Asia
Indonesia: president defends free meals programme despite food poisoning cases
Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, has defended his ambitious free meals programme after thousands of cases of food poisoning raised public concern. Launched in January, the initiative provides meals for children and pregnant women;…
Indonesia: a tiny island files climate lawsuit against cement firm
Recent protests in Indonesia over economic hardship have coincided with a landmark climate lawsuit filed by four residents of Pulau Pari, a tiny island only three metres above sea level which has already…
Taiwan / China: super typhoon causes widespread devastation
On 24 September Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest tropical cyclone globally this year, slammed into Yangjiang, southern China, after killing 17 people in Taiwan and battering Hong Kong with destructive winds and torrential rain.…
Nepal: the challenges facing new PM
New prime minister Sushila Karki, a former chief justice known for her uncompromising stance against corruption, faces an immense challenge just weeks after taking office. Chosen after huge protests which toppled her predecessor…
Israel has committed genocide, says UN inquiry
A UN commission of inquiry has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since the 2023 war with Hamas began. The 72-page report cites four…
Syria: worst drought in decades pushes millions to the brink
Syria is facing its worst drought in 36 years, devastating wheat production and deepening a nationwide hunger crisis. Farmer Maher Haddad has harvested barely a third of his normal yield, reflecting a 40%…
South Korea: shifting social trends in Seoul
Seoul’s household landscape is shifting as single-person homes become the city’s most common household type, according to a 2024 report. Nearly 1.66 million residents now live alone - about 40% of all households…
Qatar: Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders
The dramatic airstrike by Israel on Hamas leaders in Qatar on 9 October marks a new twist in a war already destabilising the wider Middle East. Qatar, long considered Hamas’ political base and…
Nepal: violent protests against corruption and ban on social media
Nepal has been rocked by its most intense unrest in decades, with corruption and nepotism at the heart of nationwide protests. The turmoil escalated dramatically after the government’s controversial ban on social media…
Philippines: Marcos an unlikely anti-corruption crusader
The Philippines once again finds itself grappling with the enduring scourge of corruption, an issue that has haunted the last three presidents: Ferdinand Marcos Sr, Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, and now Ferdinand Marcos…
