Podcasts about southeast asian

What went wrong with Burma's democratic experiment? How are we to understand the country's turbulent politics in the wake of the 2021 coup? In this conversation with Duncan McCargo, Amitav Acharya talks about his new book on Burma, which draws extensively on communications with young activists he refers to as “thought warriors”. He also discusses the challenges of researching a closed country, and why he decided to write a crossover book that he hopes will reach beyond the usual academic audiences. A decade ago, Burma was full of light and hope. Today, it has descended into darkness and despair. The once promising political and opening up of the country has been set back, possibly for a long time. How did this happen? Why? Many outside observers were surprised by the latest developments, but in some ways they were rather predictable. For those watching Burma the February 2021 coup was in the making for some time.  Tragic Nation: Burma--Why and How Democracy Failed (Penguin Random House, 2023) provides a timely and insightful account of the political situation in Burma, assessing why the country experienced the coup, what are the implications for the people of Burma and the Southeast Asian region, and what role the international community can play to prevent Burma becoming a failed state. Amitav Acharya is a distinguished professor and the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. His writings on Southeast Asia include Whose Ideas Matter: Agency and Power in Asian Regionalism (Cornell, 2009). Duncan McCargo is director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What went wrong with Burma's democratic experiment? How are we to understand the country's turbulent politics in the wake of the 2021 coup? In this conversation with Duncan McCargo, Amitav Acharya talks about his new book on Burma, which draws extensively on communications with young activists he refers to as “thought warriors”. He also discusses the challenges of researching a closed country, and why he decided to write a crossover book that he hopes will reach beyond the usual academic audiences. A decade ago, Burma was full of light and hope. Today, it has descended into darkness and despair. The once promising political and opening up of the country has been set back, possibly for a long time. How did this happen? Why? Many outside observers were surprised by the latest developments, but in some ways they were rather predictable. For those watching Burma the February 2021 coup was in the making for some time.  Tragic Nation: Burma--Why and How Democracy Failed (Penguin Random House, 2023) provides a timely and insightful account of the political situation in Burma, assessing why the country experienced the coup, what are the implications for the people of Burma and the Southeast Asian region, and what role the international community can play to prevent Burma becoming a failed state. Amitav Acharya is a distinguished professor and the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. His writings on Southeast Asia include Whose Ideas Matter: Agency and Power in Asian Regionalism (Cornell, 2009). Duncan McCargo is director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Cambodia and Thailand will gradually consolidate their ceasefire. This is according to a communique following the meeting of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his counterparts from the two Southeast Asian countries.

A cease-fire has been reached between Thailand and Cambodia after the deadliest clashes in years between the two Southeast Asian nations. At least 101 people were killed, and leaders on both sides are now expressing hope the new agreement will hold.On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law requiring warning labels on the addictive features of social media platforms such as TikTok and X. The move is part of the state's effort to address a youth mental health crisis linked to social media use.As Americans take to the roads and airports during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year's, a winter storm has caused more than a thousand flights to be canceled or delayed across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions.

Episode overview Season 10 opens with a live conversation setting the intellectual frame for a new series built around Contemplating Catastrophe, an edited collection of short essays engaging thinkers outside conventional disaster studies. The episode reflects on why reading beyond the field matters, how theory reshapes practice, and why eclectic, critical scholarship is essential for the future of disaster research. Hosts Jason von Meding Ksenia Chmutina Guests A.J. Faas — anthropologist and disaster scholar J.C. Gaillard — geographer and disaster researcher Key themes Why disaster studies must continually read beyond itself Theory as a way to unsettle settled ideas, not as abstraction for its own sake Eclecticism, curiosity, and “thinking with” rather than “thinking about” communities The limits of normative frameworks (e.g., vulnerability, “no natural disasters”) How critical theory informs practice, not just scholarship The importance of non-Anglophone, non-Western, and untranslated bodies of thought Creating intellectual space for early-career researchers to take theoretical risks Core discussion highlights Introduction to Contemplating Catastrophe, a collection of short essays on thinkers who shape disaster thinking indirectly—philosophers, artists, theorists, and writers outside the field. A.J. Faas discusses reading across philosophy, literature, anthropology, and history to keep thought “lively,” and reflects on how Gramsci and Santiago Castro-Gómez help disaster scholars rethink power, hegemony, and relationality. J.C. Gaillard reflects on frustration with disaster practice as a driver for engaging critical theory, particularly Foucault, and argues that theory liberates practice rather than distracting from it. Shared concern that dominant concepts can silence alternative ontologies and lived realities if left unexamined. A collective call to broaden disaster scholarship beyond Euro-American traditions and to value thinkers writing in other languages and contexts. Season 10 structure Live episodes recorded through 2025, archived on our Youtube channel! Thematic episodes planned on feminism, urbanism, anarchism, Black power, Latin American and Caribbean thought, East and Southeast Asian intellectual traditions, and Eastern philosophies.  

This plant-forward salad is inspired by a Thai green papaya salad. Chef Toni Sakaguchi from the Culinary Institute of America makes a base of shredded green papaya, and tosses that with shredded purple cabbage and romaine lettuce, and tops it with fried dumplings for a heartier entrée salad. Get the Southeast Asian Salad recipe here!

After becoming established in the Southeast Asian market, Chinese new-style tea brands are now turning to dig gold in the United States, looking for new opportunities.在东南亚市场站稳脚跟后，中国新式茶饮品牌正将目光投向美国市场，寻求新的发展机遇。Mixue Group opened its firstbrick-and-mortar store in the US on Saturday, marking its entry into the North American market. The store was opened in Hollywood, directly opposite the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California.蜜雪集团于周六在美国开设首家实体门店，标志着其正式进军北美市场。该门店落户好莱坞，正对加利福尼亚州洛杉矶好莱坞星光大道上的标志性建筑TCL中国剧院。New-style tea refers to freshly prepared, healthier versions of milk tea and fruit tea.新式茶饮指的是现制现卖、更健康的奶茶和果茶。The opening of new-style tea brand stores in the US has been gaining momentum this year.今年，新式茶饮品牌在美国开设门店的势头日益强劲。On Aug 1, Heytea opened a store in Cupertino in northern California. So far, Heytea, the first Chinese new-style tea brand to explore the US market, operates 35 stores in the US, according to research institute Hongcan. This makes it the brand with the most US stores among Chinese new-style tea brands. One year ago, it had just two stores in the US, which demonstrates its rapid expansion.8月1日，喜茶在北加州库比蒂诺市开设新店。据红磡咨询数据显示，作为首个进军美国市场的中国新式茶饮品牌，喜茶目前在美国运营着35家门店，成为中国新式茶饮品牌在美国门店数量最多的品牌。一年前，喜茶在美国仅有两家门店，其扩张速度之快可见一斑。Meanwhile, Molly Tea has opened five stores in the US, while Chagee, as China's first new-style tea brand to be listed in the US, opened an outlet in the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles. Less than three months later, another outlet was opened in the metropolitan Los Angeles area.与此同时，茉莉奶白已在美国开设五家门店，而作为中国首个登陆美国的新式茶饮品牌，霸王茶姬在洛杉矶西田世纪城购物中心开设了首家门店。不到三个月后，该品牌又在洛杉矶大都会区开设了第二家门店。In July, Lelecha opened stores in New York and Los Angeles, continuing its business model of selling both tea and baked goods.七月，乐乐茶在纽约和洛杉矶开设门店，延续其茶饮与烘焙食品并售的经营模式。The market is responding positively.市场反应积极。For example, Heytea's outlet in Times Square in New York, which was opened at the beginning of this year, sold more than 3,500 cups of tea on the first day, and its average daily sales volume exceeded 2,000 cups, according to company data.例如，根据喜茶公司数据，今年初在纽约时代广场开业的喜茶门店开业首日就售出超过3500杯茶饮，其日均销量超过2000杯。Molly Tea's outlets are also breaking records. According to the company, the sales revenue of its outlet in New York in October 2024 surpassed $570,000, a record for Chinese new-style tea brands. The gross merchandise value of its first outlet in Los Angeles surpassed 4.19 million yuan ($595,000) in its first month, setting an overseas store record for the company.茉莉奶白的门店业绩同样屡创新高。据该公司透露，其纽约门店2024年10月销售额突破57万美元，创下中国新式茶饮品牌纪录。其首家洛杉矶门店开业首月商品交易总额突破419万元人民币（约合59.5万美元），刷新了该品牌海外门店业绩纪录。Chagee and Auntea Jenny have also proved popular in the US. On the day that Chagee opened its store in the US, it sold over 5,000 cups of tea. From May 16-18, Auntea Jenny's first store in the US, located in the Flushing neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, recorded 3,024 orders and achieved gross merchandise value of $65,000.霸王茶姬与沪上阿姨在美国同样广受欢迎。霸王茶姬在美国开业首日售出逾5000杯茶饮。5月16日至18日，位于纽约皇后区法拉盛社区的沪上阿姨首家美国门店共计完成3024笔订单，商品总价值达6.5万美元。Facing an increasing number of Chinese new-style tea brands in the US, Jason Smith, a US netizen, said on social media platform X that he hoped American companies "are ready for some real competition".面对美国市场上日益增多的中国新式茶饮品牌，美国网友杰森·史密斯（Jason Smith）在社交平台X上发文称，希望美国企业“做好迎接真正竞争的准备”。Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said, "With the Southeast Asian market tending to be saturated, the US, with its large consumption power base, high per customer transaction rate and demand for consumption upgrade, has become a new hot spot for Chinese new-style tea brands."北京社会科学院副研究员王鹏表示：“随着东南亚市场趋于饱和，美国凭借其庞大的消费群体、高人均消费额以及消费升级需求，已成为中国新式茶饮品牌的新热点。”Zhan Junhao, founder of Fujian Huace Brand Positioning Consulting, said: "New-style tea brands opening stores in the US is an inevitable trend, as they compete fiercely in (China's) domestic market and look forincremental markets. Each brand adopts a differentiated positioning layout to adapt to the market, avoidinghomogeneous competition.福建华策品牌定位咨询创始人詹军豪表示：“新式茶饮品牌进军美国市场是必然趋势，因其在（中国）国内市场竞争激烈，需寻求增量市场。各品牌采取差异化定位布局适应市场，避免同质化竞争。”"The new-style tea market in the US is growing rapidly, and there is no dominant brand, offering a window of opportunity for Chinese brands to seize market share," Zhan said, adding that the market potential will likely attract more brands.詹军豪表示：“美国新式茶饮市场正快速扩张，目前尚未出现主导品牌，这为中国品牌抢占市场份额提供了机遇窗口。”并补充道，该市场潜力或将吸引更多品牌入局。Zhan noted that as promising as the market is, Chinese brands still face challenges when opening stores in the US. For example, high costs of staffing and rent squeeze profits, and there are cultural differences.詹军豪指出，尽管市场前景广阔，中国品牌在美国开设门店仍面临诸多挑战。例如，高昂的人力成本和租金挤压利润空间，同时还存在文化差异。Wang, the researcher, said that the brands need to adopt a long-term strategy, building core competitiveness through precise positioning, deep localization and supply chain resilience.研究员王鹏表示，品牌需要采取长期战略，通过精准定位、深度本土化及供应链韧性来构建核心竞争力。brick-and-mortar storeadj./ˌbrɪk.ənˈmɔːr.tɚ/实体门店incremental marketadj./ˌɪŋ.krəˈmen.t̬əl/增量市场homogeneousadj./ˌhoʊ.moʊˈdʒiː.ni.əs/同质化

"Public markets are behaving more like private markets. Private markets want to behave more like public markets. So actually, they're just one market.What's not the same is the level of research, information, data disclosure. Correct. That's the only difference. It's this information gap that, to us, is the single biggest opportunity now.We think over the course of the next five to 10 years, there'll be more trading venues, more liquidity providers, more market makers, more investor types—all of that. And I think what Smartkarma has always done is be the information flow for part of capital markets.In fact, that sort of 74 billion number, I think, is quite conservative. I've seen other estimates that are close to 120 billion. So it depends on what you see as sort of growth and what you see beyond. But regardless, I think it's very large numbers, and the ratio of exit to invested capital is extremely low. A 50 billion hole is a pretty big hole." - Raghav Kapoor, CEO of SmartkarmaRaghav Kapoor, CEO & co-founder of Smartkarma, joined us for a conversation on the launch of PvtIQ and the structural transformation of Asia's private markets. Drawing from his experience building Smartkarma's independent research platform, Raghav explained how client demand for pre-IPO coverage led to creating PvtIQ, an intelligence platform designed to bridge the critical information gap in Southeast Asia's private markets. We discussed the striking imbalance where $74 billion has been invested into the region's tech ecosystem but only $23 billion has been returned through exits, highlighting the urgent need for better data infrastructure and price discovery. Raghav shared unique insights on how families dominate the region's investment landscape, why private and public markets are converging into one, and his vision for PvtIQ to become the intelligence backbone supporting companies, investors, and regulators in bringing more transparency and efficiency to Asia's rapidly evolving private market ecosystem.Episode Highlights:[00:00] Quote of the Day by Raghav Kapoor[00:57]] Smartkarma launches PvtIQ for Asia's private markets[03:11]] Investors requesting coverage three years before IPO[04:08]] Supporting MAS equity market development program[05:24]] Singapore's public markets languished despite private growth[06:13]] Path from fundraising to public listing explained[08:37]] $74 billion invested, only $23 billion exits[09:45]] Companies need support to achieve IPO readiness[11:00]] Capital chasing deals shifted to improving disclosure[11:57]] Southeast Asia's extreme market fragmentation challenges[13:23]] Families dominate and influence Southeast Asian markets[14:38]] Lack of data creates serious structural challenges[19:01]] Private market investors transitioning from momentum investing[20:18]] Digital banks provide disclosure model for research[21:24]] Late stage private rounds resemble public IPOs[23:26]] Liquidity without information is just volatility[24:06]] Private and public markets converging into one[25:30]] Information gap is the single biggest opportunity[27:00]] Private market research TAM already $8 billion[28:57]] What great looks like: intelligence backbone for Asia's private markets[30:57]] ClosingProfile: Raghav Kapoor, CEO and co-founder, SmartkarmaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragkap/Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Recorded in Poddster Singapore

Deze week hoor je in NRC Vandaag onze serie Wilde eeuwen, het begin. Een van de verhalende series die we dit jaar maakten: perfect voor tijdens de dagen rond Kerst.Het is 50.000 jaar geleden. Seddi staat trots voor haar grote tekening van een wrattenzwijn, diep in een grot op Sulawesi. Zal het zwijn haar volk helpen te overleven? Heeft u vragen, suggesties of ideeën over onze journalistiek? Mail dan naar onze redactie via podcast@nrc.nl.Voor deze aflevering is onder meer gebruikt gemaakt van deze literatuur: Maxime Aubert e.a. ‘Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago' in Nature, op 25 juli 2024. Rikai Sawafuji e.a. ‘East and Southeast Asian hominin dispersal and evolution: A review' in Quaternary Science Reviews,Volume 333, op 1 Juni 2024. April Nowell ‘Oral Storytelling and Knowledge Transmission in Upper Paleolithic Children and Adolescents' in Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, in Maart 2023. Adam Brumm e.a. ‘Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi' in Science Advances, op 15 januari 2021. Chris Stringer e.a. ‘Did the Denisovans Cross Wallace's Line?', in Science, op 18 oktober 2013. Michael Witzel ‘The origins of the world's mythologies', bij Oxford University Press, in 2012.Sally Mcbrearty e.a. ‘The revolution that wasn't: a new interpretation of the origin of modern human behavior' in Journal of Human Evolution, in november 2000.Zie ook ‘Het oudste verhaal ter wereld werd 50.000 jaar geleden getekend in een grot op het eiland Sulawesi', in NRC op 16 november.In deze aflevering komt muziek voor van de volgende artiesten: Fralalai, Frodi Fransman, Hidde Meenhorst, Arno Adelaars, Imre Peemot.Tekst en presentatie: Hendrik SpieringRedactie en regie: Mirjam van ZuidamMuziek, montage en mixage: Rufus van BaardwijkBeeld: Jeen BertingVormgeving: Yannick MortierZie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

① Southeast Asian foreign ministers have gathered in Malaysia for a special meeting to discuss the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. What steps can be taken to de-escalate tensions and end the fighting? (00:58) ② China has issued a serious warning to Japan over a senior Japanese official's remarks that Japan should have nuclear weapons. We explore why Japan should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. (13:13) ③ EU leaders have struck a deal to loan 90 billion euros to Ukraine, but failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets. What's the calculation of the bloc? (25:07) ④ China has released a new batch of public data application models to accelerate the use of government data in key sectors. How will this initiative improve digital governance in the country? (33:14) ⑤ A new generation of Chinese beverage brands is tapping into the US market. Do they stand a chance to succeed? (43:46)

International Law and Security in Indo-Pacific: Strategic Design for the Region (Routledge, 2025) edited by Dr. Joanna Siekiera uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss international law and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as maritime security, climate change and international relations. Detailing how international relations and particular state interests govern regional and global partnerships, the book provides suggestions for the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Exploring how conflict within the region has international repercussions, topics covered include the role of South-East Asian countries, and the role of statehood of small islands in Oceania. Detailing harmonization of laws and policies in the context of international security and maritime law, the book focuses on the impact of climate change and other topical issues such as cyber security and the protection of cultural identity. The book will be of interest to researchers in the field of international law, law of the sea, international relations and security.Dr. Joanna Siekiera is an expert in international law, NATO consultant, trainer, and educator. She currently works as the Assistant Professor at the War Studies University in Warsaw, Poland. She is also a fellow at the U.S. Marine Corps University in Quantico and supports various military institutions as a legal SME and course facilitator.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

International Law and Security in Indo-Pacific: Strategic Design for the Region (Routledge, 2025) edited by Dr. Joanna Siekiera uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss international law and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as maritime security, climate change and international relations. Detailing how international relations and particular state interests govern regional and global partnerships, the book provides suggestions for the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Exploring how conflict within the region has international repercussions, topics covered include the role of South-East Asian countries, and the role of statehood of small islands in Oceania. Detailing harmonization of laws and policies in the context of international security and maritime law, the book focuses on the impact of climate change and other topical issues such as cyber security and the protection of cultural identity. The book will be of interest to researchers in the field of international law, law of the sea, international relations and security.Dr. Joanna Siekiera is an expert in international law, NATO consultant, trainer, and educator. She currently works as the Assistant Professor at the War Studies University in Warsaw, Poland. She is also a fellow at the U.S. Marine Corps University in Quantico and supports various military institutions as a legal SME and course facilitator.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

International Law and Security in Indo-Pacific: Strategic Design for the Region (Routledge, 2025) edited by Dr. Joanna Siekiera uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss international law and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as maritime security, climate change and international relations. Detailing how international relations and particular state interests govern regional and global partnerships, the book provides suggestions for the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Exploring how conflict within the region has international repercussions, topics covered include the role of South-East Asian countries, and the role of statehood of small islands in Oceania. Detailing harmonization of laws and policies in the context of international security and maritime law, the book focuses on the impact of climate change and other topical issues such as cyber security and the protection of cultural identity. The book will be of interest to researchers in the field of international law, law of the sea, international relations and security.Dr. Joanna Siekiera is an expert in international law, NATO consultant, trainer, and educator. She currently works as the Assistant Professor at the War Studies University in Warsaw, Poland. She is also a fellow at the U.S. Marine Corps University in Quantico and supports various military institutions as a legal SME and course facilitator.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

International Law and Security in Indo-Pacific: Strategic Design for the Region (Routledge, 2025) edited by Dr. Joanna Siekiera uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss international law and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as maritime security, climate change and international relations. Detailing how international relations and particular state interests govern regional and global partnerships, the book provides suggestions for the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Exploring how conflict within the region has international repercussions, topics covered include the role of South-East Asian countries, and the role of statehood of small islands in Oceania. Detailing harmonization of laws and policies in the context of international security and maritime law, the book focuses on the impact of climate change and other topical issues such as cyber security and the protection of cultural identity. The book will be of interest to researchers in the field of international law, law of the sea, international relations and security.Dr. Joanna Siekiera is an expert in international law, NATO consultant, trainer, and educator. She currently works as the Assistant Professor at the War Studies University in Warsaw, Poland. She is also a fellow at the U.S. Marine Corps University in Quantico and supports various military institutions as a legal SME and course facilitator.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law

International Law and Security in Indo-Pacific: Strategic Design for the Region (Routledge, 2025) edited by Dr. Joanna Siekiera uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss international law and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as maritime security, climate change and international relations. Detailing how international relations and particular state interests govern regional and global partnerships, the book provides suggestions for the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Exploring how conflict within the region has international repercussions, topics covered include the role of South-East Asian countries, and the role of statehood of small islands in Oceania. Detailing harmonization of laws and policies in the context of international security and maritime law, the book focuses on the impact of climate change and other topical issues such as cyber security and the protection of cultural identity. The book will be of interest to researchers in the field of international law, law of the sea, international relations and security.Dr. Joanna Siekiera is an expert in international law, NATO consultant, trainer, and educator. She currently works as the Assistant Professor at the War Studies University in Warsaw, Poland. She is also a fellow at the U.S. Marine Corps University in Quantico and supports various military institutions as a legal SME and course facilitator.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/australian-and-new-zealand-studies

As we approach 2026, the promise of artificial intelligence across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong is palpable, driven in part by aspirations for unparalleled efficiency and innovation. Yet, for AI to truly deliver on this promise for business leaders, a critical threshold of trust and security must be crossed. The emergence of agentic AI—autonomous systems that can act, access data, and execute tasks—represents both the pinnacle of this potential and its greatest peril. With the region's rapid digital acceleration and complex regulatory tapestry, securing these agents from large-scale data breaches and operational disruption is no longer a future consideration; it is the definitive security mandate for 2026. The journey from hype to secured value depends on the governance, design, and vigilance we enact today.FutureCISO spoke to Ray Canzanese, director of Netskope Threat Labs, about the approaches the things that need to happen for AI to deliver on its promises in 2026.Questions:   1.       What is the most interesting observation you've seen in 2025?2.       As ASEAN releases its AI Guide and regional regulations evolve, what should be the priority for a CISO building a governance framework for agentic AI in 2026?3.       Why does agentic AI fundamentally change the cyber risk profile for an organisation, and how does this exacerbate threats in our interconnected Southeast Asian business landscape?4.       You've suggested the first major agentic AI-driven data breach could occur in 2026. What might a typical attack chain look like, targeting a poorly secured agent in a multinational based in Singapore or Hong Kong?5.       The principle of least privilege is challenging with dynamic AI agents. What are the practical steps for security leaders to implement effective permission models without stifling innovation?6.       How can frameworks like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) be leveraged to enforce a 'security-by-design' approach for AI agents, and is the industry in our region adopting them quickly enough?7.       With organisations here often using a mix of global and local AI providers, how should we approach the unique third-party and supply chain risks introduced by agentic AI ecosystems?8.       Beyond technical controls, what changes in day-to-day security operations (SecOps) are needed to monitor and respond to anomalous agent behaviour in real-time?9.       How can CISOs effectively communicate the tangible business risks—and secured value—of agentic AI to boards, CFOs, and COOs who are eager for competitive advantage?10.   Looking ahead to 2026, what one metric will indicate that an organisation in our region has successfully secured its agentic AI initiatives and is ready to scale?

Russell Moore talks with pastor and author David Platt (McLean Bible Church, Radical) about his new book All You Want for Christmas, which is built around one verse: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Together they explore why this claim stands apart from every other religion's story of humans climbing their way up to God—and why the Christian story begins with God coming down the mountain to us. Platt and Moore talk about what it means to believe in a personal God in a culture that prays to “the universe,” how to face grief and doubt in the “happiest season of all,” and why the wonder of Christmas is both more comforting and more unsettling than we realize. They also discuss the difference between divine service and the prosperity gospel, the surprising role of dreams and magi in God's self-revelation, and what it means to repent and trust when belief doesn't come easily. Platt shares stories from a Southeast Asian temple, a Muslim Uber driver's midnight conversion, and his own family's Christmas traditions—complete with “giving jars” and a goat that wasn't for the kid who thought it was. Resources mentioned in this episode: All You Want for Christmas by David Platt Radical by David Platt   Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com  Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Authorities have confirmed the alleged gunmen behind the Bondi Beach massacre had both recently travelled to the Philippines, with allegations they had undergone extensive terrorist training. The Southeast Asian country has been a terrorist training ground for extremists around the world for decades, but now it appears there’s a dangerous resurgence. In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by criminologist Dr Clarke Jones, who has interviewed convicted terrorists behind bars in the Philippines, on what’s behind this new wave of radicalisation. Headlines: The NSW Premier has announced parliament will be recalled next week to discuss urgent new reforms in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, the first funerals of the victims of Sunday’s terror attack have been held today, and former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has criticised the Albanese government's lack of action and called for a royal commission into antisemitism. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @thebriefingpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NEWS: Agatha Wong dominates at Southeast Asian Games with sixth gold | Dec. 15, 2025Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribeVisit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein#TheManilaTimes#KeepUpWithTheTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fighting between Cambodia and Thailand has escalated along their contested border on Tuesday, with the Southeast Asian neighbours both saying they will not back down in defending their sovereignty. With each side is blaming the other for starting Monday's renewed clashes, and it's unclear how or if a fragile ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump in July can be salvaged.

"I was at a tourism conference in Hangzhou in 2018, where Chinese companies showed how they were using AI to personalise travel for users. That's nearly eight years ago." In 2025, AI became a strategic commercial tool in all sectors, including travel and tourism. But it isn't widely understood just how effectively embedded AI already is in China's tourism sector, and how far ahead its leading players are to much of the world. On the final show of 2015, Gary welcomes back Joao Romao, Associate Professor at Yasuda Women's University in Japan, to debate the shifting Geopolitics of Travel in Asia six years after the first cases of Covid-19 were discovered in Wuhan, China. Joao is the author of Economic Geography of Tourism, which places contemporary tourism in the context of global economic, technological, societal, environmental and political challenges. We discuss the evolving AI-in-travel landscape and the multiplicity of post-Covid variables shaping travel decision making.  We analyse how Covid savaged the value of the Yen leading to a surge of inbound tourism, while making outbound travel expensive from Japan. And we dive into the implications for regional travel of icy bilateral relations between China-Japan. Plus, we look at the Middle East's investment-driven approach to tourism growth, and how this might impact South East Asian destinations in future. Meanwhile, what is the Circuit of Proximity, and why does it matter? And what did governments across Asia learn about their travel economies during the Covid shutdowns - and are those learnings are being effectively applied six years later?

Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are grappling with severe flooding, landslides and storm damage after torrential rain and vast cyclones hit the region over the past few days.Also, the presidential election in Honduras is too-close-to-call, and the Oxford English Dictionary releases its 'word of the year'.(Photo: A military rescue team vehicle makes its way through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 30 November 2025. Credit: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/Shutterstock)

１日、クアラルンプール郊外で、危険薬物法違反の罪で訴追された３人の日本人男性【クアラルンプール時事】マレーシア税関当局は１日、大量の大麻を持ち込もうとしたとして、危険薬物法違反の罪で日本人の男３人を訴追した。 Malaysian customs authorities have charged three Japanese men on suspicion of attempting to smuggle large quantities of marijuana into the Southeast Asian nation in violation of the country's law for cracking down on dangerous drugs.

Stacie Hueter delivers the news on the floods plaguing multiple South East Asian countries, Ukrainian strikes on two Russian oil tankers, and updates on the kidnappings in Nigeria on 11/30/25.

In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome Dr. Alvin Camba, a sociologist who studies Southeast Asian political economies, China relations, and critical mineral supply chains. Camba, author of the New America article "The Jakarta Model is No Blueprint," critiques Indonesia's export ban on raw nickel and incentives for domestic refining, which have driven economic growth and positioned the country as a key EV battery supplier but have also resulted in severe human and environmental costs.​​Growth at what cost? Camba explains the "Jakarta model” - policies forcing mining firms to sell domestically, spurring smelters and industrial parks but creating oligopsonies where refiners dictate low prices, triggering a "race to the bottom" in mining practices. This has led to widespread environmental damage like air pollution, acid leakage, water contamination, land grabs, and health issues, including rising asthma and cancer rates near facilities since 2019, while workers endure 10-12 hour shifts over six-day weeks.​Impressive parks, hidden harms: Inside sites like those in Sulawesi, visitors see advanced infrastructure with airports, ports, hotels, and thousands of workers, often funding local clinics and schools, which sustains public support despite scandals. Yet, mining outside these parks produces tailings dumps and forest clearance, while smelters emit pollutants into the air and rivers; in Kalimantan, bauxite processing creates radioactive red mud waste.​Global copycats and Western challenges: Countries like Namibia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines eye the model for capital influx, often ignoring downsides amid weakened environmental oversight and political ties to Chinese joint ventures dominating smelters. Camba urges slower development with strong regulations, consultations, and transparency; for the West, building refining capacity requires market incentives to counter China's cheap, dirty dominance, with short-term reserves bridging gaps amid U.S.-China standoffs over rare earths and semiconductors.​

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Important Links We Belong Here campaign page We Belong Here Partner organizations: Asian Law Caucus |Asian Refugees United | Hmong Innovating Politics | Hmong Family Association of Lansing | Rising Voices Transcript Nina Phillips: Hello and welcome. You are tuning into APEX Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans. I'm your host Nina Phillips, and tonight we are doing something a little different. Earlier this month on Monday, November 3rd, communities of Hmong and Nepali speaking, Bhutanese Americans, fellow immigrants and allies, gathered together at a virtual [00:01:00] community event called We Belong Here. The goal: to shed light on the continued detainment and deportation of immigrant communities in the United States and the specific challenges faced by Bhutanese, Hmong, and Southeast Asian folks.  Tika Basnet: When, uh, my husband got detained on April 8, I took one week after to reach out Aisa and she told me, Hey Tika, come forward, you know, your story is powerful. People need to know your story.  Nina Phillips: That was the voice of Tika Basnet. Her husband, Mohan Karki is a Nepali speaking Bhutanese refugee from Ohio who has spent months in ICE detention, trapped in legal limbo. Tika has been working tirelessly to bring her husband home and shared her story with us at We Belong Here. Tonight, we are bringing you a recording of this virtual community gathering. You'll hear more from Tika about the Free Mohan Karki campaign and from Ann Vue, [00:02:00] the spouse of Lue Yang, a Hmong community leader from Michigan, who is also currently detained and facing deportation. Ann is leading the movement to Bring Lue Home, and we'll be sharing more later about how you can get involved as well and support both of these campaigns. You will also hear from state representatives of Michigan and Ohio, the music and spoken word performance of Asian Refugees United, and community tools and resources that a vital in helping to keep our immigrant loved ones safe. The host of this community event was Miko Lee, APEX producer, and a voice that you might be familiar with. Alrighty, without further ado, here's Miko. Miko Lee: We belong here. What we recognize right now is there's almost. 60,000 people being held in detention right now, immigrants that are being held in detention. It is a pandemic that is happening in our country that's impacting all of our people, and we need [00:03:00] to be able to take action. Tonight we're talking very specifically, not with this 60,000 people that are in detention now, but just two of those stories, so that you can get a sense of what is happening in the Bhutanese and Hmong communities and what's happening right now, and to talk about those particular stories and some actions you can take. First I wanna recognize that right now we are on native lands, so all of us except our original indigenous people, are from other places and I'd invite you to go into the chat and find your native land. I am speaking with you from the unceded Ohlone land, and I wanna honor these ancestors, these elders that have provided for us and provided this beautiful land for us to be on. So I invite you to share into the chat your name, your pronoun, and also what indigenous land you are living on right now in this Native American Heritage Month. Thank you so much to all of you that have joined [00:04:00] us. We are really seeing the impact of this administration on all of our peoples, and particularly tonight in terms of the Hmong and Nepali speaking, Bhutanese communities. These are communities that have been impacted, specifically refugee communities that have been impacted in incredible detrimental ways by this administration. And tonight what we really wanna do is talk to you about what is going on in our communities. We wanted to make sure we translated so that we have as much access into our communities as possible because we wanna be as inclusive of our world as we can. We Belong Here is focusing on the fact that all of us belong here. We belong in this land, and we are telling these stories tonight in the context of these sets of people particularly that have so many similarities in terms of Hmong folks who worked with our US government and worked with our US military during the Vietnam War and then came [00:05:00] here as refugees and stayed in this country to the Nepali speaking Bhutanese folks, who left their country from ethnic cleansing and then went into refugee camps and now took refuge in the United States. So these are all stories that are impactful and powerful, and it's really what it means to be American. we have come from different places. We see these attacks on our people. right now I would like to bring to the fore two empowering women, refugees themselves. Hailing from places as different as Somalia and Southeast Asia, and they're gonna talk about some of the detention and deportations that are happening right now. First I'd like to focus on Rep Mai Xiong, who's from Michigan's 13th District. I hand it over to the representative.  Rep. Mai Xiong: Good evening everyone. I'm state representative,  Mai Xiong, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you virtually. I'm coming to you from Warren, Macomb County, Michigan, and I represent the 13th [00:06:00] house of district, uh, the communities of Warren Roseville and St. Claire Shores. I've lived here in Michigan for over 20 years now. I came to the United States at a very young age, was born in a refugee camp and came here when I was three years old. So I grew up in Ohio. And then I moved to Michigan to attend college. Never thought that I would ever be serving in the State House. I previously served as a county commissioner here in Macomb. And, uh, last year when President Trump got elected, I had very quiet fears that as a naturalized citizen, that even I did not feel safe given the, um. The failure in our immigration system. So we have seen that play out, uh, with this administration, with the, attempts to get rid of birthright citizenship de-naturalization. And, you hear the rhetoric from officials about, deporting the worst of the worst criminal, illegal aliens. And we [00:07:00] know, as Miko mentioned in, in her introduction, that, refugees came here through a legal pathway. The Hmong in particular served alongside America during the Vietnam War and were persecuted from Laos. So my parents fled Laos. And so growing up I didn't have, uh, citizenship. Um, and so we have seen, uh, in this administration that refugees are now caught up in this, immigration effort to get rid of people who came here through legal pathways Lue is a father. He is a community leader. Uh, he is a well-respected member of our community as all of these individuals are. And at some point our system failed them and we are working extremely hard, to get their stories out. But what I have found with many of these families is that they are, uh, afraid to come forward. They are ashamed. There is a stigma involved and, uh, culturally, as many of you may [00:08:00] know, if you are of Asian American descent, and a fear of, uh, retaliation. And as the only Hmong American elected here in Michigan, I'm grateful that I have, uh, the ability to.  have those connections and to be such a visible, uh, member of my community that many of these individuals. Felt comfortable enough to reach out to me. But the reality is back in July we didn't know anything other than, the number of people who were detained. And that was through a firsthand account from loved ones who you know, were accompanying their loved one and got detained. And so it was literally like trying to find missing people and then getting the word out to let them know that, hey, there's actually, there's help out there. The volunteer attorneys, the nonprofits, the Immigration Rights Center, uh, here in Michigan, I mean, everybody has been doing a phenomenal job because I think the majority, the vast majority of Americans understand that, um, these [00:09:00] individuals that are being taken out of our communities are not a, a threat to society. They are members of our community. They've lived here for decades. They have jobs, they have children. And when you when you take an individual out of our community, it actually does more harm then it does to make any one of us safe. So that's the message that I have been sharing with others, uh, not only in having a connection and being a refugee just like these individuals, but advocating for them and making it clear that these are our neighbors, these are our children's classmates, parents, and it doesn't make any one of us feel safer. One of the things I am. Upset about that I continue to talk about is that we're not actually in a immigration crisis. We share here in Michigan, we share an international border with Canada, and we have never had an issue with border security. The [00:10:00] problem is the policies that have been put in place, that these individuals have been caught up in our immigration system for decades, and it is extremely hard for them to obtain citizenship or to even know what their rights are. And so we really need, in addition to advocating for these families, we need immigration reform. Throwing money at a problem is not going to solve the problem. If anything, we have are, we are in an economic crisis. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for joining. Um, I'd love to turn the baton over to another one of our powerful women representatives, Rep. Munira Abdullah from Ohio's Ninth District. Rep Abdullah. We pass it over to you. Thank you so much.  Rep. Munira Abdullahi: Uh, thank you for having me and also Rep Mai Xiong, it is really great to see you. I'm grateful to have been able to see you go from Commissioner to State Rep, doing amazing things on social media as well. I'm very, a big fan. Uh, my name is Munira Abdullahi. I represent District Nine in Ohio, which is in the Columbus area. Northland, [00:11:00] uh, Manette Park. Uh, a little bit of New Albany in Westerville city schools. Um, I'm also a refugee. My family fled Somalia and Civil War, and I was born in refugee camp in Kenya. And then we came to the United States when I was about two, three years old, uh, and ended up moving to Ohio when I was like four. First moved to Utah, salt Lake City, Utah, and then to Ohio when I was about five years old. And so I certainly understand the fear of being an immigrant in a new country and, um, struggling to belong and figure out where are your place is. And, and also just adjusting to a whole new society, um, with the language barriers and, and all of the the barriers are in the way. And then that fear of, your immigration status. You know, before my parents were, you know, passed their, their, uh, citizenship test, right. It was very scary. Um, and I know many families who feel the same way right now, especially with this new administration. Um, with the OCE raids that are happening that are really disrupting our communities and our [00:12:00] families. Um, we have a, a, a cons, a constituent of mine, um, who is now, uh, in prison. We have, uh, have a couple actually. One is Leonardo Faso, and then I know one we're gonna talk about soon is Mohan Karki, who is his family, I believe, is on this call. Uh, and he was taken by ICE. And he's, uh, you know, the, the breadwinner and the, the caregiver of his family. And so it's really important not to forget that a lot of these people who are being taken by ICE are like the breadwinners and, and, and the caretakers of these families. And now the family's left with a hole, uh, in their, in their home. And so, we really need to remember to take care of these families. I know there's gonna be a GoFundMe that that will be shared. Um, but finding these families and supporting them. Um, in any way that we can monetary, you know, checking on them, giving, you know, helping them with food. Now we have SNAP benefits are being cut for many, many, many Americans. We are struggling as is, but immigrants in particular are struggling a lot, lot more, um, with these raids and, and with the uncertainties. But one thing I wanna remind everyone is that, you know, through community we [00:13:00] find strength. And so that, um, understanding, you know, where our communities are, where people are suffering and finding our place and helping with that, right? Whether that might, might be, uh, maybe we have the financial capabilities to, to support, maybe we can cook for someone. Um, maybe we can advocate where, where we have the ability to advocate. Whatever we can do, we have a responsibility to do it. Um, and there are successes. I know in Ohio it's a little different where we can't really advocate anything on the state level because it's like they, we just make things worse. We're in a very rough, super minority, the Democrats and super minority, and we have bills in the State House we're trying to fight against that are trying to make it worse, where we're trying to get rid of Republicans in the State House are trying to get rid of like a sanctuary cities, um, and penalize cities that don't engage, uh, or don't cooperate with ICE. Um, we have currently a bill, which actually this is, this might be more of a, on a positive note, is we had a bill house bill one. That sought to ban immigrants, certain immigrants from owning land in certain areas. [00:14:00] But because of community engagement, because of advocacy, because of collaboration with community advocacy groups, that Bill was effectively paused. Like, as of now, it's paused because people came and advocated. They spoke to their representatives, they testified, they called, they protested, um, they had press conferences. They brought so much attention to the bill, and it just became so. Obvious that people don't want this bill. And that pressure really got to the majority in the State House. And that bill has been paused, right? It was created to keep Chinese Americans from buying land specifically. Um, and that list can change, by the way. It's an, it's a, a rotating list. The Secretary of State can add whatever countries that they want to, that list, so it's very harmful. But the Asian American community came together alongside with us representatives in the State House and, and effectively like paused that bill. So there's there are positive things we could, we could achieve as a community when we fight together and communicate and stand with one another regardless of our nationality. We're all struggling here. We're [00:15:00] all in the same place. We're all, uh, in need of one another. And that's why I was reminding people was like, when we are in need of one another. And when one person is struggling, we should all be feeling that.  Miko Lee: Thank you  Rep Munira. Thank you so much for joining us. And yes, we are all part of a collective community that needs to be working together. And Rep Munira talked about Mohan Karki and next we're gonna see a short video performance that was created by Asian refugees United, uh, Maxine Hong Kingston said, “in a time of destruction, create something”. So we're gonna watch this video that was created. Uh, it's a shortcut of a performance by Asian Refugees United. Nina Phillips: Hello, it's APEX Express host Nina Phillips here chiming in with a couple words on this performance. It's a very music and spoken word forward piece, so you should get a good sense of the production through just the audio. The youth performers from Asian Refugees United do a wonderful job of embodying the story of Mohan Karki and his family through music and [00:16:00] movement and dance as well. Very evocative. If you'd like to see this short video clip in full, with the visuals, please visit the website of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. That's accre.org/our-voices/webelonghere.  Enjoy the show. ARU Performer: Mohan Karki, I was detained by an ICE officer to be deported to a country that I never been to. A country. That I don't belong to [00:17:00] a country I wasn't born to, that I don't speak the language of. When they moved me to a detention center in Michigan, I called my wife Tika. They're taking me, I told her my voice was calm, but inside I was breaking into a million pieces. It felt like a goodbye, not just to her, but to the life we built together to the dreams that we planted seeds for. I was just 17 years old when I decided who I was before I could even speak up for myself. I stand here as a victim of an unjust system that never gave me a chance.[00:18:00]  I am a man with purpose. I worked hard. I drove trucks. I supported my family, and I loved my wife Tika, and waited for the day that I would finally meet our baby. [Speaks in Nepali] How do I tell my daughter that leaving her was never my choice? Now I wait for the news. Now would completely change everything. Will they send me back to Bhutan? Will I be deported like the ones before me? No one talks about what happens to us [00:19:00] once we're gone. We vanish. Into silence. Where do I belong?  You belong here. They belong here. We belong here. [Singing in Nepali] [Speaks in Nepali] What type of future do we wanna build? A future where we can all belong? A future where we can coexist, [00:20:00] coexist in nature. And coexist with each other. A future where another Mohan Karki does not have to fear of being displaced all over again. A future where Mohan Karki does not have to be separated from his new born baby girl. A place where people like Mohan Carkey can have home, a future and community, a future with family, a future and harmony. A future to heal. A future to grow. Above all, a future to belong. I hope the future is more generous to all of us. [Singing in [00:21:00] Nepali] Miko Lee: Can you all give it up in the chat for those performers. Nawal was our interpreter at the very beginning of this, and to show the power of how art can transform things at that performance, the ACLU was there. And actually because of that, we were able to find a pro bono lawyer to be able to help with one of, uh, Mohans Habeas Corpuses cases and just that's an example of Asian refugees United, that was their work before all of these detentions were going on. It was youth empowerment and storytelling, but they had to pivot, given the shape of our world. I wanna transition us to our panel of speakers of powerful. Again, powerful women. [00:22:00] Um, Ann Vue who is the spouse of Lue Yang, Tika Bassett, who is the spouse of Mohan Karki and Aisa Villarosa, who has been our brilliant, dedicated lawyer from Asian Law Caucus working on this. So we're not gonna go over and tell the entire stories of each of these people and what happened to them. And if you want that, you can listen to the radio show that we did on APEX Express. Tika, I wanted to start with you and just hear from you, what is your response after watching that video about your husband? Tika Basnet: Yeah, it is really beautiful story. Um, thank you ARU for, um, representing my husband story. Um, it just make, make me cry and I was crying while watching the video and it remind me what happened. Since seven month ago. And, um, yeah. Hi, my name is Tika Basnet. I'm from Ohio and I've been fighting for my husband deportation and detention since seven month ago. Without the community and without all the [00:23:00] support that I got from organization, I don't think it is possible that my husband will still be here. And the reason that this is possible is because I reach out to them without getting fear, without getting afraid of what will happen if I speak outside. So, um, yeah, um, it is really difficult. What is going on right now. Sometime I don't wanna speak because of the current policy. Uh, it make me feel, even though I'm US citizen, um, sometime I feel like if I speak something against the policy, I, they will might, they might gonna take my citizenship away. And then, um, I realized that, if I speak then it'll help me. Right now, um, ICE is not letting my husband come home, even though it is been seven month and our attorney try everything in a possible way. Uh, the ICE is not letting my husband come out. I dunno how long it'll take. I don't know. don't wanna, yeah. Thank you.  Miko Lee: No, you can speak more. Tika. Do you wanna add?  Tika Basnet: Yeah, um, especially I wanna thank you [00:24:00] ARU and Aisa and Miko. Everything is happening right now is because of them, because I reached out to them. If I did not, I feel like my husband is story will be one of those Bhutanese people that disappear. I don't know what happened to them. I hope, uh, the reason that I'm fighting for my husband case is because he deserve fear. Uh, he has a family member here. He has a community that loves him. He was supporting his parent, he was supporting us. We don't have a country. Um, this is our country and we belong here. Thank you.  Miko Lee: You. Thank you, Tika. I wanna bring Ann Vue up to speak about your husband, Lue Yang and his case and what's going on with his case. Very complicated case. What is going on with his case right now?  Ann Vue: So first of all,  Thank you guys so much for. Giving Tika and I this space just to share our stories of families who are fighting every day, um, just to stay together. So [00:25:00] currently with Lue's case right now we are, we just got his, um, stay of removal approved the emergency stay of removal approved. I might, um, have the right lingo for that, but, uh, so as of October 22nd our Michigan governor's, pardon was issued for Lue. So we were so grateful for that. I know our, our Michigan lawmakers are working around the clock uh, Michigan DHS team to bring him back to Michigan, uh, where we have a petition currently filed for his release while his case, uh, is ongoing. Miko Lee: Thanks Ann. And I just wanna point out that there's in, even though these communities are distinct and these two men are distinct, beautiful individuals, there are so many commonalities between the two. Um, both born in refugee camps, both in one case, the Bhutanese, the Nepali speaking Bhutanese, folks having escaped ethnic cleansing to then go to a. Uh, [00:26:00] refugee camp to then come to the US and in another families who worked with the American government in the Secret War in Vietnam, who then again became refugees and came to the US. Two young men who when they were young, like very young, um, with their peers, were involved in incidents that had, uh, really bad legal advice. That did not help them in the process. And that is why even though they're amazing contributing members in our current society, they have this past old, almost like childhood record that is impacting them. And both of them are impacted by statelessness because. Even though they're being deported, they're being deported to a place of which it is not their home. They might not speak that language. They might not have connections with that. Their home is here in America. Um, that is why we say use the terminology we belong here. Um, before we go a little bit more into personal stories [00:27:00] I saw from Asian Law Caucus, I wonder if you can give a little bit of an overview about the broader, legal actions that are taking place around these kidnappings.  Aisa Villarosa: Yeah, thanks Miko. And just huge love to Ann and Tika. Reiterating that these are two refugee communities bonded through not just this frustrating, heartbreaking experience, um, but also this, this solidarity that's building. To share Miko, about the broader legal ramifications, and there was a question in the chat about what's the big deal about a stay of removal? So just for starters, the system that Mohan and Lue got pulled into can be lightning quick with removing folks. Part of this is because Mohan, Lue, so many folks in refugee communities all across the country years and years ago, perhaps when they were teenagers, just like Mohan and Lue, uh, there might have been some sort of, run in with law enforcement. Oftentimes racial profiling [00:28:00] can be involved, especially with the over-policing, right in our country, decades later, after living peacefully in their communities. Oftentimes decades after an immigration judge said to Mohan, said to Lue, you are not a safety risk. You are not a threat to the community. You've done your time. You can come home. Uh, maybe some folks had some ICE check-ins that they would come to every year. Um, and then with this administration, this unprecedented attack on immigrant and refugee rights, that is when we started to see for the very first time as folks have mentioned, these broad deportations, uh, to countries that previously were not accepting refugees primarily because that is the same country of their ancestral persecution. Um, in some cases they have zero connection to the country. Um, and in cases like the Bhutanese refugees, they're actually [00:29:00] expelled from Bhutan when they're removed. Again, all this is happening for the very first time. There are some serious legal questions with due process. Even if immigration court does run on a similar track as a lot of our other court systems, there's still a duty of fairness and often that duty is completely neglected.  Nina Phillips: You are tuned into Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. Coming up is Klezmer Dances II by The Daniel Pelton Collective.  [00:30:00] [00:31:00] [00:32:00] That was  Klezmer Dances II by The Daniel Pelton Collective. You are tuned into APEX Express [00:33:00] on 94.1 KPFA. Now back to Miko and her conversation with Tika Basnet and Ann Vue. Two incredibly strong women who are leading campaigns to bring home their respective spouses from ICE detention, and Aisa Villarosa with the Asian Law Caucus. Miko Lee: I would love to speak to a little bit more of the uplifting power of these women that are being highlighted right now. And I'm wondering both for Ann and Tika, if you could talk a little bit about your sense of resilience. because both of your spouses were, even though when they were youth, there were systems impacted in our Asian American communities. There's some shame that's associated with that. And so some people have been really hesitant to speak out. Can you talk a little bit about what encouraged you to speak out on behalf of your husband and how that has made a difference for you in the community? And I'm gonna start with Ann first.  Ann Vue: So I would say, um. In the [00:34:00] beginning when Lue was first detained on July 15th. I was scared. I am the first generation born American, uh, um, right here in Michigan. And even myself, I was so scared to say anything to anyone. I remember getting that call from Lue and it just felt so unreal. Quickly playing back to 2008, uh, which would be the third time that the embassy, Laos and Thailand both rejected Lue's entry and how his immigration officer was like, don't wait, start your life. And then fast forwarding it to what had happened, I was scared and, um. Lue and I are both, uh, Hmong community leaders as well. And Lue, of course, um, being president of the Hmong Family Association, him and I decided we're gonna keep a little quiet at first, and I started getting [00:35:00] calls from our Hmong community members. Uh, in concern to them receiving a letter, which is all dated for the same time at the same place that is not usual, where people would normally go see their immigration officer. And immediately that weekend I went to go visit him and I, it was explaining to him that I have received nine calls and I don't know what to do in immediately he. I think that the urgency around his people created that fear and immediately he was like, Hey, we've gotta start talking. You've gotta call you. You have to start making calls. Because he was detained on the 15th. On the 15th, which was Tuesday, and these letters were mailed to the community on that Friday. And immediately him and I started talking more and more and he said, “we have a 50-50 chance. If you don't fight for me and the others, then. We get sent back, you're gonna regret that for the rest of your life or [00:36:00] you fight for us. And as long as you fought all the way till the end, whatever happens, we can live with that”. And immediately, I remember speaking to, uh, attorney Nancy, and I've been mentioning to her that I wanna call, I wanna call Rep Mai. And I wanted to call Commissioner Carolyn Wright and she was like, well make the call and I'm glad that she didn't wait. And she just said, Hey, you know what? She just started talking and immediately Rep Mai called and that's how it kind of started this whole journey. So I am so thankful that I did. I did voice it out because I myself, even as a community leader, I felt hopeless. I felt like as loud as I am, everyone that I, for the first time had no voice. It became, became lonely. I became scared. Because they've got a, you know, we have a family, right, that we're raising together with small children. So I'm glad that we did, uh, [00:37:00] share our story and I'm glad that it is out. And, and that it, it opened the key to many other Southeast Asian families to do the same as well too.  Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Anna. And I remember you saying that even Lue was speaking with folks in Spanish to get their stories and share them out as well. Ann Vue: He had to learn it! And you know, I will say that with this whole detention thing, it doesn't just detain our person. It detains our whole family. We're all a part of this, you know? And so, you know, Lue had to learn how to count so he can give the numbers 'cause he was doing it with his hand motions. Because it's a hard system, it's a very complex system to navigate, which is how people go disappearing. And so for him to be able to reach out. Give me phone numbers to these families, regardless. Love beyond borders, right? And I was able to reach out to these families so that that way they know where their person was and [00:38:00] help them get set up so they can, so their families can call them. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for doing that. And you and your husband, both as organizers and continuing to be organizers even when locked up. Tika, I wanna turn it to you and ask about the courage it took to speak up and what keeps you going.  Tika Basnet: Yes. So when, uh, my husband got detained on April 8, I took one week after to reach out Aisa and she told me, Hey Tika, come forward. You know, your story is powerful. People need to know your story. And I told first thing to Aisa is our community is very just mental. They doesn't understand. And I've been looking at the video where our Bhutanese people get detained and deported and on common section, the first thing that I noticed was people are commenting, oh, these people are criminal. They are, maybe they, um, kill someone or they rape someone, you know, without. Understanding the people's story. And I, I [00:39:00] was thinking the same, whatever, if I come forward, will they gonna understand my story? Will they gonna talk to me? Will they gonna ask me personally, what is going on? And I actually same as Ann, I, um, I. Was scared to come out. I did not come out in two within two, two months, you know, when, uh, I tried to deport my husband on my due date that I was about to give birth, um, BIA, uh, grant, day of removal, you know, in two month I was crying alone. I was messaging Aisa and I was telling all my pain. And then when they stop my husband deport his son and that day, um. Aisa and ARU, everybody encouraged me. Like, you know, you need to come forward. People need to know your story. And then that day I decide, and I also remember that, um, within one minute after I gave birth, I was messaging, uh, ARU team I think his name [00:40:00] is Pravin or something. I was messaging him, Hey, I'm ready to give, uh, interview. I'm ready to give uh, a story. And that day I decide like I wanna come forward. I don't care what society is thinking, I'm the one that going through and people need to know my story. And, uh, I think, uh, and also I look at my daughter, you know, I don't want, um, her to think that I did not fight for her dad. You know, I want her to think like her mom is, is strong enough to fight and looking at her. That gave me so much power and yeah. And now like give, getting a lot of support, a lot of love is give me like, you know, I, I feel like, um, I wouldn't, uh, get all the support if I was scared and did not, uh, talk about my story. So now like receiving a lot of love from everywhere and that give me couraged to continue and talk about my husband's deportation.  Miko Lee: Thank you, Tika. And I wanna recognize that we're running late, but we're gonna get through it if those of you could stay with us a little bit [00:41:00] longer. My one more question to both Ann and Tika is what message do you have for people that are experiencing this right now? Because this, as we said, 60,000 people are detained right now. Your spouses, we, as we have said, it's not just you with your, the children, the grandparents, all the other people. What advice do you have for other folks that are going through this and do you have a message for those folks? Ann Vue: I would say, um, for anyone who is going through what Tika and I and the many are going through that, um, make sure you document everything, get your loved ones Alien Number because you want to track it as you go. Build your circle. Know that you are not alone. Uh, reach out. I'm still learning as I go too. And it's unfortunate that we as family, like have to become attorneys overnight and learn to as well. But make sure that you guys, that you know that you're not alone you know that [00:42:00] we're not fighting the system. We're fighting a system that. Hopes, uh, that we get tired of fighting it. And the moment that you speak up, they can't disappear your loved one quietly. And I am a very big, um, firm believer. There's this scripture that has always carried Lue and I and, uh, I, I can't stress on it enough. And especially to all of those, to all of our, everybody that's on tonight. And beyond that, uh, there's a scripture. It's a Proverbs, right? 3:27-28 that says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is your power to act”. And so thank you to those who continues to act when action is really within your reach and. We belong here, our families belong here. And compassion delayed is really compassion denied. And so don't fight alone 'cause that's what they are hoping that we will fight alone, [00:43:00] but we're together in this.  Miko Lee: Beautiful, thanks. And Tika, what about you? What advice do you have for other people that are experiencing this with family members?  Tika Basnet: So, yeah, um, I'm encouraging everyone like we experiencing this deportation for the first time or. Come forward. You never know. You know how many support you will get. Looking at Ann and my story that if we did not reach out to the community, I don't think our husband will be here at the moment. So you are the one who going through the pain and, uh, sharing your pain will make you at least a relief and you never know. Your husband Deportes and will stop. You will get like support from, from community. So ICE is not deporting only your husband or your like wife or someone, they are deporting your dream, your hope. So when they try to deport my husband, they were deporting my husband, uh, my [00:44:00] daughter future, the future that we talk about. So I am telling everyone that come forward. Story, your story, and you'll get lot of love. You'll get lot of support. And if I did not talk before, I don't think my husband will be here. He'll be one of the person that disappear long time ago. So yeah, please come forward and see your story. And the last thing is, I wanna say we belong here. This is our home and our future is here.  Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Tika. Um, Aisa, I wanna turn it over to you. Ann was saying suddenly we have to become lawyers and, and so can you talk about, and even like with Lue's case, it was suddenly he got pardoned at the last minute when he was on a deportation plane, and then it was like, oh, that should fix everything, but it doesn't, so can you talk a little bit about some of the legal ramifications that people should know about? Aisa Villarosa: Sure. And just to say, Mohan, Lue, Tika, Ann, I mean, y'all have lived [00:45:00] several movies in, in just the span of months the amount of stress, both you yourselves as the lead advocate, your families. Uh, so, so for folks watching this is literally Mohan and Lue getting like pulled off planes because of the shared advocacy here, uh, which starts with the decision to speak out. Um, and for folks in the room who aren't sure whether they want to share their story, you know, we're not saying, oh, go to the press so much of it. Involves just opening your heart to a trusted person. Um, many of those people are here in this room uh, my organization, Asian Law Caucus. Uh, in a minute we'll share some links for some of our resources. Uh, the wonderful folks at ARU, there's such a full crew, and if you're part of a community, especially the many, many, too many refugee communities being targeted. You are not alone. So in terms of what the legal battle [00:46:00] looks like, another thing to remember is that for any case, there's usually a, a wave of folks that's needed, uh, for Lue, for Mohan. That's multiple states sometimes because in the immigration world, for example, you could have a very, very old final order of removal. So this is essentially the order that is put forward by an immigration judge. That technically allows a lot of these awful deportations and disappearances to take place. The battle to fight that can be multi-state, uh, multi-issue. So you're talking to a criminal defense attorney, you're talking to an immigrant rights attorney. Uh, but going back to that trust, just talk to someone who both you can trust and someone who has a good lay of the land because these cases are incredibly complex. Folks I work with, sometimes they're physically driving to a law office. Someone named Emily is on the call. You know, we drove to a law office. Turns [00:47:00] out the record we were looking for was, was too old. The, that previous attorney didn't have the record on file. There are so many practical challenges you don't anticipate. So the sooner you do that math and just open your story up, um, to, to a loved one, to a trusted one. And in a little bit we're, we'll share more links for what that process looks like.  Miko Lee: So we're gonna move into that call to action. We're running a bit over time, so if you could hang with us for a couple more minutes. Um, we want to one, thank all of our amazing guests so far and then move to our call to action. What can you do? A bunch of people are throwing things into the chat. We're gonna start with Rising Voices. Oh, I guess we're gonna start with OPAWL and Sonya is gonna share about OPAWL's work and the call to action there. Sonya (OPAWL): Hi everyone. My name is Sonya Kapur. I live in Columbus, Ohio, and I'm a member of OPAWL Building AAPI Feminist leadership. I'd like to share a little bit about our efforts to support Mohans Campaign for Freedom and encourage you to donate to [00:48:00] Mohans GoFundMe to cover his legal fees, and the link to the GoFundMe will be in the chat. With the funds raised so far, Tika and Mohan were able to hire a seasoned attorney to review Mohans court documents and work on his case. So your donations will allow Mohan to continue working with his legal team as we fight to bring him home. So even five or $10 will help us get closer to reuniting Mohan with his family and community here in Ohio. A really fun piece of this is that a local, Columbus based illustrator and OPA member Erin Siao, has also created a beautiful art fundraiser to help raise more funds from Mohans release campaign. So when you donate to Mohans GoFundMe between now and November 15th, you receive a complimentary five by seven art print of your choice. Families belong together on the right or on the left. To receive a print, you just email Erin and her. Email address will also be in the [00:49:00] chat, a screenshot of your donation confirmation along with your name and address. You can also send a direct message of the screenshot to her Instagram account, so please consider uplifting our art fundraiser on social media. Encourage others to donate to the GoFundMe and share Mohans story with your family and friends.  Miko Lee: Thanks, Sonya and Opal, and we'll turn it over to Emily at Rising Voices. Emily (Rising Voices): Hi, thank you. Um, rising Voices is one of the, uh, many members helping bring Lue Yang home. Just wanna share that. We do have a online petition going that directs you to email the ice field office in Detroit, pressuring them to bring him home. Um, there's also a number to call with a script provided. So nothing has to be reinvented. We please, please encourage you to share this out, and you do not have to be from Michigan to make a call or email every single email. And, all counts. And we also do have a GoFundMe for [00:50:00] him and his family. As we all know legal file, legal fees pile up, so anything counts. Thank you so much everyone.  Miko Lee:  Thanks Emily. Now we're gonna pass it over to Nawal talking about this event which is connected to disappeared in America.  Nawal Rai: Hi everyone. I'm Nawal here again and yeah, so We Belong Here. Uh, today's event was part of the Disappeared in America Weekend of Action, which is a national mobilization action to protect immigrants, uh, expose corporate complicity and honor the lives lost in detention and across America more than 150 towns and cities held.  Um. Weekend of Collective action this weekend on November 1st and second, standing in solidarity with immigrants families, uh, from holding freedom vigils outside of ICE facilities to via de Los Mortis gathering, honoring life's lost in detentions to ice out of Home Depot actions. Calling out corporate complicity this weekend was a resounding nation nationwide call for compassion, dignity, and [00:51:00] democracy, and demanding justice and due process for all. The National Action was organized by the Coalition of Partners, including National Day Labor Organizing Network, Detention Watch Network, the Worker Circle, public ci, uh, citizen, and many allied organization across the country. Thank you all. Thank you for joining us today.  Miko Lee: Thank you to everyone for showing up today. We thank all of our speakers, all of our many partner organizations. As we were saying, it takes many of us working together collectively. Even though we said there's 60,000 people detained. There are so many more than that. We know that immigrants contribute and refugees contribute immensely to the American experience, and we want everyone to know that we belong here. All of us belong here. This is our home.  Thank you so much for joining us all. We appreciate all of you, the interpreters, the translators, the folks behind the scene who helped to make this event happen. Um, shout out to Cheryl Truong [00:52:00] and Nina Phillips for really doing all the tech behind this. And to all of you for showing up tonight, we need each and every one of you to participate to show that you are part of the beloved community, that you are part of believing that America can be a place filled with beloved love instead of hatred. Um, so I would love you all to just all together. Shout out. We belong here. 1, 2, 3.  Event Attendees: We belong here. We belong here.  We belong here.  Miko Lee: Have a great night, and thank you all for joining us. Nina Phillips: This was a recording of a virtual community gathering that took place earlier this month on Monday, November 3rd. It was made [00:53:00] possible by We Belong Here, a coalition of immigrant rights organizations, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, Asian Refugees United, Asian Law Caucus, Hmong Family Association Lansing, Hmong Innovative Politics, OPAWL and Rising Voices.  As I mentioned earlier, you can watch the phenomenal video performance from Asian Refugees United on the website of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality.  That's aacre.org/our-voices/webelonghere  There's also up-to-date information on how best you can support both the Free Mohan Karki and Bring Lu Home campaigns. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing. Your voices are important. Let's keep immigrant families together.  To close out. Here's a little more from the video performance. [00:54:00] [00:55:00] [00:56:00] [00:57:00]  Nina Phillips: For show notes, please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/APEX-express.  APEX Express is a collective of activists that include Ama Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Nina Phillips, Preeti Mangala Shekar, and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me, Nina Phillips. Get some rest, y'all. Good night. The post APEX Express – November 27, 2025 – We Belong Here: Bhutanese & HMoob Americans in the Struggle Against Statelessness appeared first on KPFA.

Japan's tourism sector is bracing for a deepening chill this winter in the wake of erroneous remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.日本首相高市早苗的失言事件后，日本旅游业正为今年冬季持续降温的局面做准备。As its travel market cools, rival destinations across Asia are moving swiftly to cater to Chinese travelers who had previously planned to visit Japan.随着日本旅游市场遇冷，亚洲各地的竞争对手正迅速行动，以吸引那些原本计划赴日旅游的中国游客。"Since last week, inquiries for Malaysia, Singapore and winter favorites such as Phu Quoc in Vietnam and Bali in Indonesia have increased by 20 to 30 percent week-on-week," said Li Mengran, marketing manager of Beijing-based travel agency Utour.北京优途旅行社市场经理李梦然表示：“上周以来，马来西亚、新加坡以及越南富国岛、印度尼西亚巴厘岛等冬季度假胜地的咨询量较前一周增长了20%至30%。”"These destinations benefit from visa-free policies, diverse tourism resources, abundant flights and flexible tour products suited for families and smaller groups."这些目的地因免签政策、丰富的旅游资源、充足的航班以及适合家庭和小团体游客的灵活旅游产品而备受青睐。Thailand moved quickly to capitalize on the shifting sentiment.泰国借势把握市场情绪变化带来的机遇。On Wednesday, the Beijing office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand emphasized that Thailand "always welcomes visitors from around the world, especially Chinese friends", announcing Chinese-specific New Year promotions and safety standards.周三，泰国旅游局北京办事处强调，泰国“始终欢迎世界各地的游客，特别是中国朋友”，并宣布推出针对中国游客的新春促销活动及安全标准。Beyond Southeast Asia, Russia is also seeking to attract Chinese tourists.除东南亚地区外，俄罗斯也在积极吸引中国游客。Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Nov 18 that visa-free travel for Chinese citizens would be introduced "in the very near future", according to Russian media reports.据俄罗斯媒体报道，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京11月18日表示，俄方将在“不久的将来”对中国公民实施免签政策。Data from Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency, show that the ranking of top outbound destinations has shifted significantly.北京在线旅游平台去哪儿网的数据显示，热门出境旅游目的地的排名已发生显著变化。On Nov 15 and 16, South Korea overtook Japan as the most-booked outbound market, with Seoul becoming the most searched international destination by Nov 17. The surge has been helped by South Korea's visa-free trial program for Chinese tour groups of three or more, effective from Sept 29 through June 30 next year.11月15日至16日，韩国超越日本成为预订量最高的出境旅游市场，首尔更在11月17日跃居最受搜索的国际目的地。此轮增长得益于韩国自9月29日起实施的免签试点政策——针对三人及以上中国旅行团的免签政策将持续至明年6月30日。"From now through the end of 2025, off-peak outbound demand will remain strong," said Yang Han, a researcher at Qunar. "Japan's change has pushed travelers toward more diversified destinations, South Korea now leads, followed by China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions nearby, and costeffective Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia."去哪儿网研究员杨涵表示：“从现在到2025年底，淡季出境游需求将持续强劲。日本市场的变化促使游客转向更多元化的目的地，韩国目前位居首位，其次是邻近的中国香港、澳门特别行政区，以及泰国、越南、马来西亚等性价比高的东南亚国家。”Domestic destinations are absorbing some redirected traffic as well. Flight bookings to southern provinces from Nov 19 to Dec 31 had exceeded 4.72 million as of Nov 18, up about 13 percent year-on-year, according to data from aviation service app Umetrip.国内目的地也吸纳了部分转移的客流。据航空服务应用程序航旅纵横数据显示，截至11月18日，11月19日至12月31日期间飞往南方省份的航班预订量已突破472万次，同比增长约13%。The ongoing downturn in Chinese outbound travel to Japan accelerated after multiple Chinese ministries issued travel alerts, reminding Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near term. Major Chinese airlines have subsequently announced free refunds or rescheduling for Japan routes booked before Dec 31. According to a report by China Central Television on Thursday, more than 540,000 flight tickets to Japan have been canceled since Nov 15.中国赴日出境游持续低迷，在多个中国政府部门发布旅行提示、提醒公民近期避免赴日后，这一趋势进一步加速。中国主要航空公司随后宣布，对12月31日前预订的日本航线提供免费退票或改签服务。据中央电视台周四报道，自11月15日以来，已有超过54万张赴日机票被取消。Wu Liyun, professor of the China Academy of Culture and Tourism at Beijing International Studies University, said travelers now increasingly prioritize safety, emotional comfort and geopolitical stability.北京外国语大学中国文化旅游研究院教授吴丽云指出，如今旅客越来越重视安全保障、情感舒适度和地缘政治稳定性。"People want to feel relaxed and happy when traveling. Government attitudes and how locals treat foreign visitors directly shape emotional experience," she said. When safety or political stability weakens, she added, travelers naturally turn elsewhere. "Southeast Asia, Central Asia and many regional destinations offer strong alternatives. Safety and certainty have become crucial, long-term considerations."吴丽云表示：“人们旅行时渴望放松身心、享受快乐。政府态度和当地居民对待外国游客的方式，直接影响着游客的情感体验。”她补充道，当安全或政治稳定性下降时，游客自然会另寻他处。“东南亚、中亚及众多地区性目的地提供了强有力的替代选择。安全与确定性已成为至关重要的长期考量因素”。China is Japan's largest and highest-spending inbound visitor source. In 2024, Chinese mainland tourists accounted for 21.3 percent of all foreign tourist expenditure, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Combined visitors from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong made up 30 percent of Japan's total inbound arrivals between January and September this year.中国是日本最大的入境游客来源地，且消费水平最高。日本国家旅游局数据显示，2024年中国大陆游客支出占日本外国游客总支出的21.3%。今年1月至9月，中国大陆与香港游客合计占日本入境游客总量的30%。The impact is already being felt in Japan's northernmost prefecture. Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki said at a news conference on Friday that cancellations have appeared across local hotels and flight tickets. "As the winter travel season approaches, the concerns continue to grow."这种影响已在日本最北端的县有所显现。日本北海道知事鈴木直道周五在记者会上表示，当地酒店和机票出现大量取消预订的情况，“随着冬季旅游旺季临近，担忧情绪持续加剧”。Sapporo Stream Hotel in Hokkaido, which normally receives around 3,000 Chinese guests each month, has recorded 70 cancellations since the travel alert. Tour operators in Nagoya and Tokyo report similar losses. One Nagoya-based charter operator said all December bookings from Chinese groups had been canceled. A Tokyo river cruise company that usually serves up to 2,000 Chinese tourists annually saw about 240 people cancel in recent days.位于北海道的札幌溪流酒店每月通常接待约3000名中国游客，自发布旅行警示以来已收到70份取消预订通知。名古屋和东京的旅行社也报告了类似损失。一家名古屋包机运营商表示，12月所有中国团队预订均已取消。一家东京游船公司通常每年接待约2000名中国游客，近日已有约240人取消行程。Japan's Nomura Research Institute estimated that the decline in Chinese tourists could reduce Japan's GDP by 0.36 percent.日本野村综合研究所估计，中国游客的减少可能使日本国内生产总值下降0.36%。Tourism is Japan's second-largest source of foreign exchange, after vehicle exports, Wu of the China Academy of Culture and Tourism added.吴丽云补充道，旅游业是日本第二大外汇来源，仅次于汽车出口。"If Chinese travelers significantly reduce or halt travel to Japan, that consumption disappears," she said. "This will have a huge impact on Japan's foreign-exchange revenue, GDP growth and employment across accommodation, dining, retail and entertainment."吴丽云表示：“如果中国游客大幅减少或停止赴日旅行，这些消费就会消失。这将对日本的外汇收入、GDP增长以及住宿、餐饮、零售和娱乐行业的就业产生巨大影响。”outbound travel出境游visa-free trial program免签试点政策

How can you write science-based fiction without info-dumping your research? How can you use AI tools in a creative way, while still focusing on a human-first approach? Why is adapting to the fast pace of change so difficult and how can we make the most of this time? Jamie Metzl talks about Superconvergence and more. In the intro, How to avoid author scams [Written Word Media]; Spotify vs Audible audiobook strategy [The New Publishing Standard]; Thoughts on Author Nation and why constraints are important in your author life [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; Alchemical History And Beautiful Architecture: Prague with Lisa M Lilly on my Books and Travel Podcast. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Jamie Metzl is a technology futurist, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of sci-fi thrillers and futurist nonfiction books, including the revised and updated edition of Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform Our Lives, Work, and World. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How personal history shaped Jamie's fiction writing Writing science-based fiction without info-dumping The super convergence of three revolutions (genetics, biotech, AI) and why we need to understand them holistically Using fiction to explore the human side of genetic engineering, life extension, and robotics Collaborating with GPT-5 as a named co-author How to be a first-rate human rather than a second-rate machine You can find Jamie at JamieMetzl.com. Transcript of interview with Jamie Metzl Jo: Jamie Metzl is a technology futurist, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of sci-fi thrillers and futurist nonfiction books, including the revised and updated edition of Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform Our Lives, Work, and World. So welcome, Jamie. Jamie: Thank you so much, Jo. Very happy to be here with you. Jo: There is so much we could talk about, but let's start with you telling us a bit more about you and how you got into writing. From History PhD to First Novel Jamie: Well, I think like a lot of writers, I didn't know I was a writer. I was just a kid who loved writing. Actually, just last week I was going through a bunch of boxes from my parents' house and I found my autobiography, which I wrote when I was nine years old. So I've been writing my whole life and loving it. It was always something that was very important to me. When I finished my DPhil, my PhD at Oxford, and my dissertation came out, it just got scooped up by Macmillan in like two minutes. And I thought, “God, that was easy.” That got me started thinking about writing books. I wanted to write a novel based on the same historical period – my PhD was in Southeast Asian history – and I wanted to write a historical novel set in the same period as my dissertation, because I felt like the dissertation had missed the human element of the story I was telling, which was related to the Cambodian genocide and its aftermath. So I wrote what became my first novel, and I thought, “Wow, now I'm a writer.” I thought, “All right, I've already published one book. I'm gonna get this other book out into the world.” And then I ran into the brick wall of: it's really hard to be a writer. It's almost easier to write something than to get it published. I had to learn a ton, and it took nine years from when I started writing that first novel, The Depths of the Sea, to when it finally came out. But it was such a positive experience, especially to have something so personal to me as that story. I'd lived in Cambodia for two years, I'd worked on the Thai-Cambodian border, and I'm the child of a Holocaust survivor. So there was a whole lot that was very emotional for me. That set a pattern for the rest of my life as a writer, at least where, in my nonfiction books, I'm thinking about whatever the issues are that are most important to me. Whether it was that historical book, which was my first book, or Hacking Darwin on the future of human genetic engineering, which was my last book, or Superconvergence, which, as you mentioned in the intro, is my current book. But in every one of those stories, the human element is so deep and so profound. You can get at some of that in nonfiction, but I've also loved exploring those issues in deeper ways in my fiction. So in my more recent novels, Genesis Code and Eternal Sonata, I've looked at the human side of the story of genetic engineering and human life extension. And now my agent has just submitted my new novel, Virtuoso, about the intersection of AI, robotics, and classical music. With all of this, who knows what's the real difference between fiction and nonfiction? We're all humans trying to figure things out on many different levels. Shifting from History to Future Tech Jo: I knew that you were a polymath, someone who's interested in so many things, but the music angle with robotics and AI is fascinating. I do just want to ask you, because I was also at Oxford – what college were you at? Jamie: I was in St. Antony's. Jo: I was at Mansfield, so we were in that slightly smaller, less famous college group, if people don't know. Jamie: You know, but we're small but proud. Jo: Exactly. That's fantastic. You mentioned that you were on the historical side of things at the beginning and now you've moved into technology and also science, because this book Superconvergence has a lot of science. So how did you go from history and the past into science and the future? Biology and Seeing the Future Coming Jamie: It's a great question. I'll start at the end and then back up. A few years ago I was speaking at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is one of the big scientific labs here in the United States. I was a guest of the director and I was speaking to their 300 top scientists. I said to them, “I'm here to speak with you about the future of biology at the invitation of your director, and I'm really excited. But if you hear something wrong, please raise your hand and let me know, because I'm entirely self-taught. The last biology course I took was in 11th grade of high school in Kansas City.” Of course I wouldn't say that if I didn't have a lot of confidence in my process. But in many ways I'm self-taught in the sciences. As you know, Jo, and as all of your listeners know, the foundation of everything is curiosity and then a disciplined process for learning. Even our greatest super-specialists in the world now – whatever their background – the world is changing so fast that if anyone says, “Oh, I have a PhD in physics/chemistry/biology from 30 years ago,” the exact topic they learned 30 years ago is less significant than their process for continuous learning. More specifically, in the 1990s I was working on the National Security Council for President Clinton, which is the president's foreign policy staff. My then boss and now close friend, Richard Clarke – who became famous as the guy who had tragically predicted 9/11 – used to say that the key to efficacy in Washington and in life is to try to solve problems that other people can't see. For me, almost 30 years ago, I felt to my bones that this intersection of what we now call AI and the nascent genetics revolution and the nascent biotechnology revolution was going to have profound implications for humanity. So I just started obsessively educating myself. When I was ready, I started writing obscure national security articles. Those got a decent amount of attention, so I was invited to testify before the United States Congress. I was speaking out a lot, saying, “Hey, this is a really important story. A lot of people are missing it. Here are the things we should be thinking about for the future.” I wasn't getting the kind of traction that I wanted. I mentioned before that my first book had been this dry Oxford PhD dissertation, and that had led to my first novel. So I thought, why don't I try the same approach again – writing novels to tell this story about the genetics, biotech, and what later became known popularly as the AI revolution? That led to my two near-term sci-fi novels, Genesis Code and Eternal Sonata. On my book tours for those novels, when I explained the underlying science to people in my way, as someone who taught myself, I could see in their eyes that they were recognizing not just that something big was happening, but that they could understand it and feel like they were part of that story. That's what led me to write Hacking Darwin, as I mentioned. That book really unlocked a lot of things. I had essentially predicted the CRISPR babies that were born in China before it happened – down to the specific gene I thought would be targeted, which in fact was the case. After that book was published, Dr. Tedros, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, invited me to join the WHO Expert Advisory Committee on Human Genome Editing, which I did. It was a really great experience and got me thinking a lot about the upside of this revolution and the downside. The Birth of Superconvergence Jamie: I get a lot of wonderful invitations to speak, and I have two basic rules for speaking: Never use notes. Never ever. Never stand behind a podium. Never ever. Because of that, when I speak, my talks tend to migrate. I'd be speaking with people about the genetics revolution as it applied to humans, and I'd say, “Well, this is just a little piece of a much bigger story.” The bigger story is that after nearly four billion years of life on Earth, our one species has the increasing ability to engineer novel intelligence and re-engineer life. The big question for us, and frankly for the world, is whether we're going to be able to use that almost godlike superpower wisely. As that idea got bigger and bigger, it became this inevitable force. You write so many books, Jo, that I think it's second nature for you. Every time I finish a book, I think, “Wow, that was really hard. I'm never doing that again.” And then the books creep up on you. They call to you. At some point you say, “All right, now I'm going to do it.” So that was my current book, Superconvergence. Like everything, every journey you take a step, and that step inspires another step and another. That's why writing and living creatively is such a wonderfully exciting thing – there's always more to learn and always great opportunities to push ourselves in new ways. Balancing Deep Research with Good Storytelling Jo: Yeah, absolutely. I love that you've followed your curiosity and then done this disciplined process for learning. I completely understand that. But one of the big issues with people like us who love the research – and having read your Superconvergence, I know how deeply you go into this and how deeply you care that it's correct – is that with fiction, one of the big problems with too much research is the danger of brain-dumping. Readers go to fiction for escapism. They want the interesting side of it, but they want a story first. What are your tips for authors who might feel like, “Where's the line between putting in my research so that it's interesting for readers, but not going too far and turning it into a textbook?” How do you find that balance? Jamie: It's such a great question. I live in New York now, but I used to live in Washington when I was working for the U.S. government, and there were a number of people I served with who later wrote novels. Some of those novels felt like policy memos with a few sex scenes – and that's not what to do. To write something that's informed by science or really by anything, everything needs to be subservient to the story and the characters. The question is: what is the essential piece of information that can convey something that's both important to your story and your character development, and is also an accurate representation of the world as you want it to be? I certainly write novels that are set in the future – although some of them were a future that's now already happened because I wrote them a long time ago. You can make stuff up, but as an author you have to decide what your connection to existing science and existing technology and the existing world is going to be. I come at it from two angles. One: I read a huge number of scientific papers and think, “What does this mean for now, and if you extrapolate into the future, where might that go?” Two: I think about how to condense things. We've all read books where you're humming along because people read fiction for story and emotional connection, and then you hit a bit like: “I sat down in front of the president, and the president said, ‘Tell me what I need to know about the nuclear threat.'” And then it's like: insert memo. That's a deal-killer. It's like all things – how do you have a meaningful relationship with another person? It's not by just telling them your story. Even when you're telling them something about you, you need to be imagining yourself sitting in their shoes, hearing you. These are very different disciplines, fiction and nonfiction. But for the speculative nonfiction I write – “here's where things are now, and here's where the world is heading” – there's a lot of imagination that goes into that too. It feels in many ways like we're living in a sci-fi world because the rate of technological change has been accelerating continuously, certainly for the last 12,000 years since the dawn of agriculture. It's a balance. For me, I feel like I'm a better fiction writer because I write nonfiction, and I'm a better nonfiction writer because I write fiction. When I'm writing nonfiction, I don't want it to be boring either – I want people to feel like there's a story and characters and that they can feel themselves inside that story. Jo: Yeah, definitely. I think having some distance helps as well. If you're really deep into your topics, as you are, you have to leave that manuscript a little bit so you can go back with the eyes of the reader as opposed to your eyes as the expert. Then you can get their experience, which is great. Looking Beyond Author-Focused AI Fears Jo: I want to come to your technical knowledge, because AI is a big thing in the author and creative community, like everywhere else. One of the issues is that creators are focusing on just this tiny part of the impact of AI, and there's a much bigger picture. For example, in 2024, Demis Hassabis from Google DeepMind and his collaborative partner John Jumper won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry with AlphaFold. It feels to me like there's this massive world of what's happening with AI in health, climate, and other areas, and yet we are so focused on a lot of the negative stuff. Maybe you could give us a couple of things about what there is to be excited and optimistic about in terms of AI-powered science? Jamie: Sure. I'm so excited about all of the new opportunities that AI creates. But I also think there's a reason why evolution has preserved this very human feeling of anxiety: because there are real dangers. Anybody who's Pollyanna-ish and says, “Oh, the AI story is inevitably positive,” I'd be distrustful. And anyone who says, “We're absolutely doomed, this is the end of humanity,” I'd also be distrustful. So let me tell you the positives and the negatives, and maybe some thoughts about how we navigate toward the former and away from the latter. AI as the New Electricity Jamie: When people think of AI right now, they're thinking very narrowly about these AI tools and ChatGPT. But we don't think of electricity that way. Nobody says, “I know electricity – electricity is what happens at the power station.” We've internalised the idea that electricity is woven into not just our communication systems or our houses, but into our clothes, our glasses – it's woven into everything and has super-empowered almost everything in our modern lives. That's what AI is. In Superconvergence, the majority of the book is about positive opportunities: In healthcare, moving from generalised healthcare based on population averages to personalised or precision healthcare based on a molecular understanding of each person's individual biology. As we build these massive datasets like the UK Biobank, we can take a next jump toward predictive and preventive healthcare, where we're able to address health issues far earlier in the process, when interventions can be far more benign. I'm really excited about that, not to mention the incredible new kinds of treatments – gene therapies, or pharmaceuticals based on genetics and systems-biology analyses of patients. Then there's agriculture. Over the last hundred years, because of the technologies of the Green Revolution and synthetic fertilisers, we've had an incredible increase in agricultural productivity. That's what's allowed us to quadruple the global population. But if we just continue agriculture as it is, as we get towards ten billion wealthier, more empowered people wanting to eat like we eat, we're going to have to wipe out all the wild spaces on Earth to feed them. These technologies help provide different paths toward increasing agricultural productivity with fewer inputs of land, water, fertiliser, insecticides, and pesticides. That's really positive. I could go on and on about these positives – and I do – but there are very real negatives. I was a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Committee on Human Genome Editing after the first CRISPR babies were very unethically created in China. I'm extremely aware that these same capabilities have potentially incredible upsides and very real downsides. That's the same as every technology in the past, but this is happening so quickly that it's triggering a lot of anxieties. Governance, Responsibility, and Why Everyone Has a Role Jamie: The question now is: how do we optimise the benefits and minimise the harms? The short, unsexy word for that is governance. Governance is not just what governments do; it's what all of us do. That's why I try to write books, both fiction and nonfiction, to bring people into this story. If people “other” this story – if they say, “There's a technology revolution, it has nothing to do with me, I'm going to keep my head down” – I think that's dangerous. The way we're going to handle this as responsibly as possible is if everybody says, “I have some role. Maybe it's small, maybe it's big. The first step is I need to educate myself. Then I need to have conversations with people around me. I need to express my desires, wishes, and thoughts – with political leaders, organisations I'm part of, businesses.” That has to happen at every level. You're in the UK – you know the anti-slavery movement started with a handful of people in Cambridge and grew into a global movement. I really believe in the power of ideas, but ideas don't spread on their own. These are very human networks, and that's why writing, speaking, communicating – probably for every single person listening to this podcast – is so important. Jo: Mm, yeah. Fiction Like AI 2041 and Thinking Through the Issues Jo: Have you read AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan? Jamie: No. I heard a bunch of their interviews when the book came out, but I haven't read it. Jo: I think that's another good one because it's fiction – a whole load of short stories. It came out a few years ago now, but the issues they cover in the stories, about different people in different countries – I remember one about deepfakes – make you think more about the topics and help you figure out where you stand. I think that's the issue right now: it's so complex, there are so many things. I'm generally positive about AI, but of course I don't want autonomous drone weapons, you know? The Messy Reality of “Bad” Technologies Jamie: Can I ask you about that? Because this is why it's so complicated. Like you, I think nobody wants autonomous killer drones anywhere in the world. But if you right now were the defence minister of Ukraine, and your children are being kidnapped, your country is being destroyed, you're fighting for your survival, you're getting attacked every night – and you're getting attacked by the Russians, who are investing more and more in autonomous killer robots – you kind of have two choices. You can say, “I'm going to surrender,” or, “I'm going to use what technology I have available to defend myself, and hopefully fight to either victory or some kind of stand-off.” That's what our societies did with nuclear weapons. Maybe not every American recognises that Churchill gave Britain's nuclear secrets to America as a way of greasing the wheels of the Anglo-American alliance during the Second World War – but that was our programme: we couldn't afford to lose that war, and we couldn't afford to let the Nazis get nuclear weapons before we did. So there's the abstract feeling of, “I'm against all war in the abstract. I'm against autonomous killer robots in the abstract.” But if I were the defence minister of Ukraine, I would say, “What will it take for us to build the weapons we can use to defend ourselves?” That's why all this stuff gets so complicated. And frankly, it's why the relationship between fiction and nonfiction is so important. If every novel had a situation where every character said, “Oh, I know exactly the right answer,” and then they just did the right answer and it was obviously right, it wouldn't make for great fiction. We're dealing with really complex humans. We have conflicting impulses. We're not perfect. Maybe there are no perfect answers – but how do we strive toward better rather than worse? That's the question. Jo: Absolutely. I don't want to get too political on things. How AI Is Changing the Writing Life Jo: Let's come back to authors. In terms of the creative process, the writing process, the research process, and the business of being an author – what are some of the ways that you already use AI tools, and some of the ways, given your futurist brain, that you think things are going to change for us? Jamie: Great question. I'll start with a little middle piece. I found you, Jo, through GPT-5. I asked ChatGPT, “I'm coming out with this book and I want to connect with podcasters who are a little different from the ones I've done in the past. I've been a guest on Joe Rogan twice and some of the bigger podcasts. Make me a list of really interesting people I can have great conversations with.” That's how I found you. So this is one reward of that process. Let me say that in the last year I've worked on three books, and I'll explain how my relationship with AI has changed over those books. Cleaning Up Citations (and Getting Burned) Jamie: First is the highly revised paperback edition of Superconvergence. When the hardback came out, I had – I don't normally work with research assistants because I like to dig into everything myself – but the one thing I do use a research assistant for is that I can't be bothered, when I'm writing something, to do the full Chicago-style footnote if I'm already referencing an academic paper. So I'd just put the URL as the footnote and then hire a research assistant and say, “Go to this URL and change it into a Chicago-style citation. That's it.” Unfortunately, my research assistant on the hardback used early-days ChatGPT for that work. He did the whole thing, came back, everything looked perfect. I said, “Wow, amazing job.” It was only later, as I was going through them, that I realised something like 50% of them were invented footnotes. It was very painful to go back and fix, and it took ten times more time. With the paperback edition, I didn't use AI that much, but I did say things like, “Here's all the information – generate a Chicago-style citation.” That was better. I noticed there were a few things where I stopped using the thesaurus function on Microsoft Word because I'd just put the whole paragraph into the AI and say, “Give me ten other options for this one word,” and it would be like a contextual thesaurus. That was pretty good. Talking to a Robot Pianist Character Jamie: Then, for my new novel Virtuoso, I was writing a character who is a futurist robot that plays the piano very beautifully – not just humanly, but almost finding new things in the music we've written and composing music that resonates with us. I described the actions of that robot in the novel, but I didn't describe the inner workings of the robot's mind. In thinking about that character, I realised I was the first science-fiction writer in history who could interrogate a machine about what it was “thinking” in a particular context. I had the most beautiful conversations with ChatGPT, where I would give scenarios and ask, “What are you thinking? What are you feeling in this context?” It was all background for that character, but it was truly profound. Co-Authoring The AI Ten Commandments with GPT-5 Jamie: Third, I have another book coming out in May in the United States. I gave a talk this summer at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York about AI and spirituality. I talked about the history of our human relationship with our technology, about how all our religious and spiritual traditions have deep technological underpinnings – certainly our Abrahamic religions are deeply connected to farming, and Protestantism to the printing press. Then I had a section about the role of AI in generating moral codes that would resonate with humans. Everybody went nuts for this talk, and I thought, “I think I'm going to write a book.” I decided to write it differently, with GPT-5 as my named co-author. The first thing I did was outline the entire book based on the talk, which I'd already spent a huge amount of time thinking about and organising. Then I did a full outline of the arguments and structures. Then I trained GPT-5 on my writing style. The way I did it – which I fully describe in the introduction to the book – was that I'd handle all the framing: the full introduction, the argument, the structure. But if there was a section where, for a few paragraphs, I was summarising a huge field of data, even something I knew well, I'd give GPT-5 the intro sentence and say, “In my writing style, prepare four paragraphs on this.” For example, I might write: “AI has the potential to see us humans like we humans see ant colonies.” Then I'd say, “Give me four paragraphs on the relationship between the individual and the collective in ant colonies.” I could have written those four paragraphs myself, but it would've taken a month to read the life's work of E.O. Wilson and then write them. GPT-5 wrote them in seconds or minutes, in its thinking mode. I'd then say, “It's not quite right – change this, change that,” and we'd go back and forth three or four times. Then I'd edit the whole thing and put it into the text. So this book that I could have written on my own in a year, I wrote a first draft of with GPT-5 as my named co-author in two days. The whole project will take about six months from start to finish, and I'm having massive human editing – multiple edits from me, plus a professional editor. It's not a magic AI button. But I feel strongly about listing GPT-5 as a co-author because I've written it differently than previous books. I'm a huge believer in the old-fashioned lone author struggling and suffering – that's in my novels, and in Virtuoso I explore that. But other forms are going to emerge, just like video games are a creative, artistic form deeply connected to technology. The novel hasn't been around forever – the current format is only a few centuries old – and forms are always changing. There are real opportunities for authors, and there will be so much crap flooding the market because everybody can write something and put it up on Amazon. But I think there will be a very special place for thoughtful human authors who have an idea of what humans do at our best, and who translate that into content other humans can enjoy. Traditional vs Indie: Why This Book Will Be Self-Published Jo: I'm interested – you mentioned that it's your named co-author. Is this book going through a traditional publisher, and what do they think about that? Or are you going to publish it yourself? Jamie: It's such a smart question. What I found quickly is that when you get to be an author later in your career, you have all the infrastructure – a track record, a fantastic agent, all of that. But there were two things that were really important to me here: I wanted to get this book out really fast – six months instead of a year and a half. It was essential to me to have GPT-5 listed as my co-author, because if it were just my name, I feel like it would be dishonest. Readers who are used to reading my books – I didn't want to present something different than what it was. I spoke with my agent, who I absolutely love, and she said that for this particular project it was going to be really hard in traditional publishing. So I did a huge amount of research, because I'd never done anything in the self-publishing world before. I looked at different models. There was one hybrid model that's basically the same as traditional, but you pay for the things the publisher would normally pay for. I ended up not doing that. Instead, I decided on a self-publishing route where I disaggregated the publishing process. I found three teams: one for producing the book, one for getting the book out into the world, and a smaller one for the audiobook. I still believe in traditional publishing – there's a lot of wonderful human value-add. But some works just don't lend themselves to traditional publishing. For this book, which is called The AI Ten Commandments, that's the path I've chosen. Jo: And when's that out? I think people will be interested. Jamie: April 26th. Those of us used to traditional publishing think, “I've finished the book, sold the proposal, it'll be out any day now,” and then it can be a year and a half. It's frustrating. With this, the process can be much faster because it's possible to control more of the variables. But the key – as I was saying – is to make sure it's as good a book as everything else you've written. It's great to speed up, but you don't want to compromise on quality. The Coming Flood of Excellent AI-Generated Work Jo: Yeah, absolutely. We're almost out of time, but I want to come back to your “flood of crap” and the “AI slop” idea that's going around. Because you are working with GPT-5 – and I do as well, and I work with Claude and Gemini – and right now there are still issues. Like you said about referencing, there are still hallucinations, though fewer. But fast-forward two, five years: it's not a flood of crap. It's a flood of excellent. It's a flood of stuff that's better than us. Jamie: We're humans. It's better than us in certain ways. If you have farm machinery, it's better than us at certain aspects of farming. I'm a true humanist. I think there will be lots of things machines do better than us, but there will be tons of things we do better than them. There's a reason humans still care about chess, even though machines can beat humans at chess. Some people are saying things I fully disagree with, like this concept of AGI – artificial general intelligence – where machines do everything better than humans. I've summarised my position in seven letters: “AGI is BS.” The only way you can believe in AGI in that sense is if your concept of what a human is and what a human mind is is so narrow that you think it's just a narrow range of analytical skills. We are so much more than that. Humans represent almost four billion years of embodied evolution. There's so much about ourselves that we don't know. As incredible as these machines are and will become, there will always be wonderful things humans can do that are different from machines. What I always tell people is: whatever you're doing, don't be a second-rate machine. Be a first-rate human. If you're doing something and a machine is doing that thing much better than you, then shift to something where your unique capacities as a human give you the opportunity to do something better. So yes, I totally agree that the quality of AI-generated stuff will get better. But I think the most creative and successful humans will be the ones who say, “I recognise that this is creating new opportunities, and I'm going to insert my core humanity to do something magical and new.” People are “othering” these technologies, but the technologies themselves are magnificent human-generated artefacts. They're not alien UFOs that landed here. It's a scary moment for creatives, no doubt, because there are things all of us did in the past that machines can now do really well. But this is the moment where the most creative people ask themselves, “What does it mean for me to be a great human?” The pat answers won't apply. In my Virtuoso novel I explore that a lot. The idea that “machines don't do creativity” – they will do incredible creativity; it just won't be exactly human creativity. We will be potentially huge beneficiaries of these capabilities, but we really have to believe in and invest in the magic of our core humanity. Where to Find Jamie and His Books Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and your books online? Jamie: Thank you so much for asking. My website is jamiemetzl.com – and my books are available everywhere. Jo: Fantastic. Thanks so much for your time, Jamie. That was great. Jamie: Thank you, Joanna.The post Writing The Future, And Being More Human In An Age of AI With Jamie Metzl first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Jeremy Au outlines why founders must choose a single 10x advantage and commit to it. He explains how products win by being better or faster or cheaper than the status quo and why unfair advantages are required to defend that lead. He also highlights the Southeast Asian invention of the USB thumb drive as a case where a first mover delivered a better experience but still lost when fast followers and scale overtook them. 01:00 Spotify provides 10x better quality: Unlimited access to any song in any order is a better experience than CDs or using Napster or Kazaa. 04:45 Uber creates a 10x faster experience: Seeing when a car will arrive removes waiting uncertainty and feels much faster than waving for taxis or calling for bookings. 06:00 SpaceX wins by being 10x cheaper: The cost of sending one kilogram to space dropped from about 30,000 dollars to about 500 dollars and continues to fall. 09:00 Six unfair advantages that protect a 10x lead: Startups defend their position through first mover advantage, network effects, economies of scale, intellectual property, regulatory protection, and scarce expert teams. These moats determine whether a company can keep its 10x advantage as competitors enter. 14:00 Thumb drive first mover but lost advantage: Henn Tan, founder of Trek 2000 and creator of the USB thumb drive, built a better file transfer experience but lost his lead because patents were not enforced globally, fast followers copied cheaply, and competitors gained scale and network effects. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/first-mover-loses Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Vietnamese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts #10xStrategy #StartupMoats #BetterFasterCheaper #FounderInsights #SEATech #InnovationFrameworks #FirstMoverVsFastFollower #TechCaseStudies #VentureThinking #BRAVEpodcast

As the Philippines gears up to lead the Southeast Asian bloc next year, Departmet of Energy director Michael Sinocruz says the government will push offshore wind power to bolster cross-border renewable energy trade, while protecting marine life impacted by structures. An Asean bloc must be formed at COPs to drive such initiatives.

Myanmar government takes effort to dismantle Southeast Asian-based call centre scams and human trafficking networks. We hear more from Erin West, Founder and President of Operation Shamrock and former Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County.Also, why are we witnessing so many mergers in the US business environment? And the Amazon rainforest could face a renewed surge of deforestation as efforts appear to be growing to get a long-standing ban on deforestation overturned. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

https://rhr.tv/stream - square enables 4m merchants to accept bitcoin + major cashapp updates - record strike volumes today https://x.com/Strike/status/1989410689308655913 - tether commits $100m for rumble advertising https://x.com/paoloardoino/status/1987883090228703274 + https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/1987897478432039188 - 50 year mortgages and 15 year car loans - robinhood cash delivery https://x.com/robinhoodapp/status/1988987435796373910 - vine relaunch on nostr https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/12/jack-dorsey-funds-divine-a-vine-reboot-that-includes-vines-video-archive/ - cheaper starlink https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1988402010287219151 - Thailand | New Anti-Scam Measures Implemented The Bank of Thailand announced new measures to enhance monitoring of payments, financial institutions, and money transfer services to combat online scams and financial fraud. Governor Vitai Ratanakorn said the central bank will step up due diligence, prioritize investigations into suspicious transactions, and require immediate reporting of irregular activity from banks, currency exchanges, and gold traders. While the policy aims to disrupt transnational criminal networks engaged in online scams and human trafficking, experts fear such a development may lead to broader surveillance of digital transactions and payments, which could threaten the privacy of many Southeast Asian dissidents based in Thailand. FinancialFreedomReport.org - maple 2.0 https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqsgatjk7acgs4ygjzl84af87vvlmufqfas9xg39ztcy2njgcpc6rzsptcjt5 - whitenoise v0.2.0 https://dev.primal.net/e/nevent1qqswdyrw8fdhf0e5s9aawj0s2hk2xjzy6c0qkxt420v4p29928u893qrpv8lw 4:00 - Dump 13:45 - Square bitcoin 28:40 - Strike and Rumble 33:20 - 50 year mortgages 42:20 - Robinhood cash 44:40 - Vine is back baybeeee 46:30 - Cheaper Starlink 48:00 - HRF Story of the Week 49:15 - Software updates 52:00 - Boosts Shoutout to our sponsors: Coinkite https://coinkite.com/ Stakwork https://stakwork.ai/ Obscura https://obscura.net/ Salt of the Earth https://drinksote.com/rhr Follow Marty Bent: Twitter https://twitter.com/martybent Nostr https://primal.net/marty Newsletter https://tftc.io/martys-bent/ Podcast https://tftc.io/podcasts/ Follow Odell: Nostr https://primal.net/odell Newsletter https://discreetlog.com/ Podcast https://citadeldispatch.com/

Last week, Devika returned from the Tokyo International Film Festival, which ran from October 27 to November 5 in the Japanese capital. As one of the major festivals in Asia, the event is a great showcase for new and restored films from the region, as well as Japanese specialities like animation. While there, Devika recorded three Podcasts exploring the lineup with a stellar rotation of guests. On the second episode from the festival, critics Kambole Campbell and Sasha Han discuss selections from their areas of expertise—respectively, animation and Southeast Asian cinema. Some highlights include Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, a piece of WWII propaganda and the first-ever animated feature made in Japan; Mamoru Oshii's cult classic Angel's Egg; and Pen-ek Ratanaruang's culinary thriller Morte Cucina.

Operation Endgame expands global takedowns. The U.S. is creating a Scam Center Strike Force. Microsoft rolls out its delayed “Prevent screen capture” feature for Teams. Proton Pass patches a clickjacking flaw. Researchers uncover previously undisclosed zero-day flaws in both Citrix and Cisco Identity Services Engine. Android-based digital picture frames contain multiple critical vulnerabilities. Lumma Stealer rebounds after last month's doxxing campaign. Our guest is Garrett Hoffman, Senior Manager of Cloud Security Engineering from Adobe, talking about achieving cloud security at scale. X marks the spot… where your passkey stops working.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Garrett Hoffman, Senior Manager of Cloud Security Engineering from Adobe, talking about achieving cloud security at scale. You can hear the full conversation with Garrett here. Selected Reading End of the game for cybercrime infrastructure: 1025 servers taken down - Operation Endgame's latest phase targeted the infostealer Rhadamanthys, Remote Access Trojan VenomRAT, and the botnet Elysium (Europol) US announces ‘strike force' to counter Southeast Asian cyber scams, sanctions Myanmar armed group (The Record) Microsoft rolls out screen capture prevention for Teams users (Bleeping Computer) Proton Pass patches DOM-based clickjacking zero-day vulnerability (Cyberinsider) Amazon discovers APT exploiting Cisco and Citrix zero-days (AWS Security Blog) CISA warns feds to fully patch actively exploited Cisco flaws (Bleeping Computer) Popular Android-based photo frames download malware on boot (Bleeping Computer) Increase in Lumma Stealer Activity Coincides with Use of Adaptive Browser Fingerprinting Tactics (Trend Micro) Elon Musk's X botched its security key switchover, locking users out (TechCrunch) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australians are keen travellers to many Southeast Asian countries, but day-to-day life for small populations of local Christians can be a struggle. This week on VOMAus Radio, Patrick and Noah discuss Christian life in a Muslim-dominant Asian nation [name of country withheld for security], including a special education outreach project for children without identification documents, and much sought-after leadership training for local pastors.

Southeast Asians have used kratom leaves as a home remedy for centuries. Recently, its popularity in the U.S. has exploded as a way to ease the effects of opioid withdrawal. But kratom is poorly regulated and synthetic versions contain high levels of a powerful compound that officials say should be restricted. Ali Rogin speaks with Tampa Bay Times senior politics reporter Kirby Wilson for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Southeast Asians have used kratom leaves as a home remedy for centuries. Recently, its popularity in the U.S. has exploded as a way to ease the effects of opioid withdrawal. But kratom is poorly regulated and synthetic versions contain high levels of a powerful compound that officials say should be restricted. Ali Rogin speaks with Tampa Bay Times senior politics reporter Kirby Wilson for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

We sat down with local food writer and curator Katie Robertson to chart Bentonville's rise as a destination for inclusive dining—with celiac-safe kitchens, vegan menus, and allergy-aware staff. Katie takes us behind the scenes of a movement powered by a growing population, deeper nutrition awareness, and Arkansas's agricultural backbone. We spotlight fully gluten-free breweries like Stoic Brews Alternative and bakeries like Sandi Sue's; and shout out to vegetarians with a variety of Southeast Asian cuisine, and the vegan scene gets a boost from Third Space Coffee's 100% vegan menu, plus unexpected menus like Pedaler's Pub and Sunny's with lots of tasty options.This episode can be paired nicely with our delicious food guide, prepared by Katie: https://www.visitbentonville.com/blog/stories/post/holiday-dining-in-bentonville-glutenfree-vegan-allergyfriendly/ A New American Town is here to help you plan your trip to Bentonville, Arkansas. From guides, events, and restaurant highlights. Find all this and more at visitbentonville.com and subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn. You can listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, CastBox, Podcast Casts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Podcast Addict.

What does it take to lead Southeast Asia's largest bank in an age of disruption? Nicolai Tangen sits down in Singapore with Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS, to talk about banking's digital future, the Singapore success story, and what leadership means in turbulent times. Su Shan explains how the bank is harnessing AI, building resilience amid geopolitical fractures, and staying true to its development roots. She also shares candid reflections on her own journey—why she once chose to “demote” herself for the sake of impact, how reverse mentoring keeps her fresh, and why curiosity, resilience, and empathy are at the heart of her leadership style. (And don't miss the twist at the end—when Su Shan turns the tables with a few questions of her own for Nicolai. Tune in!)In Good Company is hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. New full episodes every Wednesday, and don't miss our Highlight episodes every Friday. The production team for this episode includes Isabelle Karlsson and PLAN-B's Niklas Figenschau Johansen, Sebastian Langvik-Hansen and Pål Huuse. Background research was conducted by Oscar Hjelde. Watch the episode on YouTube: Norges Bank Investment Management - YouTubeWant to learn more about the fund? The fund | Norges Bank Investment Management (nbim.no)Follow Nicolai Tangen on LinkedIn: Nicolai Tangen | LinkedInFollow NBIM on LinkedIn: Norges Bank Investment Management: Administrator for bedriftsside | LinkedInFollow NBIM on Instagram: Explore Norges Bank Investment Management on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode #424: This episode opens the first of a three-part Insight Myanmar Podcast series recorded at the Decolonizing Southeast Asian Studies Conference at Chiang Mai University. The gathering brought together scholars, activists, and cultural workers exploring how colonial legacies continue to shape scholarship, storytelling, and identity in the region. In this opening episode, we hear from Jules Yim and Jochem van den Boogert, two voices who approach decolonization from distinct yet deeply connected directions. Jules Yim treats decolonization as a living practice rather than a theory—something expressed through art, performance, and community. She describes her concept of “seapunk” as a movement grounded in rebellion and creativity, a Southeast Asian counterpart to cyberpunk or steampunk. “When we refer to punk,” she explains, “we're referring to the outsider... the ungovernable, the unserious.” For Jules, this spirit of irreverence opens space for experimentation beyond political or academic boundaries. She contrasts the state-backed Korean Wave of pop culture with independent, community-based artistic movements that thrive on informality and collaboration. Jules also expresses an optimistic view that imagination itself is an act of resistance—a way of reclaiming voice, joy, and collective power. Jochem van den Boogert approaches decolonization through scholarship, tracing how colonial and Cold War frameworks continue to shape Southeast Asian studies. “The main task of decolonizing Southeast Asian Studies,” he says, “has to do with getting a good grasp of that framework... and only then can we come up with alternative explanations.” His research on Javanese Islam explores how religious practices coexist in fluid, negotiated forms. “It's about the practices,” he notes, not rigid belief. Drawing parallels to Buddhism in Burma, Jochem observes similar adaptive patterns, where communities integrate multiple truths into daily life. Both, he argues, reflect Southeast Asia's remarkable coherence within complexity—an enduring, relational way of understanding the world.

In this episode, China scholar David C. Kang joins Ray Powell and Jim Carouso to discuss his recent Foreign Affairs article, “What China Doesn't Want”, which argues that Beijing's geostrategic ambitions are much more limited than Washington's foreign policy establishment believes. Kang challenges the prevailing consensus that China seeks regional hegemony and global primacy, arguing instead that China's aims are narrower, more domestic, and more status quo than commonly assumed.​A contrarian perspective on China's intentions: Kang and his co-authors analyzed approximately 12,000 Chinese articles and hundreds of Xi Jinping speeches, concluding that systematic analysis reveals China's priorities are internal stability and Taiwan, not global domination or territorial conquest of neighboring states.​The debate over regional threat perceptions: While Kang argues that countries like Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan view China more pragmatically than Washington does, the hosts push back with examples of regional maritime tensions, arguing that frontline states see China as a more serious threat than Kang credits.​Taiwan as the central flashpoint: All three agree China prefers a "boa constrictor" strategy of gradual pressure over military invasion, but disagree on how to interpret low-probability war risks and whether recent U.S.-Taiwan moves constitute status quo changes.​Gray-zone success and maritime expansion: Powell argues China is the 21st century's most successful maritime expansionist power, achieving objectives through gray-zone and political warfare in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea without conventional war.​The South China Sea disputes: The conversation explores China's aggressive island-building and exclusion zones around Scarborough Shoal, with Kang acknowledging these as serious issues but distinguishing them from existential threats that would trigger regional wars.​Regional balancing vs. living with China: Kang contends Southeast Asian nations focus on "how to live with China" rather than preparing for war or joining containment coalitions, while the hosts draw on their experiences in diplomatic posts to argue that these countries privately seek American presence as a critical counterbalance.​Methodology matters: Kang defends his systematic analysis of Chinese rhetoric against accusations of cherry-picking, arguing that scholars must distinguish between propaganda, sincere statements, and observed behavior—and that critics often cherry-pick quotes themselves.​War probabilities and deterrence: Even if China's intention to fight over Taiwan is low, the hosts emphasize that even 10-20% odds of catastrophic war demand serious deterrence planning and military readiness.​

The US President Donald Trump believes a trade deal could be signed "pretty soon", after holding talks with President Xi Jinping of China. Presenter Andrew Peach hears from US farmers after China agrees to buy soyabeans from the US. Can Canada really become an energy superpower? We hear how it is pitching energy exports to the South East Asian market. And major record labels like the Universal Music Group are set to work with an artificial intelligence platform Udio, after settling a copyright dispute.

Wes Craven's 1984 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced Freddy Krueger, a dream-stalking slasher who kills teens in their sleep—kills that become real—and was inspired by a chilling true epidemic of Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) among Southeast Asian refugees in the late 1970s–80s. A young Cambodian survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975–79, ~2 million dead) resettled in the U.S., tormented by nightmares of being chased, resisted sleep for days, then died mysteriously in bed with no autopsy findings; the CDC documented over 100 similar cases of healthy young Hmong, Laotian, and Cambodian men dying overnight. Locally explained via folklore—like the Philippine batibat hag or Thai widow ghost suffocating victims—these deaths were later linked to Brugada syndrome, a genetic heart arrhythmia triggered by stress, heavy meals, or PTSD, though the "hundred years' enigma" remains unsolved, blending real trauma with cinematic terror.   Sources: Brugada syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics. (n.d.). https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/brugada-syndrome/ Chaloemthanetphong, A., Choowongkomon, K., Worrapitirungsi, W., Thangsiriskul, N., Sathirapatya, T., Sukawutthiya, P., Noh, H., Kanhar, A. A., Varrathyarom, P., Lertparinyaphorn, I., Natthasumon, N., Bongsebandhu-Phubhakdi, S., Auvichayapat, V., & Vongpaisarnsin, K. (2025). SCN5A missense variants and their contribution to deaths in Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS). Forensic Science International Genetics, 76, 103237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2025.103237 www.history.com/news/nightmare-on-elm-street-real-inspiration-hmong-death   www.nytimes.com/2024/11/10/movies/freddy-krueger-nightmare-on-elm-street-anniversary.html   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Kerry Lutz and Kenneth Rapoza break down the high-stakes U.S.-China trade war and the "America First" strategy. They reveal how tariffs and domestic investment are shaping global power, the tightrope Southeast Asian nations face, and China's crumbling real estate market. With social unrest brewing and leadership shifts possible, the consequences for the world — and the U.S. — are enormous. Don't miss this critical discussion on the future of global economics. Find Kenneth here: https://prosperousamerica.org Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe Kerry's New Book "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is now a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: President Trump issues a stark warning to Vladimir Putin after Russia boasts about testing its new so-called “invincible” nuclear missile. Israel accuses UN peacekeepers of shooting down one of its drones over southern Lebanon, as tensions along the border continue to rise. Plus, President Trump wraps up his trip to the Far East, finalizing trade deals with key Southeast Asian nations aimed at countering China's influence. And in today's Back of the Brief—two Navy aircraft from the USS Nimitz crash within 30 minutes in the South China Sea. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Debt Relief Advocates: Learn what debt reduction you may qualify for. Go online and visit https://DRA.comBirch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on goldAmerican Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org . APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the BBC World Service: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit is underway in Malaysia. So far, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia have all struck a series of trade agreements with President Donald Trump. Then, the party of Argentinian President Javier Milei saw major wins in Sunday's midterm elections, despite widespread discontent with deep austerity measures. And we'll learn about preparations for next summer's FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 16 different cities.

From the BBC World Service: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit is underway in Malaysia. So far, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia have all struck a series of trade agreements with President Donald Trump. Then, the party of Argentinian President Javier Milei saw major wins in Sunday's midterm elections, despite widespread discontent with deep austerity measures. And we'll learn about preparations for next summer's FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 16 different cities.

This week, NK News Correspondent Jooheon Kim joins the podcast to discuss the North Korean soldier who crossed the inter-Korean border over the weekend, marking the first confirmed military defection under the Lee Jae-myung administration.  He also talks about next week's APEC Summit in Gyeongju. With former U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping expected to attend, speculation is growing over whether Trump might reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for an impromptu meeting.  Finally, he breaks down new details on North Korea's diplomatic and defense interactions with Southeast Asian nations, particularly Indonesia and Vietnam, around the recent party anniversary celebrations. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insights from our very own journalists.

In this solo-hosted Ag Tribes Report by Vance Crowe, Vance covers four major headlines shaping agriculture and adjacent markets after the scheduled guest drops out during harvest. The report dives into the unusual coalition of farmers and food companies backing state-level animal welfare laws like California's Prop 12, unpacks the DOJ's massive seizure tied to a Southeast Asian “pig butchering” crypto scam and what it could signal for government Bitcoin accumulations, assesses Nestlé's 16,000-job global restructuring and what it may mean for supply chains and food inflation, and reacts to prosecutors seeking a prison term and restitution in the $4 million crop insurance fraud case involving Steve McBee—plus why crackdowns on fraud matter for producers who rely on transfer programs.In the Bitcoin land price segment, Vance explains recent volatility, why 24/7 liquidity makes Bitcoin the shock absorber for weekend macro news, and why dips remain opportunities compared with gold's run-up. Vance also shares a reflection from an impromptu conversation with a Vietnamese Uber driver on managing “energy ripples” in relationships, and explores what genuine respect looks like in the Worthy Adversary segment—including how naming respect can transform high-stakes conversations. As always, listeners are invited to send in stories for future shows and feel free to disagree.

The 2025 World Championships are next week! What do you need to know before the first ever Southeast Asian world championships? Who are our top all-arounders? We look at the data and tell you subdivision by subdivision  WIN STUFF Raffle: Win a Full Commission Episode for $10! Raffle closes Oct. 7th! Club Gym Nerd Membership Scholarship GymCastic is matching all donations Nearly 50 scholarships have been awarded so far UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Podium Training Report podcast with Q&A from Jakarta on October 17th.  Chapters - pre auto-ad insertion 00:00 Show Intro – Why This Worlds is Different (No Teams!) 05:19 Individual Worlds Stories – Deng Yalan ; Misha Koudinov 09:55 Roster by the Numbers – Record Entries, Age Trends & Veterans 16:37 All-Around Preview & Draft – Jessica & Spencer Pick Their Lineups 30:00 Subdivision 1 – Japan Beam Standard, Fun Floor, Dutch Bars 30:30 Subdivision 2 – Canada Legends & Newbies, South Korea Beam Challenge 31:00 Subdivision 3 – Kaylia Nemour, Beam Nerd Session, Germany's Glow-Up 31:30 Subdivision 4 – USA & Great Britain, Marta PK's 13th Worlds 32:00 Subdivision 5 – Italy & France, Asia D'Amato Returns, Charpy Revenge Tour 32:30 Subdivision 6 – Romania, Ruby Pass & Australia, Jade Vansteenkiste 33:00 Subdivision 7 – Philippines Team, Host Indonesia, Mexico Veterans 33:30 Subdivision 8 – Brazil with Flavia, South Africa, Chile, Norway 34:00 Subdivision 9 – Neutral Russians, Vault Specialists 34:30 Subdivision 10 – China Anchors, Spain's Petisco, Hungary's Mayer 38:27 Updates – Live Podcasts, Raffle & Scholarships 45:00 Ad Break – Club Gym Nerd Bonus Coverage 54:45 Gymternet News – Russia's Scoring Experiments & Clemson Scandal 1:08:00 Show Close – What's Next from Jakarta WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW The World Championships are here! We are recording 8 podcasts LIVE from Jakarta Check out the new GymCastic World Championships headquarters for podcast schedules, competition schedules, and competition previews The World Championships are coming to Southeast Asia for the first time! What should we know about the host, venue, and format of this competition? Sexism alert: the men are awarded more prize money than the women Why are these championships called a Jessica worlds? How is it different from the other worlds? Why we're so excited for this to be the year of Deng Yalan (China) The story of Misha Koudinov getting the full twisting front tuck over the high bar and why we think something similar could happen again this year SPENCER'S GYMNASTICS LAB There are currently 186 women on the roster which is HUGE How does this year's participation compare to individual worlds of the past? Do we think participation has to do with geographic proximity to the host nation? Or is there a wider trend? What percentage of gymnasts are at their first World Championships? What is the average age of gymnasts at these Championships? Who are the World and Olympic medalists competing here? ALL-AROUND DRAFT with PREVIEW This is a wide open year, who do we want included in the medal conversation? Who might Dulcy their way onto the podium? Jessica and Spencer each pick their “lead group” - the six gymnasts starting on vault and competing in Olympic order in the AA final The United States has won an all-around medal every year since 2001. Do we think this could be the year where that streak is broken? 30 SECOND SUBDIVISION PREVIEW Subdivision 1: The fun floor workers session Okamura Mana setting the gold standard for artistry on beam Our favorite fun floor contenders, Charlize Moerz and Hillary Heron Watch out for Dutch bar workers like Sanna Veerman and Naomi Visser Subdivision 2: The legends and newbies session Canada is bringing legends and newbies: Ellie Black, Shallon Olsen, Lia-Monica Fontaine, and Gabrielle Black. Our big question is who isn't vaulting in qualification? Hwang Seohyun is not here to play around on beam and is bringing a potential 6.9 D-score! Kaia Tanskanen bringing some NCAA realness to the elite world Subdivision 3: The glow up queens session Kaylia Nemour. You might have heard of her. Our favorite Taiwanese beamers Lai Pin-Ju and Ting Hua-Tien are here and might not make a final, but they will fill our emotional chalk bucket Germany and Karina Schoemaier winning the glow-up queen of the year award Subdivision 4: The grown ass women session The United States is here. What kind of performance are we expecting? Do we think Ruby Evans brought her Amanar back? Martha PK is back for her THIRTEENTH World Championships! Subdivision 5: The Italy and France artistry session Asia D'Amato is so back and will be competing at her first Worlds since 2021 Lorette Charpy and Celia Serber are on their no-Olympic revenge tour Thelma Aðalsteinsdóttir has some cool skills she's bringing to the table Subdivision 6: The 'What Will Romania Do?' Subdivision Will Romania's Sabrina Voinea hit and make multiple finals? Denisa Golgota is soo back, could she make finals? How is Australia looking? Could Ruby Pass contend for an all-around medal? We are so here for Jade Vansteenkiste's unapologetic, wine-glass breaking floor routine Subdivision 7: The 'look out for 2028' programs session Finnegan and Malabuyo are here competing for the Philippines What to look out for from our host team, team Indonesia Mexico is bringing some veteran newbies to the meet Subdivision 8: The artistry checklist session Flavia and the Brazilians. Do we need to say more? Why this will be the year Caitlin Rooskrantz (South Africa) finishes in the top 25 on bars Why we're dubbing Keisha Lockert (Norway) as the 'involvement of the body parts' queen Subdivision 9: The very neutral Russian session How will a very inexperienced Russian squad respond to being back on the international stage? On paper this squad has the potential to make lots of finals and win lots of medals. Will this all pan out in competition? Which Russians will do the all-around during qualifications? If you want to see some beautiful vaulting, look out for Valentina Georgieva (Bulgaria) Subdivision 10: The 'we understand the assignment' session  China anchors the competition with medal favorites on nearly every event Alba Petisco (Spain) is coming off a European all-around silver, could she factor into the medals here? DO NOT be sleeping on the Hungarians Are we all sleeping on Greta Mayer in the all-around? WIN STUFF Raffle: Win a Full Commission Episode for $10! Raffle closes Oct. 7th! Club Gym Nerd Membership Scholarship GymCastic is matching all donations Nearly 50 scholarships have been awarded so far UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Podium Training Report podcast with Q&A from Jakarta on October 17th. SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Try Huel with 15% OFF for New Customers today using my code GYMCASTIC at https://huel.com/gymcastic. Fuel your best performance with Huel today! RELATED EPISODES: Episode - Chinese World Team analysis on Behind The Scenes Episode - 2025 U.S. Championships Recap Episode - 2025 U.S. Classic Recap Episode - Paris World Cup with Laura Cappelle Behind the Scenes - all episodes LIVE SHOWS Experience GymCastic live! ✨ Replay: GymCastic Live in New Orleans with Morgan Hurd NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review. Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions