Agoda axes 50 Singapore staff; manpower ministry looking into claims of workers being told not to contact authorities
Agoda said this is in line with its “continuous improvement drive to enhance operational efficiency”.
SOCIETY
Rivers, rituals and rubbish: Can Bali stay beautiful?
Can ecotourism be part of the fix? Yes, if Bali uses the legal framework, community willpower, and tourism revenue.
Jakarta’s ‘invisible’ lives: Undocumented coastal children denied basic rights
Without birth certificates, the gateway for every Indonesian citizen to education, healthcare and other state services, these children are trapped in legal limbo.
Bullying, cybercrime push South Korea’s school violence to decade high
A survey finds 2.5% of students suffered abuse, with elementary school victims leading upward trend in bullying.
In Japan, abandoned baggage being reused, given away to cope with storage, disposal costs
Many of the suitcases are believed to be left behind when their owners purchase new ones to fit their souvenirs.
Chinese teens who peed in Haidilao hotpot broth in Shanghai fined $395,000
The incident happened in February at the Shanghai branch of Haidilao, China’s largest hotpot chain. The 17-year-olds urinated into a pot of broth at the restaurant, filmed…
What you need to know about Pakistan’s first-ever HPV vaccination drive for girls aged 9 to 14
It is set to kick off in Sindh, Punjab, Islamabad and AJK from September 15, and is targeting 13 million girls.
Riding the rails: Malaysia rediscovers allure of train travel
Neglected for a time in favour of planes and cars, Malaysia’s trains are enjoying a quiet resurgence – drawing not only commuters heading to work, but also adventurers and…
Explainer: Social media as town square, battleground in Indonesia’s protests
The challenge, an expert said, will be for citizens to use social media not only to coordinate protests but also as a catalyst for building broader, lasting coalitions capable of…
In Thailand’s rural heartland, former Thaksin loyalists count cost of nation’s ‘lost decades’
A constant refrain from villagers is how they feel it is now harder to make ends meet than when Thaksin was prime minister.