The harnessing of renewable energy is seen as an integral component within the development plans of countries across the globe. Increasing carbon footprints, agricultural pollution, deforestation, as well as the release of excessive chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the atmosphere are among the issues that have necessitated a collective effort to protect the environment from further degradation and destruction. Such an initiative is the International Sustainable Energy Summit (ISES) 2018.

Earlier this month, the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) in India was tasked by the Indian government to build a technology data bank. This project will be overlooked by India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and will be a part of the ASEAN-India Innovation Platform. The proposed data bank will link existing data banks of available technologies in the ASEAN region.

In the 21st century, data is a perennial need for the sustenance of our digital industries. The internet would not have become what it is today if not for data. Hence, for our continued development in the field of technology, the need for data will never diminish. Moreover, as the world becomes more global and henceforth, borderless, data will have to be mobile, able to travel across the tangible boundaries of nation states.

Norway, Germany, France and the United Kingdom (UK) have already announced an end date for the sale of gasoline and diesel cars. Norway has set its deadline as 2025 earliest, Germany and India in 2030 while France and the UK are planning to end the sale of gasoline and diesel cars in 2040. Meanwhile, other countries are also mulling doing the same thing.

The economies of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states are greatly influenced by global financial and geopolitical conditions.

Imagine a skyline of futuristic high-rise buildings with 21st century robots assisting us in the workplace. On the roads, sleek two door sports cars cruise past without much audible noise. At the very most you hear just a soft whir of the electric motors that power the 700-brake horsepower beasts beneath their hoods. Electric cars have always been associated with the future but the future has arrived.

Poring over books in order to ace an important exam and land a place at a reputable university was once considered the only avenue to a high paying job and subsequently a comfortable life. Video games were mere distractions to that goal. However, the days of getting chastised for prioritising video games over one’s books is over. Video games can and has turned many people into millionaires and even multi-millionaires.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd recently announced that they will invest an additional US$2 billion into the Lazada Group. It is believed that this move by Alibaba is to counter Amazon’s plans of expanding its market to this region which has over 600 million potential customers. The American e-commerce giant officially launched a membership programme named Prime in Singapore in December, 2017.

The South China Sea dispute has for the longest time been a thorn in the flesh of relations between claimant Southeast Asian states and China – and for good reason. It is one of the key arteries of global trade, carrying an estimated one third of global shipping amounting to trillions of dollars. It is also rich in hydrocarbon resources.

With the aviation industry’s strong growth and the shortening of travel times to almost any point on the globe, the world has become a much smaller place. Journeys which just a generation ago would have taken weeks can now be achieved in a day or even less. As for passengers, commercial flight has provided much more than just time-savings.