Can pay-as-you-earn funding fix Southeast Asia’s higher education debt problem?
A Singapore-based education financing programme is testing whether income-linked funding can widen access to higher education without an unmanageable debt burden, a model analysts say could help ease repayment pressure faced by graduates across Southeast Asia. Global Financing for Education’s (GFE) Pay It Forward scheme, publicly launched in September, provides students with funding for their education in return for 3 to 10 per cent of their subsequent income for one to 10 years. The...
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Gaza on stage: concert activism meets Malaysia, Singapore red lines
American rapper Macklemore lost his spot on British pop star Ed Sheeran’s US tour after speaking up for Palestinians, but in Malaysia it was Sheeran’s music which ended up being pulled from the airwaves. In neighbouring Singapore, British band Massive Attack faced a different kind of fallout, barred from returning after members displayed a Palestinian flag during a July concert. The contrasting cases highlight the competing pressures on foreign artists in Southeast Asia, where political...
Prison Officials Suspended After Inmates Are Found Living in Luxury
At an Indonesian prison complex near Jakarta, inspectors found expensive cars, spacious quarters with flat-screen TVs and a golf simulator under construction.
Dozens Killed in Myanmar Military Bombing
An airstrike on a bustling market in rebel territory left at least 50 people dead, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in months.
Turkish Confectioner Hands Out Doughnuts to Honor the Dead
In Turkey, People who have recently lost loved ones hire doughnut makers to hand out fried dough balls, known as lokma, to honor the dead and spread their blessings.
Taiwan Should Be Kept Off the Negotiating Table
The fact that Trump didn’t give anything new away on Taiwan shouldn’t obscure how much ground he has already conceded to Xi.
Why Are China and Japan Still So Focused on the ‘Enemy State Clauses’ of the UN Charter?
The UNGA voted to delete those sections 20 years ago. But the issue has acquired renewed political significance as Sino-Japanese relations have deteriorated.
Kyrgyz Presidential Election Set for January 2027, Candidates Start to Step Forward
So far, incumbent President Sadyr Japarov and Omurbek Suvanaliev – a politician and former minister of internal affairs – have announced their intentions to run.
After the Flood, Can China, Nepal, and India Move From Earth Observation to Regional Preparedness?
A blueprint for building resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Pakistan’s Escalating Response to Cross-Border Terrorism
The recurring clashes represent the failure of months of diplomacy and external mediation. Where does the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship go from here?
Nvidia and AMD chiefs join Tsinghua advisory board as US-China chip tensions persist
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang and AMD chief Lisa Su have joined an influential advisory board at a prestigious Chinese university, placing the two key American AI tech leaders in a high-level forum known for connecting global executives with senior Chinese officials. Huang and Su were among three new members appointed to the advisory board of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management (SEM), alongside Marc Pictet, senior managing partner of Swiss wealth and assets manager...
What Did Chinese Analysts Think of the Trump-Xi Summit?
To some, Trump's hospitality was “historic.” To others, it was an attempt to “lull China into a false sense of security.”