Society
The culture coming out of Asia-Pacific isn’t a trend — it’s a redefinition of who gets to set the global conversation. The films, faiths, and generational shifts behind it.
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Aug- 2026 -4 August
Indian job seekers trafficked to Southeast Asia face systematic torture in scam compounds
A multi-nation investigation found that young men lured from nine Indian states are enslaved in Myanmar and Cambodia, forced to run fraud operations generating up to $114 billion in annual…
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1 August
A British band’s two-second gesture just closed Singapore’s door forever
After Massive Attack members displayed a Palestinian flag on July 29, authorities imposed permanent entry bans and declared the band ineligible for future performances, signalling to every Western touring act…
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1 August
Malaysia is screening Rohingya for return to a country that denies they exist
About 4,000 Myanmar nationals are being processed in immigration depots after PM Anwar announced a repatriation deal, but five rights groups warn the 1982 citizenship law makes safe return legally…
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Jul- 2026 -29 July
Social media is recruiting trafficking victims into Asian scam compounds
The IOM reported on July 28 that tens of thousands from over 80 countries have been trafficked into Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos compounds where an estimated 300,000 workers are forced…
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26 July
The place where Buddhism began just got UNESCO’s seal
Sarnath's inscription as India's 45th World Heritage site ends a 28-year wait, but fragile ruins now face the risk of being loved to death by the crowds it will attract.
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19 July
Japan’s fraud losses hit record as scam compounds keep reloading
A raid in Surabaya freed two Japanese women held for three days, but Amnesty International found none of 73 trafficking survivors from Cambodian compounds had been formally recognized, exposing a…
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19 July
Bangkok’s nightlife safety cycle claims another 34 lives
A week after the July 12 Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao fire, investigators found locked exits and unapproved electrical work—the same failures that killed 67 at the Santika club in…
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16 July
Hong Kong’s independent booksellers are disappearing into the law
Five arrests on July 15 mark the third bookstore raid this year under Article 23, closing the last spaces where Hong Kong readers could access banned ideas.
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12 July
Thailand’s surrogate mothers face a decade-long legal limbo
A 2015 ban on commercial surrogacy remains unenforced as Chinese demand and Thai economic need quietly sustain a grey market the law cannot erase.
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12 July
Gong Yoo’s Asian tour is a masterclass in nostalgia monetisation
The South Korean actor announced six cities for 'The Long Take' fan meetings, timed to coincide with a Goblin 10th-anniversary special that tvN is producing to extend a decade-old drama's…
