Life

Livestreaming celebrity Huang Wei, known online as Weiya, was ordered to pay 1.34 billion yuan ($210 million) in back taxes, late fees and fines.
Caixin

Chinese livestreamers' tax evasion reflects need for reform

Loopholes, ambiguous wording in existing law encourage rampant cheating

28 December 2021
Andy "The Blade" Hiraoka poses at Yokohama's Ohashi Boxing Gym, which is run by former world champion Hideyuki Ohashi. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Sports

An African father's tough love pushes Japanese boxer to the top

Bullied as a child, Andy Hiraoka now sets his sights on a world championship belt

24 December 2021
A screenshot of "Squid Game Parody," a Vietnamese show on YouTube that satirizes the Netflix original.
Tea Leaves

Vietnam's 'Squid Game' comedies entertain, but to what end?

Copycat fad shows how a single hit cultural product can shape public imagination

22 December 2021
An auto tuktuk rides past the Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok
Transportation

Thailand hits brake on closing Bangkok station after rail buffs protest

Plan to shutter 105-year-old Hua Lamphong receives monthlong reprieve

22 December 2021
Jamu, a traditional Indonesian herbal drink used to soothe ailments, has gone upscale. (Screenshot from Acaraki Journey's YouTube page) 
Food & Beverage

Indonesia's 'jamu': 'Smelly, tastes weird' -- and suddenly trendy

Traditional herbal drink, once mostly sold on streets, now available in posh cafes

21 December 2021
The Thai resort island of Phuket is renowned for its sand and surf, but many of its charms can be found in Old Town, a crowded neighborhood of shops in the heart of the main town that has undergone a sweeping gentrification over the last decade.
Life

Phuket's Old Town a striking alternative to beach culture

Thai resort island offers returning tourists historical and architectural interest

18 December 2021
Anchilee “Ann” Scott-Kemmis celebrates being crowned Miss Universe Thailand in Pattaya on Oct. 24. (Photo from her Instagram)
Tea Leaves

Thailand's 'revolution' in beauty standards only skin-deep

Latest choices might break the mold but Miss Universe contest holds Thailand back from broader social change

15 December 2021
More Indian girls are taking up skateboarding as the sport grows in popularity across the country. (From the Girl Skate India Facebook page)
Life

Indian girls skate to success

Craze for skateboarding is helping to empower girls and the poor

15 December 2021
A stray puppy saved by Rescue P.A.W.S., a Thai animal welfare group that provides sterilization services as well as food, veterinary services and limited shelter. (Photo by Ron Gluckman)
Life

Asian animal groups rush to rescue pandemic-hit pets

COVID-19 lockdowns have compounded the stray dog problem across the region

13 December 2021
Founded in 1988, the International Dark-Sky Association sees its main goal as encouraging "communities, parks and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting policies and public education."
Life

Pandemic brings out Asia's stargazers

Movement to preserve pristine locations for looking at the night sky is gathering pace

12 December 2021
Pastor Cho Yong-gi, right, who built Seoul's Yoido Full Gospel Church into the world's largest megachurch before being tainted by corruption and other scandals, died in September. He was 85. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
11 December 2021
From left, Est Chef de Cuisine Guillaume Bracaval and Est Pastry Chef Michele Abbatemarco pose for a portrait on Dec. 6 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Life

Tokyo's Est claims a coveted star of its own

Restaurants in the Japan capital earned more Michelin stars than any other city

9 December 2021
Film nostalgia at the Katsushika Shibamata Tora-san Museum. (All photos by Stephen Mansfield)
Tea Leaves

The meaning of Tora-san

More than five decades on, unique Japanese film series remains relevant

8 December 2021
A still from director Alyx Arumpac's award-winning documentary "Aswang" (Monster), which takes a blunt look at the chroniclers, the victims and the destruction in the wake of the drug war launched by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after he came to power in 2016. (Courtesy of Alyx Arumpac)
Life

Award-winning film documents Duterte's bloody drug war

Director depicts modern, state-sanctioned 'monsters' that stalk at night

8 December 2021
The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, is seen in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 
Economy

UAE shifts to Saturday-Sunday weekend in line with global markets

Working week will be 4.5 days, with Friday half off

7 December 2021
A restaurant in London's Chinatown is nearly empty but for takeout customers due to the pandemic in December 2020.
Life

Hong Kong exodus set to boost U.K. restaurant sector

China's security crackdown will bring new diners, ease labor shortages

6 December 2021
Midosuji Avenue, one of the main streets in central Osaka, is illuminated during the year-end holidays.
Travel & Leisure

Guinness-record light show returns to Osaka despite power crunch

Facing cold winter, economy minister asks homes to use energy wisely

4 December 2021
Crust Japan offers beer made from leftover bread tossed out by factories and bakeries. (Photo courtesy of Crust Japan)
Food & Beverage

Japanese food companies 'upcycle' leftovers into tidy profits

Small firms offer creative solutions for making waste eatable and drinkable

3 December 2021
Based on a decade of research and extensive fieldwork including interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders, author Hanno Jentzsch looks at a number of trends in post-war Japan agriculture and the impact they have had, not always as intended.
Life

Book review: Can Japanese agriculture adapt?

A fascinating insight into the delicate interplay of people, policy and place

2 December 2021
Traditional Thai costumes also have Victorian and Indian influences. (All photos by Andrew Benfield)
Tea Leaves

Thai lessons in cultural appreciation

Pad thai noodles and tuk-tuks highlight influences from around the world

1 December 2021
Eiichi Shibusawa, known as “the father of Japanese capitalism,” will grace Japan's 10,000 yen note from 2024, when a new series of banknotes will come into circulation.
Life

Japan's new banknote celebrates maverick venture capital pioneer

From currency to potato chips, Eiichi Shibusawa is a fitting hero for tumultuous times

1 December 2021
"Good entertainment is everyone's right and people of the interior of India have been deprived of this for long," said Sushil Chaudhary, founder of mobile cinema operator Picture Time DigiPlex. (Photo by Bilal Hussain)
Life

The inflatable Ladakh cinema that will leave you breathless

High altitude Himalayan movie house a hit with local audiences

30 November 2021
Nazeer Ahmad Zaroo, whose family have been making rifles in Kashmir since the middle of last century. The Zaroo Gun Factory is one of only two remaining in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Life

A Kashmir gunsmith's last stand

Storied Zaroo firearms manufacturer nears the end of the line

28 November 2021
Heather Mack, jailed in 2015 after being found guilty for playing a role in murdering her mother and stuffing the remains in a suitcase, is seen inside an immigration car, after being released from Kerobokan Prison in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, on October 29.
Life

Making sense of Heather Mack and the Bali 'suitcase murder'

Paroled daughter faces new charges in the U.S. over the 2014 killing of her mother

27 November 2021
A carpenter uses a buzz saw at centuries-old forestry company Yamacho's Tanabe complex, where the machinery hasn't changed much in decades. Finishing touches, or hard-to-machine-cut jobs, are completed by hand. (Photo by Thomas Shomaker)
Life

Edo-period forestry company faces a 21st-century problem

How a centuries-old Japanese industry is adapting to climate change

25 November 2021