alt

September 2nd, 2021

Cyber slaves

People trafficking for online scams flourishes in Southeast Asia

View all editions

The Big Story

Cyber slavery: inside Cambodia's online scam gangs

Illicit industry traffics thousands of victims from China through Southeast Asia

Criminal networks linked to online gambling and fraud are further burnishing Cambodia's reputation for endemic corruption. (Photo by Vann Soben)
Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, speaks at a virtual briefing moderated by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Aug. 30.
Afghanistan turmoil

US completes Afghanistan troop withdrawal to end 20-year presence

No American military role in evacuation after Tuesday, Pentagon says

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul on Thursday, the 102nd anniversary of independence from Britain. The militant group used the occasion to declare victory over the U.S. 
Afghanistan turmoil

The return of the Taliban

A reporter witnesses history on a three-month journey through Afghanistan

Japan is speaking up for Taiwan as it fights pressure from China. This is a dramatic shift in Tokyo's stance, which for decades avoided challenging Beijing because of its importance for Japan's economy.
Asia Insight

Taiwan grows ever closer to Japan over vaccines, China fears

Ties have blossomed since 2016 election of Beijing-skeptic Tsai

When the Chinese sportswear maker Erke donated 50 million yuan ($7.7 million) for flood-devastated Henan Province, it was venerated by internet users as “the light of domestic products” and people flocked to its stores.
Business Spotlight

'Nationalist consumption' boosts Chinese fashion industry

Domestic brands lure novelty-seeking young as international rivals retreat

Ajinomoto is comfortable having operations that span everything from powdered coffee to contract drug manufacturing to chip materials. (Nikkei montage/Rie Ishii/Ken Kobayashi)
Business Spotlight

Century-old food giant Ajinomoto surprise COVID tech boom winner

Seasoning maker's resurgence illustrates how Japan Inc. adapts to change

JD.com's e-commerce business has boomed, though rising costs in its logistics business dragged down overall earnings.
Retail

Alibaba squeezed by crackdown as JD.com and Pinduoduo pounce

Regulatory scrutiny and scandals put e-commerce leader on the ropes

Sophie Cluzel, French minister for disabled people, visits a robot cafe managed by ORY Laboratory in Tokyo on Aug. 25. (Photo by Eri Sugiura)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

France aims for 3,000 disabled volunteers at Paris 2024

Alongside athletes, volunteers to deliver message of 'sports for all': minister

Maldives' Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid poses after an interview with Reuters in New Delhi in January 2020. (File photo by Reuters) 
Interview

Incoming UNGA chief says climate financing 'life or death' matter

Abdulla Shahid says UN committee to decide on which Afghan government to recognize

Afghan evacuees from Kabul disembark from a U.S. Air Force transport plane at Naval Station Rota, Spain on Aug. 31.
The Nikkei View

All nations must help stabilize Afghanistan after US withdrawal

Economic aid should be used to pressure Taliban on governance and human rights

President Richard Nixon, pictured in his White House office after delivering a nationwide television addressposes on Aug. 15, 1971: it still deserves to be remembered as a shock.
Opinion

Understanding the real impact of the 'Nixon Shock'

How best to control money still eludes the world's advanced economies

A Taliban fighter holding an assault rifle stands guard outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Aug. 16: Afghanistan seemingly reverts to 2001.
Opinion

Rare earth trillions lure China to Afghanistan's new Great Game

Beijing will be the first major power to recognize the new regime

One of the most beautiful black opals from Lightning Ridge is the 180-carat Aurora Australis, on display at the Altmann & Cherny retail store in Sydney. (Courtesy of Altmann & Cherny)
Life

Australia's black opal fields lure dreamers and prospectors

Part-time miners flock to desolate but colorful Lightning Ridge in search of riches

Vendors offer food and drinks from their small boats to people visiting the Amphawa floating market in Samut Songkhram Province, west of Bangkok, in 2013. 
Tea Leaves

Pandemic takes flavor out of Bangkok's grocery shopping

Thai capital's wet markets struggle to survive disruptions