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· Ryan General
Vietnam moves to enshrine pho as UNESCO cultural heritage
Vietnam is moving to nominate its beloved noodle soup pho for recognition by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed during a seminar in Hanoi last week that a nomination dossier has been completed for submission to UNESCO’s…
· Carl Samson
Khmer Rouge sites added to UNESCO World Heritage List
Three former torture and execution sites used by Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime have been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognizing their transformation “from centres of repression to places of peace and reflection.” Historic milestone
· Carl Samson
Seventeen donating $1 million as new UNESCO youth ambassadors
K-pop boy group Seventeen has been appointed as UNESCO’s first-ever Goodwill Ambassadors for Youth, pledging a $1 million donation to launch the “Going Together – For Youth Creativity and Well-Being” initiative. The partnership aims to support youth-led projects worldwide,…
· Bryan Ke
5 Southeast Asian countries unite to nominate kebaya for UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
The kebaya, a traditional Southeast Asian garment, is being nominated by Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore for 2023’s UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Singapore has been running a campaign on Facebook to get the kebaya included on UNESCO’s list since it first…
· Khier Casino
Chinese tea, Vietnamese pottery, Cambodian martial arts: Asian cultural practices granted UNESCO world heritage status
Traditional Chinese tea-processing techniques, Japanese ritual dances and Vietnamese pottery-making are some of the cultural practices that made it on this year’s intangible cultural heritage list by UNESCO. About 48 cultural practices from 61 countries were added to UNESCO’s…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop boy group Seventeen teams up with UNESCO for youth education campaign
K-pop group Seventeen and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) announced the launch of their global campaign #GoingTogether. The endeavor aims to raise awareness about the future of youth education, marking the second time Seventeen has worked with the KNCU after…
· Celine Pun
Thailand nominates mango sticky rice for UNESCO heritage list after the dessert’s viral Coachella moment
After performing “Mirror Mirror” and “Sud Pang” at Coachella, Thai rapper Danupa “Milli” Kanateerakul ate mango sticky rice, a traditional Thai dessert, while still on stage. A now-viral clip of her eating the dessert has sparked an interest in mango sticky rice online, with a…
· Ryan General
All-women engineering team from Philippines win UNESCO hackathon with their clean water solution
Wonderpets, an all-female team consisting of Reaner Jacqueline Bool, Ghia Luwalhati and Nicole Elizabeth Tan from Batangas State University in the Philippines, won the top prize at UNESCO’s 2022 World Engineering Day Hackathon. Involving 125 teams from 23 countries, the…
· Carl Samson
BTS returns to dominate global charts with ‘Arirang’
After more than three years of hiatus to fulfill their mandatory military service, BTS reunited in Seoul on Saturday, releasing their fifth studio album and marking their return to the global music stage. By the numbers: RM, J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, Suga and V performed at…
· Carl Samson
Hirono, Tran honor 50 years of Southeast Asian diaspora in new resolution
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Derek Tran (D-Calif.) introduced a bicameral resolution on Dec. 11 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement in the U.S. What it says: The resolution recognizes “the many contributions and sacrifices” made by…
· Ryan General
Vancouver Chinatown stabbing suspect says God ordered him to ‘hurt somebody’
The British Columbia man who stabbed three people at Vancouver’s Light Up Chinatown festival on Sept. 10, 2023, told the court this week he did so because he believed God directed him, as he entered not guilty pleas to three counts of aggravated assault. The attack unfolded…
· Carl Samson
Shaolin Temple’s ‘CEO monk’ accused of embezzlement, sexual misconduct
Authorities are investigating the abbot of China’s iconic Shaolin Temple for suspected embezzlement and improper relationships with women, reviving similar allegations from 2015. The allegations: Shi Yongxin, 59, also known as “CEO monk,” is accused of embezzling project funds…
· Bryan Ke
Japan is offering free domestic flights for foreign tourists
Japan Airlines (JAL) is wooing foreign tourists to explore Japan by offering complimentary domestic flights. Announced on Sept. 13, the offer is available to travelers who choose to book a round-trip international ticket with JAL and a corresponding domestic flight in the same…
· Bryan Ke
Jet Li shares Buddhist pilgrimage with daughters
Martial arts film legend Jet Li and his two daughters, 24-year-old Jane and 21-year-old Jada, recently went on a Buddhist pilgrimage to Lhasa in Tibet, China. In an Instagram post on Aug. 5, the 61-year-old actor and his children are seen visiting the Potala Palace, a UNESCO…
· Michelle De Pacina
Controversial Japan site granted world heritage status with South Korean approval
The UNESCO World Heritage committee have registered Japan’s Sado gold mine as a cultural heritage site after Japan agreed to include its dark history of abusing Korean laborers during World War II in the exhibit. The mine, which operated for nearly 400 years before closing in…
· Ryan General
Filipina developer creates AI app to fight language extinction in the Philippines
A Filipina developer is promoting language appreciation and fighting language extinction with an artificial intelligence (AI) platform called Night Owl GPT. Key details:
· Bryan Ke
Thailand’s wet and wild New Year celebration Songkran sees millions of revelers
Millions of Thais and tourists partook in festivities in Bangkok over the weekend as Thailand kicked off its traditional New Year celebration called Songkran on Saturday. Key points:
· Bryan Ke
How ancient Chinese people beat the summer heat
This year’s was the warmest February on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As global temperatures continue to rise, cheap and creative ways to beat the heat might just be lifesavers. Here, we look at how ancient China — the world’s…
· Carl Samson
Origins of tea: How its leaves moved the world
In the course of human history, few commodities have woven as intricate a narrative as the humble tea. Its journey from a garden in ancient China to the cups of billions today — while playing a key role in cultural rituals, economic engines and even geopolitical negotiations —…
· Bryan Ke
Thai lawmaker says more Thai students ‘should consider US’ as Vietnamese lead in study abroad
Suchatvee Suwansawat, a notable member of Thailand’s Democrat Party, continued his call for the government to help Thai youth as the latest data shows Vietnam as the leading Southeast Asian country for individuals sent abroad to study. What he found: Suchatvee recalled a time…