Life

Putting people at the heart of the story.

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • May 12, 2020 • 4 min read

Social media Facebook: The cause of and solution to Myanmar’s fake news problem?

By Kiana Duncan • May 12, 2020
Long closed off to the world, free engagement with the internet for Myanmar's citizens only began in the past decade. Today, media literacy remains low and fake news abounds on social media platforms like Facebook – but there are companies working to change that

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • May 11, 2020 • 10 min read

Tales of the Pandemic My experience as Singapore’s Covid-19 case number 862

By Reuben Lim • May 11, 2020
Unknowingly contracting and spreading Covid-19 to loved ones is a fear many among us carry. So when Singaporean citizen Reuben Lim tested positive in March with virtually no symptoms, the thought he had put his family at risk was a guilt he struggled to process

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • May 11, 2020 • 7 min read
Partner Content

Tales of the Pandemic Pandemic perspectives from Cambodian diaspora across the US

By Cambodian American Literary Arts Association • May 11, 2020
The US has soared ahead to become the world leader in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. Courtesy of the Cambodian American Literary Arts Association, we hear from diaspora living across the country about the multitude of ways the virus is impacting their lives

Life • May 08, 2020 • 10 min read
Covid-19

As migrant mental health suffers in Singapore dorms, aid groups rally

As Singapore enters its 5th week of "circuit breaker" mode, the migrant workers quarantined in the city-state's dormitories are suffering under the psychological toll of isolation in squalid conditions and the ever-looming threat of contracting the virus
By Toh Ee Ming and Kelly Ng • May 08, 2020

Life • May 07, 2020 • 16 min read
History

How to get away with murder in Thailand: The downing of flight CX700Z

On June 15, 1972, Cathay Pacific flight CX700Z tumbled out of the sky while flying over southern Vietnam, killing all 81 people on board. While the disaster officially remains unsolved, there was one clear suspect – Thai police officer Somchai Chaiyasut. Did he get away with mass murder?
By Andrew MacGregor Marshall • May 07, 2020

Life • May 07, 2020 • 5 min read
History

On this day in 1954, victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

When the Viet Minh forces captured the fortified French base at Dien Bien Phu on 07 May 1954, it was a spectacular victory. But ultimately, it would not end the fighting immediately or in the long term, with decades of war in Vietnam yet to come
By Walter Pearson • May 07, 2020

Life • May 06, 2020 • 3 min read
Covid-19

Bangkok’s millionaires’ club enjoys lockdown luxury

While the majority of Thai citizens suffer with a lockdown that has crushed the economy, left millions unemployed and created lines for food donations, the kingdom's super-rich have not forgone luxury during the pandemic and are enjoying a VIP delivery experience
By Dene-Hern Chen / Agence France-Presse • May 06, 2020

Life • May 06, 2020 • 4 min read
Press freedom

Rappler “stands with ABS-CBN” as Philippines largest network forced off air

The Philippines largest TV network ABS-CBN has been ordered off air by the government's telecommunications agency. Critics have labelled it a fresh attack on press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte, while fellow embattled media outlet Rappler say they stand in solidarity
By Miriam Deprez • May 06, 2020

Life • May 04, 2020 • 9 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

Lockdown with the monks at Myanmar’s Pa-Auk monastery

As much of the world struggles with enforced isolation to stem the spread of Covid-19, there is one group who are better prepared than most to weather this storm. Buddhist monk Bhante Subhūti gives an insight into how his monastery near Mandalay is coping with this not-so-slow pace of life
By Bhante Bhikkhu Subhūti • May 04, 2020

Life • May 04, 2020 • 4 min read
Vietnamese refugees

Convicted Vietnam refugee fights deportation after 30 years in Hong Kong

Vo Van Hung is one of the last remaining Vietnamese "boat people" in Hong Kong. Three decades after he landed on its shores as a child refugee, he is fighting efforts to deport him to Vietnam now that he has finished a 22-year jail sentence for murder
By Su Xinqi / AFP • May 04, 2020

Life • May 04, 2020 • 6 min read
Press Freedom Day

Emojis, Minecraft and Spotify: How citizens are beating the censors

As we mark World Press Freedom Day 2020, the world's media outlets are struggling under the pressure of Covid-19 crackdowns. But while the tools available to censors have never been so great, the same is true of the innovative tools available to circumvent them
By Miriam Deprez • May 04, 2020