Asia

Mother Suu does it again
Aung San Suu Kyi’s party claims victory in Myanmar’s election

Its main opponent, an army-backed party, refuses to concede defeat

False start
Aung San Suu Kyi was supposed to set Burmese democracy free

Instead she has clipped its wings

Banyan
New Zealand allows assisted dying, among other progressive steps

But it cannot quite stomach legalising cannabis

Hot for trot
What’s bigger than K-pop?

Among older South Koreans, a fustier, more sentimental musical genre reigns

Out with the new
Singapore’s government helps old food hawkers but not young ones

The result is a dearth of new recruits to a treasured industry

Central bark
India’s states and the national government are at growing odds

Money is the main problem

Banyan
Sri Lanka’s president is amassing personal power

Constitutional amendments make Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s authority almost absolute

Not a carbon copy
Japan promises to be carbon-neutral by 2050

But the government has yet to produce a plan to reach the goal

News whose printing causes fits
Pakistani journalists find ways to get their stories out

But embarrassing the generals who run Pakistan carries big risks

Hermit kingdom
North Korea is lonelier than ever

With borders shut and diplomats confined, the only things improving are the missiles

Banyan
The pandemic has exposed South-East Asia’s poor governance

Covid-19 has shone a light on the failings of strongmen and kleptocrats

Labour day
A hard task ahead for Jacinda Ardern’s new government

New Zealand has kept out covid-19, but is not immune to its economic consequences