Life

Putting people at the heart of the story.

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 08, 2020 • 8 min read

Covid-19 As Thailand’s tourism plunges, elephants suffer

By Carolyn Cowan • Apr 08, 2020
Thailand's captive elephants are facing food shortages and an uncertain future as Covid-19 has forced camp closures throughout the country. Without tourists and income, the scramble to feed them highlights the shortcomings of the kingdom's captive elephant care system

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 08, 2020 • 10 min read

Covid-19 Singapore’s working poor hit hardest by economic shutdown

By Toh Ee Ming • Apr 08, 2020
As Covid-19 brings global markets to their knees, Singapore is experiencing its worst economic contraction since 2008. In the wealthy city-state, it's the low-paid urban poor who are being hit hardest

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 07, 2020 • 4 min read

Covid-19 Indonesian prisoners dread virus outbreak

By Agence France-Presse • Apr 07, 2020
In Indonesia's prisons, overcrowding, poor ventilation and deficient health, hygiene and sanitation conditions offer the perfect breading ground for a Covid-19 outbreak

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 07, 2020 • 2 min read

Covid-19 Overcrowded Thai dog shelter blames coronavirus for drop in donations

By Agence France-Presse • Apr 07, 2020
Donations of food and money have dramatically decreased at Auntie Ju's controversial shelter for stray dogs in Bangkok since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the some 1,500 dogs being housed there with little to survive on

Life • Apr 07, 2020 • 9 min read
Covid-19

‘Cambodian healthcare will be overwhelmed by outbreak’

As Covid-19 cases rise, healthcare systems in the most developed nations have struggled to cope. Horn Chanvoitey of Future Forum warns that Cambodia's chronically underfunded healthcare system will also be overwhelmed if an outbreak occurs
By Horn Chanvoitey • Apr 07, 2020

Life • Apr 06, 2020 • 4 min read
Covid-19

Isolation blues? Myanmar’s ex-political prisoners share survival tips

In Myanmar, a generation of political activists faced persecution and isolation as they were jailed for their anti-junta activities in the 1980s and 90s. Today, they're offering their fellow citizens tips on how to keep sane during the pandemic
By Richard Sargent and Su Myat Mon / AFP • Apr 06, 2020

Life • Apr 06, 2020 • 9 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

The endless sirens of Kuala Lumpur

On the outskirts of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, Syahiirah Junaidi is closed off from much of the outside world. One of the few real-life connections she has left is the sound of sirens, reminding her just how many people are falling ill
By Syahiirah Junaidi • Apr 06, 2020

Life • Apr 04, 2020 • 6 min read
Demining in Cambodia

Every dog has its day

April 4 marks the International Day for Mine Awareness. Around the world, there are four-legged bomb detectors who quietly risk their lives each day, gaining little fan fair. But in Cambodia, these unsung canine heroes have been given a home in which to enjoy their well-earned retirement
By Miriam Deprez • Apr 04, 2020

Life • Apr 03, 2020 • 4 min read

Before the Storm Hits

WFP cash assistance in the Philippines helps communities prepare better and recover quicker
By World Food Programme • Apr 03, 2020

Life • Apr 03, 2020 • 6 min read
Covid-19

Running down the clock

If March felt like the longest month of your life, you’re not alone. Duke University's Professor Adrian Bejan explains how our perceptions of time are warped when we are overloaded with new information, like during a global pandemic
By Andrew Haffner • Apr 03, 2020

Life • Apr 02, 2020 • 4 min read
Covid-19

Masks are everywhere in Asia, but have they helped?

It's a debate that has raged ever since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic – are face masks effective in preventing transmission or do they create more health risks than they solve?
By Chia Chi Hsu • Apr 02, 2020

Life • Apr 02, 2020 • 13 min read
COVID-19

On the tail of a virus

In Phnom Penh, US researchers have teamed up with the Pasteur Institute to conduct vital work tracking the spread and mutation of Covid-19. Their research has placed Cambodia at the heart of Southeast Asia's efforts to stem the spread of the disease and find a cure
By Miriam Deprez and Andrew Haffner • Apr 02, 2020