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February 23rd, 2023

Ukraine's year of agony and defiance

One Kyiv resident's account of the 12 months since Putin's invasion

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The Big Story

'Fear for our families': A year of Putin's war through the eyes of Ukrainians

Twelve months on from invasion, Western arms shift balance of war as Russia hopes to outlast NATO

The graves of unidentified victims fill a cemetery in Bucha, northern Ukraine, on Feb. 19, almost one year into the nation's war with Russia. (Photo by Paula Bronstein)
The challenge for startups in the recycling sector is raising money at a time when investors are being held back by global macroeconomic uncertainties, rising interest rates and inflationary pressures. (Photo courtesy of The Incubation Network)
Business Spotlight

ASEAN's garbage economy: Startups turn plastic waste into consumer goods

Trash is transformed into chairs in Indonesia, floor tiles in Vietnam

ChatGPT has set the tech world buzzing with its ability to generate content from simple user prompts. Now China Inc. is racing to catch up. (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
Technology

ChatGPT rush kicks U.S.-China AI race into higher gear

Hype or not, chips could be real issue for Chinese companies' AI competition

GXS' app looks more like a music-streaming service than a banking app. (Photo by Tsubasa Suruga) 
Finance

From Grab to Ant, Singapore's digital bank race picks up pace

Standard Chartered and other incumbents take lead in push for virtual lending

The militant Islamic State group's local branch claimed responsibility for an attack on this Chinese-owned hotel in Kabul in December.
Asia Insight

China risks militants' wrath in Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond

Beijing reduces Islamabad presence as myriad groups find Asian giant a useful target

A jail in Karachi: Many vulnerable Afghan refugees, including women and children, await deportation after being arrested by Pakistani police. (Photo by Jamaima Afridi)
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan women, children in Pakistan jails spotlight refugee policy

Experts see Islamabad-Kabul tensions behind stricter approach

Bangladesh's exports of clothing to the European Union surged nearly 42% in the first nine months of 2022. (Photo by Mostafiz Uddin) 
Trade

Bangladesh ready to topple China as top clothing exporter to EU

Garment industry is crucial to South Asian nation's economy

Left: Police seal off an area around the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Seoul on Jan. 18. Right: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stands for the national anthem at the presidential office on Jan. 11. (Source photos by Kyodo and South Korean presidential office)
Politics

Seoul intensifies crackdown on North Korea spy rings

Move reflects lingering feud between South Korea's conservatives and liberals

The U.S. Defense Department expects China to raise its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 1,500 by 2035, an increase of more than 300% versus 2022.
Datawatch

End of two-way nuclear deterrence makes world more dangerous

Countries other than U.S., Russia now hold more than 10% of nuclear arms

Commuters in Tokyo's Marunouchi business district on Jan. 19: People have come to understand that deflation is not a root cause of Japan's low growth. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Opinion

2% inflation should not be focus of Japan's economic agenda

Key is to prevent further decline in potential growth rate and seek higher level

Xi Jinping makes a toast during a welcome banquet for the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in May 2017: The Chinese leader sold the BRI as a pathway to prosperity for developing nations.
Opinion

'Made in China' infrastructure is often a glorified money pit

Construction flaws have left many Belt and Road projects unusable

A mural by Japanese artist Maru Yacco, exhibited at "Myth Makers -- Sprectrosynthesis III" at Hong Kong's Tai Kwun Contemporary. (Courtesy of Tai Kwun Contemporary)
Arts

Hong Kong turns heads with Asian LGBTQ art show

Exhibition ranges from the 1940s to modern video installations

Australia's recent passport update was a chance to showcase the nation's design prowess. What the public got instead was the same sober navy-blue cover. (Courtesy of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
Tea Leaves

Passports can say a lot about a country

Australia's new design is a missed opportunity in soft power projection