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November 25th, 2021

Seen and not heard

Southeast Asian health workers bullied into silence

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The Big Story

Seen and not heard: health workers in Asia bullied into silence

Brutal hours, poor conditions, low pay -- from Indonesia to the Philippines, the region's carers have learned to keep quiet

Ground down by almost two years of overtime, low pay and discrimination, health workers throughout Southeast Asia are reaching the breaking point. 
Critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoos handed in by owners for release in Indonesia in 2015: Experts say the exotic pet trade raises major issues regarding animal welfare, conservation and public health.
Asia Insight

COVID casts Asia's exotic pet trade in harsher light

From Thailand to Japan, health risks add to animal welfare and biodiversity concerns

The purpose of Chinese President Xi Jinping's new education policies is very clear: "to stop after-school training." (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Chinese tutoring companies struggle to reinvent themselves

After crackdown, school operators venture into clothing and farm equipment

A startup event in Bengaluru, left, and the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai: Sensex, India’s benchmark index for public equities, is up 25% since the beginning of the year thanks to investor excitement over tech stocks. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Venture capital funds pile into India's startup scene

Country attracts record number of investors as China's appeal dims

Bali beaches like this one remained empty in mid-November, sparking deep frustration in the island's crucial tourism sector. (Photo by Shotaro Tani)
Economy

Bali still a shadow of its former self as foreign tourists stay away

Indonesia's 'Island of the Gods' struggles to shake off the impact of COVID

Rakuten Group hopes that it will become easier to hire foreign talent as Japan opens up to business travel again. (File photo by Yukinori Okamura)
Japan immigration

Japan Inc. rushes to hire overseas talent as border reopens

Concerns arise over another COVID wave and higher costs

Japanese apparel makers Sanyo Shokai and TSI Holdings have decided to stop using Xinjiang cotton. (Source photos by Kaisuke Ota, Getty Images and screenshot from TSI Holdings) 
Business trends

Japanese apparel makers join boycott of China's Xinjiang cotton

Sanyo Shokai, TSI among those responding to allegations of forced labor

Despite shipping its iPads and iPhones by air, Apple will not be able to get them to many Asian consumers in time for Christmas.
Technology

Apple's Christmas sales in Asia at risk from global supply crunch

Delivery times for iPads and iPhones lengthen as holiday shopping season arrives

Images of Chinese leaders from Mao Zedong, left, to Xi Jinping, right, grace a wall at an exhibition in Beijing on China's achievements.
Politics

Xi Jinping moves closer to reviving 'chairman' title to match Mao

Chinese leader paves way to powerful post with historical resolution

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, President Xi Jinping, center, and other senior Chinese officials raise their hands during the sixth plenary session in Beijing on Nov. 11.
Politics

China's historical resolution helps Xi hold power: 5 things to know

Rising risks at CCP leadership as president strengthens his position

ASEAN leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping, top second from right, on screen during an online meeting of the ASEAN-China special summit in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 22. 
The Nikkei View

China and ASEAN must set path to regional stability

G-7 has opportunity to bolster cooperation with Southeast Asia

Facebook wants to make money and maintain its competitive edge.
Opinion

We must limit Facebook's ability to damage democracy

Information technology is changing the world much faster than global warming

Modern coalitions must be more diverse.
Opinion

Japan should be admitted to the Five Eyes network

Difficulty adding new members demands a new type of intelligence sharing coalition

Detail of an 1890s photograph showing ancient stone fish traps, on display at the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum. (Geoff Hiscock)
Life

Ancient Aboriginal fish traps refocus Australian history debate

Were pre-colonial indigenous people farmers or hunter-gatherers?

A seller of yakiimo, or freshly roasted sweet potatoes, parked near the Meguro River in western Tokyo, with his specially outfitted truck. (Photo by Edward M. Gomez)
Tea Leaves

Japan's street vendors preserve a fading culture

In towns and cities throughout the country, itinerant merchants help energize urban life