https://www.scmp.com/rss/327011/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com After navigating her way through three rounds of interviews, H.P. Tan, a senior from the National University of Singapore, a top-ranking school in Asia, had all but secured a job at a public relations firm last month. But the job would never come to pass. Under pressure to cut cost to weather the pandemic downturn, the company paused its hiring and rejected Tan. “When I got that rejection, it was a turning point. I didn’t think I would be directly impacted,” said the 23-year-old. Tan is like... https://www.scmp.com/business/coronavirus-pandemic-could-haunt-fresh-graduates-their-entire-careers/article/3080666?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/coronavirus-pandemic-could-haunt-fresh-graduates-their-entire-careers/article/3080666?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2020 11:10:15 +0000 Freelance filmmaker Anita Reza Zein had grown used to jam-packed production schedules requiring her to put in long hours and run on little sleep. Until Covid-19 struck. Today, the talented Indonesian is suddenly free. With five projects on hold and many more potentially cancelled, she now spends her time working on a personal project, doing research for her work and occasionally going for a ride on a bicycle. “I feel calm and patient although I’m jobless. Maybe because it’s still the third week... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3080489/class-2020-lost-generation-post-coronavirus-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3080489/class-2020-lost-generation-post-coronavirus-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 23:30:12 +0000 Growing up, Kor Ter Ming was always fond of the annual road trips that he, his parents and younger brother would take down the eastern coast of Malaysia. Cruising down the rustic shores of Pahang and Terengganu, he recalls how his father would remind his sons about the importance of getting away as a family every once in a while. Today, the 61-year-old carries on the family tradition by making it a point to travel with his wife and two adult children at least once a year. On some occasions, he... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3035981/ageing-singapore-sandwich-generation-feeling-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3035981/ageing-singapore-sandwich-generation-feeling-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2019 00:30:08 +0000 Whenever Mominul Hassan calls his wife and two children back home in Bangladesh, he makes it a point to disable the video call function on his phone so that they will not be able to see him. This, he says, is the only way to ensure that they never find out how much weight he has lost since coming to work in Singapore as a construction worker eight years ago. “If my wife sees me, she will worry and ask me to come home. I miss home but I also need to earn enough money before I can return,” he... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3004901/rich-singapore-why-must-migrant-workers-go-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3004901/rich-singapore-why-must-migrant-workers-go-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2019 07:15:06 +0000 When Hu Fengkai first arrived in Singapore’s Geylang district from China in 2013, it was everything he had imagined it to be. “In spoken Chinese, Geylang sounds like ya long or ‘dragon’s tooth’. A place with a name like that is bound to stir the imagination,” says the 31-year-old land surveyor. “So when I finally reached Geylang six years ago, let’s just say I wasn’t disappointed,” he adds, with a sardonic grin. It helped that he was joining a well-knit community of mainland Chinese migrant... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185038/geylang-oh-geylang-how-mainland-chinese-fell-and-out-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2185038/geylang-oh-geylang-how-mainland-chinese-fell-and-out-love?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 04:00:15 +0000 Kiku Nakayama was 16 years old in 1945 when she was handed two grenades by a soldier from the Imperial Japanese Army. She was told to blow herself up if she came into contact with US troops. “Japanese soldiers told us that the American forces would rape and burn alive any women they saw. I did not have the courage to pull the pin but many of my classmates did,” says Kiku, 89. “Every day I wonder why I survived and not them.” Last month marked the 73rd anniversary of the battle of Okinawa. Many... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2144267/worse-death-children-who-survived-battle-okinawa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2144267/worse-death-children-who-survived-battle-okinawa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 May 2018 04:00:36 +0000