Singapore

‘I’m not finished’: Badminton’s Beiwen Zhang wants gold in the final Olympics of her decadeslong career

Olympian Beiwen Zhang went pro in badminton at age 13, leaving her home country of China for Singapore to pursue the sport. She struggled with the pressure of competitive athletics, though. The World’s Bianca Hillier has the story of how she bounced back, not just from intense stress but also from what many believed could be a career-ending injury.

President Joe Biden participates in the US-ASEAN Special Summit to commemorate 45 years of US-ASEAN relations at the State Department in Washington, Friday, May 13, 2022.

US ‘walks fine line’ at Southeast Asia summit to strengthen ties

Foreign policy
US Air Force airmen guide evacuees aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

G-7 agrees on conditions to recognize and work with the Taliban

Top of The World
US Vice President Kamala Harris takes part in a roundtable at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

Southeast Asia allies express concern over US commitment amid Afghanistan crisis

Global Politics
A pickup truck is shown flying the white and black Taliban flag in the distance with two people holding rifles in the nearground.

Thousands desperate to be evacuated from Afghanistan

Top of The World
The cultured chicken dish prepared by chefs at 1880 restaurant was served to customers for the first time this past weekend.

Is Singapore’s approval of lab-grown meat a win for the climate?

The Big Fix

The global market for meat alternatives, which includes cultured and imitation meats, is currently at about $14 billion. But environmentalists doubt some of the claimed benefits.

People stand on a train platform

‘Travel bubbles’: Who’s in and who’s out of the plan to save global tourism

COVID-19

“Travel bubbles” are popping up around the world in an attempt to revitalize tourism economies.

Women wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) ride a subway train in Seoul, South Korea, on June 12, 2015.

Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health amid COVID-19

COVID-19

The mental health repercussions of the 2015 MERS outbreak were little acknowledged. But this time around, experts are sounding the alarm on the mental health crisis of the novel coronavirus as it sweeps the globe.

A woman is shown through a clear glass window with the reflection of a Mexico City neighborhood.

Discussion: Lessons from the coronavirus pandemic to avert a future crisis

The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the critical role of public health in protecting people around the world. But the crisis has also exposed the need for more investment to help prevent a pandemic of this magnitude from happening again. As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World’s Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Dr. Howard Koh of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

A metal poll is shown with four surveillance cameras pointed out in four separate directions as a man walks by wearing a face mask.

Coronavirus surveillance poses long-term privacy threat, UN expert warns

COVID-19

Surveillance measures rolled out across the world as governments try curb the spread of coronavirus could cause lasting damage to the right to privacy, a United Nations expert has warned.