Japan’s Princess Mako to Marry after Delay and Controversy
After years of controversy, Japan’s Princess Mako will marry this month, but she will forego traditional rites and will not take a usual payment given to royal women marrying commoners.
Category: CULTURE
China Clamps Down on Pop Culture in Bid to ‘Control’ Youth
From reality TV to online gaming and even pop fandom, China’s leadership has launched a crackdown on youth culture in what experts say is a bid to ramp up “ideological control”.
Japan Manga Artist Takao Saito, ‘Golgo 13’ Creator, Dies Aged 84
Manga artist Takao Saito, who created the most prolific Japanese comic-book series of all time “Golgo 13”, has died aged 84, his publisher said Wednesday.
Japan Awaits Wedding News as Royal Sweetheart Returns
Japanese romantics and royal-watchers held their breath for a wedding announcement as Princess Mako’s boyfriend returned to Tokyo on Monday, following years of public controversy over their marriage.
Kabul’s Carpet and Antique Dealers Struggle after Foreigners Flee
Traders of carpets, antiques and souvenirs on Kabul’s famed Chicken Street said Sunday business has completely dried up since the vast majority of foreigners left the Afghan capital as the Taliban took over.
Sri Lanka Urges Protection of Afghan Buddhist Heritage
Sri Lanka called Wednesday on the world to safeguard the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan under the Taliban, who provoked outrage by destroying giant Buddha statues when they were last in power.
‘This Is Our Homeland’: Women Plead for Basic Rights in Afghanistan
As the Taliban increasingly excludes women from public life in Afghanistan, some are determined to speak out despite the threat of retribution from the hardline Islamist group.
‘Art Is Dying’: Afghan Artists Hope to Resist Taliban Rule
Two days after the Taliban seized Kabul last month, 26-year-old artist Sara took the terracotta plates she’d painted with images praising inspirational Afghan women — and hurled them to the ground.
‘Just Shoot Me’: Afghan Star Recalls Surreal Kabul Escape
Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed recalls asking her fiance one thing as they snuck into Kabul’s chaotic airport after the Taliban moved in: “Don’t let them take me away alive”.
The Foreign Legion of YouTubers Defending China
With YouTube videos “debunking” allegations of human rights abuses and diatribes on Western “conspiracies” against China, an unlikely set of foreigners are loudly defending Beijing from its international critics.
Taiwan Agency Proposes Removal of Giant Chiang Kai-Shek Statue
A government agency tasked with addressing the trauma of Taiwan’s authoritarian past said Wednesday it backed the removal of a giant statue of former president Chiang Kai-shek, who oversaw decades of brutal martial law.
Afghan Art Activist Defiant as Taliban Erase Kabul Murals
Afghan activist Omaid Sharifi’s art collective spent seven years transforming stretches of Kabul’s labyrinthine concrete blast walls with colourful murals — then the Taliban marched in.
Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Vigil Organizer Defies Police Probe
The pro-democracy group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigils set up a showdown with authorities on Tuesday as they defied a police deadline to cooperate with a “national security” investigation into their activities.
Taliban Order University Women to Wear Face-Covering Niqab
Women attending private Afghan universities must wear an abaya robe and niqab covering most of the face, the Taliban have ordered, and classes must be segregated by sex — or at least divided by a curtain.
Small Businesses Struggle to Survive as Taliban Uncertainty Deepens
For 10 years Fahad made a good living selling wedding gowns at his bridal shop in the Afghan capital, but since the Taliban rolled into town on August 15 he hasn’t sold a single dress.
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Afghan Women Call for Respect in Rare Protest
Defiant Afghan women held a rare protest Thursday saying they were willing to accept the burqa if their daughters could still go to school under Taliban rule.
