Southeast Asia’s home-grown coffee chains are racing across borders, blending distinctive local flavours with savvy digital strategies and a booming middle-class appetite – putting global rivals on notice
Uniqlo Malaysia’s new modest-wear line has ignited an online backlash, with critics saying the designs fall short of Islamic hijab standards – a controversy that lays bare tensions between faith, fashion and corporate branding
Long notorious for vice and sleaze, Singapore’s Orchard Towers is shedding its seedy image. Churches, prayer groups and new tenants are moving in to stage a spiritual makeover and pull the mall out of its tarnished “Sin City” past
An injured elephant’s 100-kilometre odyssey back to its forest home in Malaysia has captured national attention, sparking fierce debate over disappearing habitat, rising human-wildlife clashes and an urgent push for stronger conservation action
Filipina pop group BINI’s landmark Coachella debut thrust Southeast Asia’s vibrant music scene into the global spotlight – and now the pressing question is whether the Philippines can turn that attention into lasting momentum
A Chinese tourist’s bid to join Malaysia’s World Cup festivities went viral after he waved the wrong national flag, igniting laughter, heated online debate and fresh calls for greater cultural awareness
Across Southeast Asia, governments are raising age limits and rolling out bans to curb children’s social media use – but experts warn these hardline moves prompt tough questions: how will they be enforced, what responsibility do tech firms have, and won’t the harms simply reappear offline?