This Week in Asia /
Lifestyle & Culture
Related Topics:
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Asia travel
Fame and celebrity
The Philippines
Filipino film that China wanted to cancel wins at New Zealand festival
‘You can cancel a screening, but you cannot cancel a story whose time has come,’ ‘Food Delivery’ director Baby Ruth Villarama says.
13 Jul 2025 - 3:00PM
videocam
6
Thailand
Bangkok calling: Thailand’s digital nomad visa proves a runaway success
13 Jul 2025 - 12:00PM
South Korea
‘Grooming’: uproar over student-teacher ‘romance’ forces K-drama off the air
13 Jul 2025 - 11:09AM
videocam
Tourism
Crypto kingdom: Bhutan goes all-in on bitcoin tourism
With over 1,000 vendors now accepting crypto payments, Bhutan is wagering on rapid adoption luring tech-savvy travellers and fuelling growth.
12 Jul 2025 - 4:30PM
Bhutan is the world’s first nation to unveil a countrywide, government-backed system enabling visitors to pay for virtually every aspect of their stay using digital currencies. Photo: Marcus Westberg
The Philippines
Sack of bones, Duterte drug war add to growing Philippine cock fighters mystery
Three sacks pulled from Taal Lake as justice secretary notes ‘intersection’ in drug war operations and cock fighters’ deaths.
12 Jul 2025 - 3:00PM
Malaysia
Naked dancing, ‘holy baths’: Malaysian police investigate Muslim family motivational event
A bikini-clad female speaker stripped naked and danced, urging participants to join her, a social media user has alleged.
12 Jul 2025 - 1:33PM
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan
2 Americans rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji prompt more calls for tougher rules
The recurrence of such incidents on the peak has renewed calls in Japan for stiffer penalties and for errant hikers to pay for their rescue.
11 Jul 2025 - 10:00AM
5
Mount Fuji in Japan seen from a mall in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture. Photo: AFP
Japan
Goodbye, Lucifers: why a notorious Japanese gang just called it quits
After nearly three decades of notoriety in Nagoya’s criminal underworld, members vow to ‘never again cause trouble or distress’ or re-establish the group.
10 Jul 2025 - 7:21PM
South Korea
South Korean restaurant’s ants-topped dishes bug food safety officials
The authorities have ordered a probe into the restaurant and its owner for potential violations under the Food Sanitation Act.
10 Jul 2025 - 5:36PM
South Korea
South Korean actress reveals pregnancy via IVF without ex-husband’s consent
Lee Si-young and her then-husband Cho Seong-hyun went through an IVF, but Lee’s frozen embryo was not implanted during their marriage.
9 Jul 2025 - 7:20PM
Singapore
‘Quintessence of animal cruelty’: Singapore court doubles cat killer’s sentence
The judge ruled his original sentence was too lenient given the ‘gruesome’ nature of his actions.
9 Jul 2025 - 7:03PM
Barrie Lin Pengli seen in police camera footage with the two cats he threw down from public housing blocks. Photo: Handout
India
The rise and rise of India’s luxury property market: ‘no plateau in sight’
Thriving luxury housing market signals shift in buyer behaviour seeking long-term value, but short-term bumps likely, analysts say.
9 Jul 2025 - 6:05PM
videocam
The Philippines
‘More dangerous’ than Pogos: should Philippines ban online gambling?
A surge in online gambling sites and Filipinos hooked on them has led to lawmakers seeking a ban against the ‘silent epidemic’.
9 Jul 2025 - 5:05PM
videocam
Singapore
Singapore politicians lead sold-out durian tours to Malaysia as peak season hits
With itineraries featuring all-you-can-eat fruit buffets, the trips are a popular way for members of parliament to thank constituents.
9 Jul 2025 - 4:21PM
Japan
Need a grandma? In Japan, you can rent one and help an old lady out
For US$20 an hour, these surrogate grandmothers are ready to offer services ranging from practical help to emotional support.
8 Jul 2025 - 5:52PM
videocam
Rent-a-grandmas on offer at Client Partners. Photo: Client Partners
North Korea
Bean there, done that? Starbucks’ Korean border outlet proves a smash hit
Despite the security checkpoints and limited opening hours, word of mouth is driving brisk business to this caffeinated frontier curiosity.
8 Jul 2025 - 2:10PM
videocam
India
Marriages of inconvenience: the remote Indian village cut off from love
For the bachelors of Jondalgatti, love is not lost. It’s simply out of reach.
7 Jul 2025 - 4:53PM
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
India
Prada’s new US$1,200 sandal is an Indian classic. Is it cultural appropriation?
Was it an oversight or cultural theft? The Prada controversy highlights a simmering tension between global brands and traditional artisans.
7 Jul 2025 - 8:08AM
Models wear creations from Prada’s spring-summer 2026 menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week on June 22, including Kolhapuri chappal-inspired footwear. Photo: Reuters
South Korea
South Korean officials remove 80 tonnes of hoarded garbage from family home
The family has been sent to local medical facilities for psychological treatment.
4 Jul 2025 - 10:21PM
India
Bollywood star’s sudden death reignites India’s quick-fix beauty treatment debate
The death of Shefali Jariwala, 42, a user of anti-ageing injections, has raised concerns about cosmetic treatment safety and heart-related deaths among young adults.
4 Jul 2025 - 5:32PM
Singapore
‘No place in Singapore’: review call over radio code treatment of homosexuality
Clause positioning homosexuality as a crime alongside paedophilia and incest ‘has no place in a post-377A Singapore’, actor and blogger say.
4 Jul 2025 - 1:34AM
videocam
Thailand
James Bond museum in Thailand misfires, closing after only 1 day
The US$1.2 million museum in Phang Nga, based on the film ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, has drawn criticism from a lawmaker and residents.
2 Jul 2025 - 6:58PM
A scene from The Man with the Golden Gun, a James Bond film shot in various locations, including Thailand. Photo: TomYumThailand/YouTube
Australia
Lafufu? Australian consumer watchdog warns of fake Labubu toys online
Consumer protection agency in New South Wales points out differences in the products, urges fans to buy from legitimate businesses online.
2 Jul 2025 - 5:41PM
The Philippines
‘Small wins don’t hide the truth’: Philippine tourism slumps amid Asean’s boom
Filipinos are lamenting their nation’s seventh-place regional tourism ranking, pointing fingers at poor infrastructure and inaccessibility.
30 Jun 2025 - 3:26PM
videocam
28
India
Arranged to kill? Newlywed wives accused of murdering husbands stun India
From honeymoons to hired assassins, these shocking cases reveal a chilling new pattern disrupting traditional victim narratives.
29 Jun 2025 - 5:00PM
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW