As several members of the Asean community raised the spectre of host nations enjoying unfair advantage by changing, chopping and introducing events to serve their own strengths, Malaysia’s phenomenal success in the just-concluded 29th SEA Games may drive the debate over tailored programmes in a totally different direction. It is a well-known secret that that the host nations of the biennial Games are bestowed with a degree of latitude in the choice of events that can give the hosts a distinct...

There is a right way to eat edamame – with beer or sake, on a warm summer’s night – at least, so says Kenji Tamura, 32, one of the owners of the recently opened Japanese restaurant Edamame. Having opened in mid-June the casual izakaya-style diner serves up typical Japanese fare, such as ramen, sushi and rice. Although its namesake, edamame – immature soybeans in the pod that are boiled and then salted – is what Kenji and his partners hope will bring customers in the door and introduce them to...