China targets one of Asia's biggest meth cartels
17 November 2019
Indonesians quitting 'rice addiction'
17 November 2019
Should ASEAN join the Blue Dot Network?
16 November 2019
Creating quality urban life in ASEAN
16 November 2019
North Korea calls Biden a 'rabid dog'
16 November 2019
E-cigarettes: Five things to know
16 November 2019Geopolitics
Geopolitics
Should ASEAN join the Blue Dot Network?
The unveiling of the United States’ (US) Blue Dot Network raises several questions about the country’s commitment to ASEAN after signs of fading interest in the region.
Seen as a counterbalance to China’s extensive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Blue Dot Network aims to promote sustainable…
North Korea calls Biden a 'rabid dog'
North Korea has launched a visceral diatribe against United States (US) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, calling the former vice-president a "rabid dog" – while also borrowing the terminology of Donald Trump.
Pyongyang is renowned for its vitriol, but the verbal deluge was unusually…
Hot off the press
These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Pakatan leads Barisan in poll
A survey by Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) said Pakatan Harapan (PH) was leading the…
MH17 calls show Ukraine rebel ties to Russia
International investigators looking into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine released intercepted phone calls on Thursday showing close links between "high-ranking" Russian officials and rebel suspects facing trial over the crash.
The probe said the recordings raised questions about the…
Energy
Energy
Vietnam leading ASEAN’s solar PV market
With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expecting Vietnam’s economy to grow by 6.5 percent in 2019 and 2020, it is only natural that one of the region’s fastest growing…
Does Lao’s Xayaburi dam benefit its people?
The newly-built Xayaburi dam has raised some key concerns about Lao PDR’s hydropower strategy.
While hydropower is one of the country’s main exports, Lao PDR still has to import…
Duterte’s push for ‘clean coal’
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has come under fire for referring to a newly-opened coal-fired power plant as “clean”, raising concerns about the country’s focus on renewable…
Markets
Market
Can technology help an aging Thailand?
Several ASEAN countries are facing the problem of an aging society. This is the reality for countries like Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The worry is that as citizens age, and…
Alibaba confirms US$13 billion Hong Kong listing
Chinese technology giant Alibaba on Friday confirmed plans to list in Hong Kong in what it called a US$13 billion vote of confidence in the turbulent city's markets and a step forward in its plans to…
ASEAN investors pushing for sustainability
Sustainable investing is going mainstream in ASEAN with more than half of the private equity deals in the region now backing business models that contribute to environmental and social progress.…
ASEAN gets ready for Singles’ Day shopping event
The annual 11.11 Singles’ Day Sale has become an event for both shoppers and e-commerce merchants across Southeast Asia, recording online sales that exceed all expectations.
Singles’ Day came to be…
Are Thailand’s investments abroad sustainable?
Although Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced Thailand’s commitment to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2017, outbound investment remains a largely…
Technology
Technology
Singapore targets e-scooters after accidents
Tiny Singapore had embraced electric scooters in a big way, but deaths and fires linked to the two-wheelers have prompted authorities to introduce tough rules that could…
Do e-scooters have a future in ASEAN?
ASEAN cities are notorious for their traffic. A 2019 report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), found that cities in the Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar are among the…
ASEAN start-ups are tackling food waste
There are approximately 124 million people around the world who suffer from acute hunger. According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2018 report, without intervention,…
Environment
Environment
China targets one of Asia's biggest meth cartels
Chinese drug police are working with Mekong countries to strike at the heart of a mega-rich meth syndicate, a senior Beijing drugs tsar said, as the region targets top-level drug traffickers instead of street dealers.
The porous lawless border areas of Myanmar, Thailand and Lao have for decades been a hub for heroin production, but the so-called "Golden Triangle" drug trade is now pumping unprecedented quantities of synthetic drugs into the global markets – fuelling a US$61 billion drug trade…
Indonesians quitting 'rice addiction'
Indonesian Mirnawati once ate rice with every meal, but its link to diabetes convinced her to join a growing movement to quit a staple food in
As World Diabetes Day was held last Thursday, the Southeast Asian nation is struggling to tackle a disease that affects as many as 20 million of its 260 million people, and has emerged as one of its deadliest killers behind stroke and heart disease.
But kicking the rice habit isn't easy, with Indonesia's favourite dish nasi goreng (mixed fried rice)…
Creating quality urban life in ASEAN
Southeast Asia’s population will reach 740 million by 2035, according to the United Nations Population Division (UNDP). The region’s urban population will also increase from 280 million people to 373 million people, by 2030.
Fast-paced developments make cities increasingly unfriendly to people, with buildings and networks of roads dividing public spaces, putting pressure on communities.
Across the region, towns and suburbs are following in the footsteps of developing cities, growing rapidly…
E-cigarettes: Five things to know
E-cigarettes have become hugely popular in the past decade but a rash of vaping-linked deaths and illnesses is feeding caution about a product, already banned in some places.
On Thursday an 18-year-old man died in Belgium in a vaping-linked death, the first such case in the country.
Here are five things to know about electronic cigarettes.
Around for two decades
Early designs for an electronic cigarette were drawn up in the United States (US) in the 1960s but Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik is…
Opinion
Opinion
Events
Home Event
Placemaker Week ASEAN
Event Date
11/01/2019
Event Location
Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru
143 views
Corporate Innovation Summit 2019
Event Location
Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
609 views
Reimagining Southeast Asia 2018
Event Date
11/29/2018
857 views
Gandhi Memorial ASEAN Debate Competition 2018
Event Date
10/01/2018
Event Location
Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur
1140 views
