Tag - asia

 
 

ASIA

Construction near Mailuu-Suu in the Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan. Dams in Kyrgyzstan holding uranium mine tailings have become unreliable after a 2017 landslide.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 24, 2024
Unstable nuclear-waste dams threaten fertile Central Asia heartland
One more earthquake or landslide, and dams in Kyrgyzstan holding back radioactive waste water could burst, rendering the area uninhabitable.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi says the government is  closely monitoring reports about a missing Chinese professor from a Japanese university.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2024
Japan monitoring reports of professor 'missing' in China
Media reports have said the professor may have been questioned by Chinese authorities before he disappeared.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu addresses the media after casting his ballot during the country's parliamentary election, in Male on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 22, 2024
Pro-China leader's party in Maldives win in a landslide
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's People's National Congress party won two-thirds of parliament, or more than enough for a supermajority.
Countries in Southeast Asia have implemented a range of counterterrorism policies and measures, each with their strengths and challenges. However, the effectiveness of such policies remains a subject of debate.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2024
Southeast Asia needs to step up its counterterrorism game
While Islamic State and al-Qaeda have lost ground in the region, they are still capable of recruiting and inspiring local groups to join extremist causes.
Lt. Saw Kaw, a soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army in charge of the Cobra column, walks with his team members after inspecting the house of a high-rank Myanmar soldier at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy in Myanmar on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
In rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink
Armed groups in Myanmar are striving to work together to repel the junta after rebels took control of a crucial trading-post town last week.
Protesters hold images of Aung San Suu Kyi and a flag of Myanmar during a demonstration outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on Feb. 1, 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2024
Jailed Myanmar leader Suu Kyi moved to house arrest
During her months-long trial, Suu Kyi reportedly suffered dizzy spells, vomiting and at times had been unable to eat because of a tooth infection.
Jamoliddin Makhmaliyev sits with his grandson and granddaughters in front of his new house in the village of Khuroson, some 70 kilometers south of the Tajikistan capital Dushanbe, on March 26. “We lived in fear, until the day the mountain collapsed and destroyed our house,” recalls his wife Yodgoroy. Tajikistan is the Central Asian country most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 17, 2024
Tajikistan builds villages for climate migrants fleeing fatal landslides
The former Soviet country says it relocated 45,000 people between 2000 and 2017, and that tens of thousands of others are waiting their turn.
Lee Hsien Loong might not stray far from politics, having said previously that he will remain at the "new PM’s disposal” after the handover.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2024
Singapore charts new path after half-century of Lee family rule
Lee Hsien Loong announced that he will step aside next month after 20 years as prime minister and hand the reins over to Lawrence Wong.
JTC and Sun Electric's SolarRoof project in Singapore in July 2018
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2024
Southeast Asia 'woefully off track' on green investment
Energy consumption in the region is expected to grow 40% this decade.
Military personnel stand guard as hundreds of refugees crossed over the river frontier between Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, following the fall of a strategic border town to rebels fighting Myanmar's military junta, in Mae Sot, Tak province, Thailand, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2024
Myanmar rebels say they have repelled junta push to take back border town
A resistance group fighting Myanmar's military rule said its fighters had repelled an attempt by junta troops to advance on the key town of Myawaddy.
Thai military personnel stand guard overlooking the Moei river near the Tak border checkpoint with Myanmar, in Thailand's Mae Sot district on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2024
Thai soldiers patrol border town in second day of clashes nearby in Myanmar
Hundreds queued to enter Thailand at the immigration checkpoint in Mae Sot, many fleeing the newest round of fighting.
Taiwan Air Force members at the Pingtung air base in Pingtung, Taiwan, on Jan. 30. Taiwan's president has promised to stick to the status quo concerning the island’s relations with China.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 9, 2024
How to stop the dominoes of war from falling in East Asia
Conflicts elsewhere have implications for East Asia's powder kegs — the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula.
Tourists visit Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan in Bangkok in January.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2024
Thailand leads push for six-nation visa to attract more tourists
The plan is meant to ensure seamless mobility for travelers among neighboring countries.
A worker stands on a pile of rice sacks as the other worker carries a sack of rice at the warehouse in Jakarta on Feb.13. Dry weather fueled by El Nino has led to a rice shortage and sent prices to record highs.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2024
As El Nino bites, Indonesians struggle with record-high rice prices
Rice has been an integral part of Indonesian history and culture since ancient times, and is one of the country's most important agricultural commodities.
Children wash their hands with a new public pump installed as part of a climate resilient water system in Inn Chey in Kratie Province.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 31, 2024
Japan sits at the forefront of climate resilient infrastructure in Southeast Asia
Japanese businesses and government agencies are pouring billions of yen into various programs across Cambodia and Southeast Asia to reduce climate risks.
Daniel Calvert accepted the award for Asia's best eatery on behalf of Sezanne, a French restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 31, 2024
Tokyo's Sezanne reigns supreme as Asia's best restaurant
Against the best restaurants Asia has to offer, Japan captured nine of the top 50 spots.
Thailand has taken its first step toward legalizing casinos, as the government looks to attract high-spending tourists to support the nation's economy.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 29, 2024
Thailand takes first step to legalize casinos to aid economy
Thailand is the latest nation to consider entering the global casino industry, which is estimated to have generated $263.3 billion in revenue last year.
Myanmar's military high ranking officials attend a ceremony to mark the country's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Myanmar army behind Facebook pages spewing hate speech: U.N. probe
In 2021, Rohingya refugees sued Facebook for $150 billion (¥22.6 trillion), claiming it had failed to stem the hate speech directed against them.
Thailand's parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday, paving the way for the kingdom to become the first Southeast Asian nation to recognize LGBTQ marriage equality.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Thailand passes bill to legalize same-sex marriage
Legalizing same-sex marriage could also have positive impact on tourism, which contributes about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy.
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned on Wednesday among anti-graft probes into Hanoi’s top leadership.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2024
Vietnam could lose its 'China +1' appeal among political turmoil
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned on Wednesday among a wider probe. This could compromise Hanoi's image as an economic alternative to Beijing.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores