The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a harsh light on global commerce in wildlife. But many accounts focus on demand from Asia, ignoring the role of US and European consumers.
Burning confiscated elephant ivory and animal horns in Myanmar’s first public display of action against the illegal wildlife trade, Oct. 4, 2018.
Ye Aung Thu/AFP via Getty Images
In the 1800s, Americans hunted many wild species near or into extinction. Then in the early 1900s, the US shifted from uncontrolled consumption of wildlife to conservation. Could Asia follow suit?
While primarily a protective measure, the COVID-19 mask has also become a symbol of good citizenship, but wearing a mask safely in public may require white privilege.
(Unsplash)
In the coronavirus pandemic, wearing a protective mask signifies a commitment to the social and collective good of society. But that changes when a face mask is worn by Black and racialized people.
Hong Kong police detain people on May 27 protesting against a bill that would make it a crime to disrespect the Chinese national anthem.
Miguel Candela/EPA
Does the election of two North Korean defectors to the South Korean National Assembly signal a breakthrough in public acceptance of this politically significant minority?
When people need food aid, like these Nigerians, research finds they are more susceptible to extremist recruitment efforts.
Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images
When people are hungry or not sure where their next meal is coming from, they get angry at their governments. This gives terrorist groups opportunities to recruit new members.
Students in Hanoi wait to get their temperatures checked on May 4, 2020, as schools re-opened after a three-month closure to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.
Manan Vatsyayana/AFP
Vietnam is one of the poorest nations in Asia, yet it has had remarkably few Covid-19 cases. In part, the country’s limited resources led to a cautious, proactive approach.
Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia japonica) drinking sap from tree bark in Japan.
Alpsdake/Wikipedia
Are ‘murder hornets’ from Asia invading North America? A Japanese entomologist who’s been stung by one and lived to tell the tale explains what’s true about these predatory insects.
Female tiger crossing track, Bandavgarh National Park, India.
David Tipling/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
A new study forecasts that thousands of miles of new road construction will cut through tiger habitat across Asia by 2050. Planning can make these projects more tiger-friendly.
Stay at home measures were introduced in Japan in mid April.
Franck Robichon/EPA
An erratic response to coronavirus shows how Japan’s domestic policy is out-of-sync with its desired global image.
A woman is tested in Ha Loi village in Hanoi which was put in 28-day quarantine on April 8 after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.
Luong Thai Linh/EPA
Intensive screening, testing, quarantine and public communication have helped keep numbers of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam very low.
A supporter of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen outside her campaign headquarters in Taipei on January 11, 2020, the day of her re-election.
Sam Yeh/AFP
Emmanuel Véron, Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) and Emmanuel Lincot, Institut catholique de Paris (ICP)
By providing assistance to many countries affected by the pandemic, the People’s Republic of China is seeking to create a diversionary tactic to quietly put increasing pressure on Taiwan.
Members of a medical assistance team from Jiangsu province at a ceremony marking their departure after participating in the fight against Covid-19 in Wuhan, March 19, 2020.
STR/AFP
Emmanuel Véron, Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) and Emmanuel Lincot, Institut catholique de Paris (ICP)
China is seeking to present itself as a model in the fight against the coronavirus – even if it means rewriting the history of the crisis and discrediting the governance of liberal democracies.
Students wearing facemasks wash their hands before attending a class at a government-run school in Secunderabad, March 4, 2020.
NOAH SEELAM / AFP
In India handwashing practices have come under scrutiny as millions of Indian poorest return home from major cities. Many do not have access to basic amenities.
On March 18, 2020, a student configures a modified medical robot to screen and observe patients with VIDOC-19 at the Regional Robotics Technology Centre at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP
With the enhanced capabilities of today’s robots and drones, recent examples from China and Thailand and ongoing research show that they have the potential to help us navigate disasters.
The origin of the Covid-19 virus is still unclear: a cave, the forest…
Michal Ico/Unsplash
The SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic is undergoing extensive genetic analysis around the world to understand its origin and evolution.
On Feb. 18, 2020, in Seoul, South Korea, people wearing face masks pass an electric screen warning about COVID-19.
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
COVID-19 is not the first – nor likely the last – to emerge from the two continents.
Hyunday’s five-factory complex at Ulsan, South Korea, which can make 1.4 million vehicles a year, fell silent on February 7 because of a lack of parts caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Yonhap/AFP
As the human costs of the Covid-19 virus epidemic continue to rise, the virus is also taking its toll on global economy, with disrupted supply chains across a wide variety of industries.
Duterte (left) with the Philippines’ armed forces chief of staff, Lieutenant General Noel Clement.
Rolex Dela Pena/EPA
From helping fight coronavirus to supporting education and biodiversity projects, China’s tech billionaires have moved boldly into philanthropy, continuing what is an ancient tradition.