'Our most disregarded Pacific neighbour': Why New Zealand should care about the Indonesian election

Up to 193 million eligible voters in Indonesia will go to the polls on April 17, in what will be the world’s largest single-day election. Why should New Zealand care? We put the question to some Indonesia experts...

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Singapore eyes up Kiwi-made possum fur lashes

Women in Singapore may soon be wearing false lashes made from possum tails if one Kiwi businesswoman’s vision comes to fruition. Sharee Wilkinson is the creator of Moka Premium Eco Fibre Lashes, a beauty product which offers an alternative to synthetic disposable lashes and lash extensions.

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Q&A: India's view on climate change and nuclear issues

Stuti Banerjee, research fellow with the Indian Council of World Affairs, recently visited New Zealand as part of a Track II dialogue with the Asia New Zealand Foundation. She caught up with the Asia Media Centre to talk about why the Arctic region matters to India and India’s position on disarmament.

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Got a story idea you want to cover in Asia? We're on the lookout for compelling proposals for stories that can help further New Zealanders' knowledge and understanding of Asia.

The Asia Media Centre is now welcoming applications for the Asia New Zealand Foundation's media travel grants programme. The deadline for the first of three funding rounds in 2019 is Monday 6 May at 5.30pm.

The travel grants offer New Zealand journalists the opportunity to travel independently to Asia to research and prepare stories. The grants cover most work-related costs, including return economy fares, insurance, daily allowances and visa and airport taxes.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

What has media in New Zealand been reporting about Asia? Here's a roundup of stories from the past week. 

• 187 million voters prepare for Indonesia elections
  RADIO NZ
    
• Indians in New Zealand keep a close watch on elections back home
  RADIO NZ
    
• NZ attack used to justify China's Muslim crackdown
  NEWSROOM
   
• Chinese visitors to New Zealand drop during peak Chinese New Year period
  NEWSHUB
   
• Peranakans at a loss on how many of them there are in NZ 
  NZ HERALD 
   
• Demand for NZ beef increases as swine fever hits Chinese pork production
  STUFF

On April 11, the first polls opened in India's general election, kicking off the world's largest exercise in democracy. Here's how media in Asia have been covering the event.

• General election 2019: constituency-wise polling dates interactive map 
  THE HINDU | INDIA
   
• Women a silent 'majority' on India's electoral map 
  THE TIMES OF INDIA 
   
• India election: BJP complains of 'Chinese interference' 
  STRAITS TIMES | SINGAPORE
   
• India election: a death, a bomb and voting machine malfunctions mar first day of polls 
  SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | HONG KONG
   
• India election: Modi, Gandhi and the Chinese dragon in the room 
  SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | HONG KONG

• Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Braving all odds, transgender candidates take Lok Sabha poll plunge 
  HINDUSTAN TIMES | INDIA

Naimah Talib, University of Canterbury

Naimah Talib is an Adjunct Senior Fellow and part-time lecturer in Political Science. Her research interests focus on Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, southern Philippines and southern Thailand, looking at Muslim minorities, the politics of Islam, conflict and peace-building.

What are you working on right now?

I’m completing an article on Brunei for an edited volume on monarchies and decolonisation in Asia. My paper focuses on the reign of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin in the 1950s and 1960s during the British retreat from Southeast Asia as a colonial power. While there were many challenges that confronted the Brunei monarchy, Sultan Omar Ali managed to expand his power and influence and avoid political reform.

Tell us the most interesting thing that’s not on your CV:

My participation in a Marsden project on peace-building in the Asia Pacific stimulated my interest on peace negotiations in southern Philippines.

What’s your favourite film about Asia?

The Act of Killing. This movie on the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66 was an eye opener for me. It was very provocative and sometimes difficult to watch.

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Japan: New designs for Japanese bank notes unveiled

Japan's finance ministry has revealed the new designs for its ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 bank notes, which will go into circulation in 2024. Social media users were quick to share their thoughts, even coming up with alternative designs.

Indonesia: #JusticeForAudrey after 14-year-old attacked

The case of 14-year-old girl who was brutally attacked by a group of high school students in Indonesia has sparked outrage on social media, with millions using the hashtag #JusticeForAudrey and signing a petition to show their support.

China: Video puts child modelling industry under scrutiny

China's child modelling industry has been thrust into the spotlight after a video showing a mother kicking her 3-year-old daughter during a photoshoot went viral. The mother's actions were condemned by Chinese social media users.