Opinion

Ceritalah | Everyman Coco Martin is one of the Philippines’ biggest stars

The 37-year-old is the lead in the nation’s biggest television show, Ang Probinsyano. He’s been spotted at campaigns for Senator Grace Poe, the daughter of his hero Fernando Poe Junior – but will Coco make a foray into politics himself?

4 hours ago
Opinion | As New Zealand grieves, it must come to terms with how hatred was allowed to spread

Anti-Muslim prejudice in New Zealand, while lower than in other Western countries, is higher than prejudice against other minority groups, research shows.

19 Mar 2019 - 1:49PM
Opinion | Is New Zealand welcoming of all races? Look at what its politicians have said

Mass killing in the service of extremist politics is new to New Zealand, but the seeds of virulently racist ideas were long ago planted in the country.

18 Mar 2019 - 4:38PM
Opinion | New Zealand mass shooting: is any country safe from terrorism?

Has social media, populist politics and xenophobia created a community of extremists like Christchurch massacre gunman? Paul Spoonley believes so.

18 Mar 2019 - 4:29PM
Abacus | Global recession prophets misread the US, Chinese economies

Relax everyone, that looming financial apocalypse just isn’t going to happen. Well, not in 2019 at least.

18 Mar 2019 - 11:14AM
Asian Angle | How long can Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stay in power?

The 64-year-old will become Japan’s longest serving prime minister in November, having dominated the country’s politics since 2012.

17 Mar 2019 - 12:30PM
Sino File | As China chases growth, pollution and poverty will take a back seat

It’s bad news for those blue skies: in a year of sensitive political anniversaries, stability obsessed Beijing is likely to prioritise economic growth over its ‘three critical battles’ against financial risks, pollution and poverty

17 Mar 2019 - 11:00AM
China Briefing | ‘Di Jihong’, ‘Gao Jihei’: signs China’s flattery of Xi has gone too far

Going by official media, the intensity of pledges of allegiance to the president were reminiscent of the 1960s heyday of Mao Zedong. But the Chinese people have grown more mature about political indoctrination.

16 Mar 2019 - 9:30AM
Asian Angle | Bribes aren’t the real scandal in US college admissions. This is

Why grease the palm of an admissions official when there are perfectly legal ways of cheating your way into America’s top universities? And among the most pernicious is this: the time-honoured tradition of ‘legacy’ places

13 Mar 2019 - 7:23PM
Ceritalah | As young Thais look to the future, does Thaksin still matter?

One man has dominated Thai politics for decades: the billionaire turned exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra. But as a new generation emerges, so too has a new father figure – Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. You can call him ‘dad’

12 Mar 2019 - 10:11PM