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This Week in Asia /

Lifestyle & Culture

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K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
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Fame and celebrity
A pupil learns to read Arabic during a Koran memorisation lesson. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Malaysian student charged with desecrating Koran in viral video

The viral post showing a man stepping on the Koran and mocking the Prophet Mohammed has triggered 82 police reports and a national outcry.

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Thailand

She married 2 men at once in Thailand – and her mother is fine with it

Japan

How the Unification Church is facing fallout in Japan from Shinzo Abe’s murder

Food and Drinks

Party sober? Asia’s bars and drink giants shift gears as Gen Z ditch alcohol

As young Asians turn more health-conscious and watch their spending, drinks giants and bars are planning more low- and no-alcohol options.

Funkytown, a cocktail bar in Bangkok, offers non-alcoholic versions of its signature cocktails, including Green Curry. Photo: Funkytown
Funkytown, a cocktail bar in Bangkok, offers non-alcoholic versions of its signature cocktails, including Green Curry. Photo: Funkytown
Malaysia

‘Time for us’: the Malaysian rapper putting her country on the SXSW map

Zamaera is taking five Malaysian artists to Texas next month after asking herself a simple question: why doesn’t Malaysia have a stage yet?

Thailand

Thai tourism looks to US$1 billion future as Tomorrowland picks up beat

Around 150,000 young ravers are expected to flood Pattaya for the world’s largest electronic music festival in December.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s ‘ridiculous’ push to curb LGBTQ apps tests limits of digital control

Officials are examining legislative steps to curb apps like Grindr, though removal from global stores is beyond direct state control.

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Malaysia is considering new laws to curb LGBTQ dating apps like Grindr. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia is considering new laws to curb LGBTQ dating apps like Grindr. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Cash-for-tips scheme in Japan sparks debate over migrant rights

Backers argue tougher measures are needed to curb unauthorised employment, but migrant advocates fear unintended social consequences.

Indonesia

Row over speakers on Indonesian ‘island of 1,000 mosques’ sparks debate on rules

A New Zealander’s disruption of a prayer session over the use of loudspeakers at a mosque has prompted some to call for a law on their use.

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The Philippines

Philippine Supreme Court ruling adds momentum to same-sex marriage debate

Advocates hailed the ruling as a breakthrough, though observers said its reach remains limited without congressional action.

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A same-sex couple joins “Metro Manila Pride”, the longest-running pride march in Southeast Asia, in 2016. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Future of Japan’s ‘naked festival’ in doubt after 3 men left unconscious

Organisers said they would review safety rules after six men collapsed during the annual scramble for good-luck talismans.

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Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Participants at the Saidaiji “naked festival” gather inside the temple hall before sacred talismans are thrown in Okayama City on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Scams and swindles

‘K-wave’ scams exploiting Brazil’s superfans trigger police pact

South Korea and Brazil are taking action to protect fans from fraudsters cashing in with phantom merchandise and exploitative ‘oppa’ tours.

Lunar New Year

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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Singapore

Cross-border trips to Johor push Singapore checkpoint traffic to new high

About three-quarters of the record 245 million travellers who crossed Singapore’s checkpoints last year went via the land border.

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Vehicles travel across the causeway from Malaysia’s southern state of Johor to the Woodlands immigration checkpoint in Singapore on October 10, 2025. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Bikini-clad mermaid sales stunt triggers religious probe in Malaysia

Authorities in conservative Kelantan are investigating the viral cross-dressing video after online critics accused the men of mocking Islam.

An expanded screenshot of the mermaid sales stunt that circulated on Malaysian social media. Photo: X/dahfollowbelum
An expanded screenshot of the mermaid sales stunt that circulated on Malaysian social media. Photo: X/dahfollowbelum
The Philippines

Art as advocacy: Philippine mural contest adds to South China Sea messaging push

The government-backed drive is the latest in a series of creative campaigns aiming to shape public narrative around the maritime dispute.

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Japan

Clocking off: is Japan’s culture of overwork finally dying?

The average hours put in by Japanese workers are lower than those of their American and Italian counterparts.

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Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Chinese culture

Ancient Chinese astrology gets a Gen Z rebrand in Southeast Asia

Forget rituals and superstitions, today’s young professionals are using ‘bazi’ 10-year luck forecasts to plan their next career pivot.

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Malaysia

‘Just ask for it’: Malaysia’s vape crackdown fails to break the habit

An estimated 1.4 million Malaysian adults vape, despite existing curbs. Many say new laws will simply push them back to cigarettes.

Nepal

Unearthed temple in Nepal sheds new light on Buddha’s early life

Archaeologists hope the newly discovered ruins at Siddhartha Gautam’s childhood palace will help secure Unesco World Heritage status.

Archaeologists at work in Tilaurakot, Lumbini, Nepal. Photo: Department of Archaeology, Nepal
Indonesia

Why Indonesia’s president wants clay roofs on all homes

The president says tourists are put off by Indonesia’s ‘rusty zinc’ roofs, and its image would improve with wider use of clay tiles.

Zinc roofs on top of a house in Walatungga village, Sumba Island, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Zinc roofs on top of a house in Walatungga village, Sumba Island, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Singapore

Is Singapore’s plan to regulate blind boxes ‘paternalistic’ or ‘harm reduction’?

The mystery surrounding the purchase of blind boxes has prompted concerns of gambling-style risks faced by consumers, especially minors.

Japan

‘Enormous failure’: naked man exposes gaps in Japan’s royal security

Princess Kako reportedly witnessed the chaos firsthand as a shrieking intruder stripped off and scaled a barrier below the royal balcony.

Singapore

A match made in Singapore? ‘Aunties, not algorithms’ aims to woo US singles

Burnt-out US-based singles could win a free luxury trip if they ditch the dating apps and opt to let outspoken older women play Cupid.

Singapore’s tourism board is inviting US-based singles to be paired by “aunties” for a chance to win a four-night trip to the city state. Photo: Shutterstock
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