Letter From The Bureau

Letter from Chennai

Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister says it’s time for plain speaking and everyday Tamil is what’s needed

Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister Joseph Vijay, speaks everyday Tamil unlike the formal literary Tamil used by the Dravidian parties that ruled the southern Indian state for six decades.

Letter From San Mariano

How a northern Philippine town learnt to live with the world’s rarest crocodile

Amante Yog-yog Jr holds up a young Philippine crocodile that the Mabuwaya Foundation is protecting at San Mariano, Isabela, Philippines on July 28.

Letter from Hapcheon

How South Korea’s football-playing monks became the ‘Brazil of Sangha’

Beginner woodcarving. Woodcarving beginners start off by carving lines and shapes, before moving on to large-sized Hangul characters.

Letter From Taipei

Banned by China, Taiwan’s prized mangoes debut and sell out in Europe even with steep price tag

Taiwan’s prized Irwin mangoes were a hot commodity at Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris despite the steep price tag.

Letter From Jakarta

‘Bored of just running’: How some young Indonesians found community

Members of Komunitas Bermain (Playing Community) playing traditional Indonesian children’s games along the car-free day route in Central Jakarta on July 8.

Letter From Dak Lak

Beyond bitter: Vietnam brews a new image for robusta, one sip at a time

Aeroco’s owner Le Dinh Tu drinking coffee with visitors at the cafe on his farm near Ea Kao Lake in Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam’s coffee capital in Dak Lak province, on June 30.

Letter From Bangkok

Thailand’s roads are among the world’s deadliest. A motorbike ride through Bangkok shows why

Traffic in central Bangkok near Makkasan Airport Rail Link station in Asoke-Din Daeng Road in Huai Khwang district on June 25, the site of a deadly train-vehicle crash in May.

Letter From Beijing

Why a visit to China’s trendy bathhouse gives more value than a hotel stay

The writer spent a day at Shui Guo in Beijing in June, lounging on beanbags while working on her laptop.

Letter from Rajasthan

Indians adore their deities. This one rides a motorcycle, loves whisky and grants wishes

A priest offering evening prayers at the Om Banna shrine in Chotila in Rajasthan’s Pali district.

Letter From Seoul

How hanbok wearing inspired by BTS changed the lives of women selling the Korean dress

A BTS fan wearing Korean traditional clothing Hanbok, takes a selfie ahead of the band's concert in Goyang, on April 9.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.