🕊️ Unity, Screens, and Sports, Southeast Asia’s Week of Reflection (Week 1 November, 2025)
From summit halls to streaming screens, the region balanced remembrance, renewal, and reinvention.
Your curated wrap-up from The Southeast Asia Desk.
🌏 Key Outcomes of the 47th ASEAN Summit
Leaders concluded the 47th ASEAN Summit with pledges to strengthen economic resilience, green transitions, and maritime cooperation. Yet behind the communiqués lie hard questions about unity — particularly amid geopolitical rivalry and uneven recovery across member states. Read more
🇹🇭 Thailand Mourns Queen Mother Sirikit
Thailand entered a one-year mourning period following the passing of Queen Mother Sirikit, a towering figure in Thai history and diplomacy. Tributes poured in from across ASEAN, reflecting her decades-long legacy of social welfare and cultural stewardship. Read more
⚽ FIFA–ASEAN Cup: A New Era or Redundant Spectacle?
The announcement of a joint FIFA–ASEAN Cup reignited debate across the region. Supporters hail it as a milestone for regional sports diplomacy, while critics warn it could overshadow domestic leagues and strain smaller associations. Read more
🌐 The Internet’s Next Stage: A World Defined by Social Media and AI
More than two-thirds of humanity now lives part of their lives on social media. The Digital 2026 report, released in Singapore on October 15 by Meltwater and We Are Social, paints a portrait of a world shaped by attention economies, generational divides, and the rise of artificial intelligence. Read more
🎬 The Elixir and the Rise of Southeast Asia’s Zombie Boom
Indonesia’s Netflix original The Elixir topped global non-English charts, signaling a creative surge in Southeast Asia’s horror cinema. Regional filmmakers are using local folklore and postcolonial themes to reanimate global interest in Southeast Asian storytelling. Read more
🌴 Bali’s Salak Agroforestry Named Indonesia’s Climate Champion
A community-led salak (snake-fruit) agroforestry project in Karangasem, Bali, has been recognized as Indonesia’s top climate adaptation initiative for 2025. The model blends traditional farming with carbon-smart forestry — proving that sustainability can thrive from the ground up. Read more
💳 The Loyalty Overdraft: A Reckoning for Modern Work
A viral essay this week struck a nerve among Southeast Asia’s professionals, calling out “toxic loyalty” in modern workplaces. As burnout rises and job security falls, many are rethinking what commitment and career truly mean in a post-pandemic economy. Read more
☕ Last Sip from Last Week: Stories That Travel
From Bali’s farms to Netflix’s feeds, this week showed Southeast Asia’s growing power to tell its own stories — through policy, passion, and pop culture alike. The region’s voice, once peripheral, now echoes across the global stage.
✨ Stories to linger over, one week at a time.