Lisa Bongiovanni

A new system is now in operation in the People's Republic that allows users to authenticate themselves to online services with a single code provided by the Ministry of Public Security. Although currently optional, it is being encouraged by several websites. The Beijing authorities describe it as a tool “to protect privacy” and combat identity theft. However, many suspect that it will make it even easier to monitor all online activity.

In Thailand, the lucrative coconut market relies on the exploitation of more than 3,000 specially trained monkeys of endangered species. An international boycott campaign against the mistreatment of these animals is driving producers to adopt new systems.

On 1 July, a ban came into force on countries that are not signatories to the Basel Convention, the international treaty against the transport of hazardous waste, including plastic. In 2024, 35,000 tonnes of rubbish arrived in Malaysia from the US, now in search of a new destination. China had already closed its ports in 2018, shifting this lucrative but dangerous trade to Southeast Asia. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia still have less stringent regulations.

According to data from the International Energy Agency, ASEAN countries will have 300 million units installed in 2040, compared to 37 million today. Meanwhile, India is set to overtake China as the world's largest consumer of air conditioning. The challenge of sustainability lies in renewable energy sources, but also in new systems such as the “cold coils” being tested in Singapore.

On World Drug Day, a well-known South Korean journalist and former addict, Huh Jae-hyun, spoke out against a short-sighted war on drugs that marginalises rather than reintegrate in society. While local media chase after celebrities accused of drug abuse, the number of young users explodes.

Recently, a Laotian political refugee was seriously injured in Pau, France, where he has been living for three years after receiving threats for exposing corruption and the government’s role in the tragedy of the collapse of a dam. His is not an isolated case, some NGOs report. For their part, French authorities believe the attack was most likely politically motivated.

Half of all these seats in the upper house will be renewed on 20 July, a crucial date for PM Ishiba after his Liberal Democratic Party failed to obtain an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament in last October's elections. For voters, the government’s response to rice prices will be crucial. This most iconic of grains has gained great importance in the country since the 1970s.

The "K to 12" system has been revised by splitting the last two years into two different tracks, university vs technical-vocational, for better job prospects. Critics note the serious lack of facilities and low spending on education (3.6 per cent of GDP), one point below what is recommended by UNESCO.

According to the latest data from the Pew Research Center, Buddhism is the only religion to have fewer believers in 2020 than in 2010, a drop of 18.6 million, largely due to a low birth rate in predominantly Buddhist countries as well as changes in youth culture in Southeast Asian societies. At 40, the average age among Buddhists is the highest among various religions.

There are over 300,000 young people from the subcontinent studying in the United States, a number almost double that of ten years ago. What drives them towards the US are the shortcomings of a university system that is still uncompetitive also because it is excessively centralised. Thus in contrast with their government (and to avoid competition from Europe) some US universities are starting new partnerships to open campuses in India.

The visa restrictions announced by the White House particularly affect Chinese students, who now number 277,000 in the United States. However, their numbers had already been declining in recent years, with the growth of alternatives in Asian universities, particularly in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. While Chinese universities are climbing the rankings in technological disciplines, they suffer from limitations on freedom of thought in the humanities.

Taku Etō resigned after saying that he personally had too much rice in a country where the price of the staple food has been steadily rising for several months, caused by greater consumption sparked by a tourism boom, and by regulated output. Rice is now a pawn in tariff negotiations with Washington.