The Big Story

21 August 2024
A Batik Air Airbus A320 prepares for takeoff from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport: The Lion Air Group unit is seeking to position its flights from the airfield as a premium service. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Amid surging labor demand in an AI boom, Vietnam aims to train at least 50,000 chip engineers and designers by 2030 as industry giants look to offset severe staff shortages in their home markets. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool

US, Taiwan, South Korean players beat path to Vietnam though boom strains resources

14 August 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris' jump to the top of the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential election ticket caught many Washington diplomats off guard. While they weigh whether she will extend President Joe Biden's current Asia policies, they must also prepare for the prospect of a new, unpredictable term for former President Donald Trump.
The Big Story

Harris takes on Trump: Asia braces as U.S. heads toward poll

As diplomats weigh policy hints, VP picks Walz and Vance vie for working class votes

7 August 2024
While Southeast Asian retailers and manufacturers are seeking relief from what they see as unfair competition, government officials are trying to persuade Chinese companies to invest in local production, especially in high-tech sectors.
The Big Story

Southeast Asia pushes back on cheap Chinese imports

E-commerce and EVs force balancing between tariffs and pursuit of high-tech investments

31 July 2024
Sha Tin Racecourse on July 14: The Hong Kong Jockey Club has to compete for the attention of locals now keen to spend their time and money in Shenzhen or beyond. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Hong Kong Jockey Club sprints to success beyond horse racing

Soccer betting and alignment with government priorities secure status

24 July 2024
Demonstrators in Bara, Pakistan, protest against new taxes on July 7: The government's push to increase revenues has not been popular.
The Big Story

Why Pakistan cannot resist going back to the IMF for another fix

Latest $7bn injection of support will not itself end country's cycle of dependence

17 July 2024
Breaking down coal at a yard in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Nov. 23, 2021. Climate change, worsening heat waves and parched dams are cutting India's hydroelectricity production and leading to the encroachment of coal mining projects on rural communities.
The Big Story

India's climate crisis: New coal mining spreads as heat waves drain hydro dams

Remote communities desperate to protect nature take up bows and arrows to scare off mine officials

10 July 2024
Myanmar's military regime is almost entirely dependent on imported fuel to kill and terrorize civilians, and to power all aspects of its war machine. With revenue from natural gas sales to Thailand and China falling off dramatically, this is proving an unaffordable vulnerability.  (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Myanmar's reliance on imported fuel squeezes military as civilians suffer

Economic crisis likely to hit generals harder than sanctions as insurgents gain ground

3 July 2024
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The Big Story

China's undersea cable drive defies U.S. sanctions

'Diplomatic race' with Washington as Beijing pursues self-sufficient global network

26 June 2024
Couples celebrate the passing of Thailand's marriage equality bill during a ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok on June 18. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Thailand's marriage equality a rare win in Asia's fight for LGBTQ rights

From Singapore to Indonesia, new Thai bill gives hope to persecuted sexual minorities

19 June 2024
AI-dedicated data centers will require 90 trillion watt-hours of electricity globally by 2026, over 10 times the amount they used in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. The environmental impact of that huge boom in energy demand is becoming more difficult to ignore.
The Big Story

AI's looming climate cost: Energy demand surges amid data center race

From Singapore to China, AI's appetite for electricity and water grows insatiable as models get larger

12 June 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored a victory in the country's elections on June 4, securing a third term in power. Unlike in previous elections, which focused on domestic issues, diplomacy featured heavily in Modi's campaign.
The Big Story

Modi's election setback follows campaign focused on India's foreign relations

Tough talk on Pakistan and China, but election tactics alienate the West

5 June 2024
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The Big Story

Myanmar's Rohingya refugees signal despair and hope in overcrowded camp

Almost a million trapped by civil war amid xenophobia, donor fatigue in Bangladesh

29 May 2024
Chinese migrants' encounters with U.S. border authorities were 10 times higher in 2023 than in pre-pandemic years. The economic slowdown back home coupled with human rights concerns is prompting many to seek new lives in America.
The Big Story

Why so many middle-class Chinese migrants take risky, illegal route to U.S.

Economic malaise, debt and despair push families to trek through jungle to Mexico border

22 May 2024
As more than 900 million Indian voters head to the polls, influencers on Instagram, X and other platforms have become key pawns in the ruling BJP's bid for a third term in power.
The Big Story

India's Instagrab: Modi's re-election bid weaponizes social media influencers

BJP leaves nothing to chance, boosting favorable online celebrities while suppressing dissent

15 May 2024
The car freighter BYD Explorer No. 1 brings 3,000 cars to Bremerhaven, Germany. Europe needs Chinese EVs if it is to meet its goal of banning combustion engines in 2035.
The Big Story

Europe faces up to China's EV dominance as carbon-zero targets loom

As Xi travels through EU this week, automakers weigh whether to fight or team up with cheaper Chinese rivals

8 May 2024
Unable to source key technological components from the West due to sanctions, Russia is acquiring civilian tech from Chinese online sellers and repurposing it for the battlefield in Ukraine. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

How China's ad-hoc tech pipeline fuels Russia's Ukraine war efforts

Civilian electronics, sourced from Chinese e-commerce sellers, find their way to the battlefield

1 May 2024
New recruits at Japanese airline ANA gather for an entrance ceremony on April 1. Spurred by a shrinking population and social changes, young job hunters are becoming more selective than their parents could afford to be. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
The Big Story

Japanese companies navigate workplace revolution as job hunters get choosier

New generation of recruits value work-life balance and wages over lifetime employment and overtime

24 April 2024
A girl chases a bird atop piles of dirty plastic waste washed up on Labuan Beach in western Java, Indonesia. Experts say much of the trash has been imported via "waste trafficking" from developed countries. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Southeast Asia's plastic tidal wave: Imported trash swamps region

From Indonesia to Myanmar, China's 2018 import ban fed an already critical domestic waste problem

17 April 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on April 11, poses for a portrait after an interview with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on April 4. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
The Big Story

Kishida: Japan ready to step up as U.S. 'global partner' at Biden summit

Deeper defense integration and economic ties top Japan's agenda, but Trump looms large

10 April 2024
Legal experts say a growing number of China's leading tech companies are using noncompete agreements to retain even junior talent as the U.S.-China tech war heats up. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

China's tech workers trapped in jobs by noncompete contracts

From Tencent to Pinduoduo, companies use surveillance and lawsuits to retain staff as competition ramps up

3 April 2024
Many Japanese consumers and workers at small companies have yet to see real-life benefits from the country's recent flurry of economic good news.
The Big Story

Japan's tale of two economies: BOJ hike and stock boom yet to trickle down

'Lost decades' linger for most in spite of record pay raises and Nikkei highs

27 March 2024
Startups in Southeast Asia are struggling to navigate a post-pandemic lull in tech investment, after recieving huge injections of funding from SoftBank Group's now ailing Vision Fund. 
The Big Story

From Grab to GoTo, Southeast Asia's startups weather funding winter

Tied to the fortunes of SoftBank's Vision Fund, tech sector must now sink or swim

20 March 2024
A nearly empty shopping mall in central Beijing: China is grappling with weak consumption, youth unemployment and huge local government debts as the economy continues to slow. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
The Big Story

China faces familiar growth dilemma as economy slows

Anxious to avoid reinflating a property bubble, Beijing chooses caution over expansion

13 March 2024
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The Big Story

Asia's menopause challenge: The economic case for better female health

Aging societies from Japan to Singapore rush to safeguard mature women's wellness

6 March 2024