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UNICEF urges stronger action against child marriage in Bangladesh
A 2025 survey found that 47.2% of women aged 20–24 had married before turning 18.
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Asia — analysis on Shanraq.org
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India proposes removing added sugar from food for infants under six months
The food regulator has opened a draft restriction on added sucrose and fructose for public comment. It is not yet a final ban.
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IMF warns of growth “on one leg”: why AI and trade routes worry economists
At a Bangkok briefing, IMF leaders praised resilience while warning about conflict, debt and dependence on one source of growth.
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How can schools teach violent history without traumatizing students? UNESCO's Cambodia lessons
UNESCO has published lessons from a meeting of education officials from 11 countries at memorial sites associated with the Khmer Rouge period.
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More than four million children at risk: UNICEF warns of Afghanistan's nutrition crisis
A 2027 forecast shows acute malnutrition rising, with more than a million children projected to face its most severe form.
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Thailand weighs simpler childcare registration alongside stronger quality safeguards
UNICEF and the ministry are studying how private providers can register more easily without weakening care standards.
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Nepal Flash Flood Damages Bridges: WMO Warns of Cascading Mountain Risks
The World Meteorological Organization reported on October 12 that a flash flood struck central Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki river system. A landslide-created temporary river blockage may have failed, according to preliminary accounts. People are missing and infrastructure is damaged; the cause is still being investigated.
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Johor schools closed on October 12 as haze persists: why dates are reviewed daily
Johor’s education department has confirmed school closures for Monday and says it will issue daily notices on any extension. The state had earlier proposed a five-day closure. Families need the latest school message and local air-quality readings. Schools in Malaysia’s Johor state will remain closed on October 12 because of haze, the state education department said on October 11.
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North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles on October 12: what is confirmed
South Korea’s military says launches were detected near Pyongyang toward the East Sea at about 9:20 am local time. Japan reportedly detected at least two missiles. The weapons’ types and flight details are still being assessed. North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on the morning of October 12, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported.
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India’s forest rights backlog: 1.1 million claims still await a decision
India’s tribal affairs ministry says about 1.1 million Forest Rights Act claims remain pending. Officials from eight states met in Kolkata to discuss deadlines, records and rejected applications.
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Thailand floods seen from space: NASA’s new images show water spread across farmland
NASA released a satellite comparison on 9 October showing flooded land beside Thailand’s Bang Pakong River. The newer image was taken on 2 October, after weeks of rain. We explain what its false colours reveal and why it is not a live map of conditions today.
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What Makes Heritage Authentic? Asia-Pacific Experts Reconsider Restoration Rules
A UNESCO dialogue in Hanoi examined authenticity across Asia-Pacific heritage. For a timber temple, a living historic district, or a place regularly renewed by its community, “preserve the original material” is not always sufficient. Tradition, function, craftsmanship, and memory may all carry value.
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The dragon at the inflection: why a slowing China is more dangerous than a rising one
For thirty years the argument was when China would overtake America; in 2026 the question is whether it has already passed its peak. A rising power is patient; one that suspects time is against it becomes impatient. Four camps of experts and the blind spot of each, an independent diagnosis, and a forecast for 2026-2036.
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Shanghai: the price of intent. How to read $15 billion
On 16 July in Shanghai it was announced: more than 70 documents worth over $15 billion. Not one has a published breakdown, and neither a journalist nor a member of parliament can check what the figure is made of. The package mixes contracts with memorandums of intent. Different obligations entirely.
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Asia: how the "backward East" became the workshop and laboratory of the world
A century ago textbooks condescendingly called Asia the sleeping East. Today half of what you are holding was invented or made there. Step back two thousand years and the picture reverses: paper, gunpowder and the very numerals you count with came from there. The lag was the exception, not the rule.