Field Notes

Commentary

A tikka tangle: All-veg menus at Indian state banquets raise hackles

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, (left) shaking hands with Vietnam's president To Lam in New Delhi, India, on May 6.

Field Notes from Beijing

Trump encounters fanfare and a more confident China

A passer-by stops to take photos of the LED screen in downtown Beijing showing coverage of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing.

Field Notes from Jakarta

It could have happened to me: Moving women-only carriages won’t fix Jakarta’s rail system

A 2022 survey by the Coalition for Safe Public Space found that 48.9 per cent of women who used public transport had been sexually harassed.

Field Notes from Hong Kong

Free-to-air events, swanky stadium: What HK’s sports push is really about

Singapore team celebrating at the Kai Tak Stadium after beating Hong Kong 2-1 at Asian Cup qualifiers Group C match on Nov 18, 2025.

Field Notes from Kuala Lumpur

Can cheaper latte and starting the day early solve KL’s perpetual traffic jams?

Vehicles on a road in the Bukit Bintang business area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Field Notes from Kuala Lumpur

Same road, different rules: How Malaysia’s fuel crisis exposed its leaders’ double standards

Protesters with a banner calling for diesel subsidies and cheaper petrol prices in Kuala Lumpur on April 5.

Field Notes from Chongqing

Is Pursuit of Jade’s Zhang Linghe too pretty? Here’s what Chinese authorities think

Some netizens called actor Zhang Linghe a “foundation general”, scoffing that he would need to wake up at 4am to put on make-up for a 6am battle.

Field Notes from Jakarta

Energy crisis caused by Iran war reveals a tale of two Indonesias

Energy prices make up roughly a third of Indonesia’s inflation basket and therefore, sustained increases could push up business costs and threaten jobs.

Field notes from New Delhi

Iran energy shocks give rise to urban-to-rural migration in India

This photograph taken on February 14, 2026 shows wage-labourers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) waiting for their turn at a road-construction site at Balapur Dolkarpada village in Maharashtra's Palghar district. India's economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the last quarter of 2025 driven by solid consumer spending, data showed on February 27, using a new framework that calculates economic output more accurately.

Field Notes from Beijing

Fuel shock bites in China, but no panic yet

Motorists queue to fill their tanks ahead of a petrol price adjustment expected on March 23, at a petrol station in Suzhou, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on March 22, 2026. (Photo by CN-STR / AFP) / China OUT

E-paper

Newsletters

Podcasts

RSS Feed

About Us

Terms & Conditions

Personal Data Protection Notice

Need help? Reach us here.

Advertise with us

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