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August 4th, 2022

Defying death

Aging Asia's race to push the boundaries of medicine

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The Big Story

Defying death: Japan and Singapore lead Asia's stem cell research race

In the world's fastest-aging societies, regenerative therapies attract the rich and curious

A scientist at Star Clinic, a regenerative medical center in Tokyo, transfers cells extracted from a patient to a container for use in stem cell therapy. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Blind, a fast-growing social platform that began in South Korea, has been dubbed "the honest version of LinkedIn." (Source photos by Yuki Kohara)
Business Spotlight

South Korean app dubbed 'honest LinkedIn' aims to make money from Big Tech

Anonymous social media platform for employees starts selling services to employers

Now that the smartphone market has matured, Apple will likely target the automobile sector, if its patent applications are any indication. (Source photos by Reuters and Takuya Imai)
Automobiles

Apple's patent history reveals a major push into autos

Applications for self-driving and connected-car technology rise rapidly

Singapore has offered midcareer training opportunities through the SkillsFuture program since 2014.
Technology

Singapore seeks to stay competitive by retraining entire workforce

PayPal and Microsoft partner with national 'reskilling' program

VinFast Global CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy poses with one of her company's electric SUVs at CES 2022 in Las Vegas during January.
Automobiles

Vietnam's Vingroup strikes tech deals to take EV business global

VinFast teams with Intel and battery developers, targeting 1m cars in 6 years

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese condo buyers are joining mortgage strikes, some of whom have gone years paying down loans for homes that remain unfinished.
Asia Insight

China mortgage strikes threaten property sector's house of cards

As unfinished homes disrupt lives, pressure grows on developers and Beijing alike

A woman fans a baby by candlelight during a recent blackout in Bangladesh. (Photo by Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Economy

Blackouts bedevil Bangladesh as South Asia forex worries mount

Echoing Sri Lanka and Pakistan, woes blamed on Ukraine war and falling reserves

The election of Droupadi Murmu, India's second female president, has rekindled a national discussion over how to address female leaders.
Politics

India's gender debate: How should President Murmu be addressed?

Critics say standard Hindi title 'rashtrapati' reflects patriarchal mindset

Members of the Shariah police listen to a commander's instructions before going on patrol in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Province, the only part of Indonesia with the authority to enact widespread Islamic law. Following West Sumatra's new law, Islamic rules and regulations might be enforced in more regions across the country.
Society

Indonesia's pluralism in question as Islamic law influence grows

Latest Shariah enforcement in West Sumatra stirs concern over freedom of religion

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, left, received vows of support from the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan on his recent swing through East Asia. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
International relations

The economic diplomacy of Jokowi's East Asia trip: 5 takeaways

Infrastructure investment, business ties highlight region's importance for Indonesia

Activists attend a protest in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in Washington on July 9: The decision delivered a seismic political shock. 
Opinion

American democracy is now under siege from within

Exacerbating political divisions set off alarms of conflicts to come

Boats anchored at a river mouth at Tanjung Labian, one of the nearest points in Sabah, Malaysia to the Philippines: Locals have traveled across the Sulu Sea for years.
Opinion

Sulu claim shows Southeast Asia cannot yet escape colonial legacy

Governments should recognize citizens' cross-border communities

Perusing the shelves at a BookXcess store in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Paulius Staniunas)
Life

Malaysia's bookshop boom: a bricks-and-mortar revival

Unconventional business models, pandemic-changed reading habits fuel upsurge

A beach in Ngwesaung, in the Ayeyarwady region of southern Myanmar, in 2017. With the pandemic easing, the military regime wants to restart tourism. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Sun, sea and civil war: holidaying in Myanmar

Tourists to strife-torn country must first make peace with risks and ethics