Southeast Asia

April 26, 2019

Between Chinese expansion and US “freedom to navigate” missions in the South China Sea, security and sovereignty is a growing concern for the Philippines.

How single women are driving gentrification in Hong Kong and elsewhere

The Conversation

April 09, 2019

Not only are single women emerging as a growing and critical aspect of the economy in cities around the world, they are also driving increasingly unaffordable real estate markets. But women at the other end of the income spectrum, particularly single mothers, bear the brunt of gentrification.

Arts, Culture & Media

How a Japanese girl-group empire is conquering Asian pop

PRI's The World

April 04, 2019

When the group debuted in the mid-2000s, AKB48 was more easily dismissed as a novelty act. But in recent years, the group has expanded into a bona fide musical empire — one that has spread across Asia.

As the West jeers, durian mania rises in Asia

PRI's The World

January 09, 2019

It’s difficult to overstate how silly the Western dislike for durian looks from East and Southeast Asia. Across Asia, durian is actually selling like never before. Long a coveted fruit, the durian has, in recent years, become the focus of a full-on food craze.

Conflict

US and Chinese warships came perilously close to collision, and it’s probably going to keep happening

PRI's The World

October 03, 2018

There’s a high stakes game of chicken going on in the South China Sea, and neither the US nor China is showing any sign of backing down.

When reporting sexual assault, Rohingya women are being lost in translation

PRI's The World

August 29, 2018

The humanitarian group Translators Without Borders has created a new app to help clear up the miscommunication.

Environment

A global sand grab is wrecking ecosystems and communities around the world

PRI's The World

July 19, 2018

Sand can seem like the most abundant and inexhaustible thing on Earth. But a global building boom is gobbling up sand — and destroying vital ecosystems around the world — for concrete and landfill.

Technology

A tech startup called OMG wants to revolutionize cash for hundreds of millions of 'unbanked' people in Asia

GlobalPost

July 19, 2018

Bangkok-based OmiseGO envisions a world where cash is digital and free-flowing, stored on blockchains, accessible by smartphones and effortlessly zapped across borders. It's a human right, they say. And they're starting with Asia's farmers, merchants, migrants and factory hands, who are now quite likely to own smartphones but may not have bank accounts.

Environment

In Singapore, where trash becomes ash, plastics are still a problem

Reuters

June 06, 2018

Singapore is aiming to become a zero-waste nation. But only 6 percent of plastic waste generated last year was recycled.

Global Politics

For years, activists in Southeast Asia warned Facebook that content on the platform could lead to real-life violence. Then it did.

PRI's The World

April 27, 2018

"We didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm," Mark Zuckerberg said during a company earnings call

Pages

Lifestyle & Belief

As Protests Continue in Egypt, a Look at Democracy in Southeast Asia

The Takeaway

February 09, 2011

In Southeast Asia, Muslim nations like Indonesia and Malaysia have relatively successful democracies. What makes democracy in those populous Muslim countries work? We talk with Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former deputy prime minister.

Environment

Java trees

Living on Earth

December 14, 2007

Indonesia planted millions of trees to absorb the greenhouse gases caused by the December 2007 Bali climate conference, but the nation's record on tree conservation has been dismal. Java used to be home to one of the world's oldest teak forests, but illegal logging, fires, and government mis-management have destroyed the trees.

Environment

Laos' sticky situation

Living on Earth

September 25, 2009

The Laos government has set a goal to reforest their nation. Now, scientists are working with farmers to produce profitable harvests by finding higher yielding varieties of the rice that Laotians prefer - sticky rice. On Living on Earth.

Environment

The battle over farmland and forests in Sumatra

Living on Earth

December 11, 2009

The UN's REDD project may help rural villagers whose livelihoods depend almost entirely on the land and forests currently threatened by the pulpwood industry in Sumatra. From Living on Earth.

Indonesia reconsiders Suharto

PRI's The World

January 22, 2008

Indonesia's former dictator Suharto is still in critical condition after coming close to dying recently; the 85-year-old Suharto ruled the country for more than three decades and was responsible for many human rights abuses

The global spread of supermarkets

PRI's The World

January 24, 2008

The World's Jason Margolis reports on the global spread of supermarkets, as in recent decades, supermarkets have become much more common in some developing countries than they used to be

Thailand's Islamic separatist movement

PRI's The World

February 01, 2008

Thailand's parliament has a new civilian prime minister who faces the challenge of restoring civilian rule after 18 months of military rule

Criticizing the king in Thailand

PRI's The World

February 01, 2008

It's against the law in Thailand to criticize the King; Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Giles Ungpakorn, professor of political science in Bangkok, who's fallen afoul of that law.

Global hit Borneo

PRI's The World

February 01, 2008

Reporter Michael Switow tells us how young Malaysian singers on the island of Borneo are reviving musical traditions that were on the verge of dying out. Borneo is the island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Arts, Culture & Media

Burma and Rambo

PRI's The World

February 06, 2008

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Ja So, a member of the Overseas Burmese Patriots Group in Singapore about the group's recent screening of the latest Rambo movie in which John Rambo is pitted against the repressive Burmese military