Lifestyle & Culture

What’s behind Thailand’s rise in domestic violence?

Hundreds of women and children are abused each year – and that’s just the ones who report it, as social stigma and police inaction keeps sufferers silent.

19 Mar 2020 - 11:16AM
Japan’s cherry blossoms have come early but no one’s around to see them

In a typical year, the blossoms’ arrival mark the start of two weeks of unabashed merrymaking at traditional ‘hanami’ celebrations. Not in the time of coronavirus.

16 Mar 2020 - 11:37PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
How Crash Landing on You won over Hong Kong and Taiwan fans

Although some details of the wildly popular Netflix romance may be unlikely, the K-drama sensation offers a more nuanced depiction of life in North Korea.

8 Mar 2020 - 9:00PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Bangkok’s Chams strive to keep heritage alive through silk weaving

Passed on down the generations dating back to their time in Cambodia, the silk-weaving heritage of the Chams is a crucial link to their past.

8 Mar 2020 - 4:47PM
What life’s really like in Korea’s Parasite-style basement homes

Semi-basement apartments, known as ‘banjiha’ in Korean, have been thrust into the spotlight this year by the Oscars success of Bong Joon-ho’s film.

8 Mar 2020 - 2:16PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Coronavirus fear, paranoia reveal cracks in Japan’s polite facade

Tensions are running high among Japanese, from frantic shoppers panic buying toilet roll to irate commuters arguing about coughing on trains.

3 Mar 2020 - 11:25PM
Korean cults: missing link in Covid-19, Sewol ferry, Park’s downfall

It’s not just the coronavirus and the Shincheonji Church. Cults have been linked to a host of Korean scandals, from the Sewol ferry disaster to a president’s impeachment.

1 Mar 2020 - 2:26PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Jailed Japanese sex pest stalked pop idol using reflections in her eyes

Hibiki Sato, 27, gagged the Tenshi Tsukinukeni Yomi singer with a towel, forced her to the floor and molested her. He has been jailed for 30 months.

27 Feb 2020 - 11:42PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Analysis | Indonesia’s ‘family resilience’ push by lawmakers gets ridiculed

Islamic-based parties have initiated a bill that would force married women to not work, ‘rehabilitate’ LGBT individuals, and jail sperm and egg donors.

3 Mar 2020 - 10:55AM
India’s marginalised minorities unite against Hindu nationalism

Attacks on minority Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists have increased since Narendra Modi’s BJP government came to power.

23 Feb 2020 - 12:49PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Indonesia’s health minister says prayer has kept coronavirus away

Concerns have been raised, especially after the country’s response to the bird flu virus a decade ago, which required World Health Organisation intervention.

2 Mar 2020 - 1:03PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
More K-pop stars are opening up about their personal lives. Here’s why

While such idols were once worried their popularity would drop once they announced their love lives, fans want to see a more personal side these days.

16 Feb 2020 - 10:01PM
In ‘virus-free’ Indonesia, outbreak fears stoke panic buying frenzy

The country hasn’t officially confirmed a single case of the deadly new coronavirus, yet shoppers are still stocking up on everything they can lay their hands on. The only question is why?

2 Mar 2020 - 1:08PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Forget Tinder, in South Korea blind dates are best for romance

Many in South Korea see blind dates as part of the social fabric: a rite of passage as well as a gateway to relationships and possible future marriages.

14 Feb 2020 - 11:43AM
Australia universities brace for pain, shame after virus travel bans

Some 100,000 Chinese students enrolled at universities in the country remain stranded in China because of travel bans intended to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus. About 6,500 studying in New Zealand are also affected.

14 Feb 2020 - 10:16AM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Parasite makes history and South Korean fans join Bong Joon-ho in celebrating

The film offers a withering critique of South Korean society’s growing inequality, striking a chord with a younger generation of audiences.

10 Feb 2020 - 10:17PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Chinese-Australians feel fear and loathing amid coronavirus panic

Authorities have issued condemnations amid the sharp rise in such incidents, with the country’s race discrimination commissioner urging unity and calm.

13 Feb 2020 - 3:51PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
No, the coronavirus can’t be kept away by saltwater gargling or cow dung

From Singapore to Indonesia, dubious claims to prevent infection are spreading on social media and chat groups.

6 Feb 2020 - 10:49AM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Still in the mood for bat? At this extreme market, it’s on the menu

Animals from cats to bats to snakes and monkeys are bludgeoned, torched and served to tourists at Indonesia’s ‘Tomohon Extreme Market’. Experts say in the wake of the coronavirus, it’s a hazard waiting to happen.

14 Feb 2020 - 6:00PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411