Human rights are fundamental to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, or religion. However, due to the diverse cultures and varying political structures in Southeast Asia, tackling human rights issues remains a major hurdle for the region.

Except for a few bright spots, press freedom in ASEAN continues to be a foreign concept.Self-censorship, restrictions on media access and outdated and oppressive laws are among the reasons Southeast Asia continues to lag behind their global counterparts in the World Press Freedom Index – with half the countries in the region falling one spot in the 180-country index.This year’s edition of the annual index compiled by France’s Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and published on Thursday shows tha

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.

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.

Yesterday, the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the fifth edition of their Energy Transition Index (ETI), ranking 115 economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability.

Ever since Grab bought over Uber’s Southeast Asia-based business last March, social media has been abuzz with complaints against the ride-hailing giant. Complaints about Grab are mostly related to sudden hikes in fare prices after a deal which saw US-based Uber Technologies sell its Southeast Asia business for a 27.5 percent stake in Grab.

ASEAN’s vision of a haze-free region by 2020 looks increasingly cloudy by the day.A decades-long problem for the region, ASEAN defines haze as smoke resulting from land and/or forest fires which harm health, living resources, ecosystems and material property and impairs or interferes with amenities and other legitimate uses of the environment.The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) was signed in 2002 to tackle haze in the region, and three years ago in 2016, ASEAN member n

The traffic situation in Southeast Asia is famous for all the wrong reasons.

When talking about gambling in Asia, the first place that usually springs to mind is Macau – also dubbed the Monte Carlo of the Orient – and it is with good reason. Often regarded as the gambling capital of the world, taxes from its casinos make up over 80 percent of the government’s revenue.

Education technology (edtech) is fast growing in Southeast Asia thanks to its learner-centric platform which breaks down geographical barriers such as access to infrastructure like schools and even transport.Digital tools such as apps, eBooks, websites, quizzes, streaming media, online tutorials, videos and other materials are helping to pave new roads in education in Southeast Asia by providing quality content and lessons in places that were once inaccessible. While companies such a