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Thailand pauses all datacenter builds and approvals
Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Council has ordered a pause on all datacentre construction and approvals in the country while it develops proper regulations for the sector. The move, announced last Friday after a meeting of the Council’s Datacenter Business Policy Committee, follows an admission by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul that…
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Tokyo Film Festival Launches Nippon Cinema Now & Kashiko Kawakita Awards; Relaunches Crosscut Asia Section
The Tokyo International Film Festival (running 26 October to 4 November) has announced three new initiatives, including fresh awards in its Nippon Cinema Now section and a new prize honouring women in cinema, alongside a relaunched Southeast Asian film strand. The changes are aimed at giving emerging Japanese filmmakers stronger global exposure and recognising the…
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Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno Winner ‘Nowhere to Lay My Eyes’ Anchors Wave of Sales Deals for Finecut Ahead of Toronto
Korean sales house Finecut has secured a wave of international sales for three festival films ahead of the Toronto International Film Festival, headlined by Hong Sangsoo’s Locarno prizewinner “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes.” The deals underline the strength of Korean cinema’s international market presence heading into the autumn festival circuit, with titles moving across North…
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Tokyo Film Festival Adds Nippon Cinema Now Competition, Crosscut Asia+ Section, New Award Honoring Women in Film
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled three new initiatives for its 2026 edition: a Nippon Cinema Now competition, a Southeast Asia-focused Crosscut Asia+ section, and the Kawakita Kashiko Award honouring women in film. The changes give Japanese filmmakers greater international exposure, revive cross-regional ties with Southeast Asian cinema, and recognise women’s contributions to…
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Korea’s Finecut Sells Toronto Title ‘Long Long Night’ & July Jung’s ‘Dora’ To Japan
Korean sales agency Finecut has struck deals to bring two of its high-profile titles to Japanese audiences, selling the 3D animated feature “Long Long Night” and July Jung’s Cannes-selected “Dora” to distributors in the country. The sales underline strong international appetite for Korean cinema on the festival circuit, with both films drawing attention at major…
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The volunteers risking their lives to defuse Indonesia’s wildfire ‘carbon bombs’
Volunteer firefighters, many from Indigenous Dayak and Banjar communities, are battling relentless wildfires across Indonesian Borneo that have burned around 200,000 hectares of forest and farmland since early July. The fires are especially alarming because they are tearing through vast tropical peatlands, ancient carbon stores that can release huge quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide…
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India’s high-stakes exam system faces a crisis of trust
India’s National Testing Agency (NTA), created in 2017 to bring fairness and standardisation to the country’s high-stakes exams, is now facing its own crisis of credibility after another major paper leak. In June, more than two million students were forced to retake a key medical entrance exam following a leak, sparking weeks of youth-led protests…
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Chinese student who is in jail after drugging and raping 10 women in London and China may face new charges
A Chinese PhD student already serving a life sentence for drugging and raping women in London and China could face additional charges after five more women came forward following a police appeal. The Metropolitan Police has submitted a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will now decide whether Zhenhao Zao is prosecuted…
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The 2022 performance that made Keanu Reeves public enemy number one in China
Keanu Reeves became the target of a Chinese state media purge after his long-standing support for Tibetan liberation resurfaced following the 2022 release of *The Matrix Resurrections*, the first Hollywood film to launch simultaneously in China and the West. The backlash reflects Beijing’s broader sensitivity around Tibet, a region annexed in 1951 and treated by…
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‘I’m only alive thanks to one man’ – driver rescued from car fire
British racing driver Ollie Millroy says he owes his life to fellow competitor Loek Hartog, who pulled him from his burning Ferrari during a China GT Championship race in Shanghai. Hartog, a Dutch driver, abandoned his own car to run to Millroy’s blazing vehicle, using a fire extinguisher to fight the flames before dragging him…