Life

A girl works on a school assignment at home in Manila on Jan. 6 as schools remained closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Life

Philippine children are left behind by poor distance learning

Education system braces for another year of woes without face-to-face classes

9 August 2021
Most Tokyo Olympics events were held without spectators, a precedent that is likely to be adopted for the Paralympics. 
7 August 2021
The new plan aims to create or expand 2,000 fitness venues, such as sports parks and stadiums, by 2025.
Caixin

China wants fitter citizens and bigger sports industry by 2025

New plan eyes plan for more than a third of people to get regular exercise

6 August 2021
People line up for free food at a slum area following the COVID-19 outbreak, in Bangkok in April 2020.
Tea Leaves

Bangkok's streets expose Southeast Asia's new divides

Throughout the region, the pandemic is causing suicides, widening inequality and growing unrest

4 August 2021
Canadian pop singer Kris Wu at the iHeartRadio MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto in 2018: Wu has been arrested on suspicion of rape in Beijing.
Caixin

China police detain Canadian pop star Kris Wu on suspicion of rape

Singer could face prison and payback for millions of dollars in endorsement deals

3 August 2021
David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers aid organization, rescues a 5-year-old Demoa after her mother was killed by Islamists in the battle for Mosul. (Courtesy of Free Burma Rangers)
Life

Fighting Myanmar's regime with compassion and military skills

Free Burma Rangers help thousands fleeing brutal attacks by security forces

1 August 2021
A rare snow leopard sighting in the northern Indian territory of Ladakh. Threatened by climate change and poachers, the big cats are endangered, with only an estimated 3,900 to 6,400 left in the world. (Courtesy of Behzad J. Larry)
Life

Research brings elusive snow leopard a step closer

Community efforts give new hope for 'ghost of the mountains'

30 July 2021
Johnny Weir is also a successful professional skater.
Interview

Not normal Olympics, but Japan is 'welcoming naturally': Johnny Weir

Two-time figure skater returns to Japan as NBC reporter with his eccentric outfits

28 July 2021
A trio of cosplayers in well-cut outfits outside the Tokyo Big Sight building. (All photos by Stephen Mansfield)
Tea Leaves

In Japan, clothes really do make the 'persona'

Across the ages, lexicon of dress reaches across hierarchies and sectors

28 July 2021
Laos and Thailand face off against each other in the men's sepak takraw doubles final match at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, in August 2018.
Life

Asia wants to add to Olympic sports

Regional games such as 'sepak takraw' eyed for future inclusion

28 July 2021
The forests of northern Okinawa's Yanbaru region are home to a diversity of life. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Life

Japan's Amami island picked as Natural World Heritage site

UNESCO recognizes 4 southwestern isles for rare species and mangrove forests

27 July 2021
Breakfast is served! On China's Hainan Island, starting the day with a steamed bun and a cup of laobacha, or "old man's tea," is a ritual for many locals. (Screen grab from YouTube) 
Life

Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

Discover 'old dad's tea,' roasted lamb 'baozi' and clay pot seafood noodles

26 July 2021
David Jenkins' magisterial new book, "Young Soeharto: The Making of a Soldier," details the background to one of Asia's more remarkable and least-known national struggles as well as the story of the man who led the country's remarkable transformation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Djawa Baroe/ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute)
Life

Book review: New biography casts light on Indonesia's 'smiling general'

'Young Soeharto' chronicles strongman's astonishing rise from humble beginnings

24 July 2021
Elina Svitolina, left, and Gael Monfils married in Switzerland earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of Gael Monfils' Instagram account)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Tennis stars Svitolina and Monfils bask in Olympic 'honeymoon'

Newlyweds to spend much of their time apart preparing for matches

24 July 2021
Naomi Osaka carries the Olympic Torch during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 23 in Tokyo, Japan. 
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

'The greatest honor': Naomi Osaka lights Olympic cauldron

Superstar tennis player was a welcome choice for Japan, Haiti, the US and the world

24 July 2021
I wanted to celebrate my 40th birthday by overcoming my biggest fear: Driving a long distance on an Indian highway by myself. (Photo by P. Sarkar)
Tea Leaves

My way on the highway -- an Indian road trip

Lone women face violence on India's roads, but we should brave our fears

21 July 2021
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were hailed by LIFE Magazine as "The Greatest Olympics Ever." Given the restrictions that apply to foreign journalists visiting Tokyo in 2021, it is unlikely that anyone will be describing the 2020 Olympics in such glowing terms. (Source photos by AP and Kyodo)
Life

Why there is still hope for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

What a contrast to the 1964 Games, remembered as the greatest ever

21 July 2021
In 2020, Taiwan recorded negative population growth for the first time since records began, with 173,156 deaths and 165,249 births, according to the Ministry of the Interior. 
Life

Taiwan's falling birthrate 'threatens its economic security'

World's lowest fertility rate set to cause permanent population decline

18 July 2021
A log house for guests and staff houses are being built around Lupicia's new headquarters in Niseko, Hokkaido.
Business trends

Goodbye, Tokyo: Tea company Lupicia moves HQ to Niseko ski resort

Hokkaido nature better for creativity, CEO Mizuguchi says

18 July 2021
Tomohisa Moridaira poses with Miraitowa, left, and Someity, the mechanical mascots developed by his team at Toyota.
Life

Meet the unsung stars determined to make the Olympics a success

From engineers to volunteers, behind-the-scenes players rise to the occasion

14 July 2021
A sign on the British Club gate in Yangon reads "closed until further notice." (Photo by Rory Wallace)
Tea Leaves

Yangon's shuttered British Club sends a message

Drawing on long but troubled ties, London could yet play a role in ending Myanmar's nightmare

14 July 2021
Christophe Weber, CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical, speaks during an interview with Nikkei.  (Photo by Shihoko Nakaoka)
Life

Takeda chief Christophe Weber talks about his younger days

'Experience of seizing bigger opportunities has made me who I am today'

10 July 2021
Protesters show their opposition to the Penang South Reclamation project, a controversial Penang State government scheme to build new islands off the coast, in November 2019. (Courtesy of Penang Tolak Tambak)
Tea Leaves

One island is enough for Penang

Malaysian state's offshore reclamation plans risk environmental disaster

7 July 2021
A man holds a National League for Democracy flag during a protest against the military coup, in Yangon on March 27. The democratically elected NLD was ousted in the Feb. 1 putsch. 
Life

Five Myanmar voices on a year in turmoil

Insights into life under the military regime

5 July 2021
A U.S. Marine shouts as he tries to protect an Afghan man and his child after Taliban fighters opened fire in the southern town of Marjah in February 2010
Life

US pullout from Afghanistan evokes horrors of Cambodia

Will Washington's friends in Kabul suffer the fate of its allies in Phnom Penh?

4 July 2021