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April 22nd, 2021

Bad Air days

Asia's biggest public health crisis isn't COVID-19

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The Big Story

Air pollution: Asia's deadliest public health crisis isn't COVID

As governments fail to curb the world's worst air, millions are dying avoidable deaths

A bad air day in New Delhi, pictured in January this year: Less than 8% of the world has safe air as defined by the World Health Organization's standards. (AFP/Jiji)
The global shortage of semiconductors has made the fierce competition in the tech industry even more cutthroat.
Business Spotlight

How the chip shortage got so bad -- and why it's so hard to fix

Surging demand and political tension play havoc with global supply chains

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Asia Insight

Hong Kong's security law sends chill through arts community

Political pressure undermines city's position as regional culture hub

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden speak at a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 16.
Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing takes part in an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw on March 27.
Myanmar Crisis

Posco cuts ties to Myanmar junta as multinationals face scrutiny

Investors press companies to stop working with military's web of 130 businesses

Buyers look at pieces of jade at a market in Mandalay, Myanmar, in March 2019.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta reaps millions in gem sales as economy crumbles

New data highlights potential for country to slide even deeper into poverty

A Muji store in Beijing: The Japanese retailer has sought to sidestep a consumer backlash in China against several Western retailers that have voiced concern about human rights in Xinjiang.
Retail

Japan retailer Muji downplays concerns over Xinjiang cotton

Company stresses 'third-party' audits to address forced labor allegations

Kagome sources less than 1% of all tomatoes from China's Xinjiang autonomous region.
Food & Beverage

Japan's ketchup king halts Xinjiang tomato imports

Kagome first major Japanese corporation to cut ties over Uyghur issue

A man receives a coronavirus vaccination in Singapore on March 8.
Most read in 2021

Singapore and Japan scrutinize COVID cases after 2 vaccine shots

City-state warns against letting guard down despite its swift jab rollout

Grab's delivery to be the biggest segment over next 3 years. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Startups

Grab CEO takes 60% of voting rights: 5 take-aways from IPO plan

Accumulated losses reach $10bn; Singapore company raises Myanmar risk

Vietnam Communist party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong applauds during a party meeting in Hanoi on Jan. 31: he was reelected to an unprecedented third term.
Opinion

Vietnam restores regional balance to top leadership

Pendulum finally swinging back to the south

Protesters hold shields with attached pictures of Myanmar's military junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Yangon on Mar. 1: booting the country from ASEAN would be a good way to kick-start the bloc's revival.
Opinion

Myanmar coup reveals urgent need for ASEAN overhaul

Bloc of 10 nations hamstrung by self-defeating search for unanimity

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden walk together shortly before their joint news conference at the White House on April 16. 
The Nikkei View

Deeper Japan-US alliance vital for stability and development

Washington and Tokyo must engage Beijing while checking irresponsible behavior

A Rohingya refugee, Dil Mohammed, arrives at an emergency response center after a massive fire on March 22 swept through parts of the Kutupalong-Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. (WFP/Sayed Asif Mahmud)
Life

Technology gives hope amid embers of Rohingya camps

After fire devastates refugee settlement, digital initiatives help rebuild lives

Takenosuke Sakakura's Nishihara Itchome toilet is called Andon, which means "lantern." (Photos by Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)
Tea Leaves

Tokyo launches 'toilet diplomacy'

Glass-walled restroom is clear symbol of Japan's affair with washroom hygiene