Latest news with #Rowena
Sydney Morning Herald
24-07-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Twelve of Sydney's cosiest bowls to wrap your hands around from $9
Tired of hibernating this winter? Take a break from your Oodie and warm up with a bowl of soup at one of these cosy, budget-friendly restaurants in Sydney. From comforting prosciutto minestrone at Simon Says in Darlinghurst, to bright bowls of tamarind prawn soup at the new Charcoal & Crisp Lechon in Crows Nest, nothing on this list is more than $25. $19 b eef noodle soup at Ama, Surry Hills This Chinese-Thai beef noodle soup is so good, it spawned an entire restaurant. Sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri started serving their grandmother's recipe as a pop-up dinner special at their acclaimed Kingsgrove cafe Ickle. Soon, it became so popular that they decided to give it a permanent home. The soup is a deeply satisfying mixture including beef broth, noodles (egg or rice), slow-braised corned beef brisket, beef short rib, spices and pickled mustard greens.
Sydney Morning Herald
23-07-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Twelve of Sydney's cosiest bowls to wrap your hands around for under $25
Eating out Eating out From some of the city's best ramen, to a much-revered suburban pho, warm up with these soups this winter. Tired of hibernating this winter? Take a break from your Oodie and warm up with a bowl of soup at one of these cosy, budget-friendly restaurants in Sydney. From comforting prosciutto minestrone at Simon Says in Darlinghurst, to bright bowls of tamarind prawn soup at the new Charcoal & Crisp Lechon in Crows Nest, nothing on this list is more than $25. Beef noodle soup at Ama, Surry Hills $19 This Chinese-Thai beef noodle soup is so good it spawned an entire restaurant. Sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri started serving their grandmother's recipe as a pop-up dinner special at their acclaimed Kingsgrove cafe Ickle. Soon, it became so popular they decided to give it a permanent home. The soup is a deeply satisfying mixture including beef broth, noodles (egg or rice), slow-braised corned beef brisket, beef short rib, spices and pickled mustard greens. There are two things owner-operator Simon Fowler says he's most proud of his role in creating: his son, and his cafe's minestrone. It's the classic, hearty combo of bone broth and vegetables, amped up with pan-seared prosciutto. It might be the soup of the day when you visit, or it could be one of the kitchen's other thoughtfully prepared options, such as the current roasted cauliflower soup – browned, buttery and warming with a ras el hanout spice blend. Good to know: Simon Says is also a well-established juice company. Try the Pineapple Express. 263 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, $22.50 When was the last time you had watermelon in your soup? Sinigang sa pakwan, or watermelon tamarind soup, is a vibrant Filipino dish balancing the sweetness of watermelon against the tanginess of tamarind. At this friendly new family-owned eatery, it's served with either tender pork belly or prawn, depending on your preference. Good to know: Also order a serving of the charcoal-roasted lechon (suckling pig), the restaurant's specialty. 16 Falcon Street, Crows Nest, Pumpkin soup at Parami, Sydney $9 Often, you just want something simple, delicious and solid value for money. That's where Parami's pumpkin soup comes in. Chef-owner Mika Kazato might be better known for onigiri, but her creamy Japanese pumpkin soup, made with milk and onion, is the go-to for a comforting lunch on a blustery day. Good to know: Parami also serves tonjiru (pork, vegetable and miso), chicken and ginger, and minestrone soups. 101/21 Alberta Street, Sydney, Birria ramen at Papi's Birria, Haberfield and Carlton $18 Owner-operator Lawrence Diaz uses about 30 ingredients for Papi's birria consome, including dried ancho and guajillo chillies, ossobuco, and chuck. The shimmering broth cooks for 16 hours before it's served in a small takeaway bowl – a deliciously rich dip for folded, cheesy tortillas, or soup for Korean instant ramen. Good to know: Papi's is a food truck, so come dressed for the elements. 163-165 Parramatta Road, Haberfield and 71 Jubilee Avenue, Carlton, Cornish chicken soup at Han Soup Bar, Mascot and Chatswood $24.80 Medicinal double-steamed Cantonese soups are not typically for the fussy of heart, but they may help alleviate a persistent cough. Each of the 14 soups on Han's menu targets specific ailments, from an oxtail soup with hairy fig root and shark bone for lumbar muscle strain, to silkie chicken soup with donkey hide and egg for those with 'high mental intensity'. The Cornish chicken soup, served in a coconut, is a much-loved all-rounder. Sure, French onion soup is simple enough to make at home. But it's an entirely different experience in this vibey suburban French restaurant, where it's served in a warm ceramic bowl with crispy croutons and a thick layer of caramelised cheese, slowly dripping down the side. The deep onion flavour packs a punch. Good to know: The soup is also available at sister restaurant Bouillion l'Entrecote in Circular Quay. 1047 Pacific Highway, Pymble, Iekei ramen at Kosuke Revised, Rosebery $24 Chef-owner Kosuke Morita claims his new Rosebery restaurant serves some of the best ramen in Australia. The chef has quietly developed a cult following at his three other locations, but the menu here is elevated, featuring revised recipes such as the iekei (pork marrow and soy) ramen with smoked slow-cooked pork neck and house-made flat noodles. Good to know: Find the other Kosuke Ramen restaurants at North Strathfield, Newington and Lane Cove. 2/6-10 Rothschild Avenue, Rosebery, Avgolemono at Olympus, Redfern $18 On a menu filled with grilled calamari, honey-drizzled saganaki and oversized pies of golden spanokopita, you'd be forgiven for overlooking the egg and lemon soup. But next time you'll know: its subtle, bright flavours and creamy texture make the avgolemono a surprise must-order at this stunner of a Greek restaurant. Good to know: Olympus offers the chance to try some hard-to-find Greek wines by the glass. Wunderlich Lane, 2 Baptist Street, Redfern, Pork bone soup at Yeodongsik, Lidcombe $23 This tiny Lidcombe restaurant has become something of an internet sensation for owner-operator Justin Shin's hearty Korean soup. There's six to choose from, but the haejangguk (pork bone) 'hangover soup', which may or may not have the power to cure a soju-induced headache, is something of a signature. 36/44 John Street, Lidcombe, Beef tortilla soup at Mami's, Bondi $14 There's something comforting about a big bowl of cheese-laden soup that looks like your mum made it, especially if you happen to be eating at the communal table at Mexican restaurant Mami's. The beef tortilla soup is made with pulled beef and cabbage, and topped with crispy tortilla bits, fresh onion, coriander and melty cheese. Good to know: You can BYO your favourite bottle of wine. 286 Bondi Road, Bondi, Beef pho at An Restaurant, Bankstown From $20 It's a classic for a reason. The Saigon-style beef pho at this family-owned Bankstown stalwart often tops best-of lists in Sydney, in large part due to the consistency of its slow-cooked, flavoursome, clear bone broth. Join the queue, order some variation of the pho bo, inhale. Good to know: An Restaurant accepts cash only.
The Age
23-07-2025
- General
- The Age
Twelve of Sydney's cosiest bowls to wrap your hands around for under $25
Eating out Eating out From some of the city's best ramen, to a much-revered suburban pho, warm up with these soups this winter. Tired of hibernating this winter? Take a break from your Oodie and warm up with a bowl of soup at one of these cosy, budget-friendly restaurants in Sydney. From comforting prosciutto minestrone at Simon Says in Darlinghurst, to bright bowls of tamarind prawn soup at the new Charcoal & Crisp Lechon in Crows Nest, nothing on this list is more than $25. Beef noodle soup at Ama, Surry Hills $19 This Chinese-Thai beef noodle soup is so good it spawned an entire restaurant. Sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri started serving their grandmother's recipe as a pop-up dinner special at their acclaimed Kingsgrove cafe Ickle. Soon, it became so popular they decided to give it a permanent home. The soup is a deeply satisfying mixture including beef broth, noodles (egg or rice), slow-braised corned beef brisket, beef short rib, spices and pickled mustard greens. There are two things owner-operator Simon Fowler says he's most proud of his role in creating: his son, and his cafe's minestrone. It's the classic, hearty combo of bone broth and vegetables, amped up with pan-seared prosciutto. It might be the soup of the day when you visit, or it could be one of the kitchen's other thoughtfully prepared options, such as the current roasted cauliflower soup – browned, buttery and warming with a ras el hanout spice blend. Good to know: Simon Says is also a well-established juice company. Try the Pineapple Express. 263 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, $22.50 When was the last time you had watermelon in your soup? Sinigang sa pakwan, or watermelon tamarind soup, is a vibrant Filipino dish balancing the sweetness of watermelon against the tanginess of tamarind. At this friendly new family-owned eatery, it's served with either tender pork belly or prawn, depending on your preference. Good to know: Also order a serving of the charcoal-roasted lechon (suckling pig), the restaurant's specialty. 16 Falcon Street, Crows Nest, Pumpkin soup at Parami, Sydney $9 Often, you just want something simple, delicious and solid value for money. That's where Parami's pumpkin soup comes in. Chef-owner Mika Kazato might be better known for onigiri, but her creamy Japanese pumpkin soup, made with milk and onion, is the go-to for a comforting lunch on a blustery day. Good to know: Parami also serves tonjiru (pork, vegetable and miso), chicken and ginger, and minestrone soups. 101/21 Alberta Street, Sydney, Birria ramen at Papi's Birria, Haberfield and Carlton $18 Owner-operator Lawrence Diaz uses about 30 ingredients for Papi's birria consome, including dried ancho and guajillo chillies, ossobuco, and chuck. The shimmering broth cooks for 16 hours before it's served in a small takeaway bowl – a deliciously rich dip for folded, cheesy tortillas, or soup for Korean instant ramen. Good to know: Papi's is a food truck, so come dressed for the elements. 163-165 Parramatta Road, Haberfield and 71 Jubilee Avenue, Carlton, Cornish chicken soup at Han Soup Bar, Mascot and Chatswood $24.80 Medicinal double-steamed Cantonese soups are not typically for the fussy of heart, but they may help alleviate a persistent cough. Each of the 14 soups on Han's menu targets specific ailments, from an oxtail soup with hairy fig root and shark bone for lumbar muscle strain, to silkie chicken soup with donkey hide and egg for those with 'high mental intensity'. The Cornish chicken soup, served in a coconut, is a much-loved all-rounder. Sure, French onion soup is simple enough to make at home. But it's an entirely different experience in this vibey suburban French restaurant, where it's served in a warm ceramic bowl with crispy croutons and a thick layer of caramelised cheese, slowly dripping down the side. The deep onion flavour packs a punch. Good to know: The soup is also available at sister restaurant Bouillion l'Entrecote in Circular Quay. 1047 Pacific Highway, Pymble, Iekei ramen at Kosuke Revised, Rosebery $24 Chef-owner Kosuke Morita claims his new Rosebery restaurant serves some of the best ramen in Australia. The chef has quietly developed a cult following at his three other locations, but the menu here is elevated, featuring revised recipes such as the iekei (pork marrow and soy) ramen with smoked slow-cooked pork neck and house-made flat noodles. Good to know: Find the other Kosuke Ramen restaurants at North Strathfield, Newington and Lane Cove. 2/6-10 Rothschild Avenue, Rosebery, Avgolemono at Olympus, Redfern $18 On a menu filled with grilled calamari, honey-drizzled saganaki and oversized pies of golden spanokopita, you'd be forgiven for overlooking the egg and lemon soup. But next time you'll know: its subtle, bright flavours and creamy texture make the avgolemono a surprise must-order at this stunner of a Greek restaurant. Good to know: Olympus offers the chance to try some hard-to-find Greek wines by the glass. Wunderlich Lane, 2 Baptist Street, Redfern, Pork bone soup at Yeodongsik, Lidcombe $23 This tiny Lidcombe restaurant has become something of an internet sensation for owner-operator Justin Shin's hearty Korean soup. There's six to choose from, but the haejangguk (pork bone) 'hangover soup', which may or may not have the power to cure a soju-induced headache, is something of a signature. 36/44 John Street, Lidcombe, Beef tortilla soup at Mami's, Bondi $14 There's something comforting about a big bowl of cheese-laden soup that looks like your mum made it, especially if you happen to be eating at the communal table at Mexican restaurant Mami's. The beef tortilla soup is made with pulled beef and cabbage, and topped with crispy tortilla bits, fresh onion, coriander and melty cheese. Good to know: You can BYO your favourite bottle of wine. 286 Bondi Road, Bondi, Beef pho at An Restaurant, Bankstown From $20 It's a classic for a reason. The Saigon-style beef pho at this family-owned Bankstown stalwart often tops best-of lists in Sydney, in large part due to the consistency of its slow-cooked, flavoursome, clear bone broth. Join the queue, order some variation of the pho bo, inhale. Good to know: An Restaurant accepts cash only.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
US tariffs, Myanmar crisis to dominate ASEAN discussions
KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing crisis in Myanmar and the global impact of United States (US) tariffs are set to take centre stage at the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM), which opens on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, as Southeast Asian nations navigate rising geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. Amid the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza conflict, escalating tensions in the South China Sea and a surge in global protectionism, ASEAN faces growing pressure to present a united front and safeguard regional autonomy in the face of intensifying rivalry between major powers. 'Myanmar remains the most pressing issue. Despite the Five-Point Consensus and efforts to present a united front, the crisis continues to challenge ASEAN cohesion,' said Dr Rowena Abdul Razak, a historical consultant and an Associate with IMAN Research. She said Thailand's political situation may also affect the regional dynamic, particularly in its relations with Myanmar. The recent suspension of its Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, could alter Bangkok's engagement with Naypyidaw. Developments along the Thailand-Cambodia border have also drawn attention, following a reported incident near the Chong Bok area in late May, she noted. Rowena said external challenges are also expected to feature prominently, particularly ASEAN's dealings with the US and China. While the bloc has so far maintained a degree of neutrality, evolving US policies continue to raise concerns. 'American policies, especially regarding tariffs and the Middle East, have been chaotic and unpredictable. ASEAN may need to explore a framework to guard the region against instability caused by such shifts. 'Even though Malaysia played down the threat's economic impact, the situation caused regional concern. The AMM may want to discuss measures that protect key trade routes and airspace from future disruptions,' added Rowena, who specialises in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The US's tightening immigration stance and ongoing trade friction are also expected to be addressed during ASEAN's Dialogue Partner meetings held alongside the AMM. ASEAN member states will be closely watching how the US approaches its engagement with the region amid signs of increasing unilateralism. The bloc is also expected to compare perspectives with Dialogue Partners on broader global concerns, particularly climate change. 'Climate change may emerge as a key issue, especially for the European Union (EU), which is likely struggling to find common ground with a less engaged US,' she added. On the nuclear front, ASEAN is also likely to draw attention for its consistent stance as a nuclear-weapon-free zone -- a position that some analysts say could serve as a model in wider non-proliferation diplomacy. Rowena said the region's experience in managing regional nuclear arrangements offers a constructive example at a time when global nuclear stability is under strain. 'ASEAN provides a credible model of how regional and intergovernmental nuclear negotiations can be managed. Major powers, including the US, should be open to learning from this approach,' she said. The 58th AMM and related meetings, a key annual event in the ASEAN calendar, will be hosted by Malaysia under its 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship theme, 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. The highly anticipated gathering will see one of the largest assemblies of foreign ministers and high-ranking diplomats from around the world to discuss pressing global and regional issues, foster cooperation and advance the agenda of security and sustainability in ASEAN. Over 40 foreign ministers and representatives from international organisations are scheduled to attend a series of ASEAN-led meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from July 8 to 11. All foreign ministers of ASEAN member states will be present, except for Myanmar, which will be represented by a senior official from its foreign ministry. The Foreign Minister from Timor-Leste will be participating as an observer. This is the fifth time Malaysia has held the ASEAN chairmanship throughout its history as a member of the regional bloc, having previously chaired it in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
Scroll.in
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
‘Tell the judge he has done no crime': The struggles of Hany Babu's family
On July 28, Delhi University professor 51-year-old Hany Babu will complete five years of incarceration. When the National Investigation Agency came for Babu in 2020, India was battling the Covid-19 virus, which is known to fester and multiply in densely packed spaces, such as prison cells. Babu was soon infected by the virus, but his suffering was not limited to it. He subsequently contracted a serious eye infection for which he was hospitalised after his condition was reported to have deteriorated alarmingly. At the time of his arrest, his daughter was 17 years old, and his mother – then in her late 70s – kept telling his wife, Jenny Rowena: 'Go and tell the judge that Babu is a nice person. Tell the lawyer this, that Babu is a good person and he has done no crime. Tell them to let him out, his mother is waiting.' But now, she has stopped saying this, Rowena, who is also a Delhi University professor, said in a phone call. 'It's been five years and she is not able to sleep,' Rowena added. 'She is now in her 80s, has a lot of health issues and she just waits for that one phone call every week.' 'She went numb' Babu was among 16 people – activists, lawyers and professors – who were arrested under strict anti-terror laws in connection with caste violence at Bhima Koregaon near Pune in January 2018. He was a member of a committee formed to defend GN Saibaba, a former Delhi University professor who had been sentenced to a life term for his alleged links to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The first batch of arrests in the Bhima Koregaon case took place in 2018. In the years that followed, others were arrested too. Since then, independent investigators have found clues that allegedly show that the authorities have used fabricated evidence to build a case against the accused. Human rights organisations have described the case as a witch-hunt against political dissidents. When Babu was arrested in 2020, their teenage daughter could not understand what had happened. She did not speak to anyone for the first three months after his arrest. 'She went numb,' Rowena said. The first time she visited her father in Taloja jail near Mumbai, they met in a small crowded shed. She suffered a sun stroke and contracted a fever. Now 22, she is about to finish a degree in journalism. Every month the mother and daughter rattle down in a train from Delhi to Mumbai to meet Hany Babu either at the court or at Taloja jail. Of the 16 people arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, eight have been released on bail so far. One person, an octogenarian Jesuit priest, died while still in judicial custody. Meetings with Babu I asked Rowena what she and Babu talk about when they meet. 'We usually just discuss what he is reading and what I am reading,' Rowena said. It has been that way with them since the beginning: 'That is how we became friends, also, and that's how our relationship began.' While Rowena feels happy when she is going to see Babu, the journey back from Mumbai is arduous. 'Going is very nice,' she said. 'But coming back is very bad. Most of the time I get a fever.' The constraints of their lives – Rowena's job and her daughter's education – mean that they cannot spend too much time travelling to and from Maharashtra. So they take the train the evening before their visit and return right after. 'I am somewhat struggling to manage everything,' Rowena said. 'What is the logic?' What Rowena too does not understand is why Babu still needs to be in jail. 'Babu now completes five years in jail', she said. 'What is the logic of keeping people as undertrials for so long? At the same time, the prisons are overcrowded, and there is no facility for anyone there.' According to the India Justice Report 2025, the national occupancy rate in prisons stands at 131%, with 76% of the prison population merely comprising people whose trials have not been completed – or are still waiting for proceedings to begin. In Maharashtra alone, the prison occupancy rate as of December 2022 was 161%. 'I think this is the punishment,' Rowena said. 'They know that if they hold a trial, there is no case.' Evidence questioned Hany Babu and the 15 others in this case were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which makes obtaining bail very difficult. However, independent experts have questioned the charges in this case and the credibility of the evidence cited to incarcerate the accused. In a 2023 book, Alpa Shah, a professor of social anthropology at Oxford, described how electronic devices and email accounts belonging to the accused may have been hacked in order to plant evidence. She named Babu as being among those whose email accounts had allegedly been hacked. She also presented information to allege links between this hacking operation and those investigating the Bhima Koregaon case. Babu's computer had been seized in a raid on his home in September 2019 but he was neither summoned nor arrested until July 2020. 'If I ask them to tell me in a sentence what is Babu's crime, what did he do, will they be able to tell me?' Rowena asked. Costs and consequences of imprisonment It takes several years before a UAPA case reaches its conclusion – and even then the conviction rate is very low. The government's own data shows that of the total of 8,719 cases registered under the UAPA between 2014 and 2022, only 215 cases resulted in conviction; 567 were acquitted. One of the accused in the case with Babu, Father Stan Swamy, died as an incarcerated undertrial in 2021, a day before his bail hearing. Swamy, 84, who had Parkinson's disease, died a prisoner without ever being found guilty. When Swamy passed away in Mumbai's Holy Family Hospital, he had already told the court that his body functions had undergone a steady regression in jail and all he wanted to do was to go home. But Indian jails are full of ailing prisoners. In 2024, the Bombay High Court reversed the conviction of former Delhi University professor Saibaba, wheelchair bound and 90% disabled, and five of his co-accused in another UAPA case. Babu had formed a committee to coordinate Saibaba's legal defence. Saibaba and the others had been convicted under UAPA by a sessions court in 2017 for allegedly having links with the banned Maoist party and sentenced to life imprisonment. But by the time the High Court acquitted them and ordered their release, one of Saibaba's co-accused, 33-year-old agricultural worker Pandu Narote, had been dead for 19 months already. He had reportedly contracted swine flu in jail. Saibaba too passed away from post-surgery complications within months of his release, after suffering in jail for a decade. He was 57. When asked about Babu's health, Rowena said that he is suffering from a series of ailments: frozen shoulders, knee pain, high blood pressure and cataract. Despite this, and the fact that nearly five years have lapsed since his arrest and the trial is yet to begin, the courts have not demonstrated any desire to grant Babu his freedom. On June 23, the Supreme Court refused to grant an urgent listing on Babu's plea seeking a clarification on whether he could approach the Bombay High Court for bail. The apex court questioned the urgency of his plea. It said that the High Court had on May 2 sought this clarification from the Supreme Court but Babu's counsel had not approached the Supreme Court before it shut for vacation on May 23. Babu's lawyer explained that the delay had occurred because certified copies of some documents were still being gathered. Nonetheless, the vacation bench of the Supreme Court asked him to come back when vacation ends in mid-July. But it is not just Babu's health that Rowena worries about. She recalled the ordeal of another person accused along with Babu, 38-year-old Mahesh Raut. In September 2023, the Bombay High Court had granted bail to Raut, noting that the material against him does not lead to a prima facie inference of him having committed a terrorist act as defined under the UAPA. However, the High Court stayed its own order for three weeks to allow the National Investigation Agency time to appeal their decision. The Supreme Court then went on to extend the stay. A year later, in September 2024, The Indian Express reported that the appeal had already come up for hearing 13 times in the Supreme Court. But the court has still not passed a verdict in the matter. Barring two brief spells, when Raut stepped out for his grandmother's last rites in 2024 and to prepare for his LLB exams earlier this year, Raut has languished behind bars. 'And Mahesh is very sick,' Rowena tells me. 'He has a lot of issues. His stomach is in a bad condition and he really can't eat anything.' Prisoner stories But it isn't just the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case whose plight Rowena laments. 'There are people in prison whose stories never come out,' she said. 'They are not released when they are sick. They die in prison for want of adequate treatment. Many can't pay their bail bonds so they are never released. There are a lot of Adivasis who don't even have anyone to come to visit them. Whenever you write about us, you should also write about these people.' Rowena is joined by her husband in her concern for other prisoners. Babu spends his time in jail teaching his fellow inmates English and helping many of them make sense of the legalese that defines the contours of their lives. In his free time, Rowena said, he likes to write, even though his barrack is crowded, the TV is usually blaring and there is no table for him to sit and study. And even though he may be slowly losing vision in one eye from cataract. In 2023, while in jail, Babu was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Ghent University in Belgium. He was nominated for the honour as an acknowledgment of his efforts to safeguard the importance of academic freedom, language rights and equal access to education for minorities. Meanwhile, Hany Babu's octogenarian mother continues to quietly wait for her son to return home. Said Rowena, 'She is literally getting tortured.'
