to Petrol: US-China Team Sets New Standard for Recycling
Revolutionizing Plastic Recycling: Turning Waste into Petrol in a Single StepPlastic pollution…

August 28, 2025
Society
SocietyShow More

Malaysia set to enforce seatbelts for all in private cars as JPJ intensifies safety drive
What is changing on Malaysian roadsMalaysia is preparing to tighten enforcement of…

September 12, 2025

Labrador retriever honored after helping find missing elderly woman in Otsu
Inside the nighttime search in OtsuA Labrador retriever named Heart led police…

September 11, 2025

Last Voices of the Wansei: Taiwan’s Japanese Era and the Memory it Left
Streets that remember, voices that still speakWalk through central Taipei and the…

September 11, 2025

After 61 Years, South Korean Court Clears Choi Mal ja in Landmark Self Defense Case
A ruling decades in the makingA South Korean court has erased a…

September 11, 2025

Inside Setagaya Catholic Church, a quiet Tokyo refuge with a Lourdes grotto
A peaceful sanctuary steps from ShimokitazawaA few minutes from the bustle of…

September 9, 2025
Sports
SportsShow More

Singapore to Host 2026 MotoGP Season Launch
A new stage for MotoGP in SingaporeMotoGP will open the 2026 campaign…

September 9, 2025

No New JRA Jockeys in 2026 as Weight Limits and Phone Rules Bite
A rare gap year for new jockeys in JapanJapan’s central horse racing…

September 5, 2025

Hong Kong National Games Ticket Sales Begin Without English Option, Prompting Concerns Among Expats and Tourists
Hong Kong National Games Ticket Sales Begin Without English Option, Prompting Concerns…

August 31, 2025

Sruong Pheavy’s Triumph at the LPBA Championship 2025–2026: A New Era for Cambodian Billiards
Sruong Pheavy’s Historic Victory at the LPBA Championship 2025–2026Cambodia’s leading carom billiards…

July 7, 2025

I.Tselmuun’s Historic Bronze: Mongolia’s Breakthrough at the FIDE World Junior Chess Cup
Mongolia’s Rising Star: I.Tselmuun Makes Chess History at the FIDE World Junior…

July 7, 2025
Technology
TechnologyShow More

Japan Fires Prototype Naval Railgun From JS Asuka at Target Vessel, A First at Sea
A breakthrough test with regional stakesJapan has taken a major step toward…

September 12, 2025

Xpeng lines up global push for affordable Mona EVs by 2026 with Europe first
Xpeng bets on Mona to break into more marketsXpeng plans to take…

September 11, 2025

India Expands Censorship Powers with Sahyog Platform
A tragedy set the stage for a new test of online speechOn…

September 8, 2025

DingTalk A1 aims to replace meeting notes with a credit card sized AI recorder
A pocket AI assistant for meetings and moreAlibaba’s workplace platform DingTalk has…

September 8, 2025

ASEAN targets 1 trillion dollar digital economy by 2030 as creative content and policy integration accelerate
A youthful, connected region races toward a bigger digital futureAcross Southeast Asia,…

September 7, 2025
Travel
TravelShow More

KLIA’s missing link: how terminal design and reliability issues are holding back Malaysia’s main hub
A hub with a broken transfer systemKuala Lumpur International Airport is Malaysia's…

September 11, 2025

Strong Baht Tests Thailand’s High Season as Airfares Fall and Hotels Compete
Currency strength meets peak travel monthsThailand is heading into the last quarter…

September 9, 2025

KLIA Rises to 2nd Busiest Airport in Southeast Asia
A sharp climb driven by new routes and visa free policiesKuala Lumpur…

September 9, 2025

South Korea Tops Global Tourism Growth in 2024
A rebound that set the pace worldwideSouth Korea closed 2024 as the…

September 8, 2025

Angkor Wat Named Asia’s Top Attraction for 2025
Why Angkor Wat rose to number one in AsiaCambodia's monumental Angkor Wat…

September 7, 2025

Friday, 12 Sep 2025

Stay ahead of Asia’s biggest stories. Get our weekly news digest delivered to your inbox – it’s free!

Economy
EconomyShow More

Chinese Luxury Buyers Pivot to Experiences, Value and Homegrown Brands
A new reality for Chinese luxury shoppersIn a quiet corner of a…

September 12, 2025

Bangladesh Increases Power Imports from India to Meet Electricity Demand
Why Bangladesh is turning to imported electricityBangladesh is buying more power from…

September 11, 2025

Hong Kong to Raise Air Passenger Departure Tax to HK$200 from October 1, 2025
What is changing and why it mattersHong Kong will raise its Air…

September 9, 2025

Why More Japanese Banks Now Close for Lunch
A new routine at the teller windowAcross Japan, a growing number of…

September 9, 2025

Malaysias 2025 Reform Drive: Taxes, Subsidies, Wages, and What Changes for Everyone
Why the reform push gathered paceMalaysias Madani administration was elected on promises…

September 9, 2025
Education
EducationShow More

Global Korea Scholarship 2026 Goes Fully Online: Dates, Eligibility, and How to Apply
Applications open for 2026 Global Korea Scholarship for undergraduatesSouth Korea has set…

September 8, 2025

Japan seminar confronts discrimination against children with foreign roots
A timely call to protect students who stand outWith classrooms diversifying across…

September 7, 2025

Cambodia speeds up repairs and mine clearance to reopen 600 border schools
A race to reopen classrooms along the frontierCambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth…

September 7, 2025

English Textbook Addresses Skills Gap in Japan’s Anime Industry
Why an English textbook for anime, and why nowAnime has never been…

September 5, 2025

Why Record Numbers of Students Are Leaving South Korea’s Elite Universities to Pursue Medical School
A wave of withdrawals as medicine draws top talentSouth Korea’s most prestigious…

September 2, 2025
Entertainment
EntertainmentShow More

Bruno Mars Music to Ignite 60 Minute Fireworks Spectacle in Saitama and Osaka This November
A pop icon meets Japan hanabi traditionJapan celebrates fireworks on a grand…

September 9, 2025

Param Sundari sparks debate on Kerala stereotypes and authenticity in Bollywood
Why this romance has inflamed a cultural debateA glossy Hindi romcom has…

September 8, 2025

Pop Culture Revives a Controversial Sejong Statue Once Branded the Grim Reaper
Why a Sejong statue is back in the spotlightA metal sculpture in…

September 7, 2025

KPop Demon Hunters Take Flight in Seoul with 1,200 Drone Spectacle Over the Han River
A blockbuster night on the Han RiverSeoul will paint the night sky…

September 7, 2025

Monchhichi Returns Worldwide as Gen Z Turns Plush Charms Into Fashion
A 1970s icon finds new life with Gen ZWhen Australian influencer Sam…

September 6, 2025
Environment
EnvironmentShow More

Worst floods in a decade hit Bali as rescues and recovery intensify
A deluge that caught Bali off guardAt least nine people have been…

September 11, 2025

Vape Litter Puts Malaysia at Risk of Fires and Toxic Electronic Waste
Malaysia grapples with toxic vape litter and a quiet fire riskDiscarded vape…

September 11, 2025

China’s Green Tech Revolution Reduces Pollution
Inside China's cleaner growth pushAcross two decades of fieldwork and policy shifts,…

September 9, 2025

Singapore Weighs Small Modular Reactors to Cut Gas Reliance and Meet Net Zero Goals
Why Singapore is revisiting nuclear options nowSingapore is taking a fresh look…

September 9, 2025

Philippines weighs nationwide closure of coal mines and plants to speed clean energy shift
A national study with high stakesThe Philippine government is weighing a nationwide…

September 8, 2025
Health
HealthShow More

Malaysia to ban vaping nationwide in phases amid fierce debate
What is changing and whenMalaysia is preparing to ban vaping nationwide in…

September 12, 2025

Konnyaku Goes Global as Health Trend Drives Demand in the US and France
A Japanese staple meets Western health goalsKonnyaku, a traditional Japanese food made…

September 9, 2025

Seoul sets a record in foreign medical travel as spending nears 860 million dollars
Seoul sets a new peak in patient arrivals and spendingSeoul emerged as…

September 7, 2025

Pakistan Launches First HPV Vaccination Drive for Girls Aged 9 to 14
A landmark push to prevent cervical cancerPakistan will launch its first national…

September 7, 2025

Abortion Pill Legalization Debate in South Korea Reaches a Critical Crossroads
Inside a legal gray zone: rights without accessSix years after South Korea’s…

September 7, 2025
International
InternationalShow More

Taiwan steps up patrols to shield undersea cables as China linked threats rise
Patrols target a new front in gray zone pressureTaiwan has intensified maritime…

September 11, 2025

US and Japan start Resolute Dragon drills with Typhon and NMESIS as China protests
Why these drills matter nowThe United States and Japan have opened a…

September 11, 2025

ICE Raid at Georgia Battery Plant Tests US South Korea Alliance and Future Investment
A raid that jolted an allianceHundreds of South Korean technicians and other…

September 11, 2025

Nepal Upheaval Tests India on Security, Trade and China
Unrest in Kathmandu reverberates across the Indian borderNepal has been thrust into…

September 11, 2025

Japan and the Philippines Expand Military Ties as Reciprocal Access Pact Nears Implementation
Manila looks to Tokyo amid rising maritime tensionsThe Philippines is accelerating defense…

September 9, 2025
Politics
PoliticsShow More

Talks gather pace on easing Macau residency curbs for Portuguese citizens
Momentum builds for a fix after talks in MacauPortuguese Prime Minister Luís…

September 11, 2025

Arrests and online censorship as Indonesia protests spread
What started the protestsIndonesia has been gripped by its largest street unrest…

September 11, 2025

Thai Supreme Court Sends Thaksin Shinawatra to Prison After Hospital Stay Ruled Unlawful
Supreme Court declares hospital detention unlawful, orders prison termThailand’s Supreme Court ordered…

September 11, 2025

Gen Z uprising in Nepal topples prime minister amid deadly unrest
A youth led uprising shakes KathmanduSmoke rose over Kathmandu as soldiers patrolled…

September 11, 2025

China’s Rise and Rule by Engineers
How engineers ended up wielding power in BeijingExpressways, high speed rail, and…

September 9, 2025
Science
ScienceShow More

China’s Dual-Use Asteroid Mission Raises Satellite Security Concerns
Why this asteroid mission is stirring a satellite security debateChina plans to…

September 11, 2025

Blood Moon to Glow Over Japan in Rare Total Lunar Eclipse Early Monday
A red moon for tsukimi and night sky fansJapan is set for…

September 6, 2025

Tiny Generators Achieve 117% Efficiency in Converting Ocean Wave Energy to Electricity: A Revolution in Blue Energy Harvesting
Ocean Waves: The Next Frontier in Renewable EnergyAs the world races to…

August 31, 2025

Chinese Scientists Unveil Multicolored Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents: A Leap Toward Sustainable Plant-Based Lighting
Succulents That Shine: The Breakthrough in Plant-Based LightingImagine a garden that glows…

August 28, 2025

Breakthrough One-Step Process Converts Plastic Waste to Petrol: US-China Team Sets New Standard for Recycling
Revolutionizing Plastic Recycling: Turning Waste into Petrol in a Single StepPlastic pollution…

August 28, 2025
Society
SocietyShow More

Malaysia set to enforce seatbelts for all in private cars as JPJ intensifies safety drive
What is changing on Malaysian roadsMalaysia is preparing to tighten enforcement of…

September 12, 2025

Labrador retriever honored after helping find missing elderly woman in Otsu
Inside the nighttime search in OtsuA Labrador retriever named Heart led police…

September 11, 2025

Last Voices of the Wansei: Taiwan’s Japanese Era and the Memory it Left
Streets that remember, voices that still speakWalk through central Taipei and the…

September 11, 2025

After 61 Years, South Korean Court Clears Choi Mal ja in Landmark Self Defense Case
A ruling decades in the makingA South Korean court has erased a…

September 11, 2025

Inside Setagaya Catholic Church, a quiet Tokyo refuge with a Lourdes grotto
A peaceful sanctuary steps from ShimokitazawaA few minutes from the bustle of…

September 9, 2025
Sports
SportsShow More

Singapore to Host 2026 MotoGP Season Launch
A new stage for MotoGP in SingaporeMotoGP will open the 2026 campaign…

September 9, 2025

No New JRA Jockeys in 2026 as Weight Limits and Phone Rules Bite
A rare gap year for new jockeys in JapanJapan’s central horse racing…

September 5, 2025

Hong Kong National Games Ticket Sales Begin Without English Option, Prompting Concerns Among Expats and Tourists
Hong Kong National Games Ticket Sales Begin Without English Option, Prompting Concerns…

August 31, 2025

Sruong Pheavy’s Triumph at the LPBA Championship 2025–2026: A New Era for Cambodian Billiards
Sruong Pheavy’s Historic Victory at the LPBA Championship 2025–2026Cambodia’s leading carom billiards…

July 7, 2025

I.Tselmuun’s Historic Bronze: Mongolia’s Breakthrough at the FIDE World Junior Chess Cup
Mongolia’s Rising Star: I.Tselmuun Makes Chess History at the FIDE World Junior…

July 7, 2025
Technology
TechnologyShow More

Japan Fires Prototype Naval Railgun From JS Asuka at Target Vessel, A First at Sea
A breakthrough test with regional stakesJapan has taken a major step toward…

September 12, 2025

Xpeng lines up global push for affordable Mona EVs by 2026 with Europe first
Xpeng bets on Mona to break into more marketsXpeng plans to take…

September 11, 2025

India Expands Censorship Powers with Sahyog Platform
A tragedy set the stage for a new test of online speechOn…

September 8, 2025

DingTalk A1 aims to replace meeting notes with a credit card sized AI recorder
A pocket AI assistant for meetings and moreAlibaba’s workplace platform DingTalk has…

September 8, 2025

ASEAN targets 1 trillion dollar digital economy by 2030 as creative content and policy integration accelerate
A youthful, connected region races toward a bigger digital futureAcross Southeast Asia,…

September 7, 2025
Travel
TravelShow More

KLIA’s missing link: how terminal design and reliability issues are holding back Malaysia’s main hub
A hub with a broken transfer systemKuala Lumpur International Airport is Malaysia's…

September 11, 2025

Strong Baht Tests Thailand’s High Season as Airfares Fall and Hotels Compete
Currency strength meets peak travel monthsThailand is heading into the last quarter…

September 9, 2025

KLIA Rises to 2nd Busiest Airport in Southeast Asia
A sharp climb driven by new routes and visa free policiesKuala Lumpur…

September 9, 2025

South Korea Tops Global Tourism Growth in 2024
A rebound that set the pace worldwideSouth Korea closed 2024 as the…

September 8, 2025

Angkor Wat Named Asia’s Top Attraction for 2025
Why Angkor Wat rose to number one in AsiaCambodia's monumental Angkor Wat…

September 7, 2025

cross-border enforcement

Malaysia to ban vaping nationwide in phases amid fierce debate

September 12, 2025