#Development

Japan has secured the top spot for the highest living standards in Asia based on the most recent international rankings, surpassing other regional powerhouses such as Singapore and South Korea, according to a 2024 report by U.S. News & World Report. The findings, which have garnered attention across Southeast Asia—including in Thailand—draw on an extensive range of metrics to measure quality of life, offering a timely snapshot of regional well-being at a moment of rapid economic and social change (VnExpress).

Global efforts to combat childhood malnutrition are facing a dangerous setback as disruptions in US government funding threaten the distribution of Plumpy’Nut, a ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) that has transformed survival rates for severely malnourished children. Experts warn that millions could be left without this critical lifeline, triggering renewed concern across regions already suffering humanitarian emergencies.

For families like those in northeastern Nigeria, the stakes are heartbreakingly clear. After losing her husband to violence and fleeing her village, one mother found her two-year-old son failing to thrive on inadequate rations in a displaced persons camp. It was only after receiving Plumpy’Nut—an energy-dense peanut paste fortified with vitamins and minerals—that her son rapidly recovered from acute malnutrition, illustrating the product’s vital role on the frontlines of humanitarian care (source: NPR).