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Fame and celebrity

A welcome ceremony for new students at the University of Tokyo in April. Photo: Kyodo

Lifestyle & Culture

Tokyo University investigates if ‘Tiananmen’ hack aimed to block Chinese access

Officials are investigating if resentment towards the growing number of Chinese students at Japan’s most prestigious university was a factor.

46 minutes agovideocam

Nepal’s ‘barbaric’ animal sacrifice ritual persists despite outcry

8 Dec 2024 - 3:00PM

New Delhi’s 10-year-old spiritual influencer faces threats amid rising fame

8 Dec 2024 - 12:04PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Jung Woo-sung’s apology sparks debate on single-parent families in South Korea

The actor’s apology for fathering a child outside of marriage raised issues of deep-rooted cultural stigmas and systemic inequities faced by single-parent families.

8 Dec 2024 - 9:18AMvideocam

Jung Woo-sung poses for portrait photographs at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022. Photo: AP

Lifestyle & Culture

‘I trust it more’: Chinese app Xiaohongshu offers unexpected window on Malaysia

With over 2.5 million users in Malaysia, Xiaohongshu not only attracts tourists but helps Malaysian Chinese connect with their heritage.

8 Dec 2024 - 8:22AM

Lifestyle & Culture

Elon Musk’s ‘going extinct’ jab at Singapore spotlights birth rate challenges

‘Ultra low’ fertility rates could affect Singapore’s social fabric and economic competitiveness in the long term, analysts say.

7 Dec 2024 - 12:39PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Australia faces seismic shift over social media ban – and it’s felt across Asia

As Thailand’s youth advocate for similar bans on under-16s, Malaysia and Singapore ramp up their own efforts to combat online dangers.

9 Dec 2024 - 10:05AM

Image: Huy Truong

Lifestyle & Culture

Insult of tea seller by Indonesian cleric unites Malaysians in outcry

The saga prompted Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim to warn against high-handed attitudes from those supposedly well-versed in religion.

6 Dec 2024 - 1:36PM

Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman, a cleric from Java, was criticised by Indonesians and Malaysians for scolding an iced tea seller who was selling during his lecture. Photo: PCNU Kabupaten Magelang/YouTube

Politics

Indonesia’s battle with bootleg liquor reveals hidden health crisis

The country’s limited access to legal alcohol drives many, especially young people, to seek cheap, illicit alternatives, often laced with toxic methanol.

5 Dec 2024 - 10:00AMvideocam

Lifestyle & Culture

Japan’s end-of-year drinking parties downsize as enthusiasm wanes

Younger employees say they do not want to be pressured to go to such corporate parties, seen as an extension of work they would rather avoid.

4 Dec 2024 - 11:00AM

Politics

Bhutan’s ‘mindfulness city’ angers displaced ethnic Nepalis

Bhutan’s plan for southern farmlands has sparked outrage among forced-out ethnic Nepalis, who say the megaproject would be on stolen land.

2 Dec 2024 - 8:02AM

Bhutan, a Himalayan nation of fewer than 800,000 people, is pitching its Gelephu Mindfulness City project as “a sanctuary for global businesses and professionals”. Photo: Getty Images

Lifestyle & Culture

Why more Indonesian couples are saying no to children

With rising costs and changing priorities, more Indonesians are choosing to live childfree – raising some demographic concerns.

30 Nov 2024 - 5:00PM

Children look at their mobile phones along a roadside in Jakarta on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle & Culture

Tokyo’s ‘embarrassing’ street prostitution prompts demand in Japan for new laws

Politicians and online users bemoan Japan’s decline following reports about local women who seek clients in Okubo Park for paid sex.

30 Nov 2024 - 9:00AM

Lifestyle & Culture

Japanese cities raise onsen ‘bathing tax’ to boost revenue, offset rising costs

Analysts hope the funds raised will be used by the local travel sector to provide better facilities and services for visitors.

29 Nov 2024 - 9:30AM

Lifestyle & Culture

Hair-sniffing case in Japan sets off debate over ‘touchless harassment’

The issue gained national attention after a man was detained by police for standing close to a girl and sniffing her hair on a train.

27 Nov 2024 - 3:07PMvideocam

Pedestrians walking down a Shinjuku street in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE

Lifestyle & Culture

Blackface cases in Singapore spark outrage, calls to plug racial awareness gaps

In the latest case, eight people attended a UOL event wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces, prompting the company to apologise.

26 Nov 2024 - 7:59PM

Eight persons attended a company event wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces. Photo: summer88959/TikTok

Lifestyle & Culture

Pioneer Sabah indigenous language film Sinakagon to make Netflix debut

The ‘fully Sabah’ production, directed by Timothy Stephen and shot entirely in the Dusun dialect, is based on the legend of the goddess Huminodun.

25 Nov 2024 - 1:28PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Meet the South Korean webtoon artist behind Netflix hit All of Us Are Dead

Joo Dong-geun shares his journey from part-time artist – and explains why webtoons are behind so many South Korean Netflix hits.

26 Nov 2024 - 8:06AM

People

‘War is messed up’: why young Australians don’t want to join the military

Observers blame a ‘culture of self-loathing’ for destroying the self-esteem of Australia’s youth and undermining faith in its institutions.

24 Nov 2024 - 10:00AM

Australian soldiers conduct joint manoeuvres with Indonesian marines during an amphibious landing exercise on November 13. Photo: AP

Lifestyle & Culture

Japan’s youth kiss less, raising concerns over birth rate and romance

A study finds a decline in first kisses among Japanese high school students, raising concerns about the country’s low birth rate.

23 Nov 2024 - 9:53AMvideocam

A loving young couple kissing at sunset. Photo: Shutterstock

Economics

Fake views: Japan’s Fukuoka apologises for AI-generated tourist attractions

The AI-generated tourism content, featuring non-existent attractions and dishes in Fukuoka, highlights the need for human oversight in AI use.

22 Nov 2024 - 4:08PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Indonesia’s Bali seeks to protect traditional dance by banning erotic version

Several viral videos of Balinese performers wearing revealing outfits and dancing sensuously have forced the authorities to take action.

19 Nov 2024 - 5:48PMvideocam

Lifestyle & Culture

Mahathir hits out at Chinese signboards in Kuala Lumpur’s shopping centres

Former prime minister laments the absence of the national language, Malay, from the display boards at shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur.

19 Nov 2024 - 3:56PM

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: AP

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