Can Indonesia’s new capital solve its old woes?
23 August 2019
Zakir Naik: Hate preacher?
23 August 2019
Hot off the press
23 August 2019
Internet in Papua blocked over unrest fears
23 August 2019
Google says YouTube targeted Hong Kong protests
23 August 2019
Lynas or lies?
22 August 2019Geopolitics
Geopolitics
Can Indonesia’s new capital solve its old woes?
Indonesia’s decision to move its capital from Jakarta raises several key questions for Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Faced with notorious traffic jams, rapid sinking and a host of other problems, Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo last week officially announced plans to shift ASEAN’s…
Zakir Naik: Hate preacher?
Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country where a multitude of ethnicities and people of varying religious beliefs call home. While Malay Muslims make up a large majority of Malaysians, non-Muslims and non-Malays have been able to co-exist with their Malay Muslim counterparts with relative ease. This…
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.
KLIA disruption drags on; 68 flights delayed
The systems disruption at both terminals of the Kuala Lumpur…
Internet in Papua blocked over unrest fears
Indonesia has cut off internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racist online posts would spark more violent protests in the region, but critics slammed the move as a threat to free speech.
Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill…
Energy
Energy
Today’s waste is tomorrow’s energy
Global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050, more than double the population growth over the same period. According to a 2018 World Bank report, ‘What a Waste…
Solar power shines in Myanmar
Myanmar’s launch of its first commercial solar plant last month is a step in the right direction for a country that has yet to provide more than half of its citizens with proper…
Your air conditioner is a lethal weapon
Around the world, scorching heat waves are breaking records, with France reaching a sweltering 45.9 degrees Celsius and Australia hitting 49.5 degrees in 2019. According to data…
Markets
Market
Filipino women not moving up the ladder fast
Businesses in the Philippines are taking measures to improve or preserve the gender balance in leadership roles. According to a recent report, ‘Women in Business’ by Grant Thornton International Ltd…
The dark side of microfinancing in Cambodia
While a recent report by two civil society groups in Cambodia outlining predatory practices by local microfinance institutions (MFIs) may not paint the clearest picture of the sector, there is no…
Malaysia tells China to keep it coming!
Last week, the Malaysia-China Business Council (MCBC) hosted the Malaysia-China Belt and Road Economic Cooperation Forum 2019.
“With China’s advancements in digital economy and high-tech, and with…
Why Singapore turns to foreign talent
On 30 July, the Singaporean government announced that it would be starting a new programme to get more foreigners to work in Singapore. The programme removes any quota limitation for an Employment…
Weaponizing the yuan
China's move to devalue its currency could prove to be a double-edged sword in its escalating trade war with the United States (US), offsetting tariffs but potentially hurting Beijing's efforts to…
Technology
Technology
Google says YouTube targeted Hong Kong protests
Google on Thursday said it disabled a series of YouTube channels that appeared to be part of a coordinated influence campaign against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong…
Digital fraud on the rise in ASEAN
Financial institutions are reporting losses in the billions. According to a whitepaper published by Accenture titled ‘Unmask digital fraud today’ on digital fraud, the…
The future of mining
After Indonesia’s Petrosea embarked on the digital transformation of its Tabang coal mine in Kalimantan in June 2018, it soon became apparent that initiatives like real-…
Environment
Environment
Lynas or lies?
Depending on who you listen to, the 580,000 tonnes of radioactive waste at Lynas’ rare earth processing plant in the Malaysian state of Pahang is either going to cause harm to generations to come or is part of the Australian company’s policy of causing “zero harm”.
Currently the hottest environmental debate in Malaysian, the government’s decision last week to extend the company’s licence for another six months has turned up the heat on the issue as Lynas has yet to remove waste containing low…
Can Facebook save the media industry?
Facebook's plan to hire professional journalists instead of relying solely on algorithms to deliver news is a positive step but is unlikely to shake up an embattled media industry, analysts say.
The social media giant said Tuesday it would build a small team of journalists to select the top national news of the day "to ensure we're highlighting the right stories."
It comes as the US media landscape is plagued by job losses and newspaper closures, with organizations trying to figure out how to…
Indonesian village welcomes foreign trash
His weathered face breaks out in a big grin as Keman explains how sifting through rubbish paid for his children's education, one of many in his Indonesian hometown basking in a waste-picking boom.
Governments around the world are grappling with how to tackle the scourge of single-use plastic, but for the people of Bangun, trash equals cash.
Around two-thirds of the town's residents eke out a living sorting and selling discarded plastic bottles, wrappers and cups back to local companies, and…
More than 2,300 tigers killed and trafficked this century
More than 2,300 endangered tigers have been killed and illegally trafficked since the turn of the century, according to a report published Tuesday, urging more action to protect the giant cats.
With an average of more than 120 illegally trafficked tigers seized each year - which amounts to over two each week - since year 2000, conservation group Traffic warned there was little sign of respite for the species.
Report author Kanitha Krishnasamy, who heads Traffic's Southeast Asia operations…
Opinion
Opinion
Events
Home Event
Corporate Innovation Summit 2019
Event Location
Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
440 views
Reimagining Southeast Asia 2018
Event Date
11/29/2018
700 views
Gandhi Memorial ASEAN Debate Competition 2018
Event Date
10/01/2018
Event Location
Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur
952 views
World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018
Event Date
09/11/2018
Event Location
Hanoi, Vietnam
1561 views
