Advertisement

Advertisement

This Week in Asia /

Lifestyle & Culture

Related Topics:

K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

Fame and celebrity

People stand next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Singapore’s ban on anti-Indian posts exposes threat of race ‘weaponisation’

The posts from a China-based platform have sought to tap into unease on unemployment and ‘play on existing prejudices’, an analyst says.

10 Jun 2026 - 5:36PM

What does Singapore lose when the wrecking ball swings?

7 Jun 2026 - 1:59PM

Malaysia’s new university rules rekindle multilingualism debate

5 Jun 2026 - 11:02AM

For those caught in China’s ‘involution’, RedNote offers a solution: Malaysia

Besides Malaysia’s education system, the influencers say the widespread use of Mandarin in the country is a big draw for Chinese visitors.

4 Jun 2026 - 4:42PMvideocam

Yili, a RedNote content creator from China, says she is seeing “more and more Chinese bosses” in Malaysia. Photo: RedNote/Yili

Tears in North Korea as Kim meets footballers after historic title win

Naegohyang Women’s FC became the first North Korean side to win Asia’s top club title last month.

4 Jun 2026 - 2:47PMvideocam

Vietnam detains Australian man who trashed Da Nang cafe

He destroyed bar equipment and furniture, and customers’ belongings, including laptops and mobile phones.

1 Jun 2026 - 9:35PMvideocam

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Malaysia bars under-16s from social media as new rules come into force

Malaysia’s roll-out of strict age-gating rules follows on the heels of Australia and Indonesia in the push to protect children online.

1 Jun 2026 - 10:32AMvideocam

A young boy plays with a phone inside a mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Photo: AFP

Jakarta deploys troops against muggers, stirring dark memories

While residents welcome tougher action on street crime, rights groups fear a return to authoritarian-era security crackdowns.

3 Jun 2026 - 8:38AMvideocam

Reel politik: India tells filmmakers to drop ‘China-bashing’ as ties warm

India’s diplomatic thaw with China is causing films about the 2020 Galwan Valley clash to be retitled, reshot or shelved entirely.

27 May 2026 - 6:53PMvideocam

Badly behaving visitors push Thailand to remove 60-day visa entry

Only 54 countries and territories will get a 30-day visa exemption as authorities aim to curb illegal activities involving foreign tourists.

25 May 2026 - 11:05AMvideocam

Tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Thailand has announced the removal of the 60-day visa-free entry for tourists. Photo: Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images

Artificial intelligence

Southeast Asia is chasing the AI boom, but at what cost?

A regional dash for digital dominance risks running headlong into an energy crunch and an existential threat to jobs.

23 May 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Illustration: Huy Truong

Malaysia’s tourism-dependent Langkawi fears rising costs are deterring visitors

Businesses ranging from boat operators to restaurants are seeing a drop in international visitors to the island.

22 May 2026 - 4:23PM

Thailand’s Singha beer dynasty rocked by sexual abuse allegations

The kingdom’s most-watched family scandal in years has prompted a sacking, a televised confessional – and a warning from media regulators.

21 May 2026 - 8:36AMvideocam

Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI

A viral ‘baseball goddess’, a wolf that never was and a deepfake epidemic. Generative AI is rewriting South Korea’s reality.

17 May 2026 - 11:00AM

A screenshot of the "baseball goddess" from an AI-generated video. Photo: X/kangminlee

Human intelligence remains critical in AI era: Singapore minister

Foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan cautions against overdependence on large-language models to solve every problem.

16 May 2026 - 3:04PMvideocam

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan speaks at a joint press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Japan’s ‘ibasho’ sense of belonging helps disaster survivors heal, study finds

Research into the 2011 earthquake and tsunami shows fostering social connection and purpose helps survivors rebuild and staves off dementia.

16 May 2026 - 12:00PM

Why Indonesia is expanding under-16 social media ban to e-commerce

The plan aims to protect children from online scams and impulse buying, but experts say it could be a major compliance test for platforms.

13 May 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

‘Like whale bones’: South Korea’s war memorial sparks conflict over symbolism

Critics argue the Korean war memorial should not be in a space in Seoul long associated with pro-democracy protests and its imperial past.

13 May 2026 - 5:12PM

A row of 23 stone monuments in central Seoul representing South Korea and 22 other countries that fought alongside one another during the 1950-53 Korean war. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Singaporeans refute lack of hunger stereotype, warn of ‘self-fulfilling bias’

A recruiter’s comment on Singaporean workers supposedly lacking drive has sparked a fierce debate on evolving career goals and pay.

13 May 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Divorced from reality? Japan’s joint custody reform divides parents

Critics call the legal change a ‘cosmetic’ fix for a system that still allows one parent to simply disappear.

10 May 2026 - 10:00AM

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

10 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

‘Foreigner won’: Filipinos divided over pageant winner’s US roots

Some social media users have questioned Bea Millan-Windorski’s win, while others say being Filipino is about ‘culture, history and belonging’.

9 May 2026 - 2:40PM

Bea Millan-Windorski will represent the Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant in November. Photo: Facebook/Miss Universe Philippines

How RedNote, WeChat are reviving Thailand’s Chinese tourism market

Thai businesses are asking online experts to help reel in young big spenders who prize authenticity over heavily advertised content.

7 May 2026 - 4:24PMvideocam

Japan’s hikikomori recluses are growing old. So are their carers

What happens to more than 1 million social recluses in the world’s fastest-ageing society when the last person who cared for them is gone?

6 May 2026 - 3:49PMvideocam

Art of the steal: Malaysia unveils recovered 1MDB masterpieces

A Picasso and a Miro are among four works on show, representing a fraction of the US$4.5 billion looted from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund.

6 May 2026 - 1:53PMvideocam

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki (second from right) inspects Joan Miro’s “Composition” (1953) at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.