Dengue Outbreak in Singapore

Singapore recorded 4,632 dengue cases in 2012. This year it went up to 9,847 already. This is a record high for Singapore which last experienced a dengue outbreak in 2005. The National Environment Agency has launched the ‘Do the Mozzie Wipeout’ campaign to promote awareness about dengue prevention

China Quotes Foreign Press on Snowden

China tightened its media's use of information from foreign press in April, 2013, in a move to exert stronger control over domestic newspapers and TV broadcasts. Ironically, Chinese media in recent days have increased their quotations from foreign press as the Snowden story unfolds. China Media Project has the details.

Dog Thefts in Vietnam

Mike Tatarski clarifies that most Vietnamese do not eat dog. However, there is demand for dog meat which gives rise to dog thefts: The main reason this trade continues is money. Dog meat is expensive, costing $5-$10 per kilogram. This provides incentive for something that has been big news recently:...

Environment Impact of Mining in Indonesia

An article published at mongabay.com exposes the destructive environment impact of mining in remote Indonesian towns.Some scholars fear that “parts of Indonesia now have the highest levels of mercury contamination on earth.”

North Korean State TV's Real-time Facebook Broadcasting a Hoax?

Local media reported last Thursday that North Korea's state TV, Korean Central Television started real-time Facebook broadcasting, citing official sources. However, North Korea Tech blog listed several things that don’t quite add up. 

Snowden Hides in Hong Kong, US-China Diplomacy Takes Center Stage

As Edward Snowden, a US whistleblower hides out in Hong Kong, a wave of nationalism has hit China's blogosphere. Many netizens see the US government's vast snooping as a chance for Beijing to score political points and strike back at the accusations of cyber-espionage that China often faces.

How Southeast Asian Leaders Use Twitter

Twitter has been a very useful tool for Southeast Asian leaders who needed to communicate directly with their citizens. Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the most popular leader in the region with 2.4 million followers. Meanwhile, Malaysia's Najib Razak is his country’s most popular Twitter personality with 1.6 million followers. The Philippines' Noynoy Aquino is also a prominent Twitter user with 1.5 million followers.

Caribbean Flu Scare was Accidentally Made in China

A 'suspected' case of bird flu in Trinidad and Tobago that happened to coincide with an official visit by the Chinese President, opens a Pandora's box of misreporting from China all the way to Haiti, which caused officials in Trinidad and Tobago to accuse swine flu-hit Venezuela of spreading bird flu and Haiti to impose a poultry import ban on swine flu-hit Dominican Republic.

Fuss in China Over Entrance Exam Masks Trouble in Higher Education

High school students in China just sat the annual national college entrance examination, hoping to secure a place in a leading university by acing the test. But the hype surrounding China's annual university entrance exams masks the troubled higher education system that awaits the hopefuls.

Billions of Japan's Post-Quake Relief Funds Didn't Help Victims

Japan's major newspaper reported that billions of budgets that had meant to employ the local people in disaster-stricken area were largely out-flowed to unrelated projects that victims of disaster-stricken area do not benefit. The news of misappropriation draw criticism among social media users.

Situation of Cartoonists in the Philippines

Art professor Neil Doloricon laments the exodus of cartoonists in the Philippines: Cartoonists in the Philippines are rare breed, they are on the brink of extinction so to speak. Most of our par excellent cartoonists already migrated to other countries…They went abroad not only to earn more but because they...

Singapore’s ‘Largest Blogger-led Protest’ Bats for Media Freedom

An estimated crowd of 2,000 people joined a protest assembly in Singapore’s Hong Lim Park last June 8, 2013 to oppose the government’s new licensing scheme for news websites. Organized by the ‘Free My Internet’ movement, it was reported to be the ‘largest blogger-led protest’ in Singapore.

Chinese Allegedly Mine Gold Illegally in Ghana

Xinhua News reported that 124 Chinese allegedly involved in illegal gold mining were arrested and detained in Ghana. Nationalists demanded the Chinese government to protect and avenge its citizens. On the other hand, more reflective comments criticized the discrimination against African people in Chinese gold mining business in Ghana. Offbeat...

South Korea's History-Challenged Youth

As younger generation shows a serious lack of historical knowledge even to the point of calling [ko] an iconic democratic movement a rebel, South Korean net users set up an online petition page [to] calling the government to make history a mandatory subject in Korean SAT. Only two days have passed so far,...

Singapore Memory Project

Initiated in 2011, the Singapore Memory Project aims “to collect, preserve and provide access” to Singapore's history. Further, “it aims to build a national collection of content including print, audio and video to preserve them in digital form, and make them available for discovery and research.” The project hopes to...

Japan Qualifies for World Cup, Cop's Crowd Control Performance Goes Viral

As Japan's football fans celebrate qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a police officer came under spotlight for his persuasive microphone performance in marshaling a large crowd of supporters gathered in Shibuya on the night of June 4th, 2013.

For Tiananmen Anniversary, Tens of Thousands Gather in Rainy Hong Kong

Tens of thousands of people braved torrential rain in Hong Kong's Victoria Park to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre with a candlelight vigil.

Hong Kong: Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary

‘Free My Internet’ Movement Rises in Singapore

Singapore’s new licensing scheme for news websites announced by the Media Development Authority was quickly denounced by many netizens as a censorship measure. A group of concerned netizens called the ‘Free My Internet’ movement has called on the public to join a rally this coming Saturday, June 8, 2013, to demand the withdrawal of the controversial regulation.

Report Reveals South Korea's Elite Stash Billions in Tax Havens

A group of independent journalists have revealed that a number of high-profile figures in South Korea, including the ex-president's son and major corporate moguls, are allegedly evading taxes through a paper-company scheme in offshore tax havens.

Artists Dodge Censorship in Myanmar

Artist and former political detainee Htein Lin talks to Art Radar Asia and discusses Myanmar's current art scene and politics: For visual art exhibitions, there are still some censors. Some artists [have stopped] inviting the censors from the Information Ministry, so now there are some art exhibitions without censorship but...