Southeast Asia has shown an improvement in the number of women in leadership roles. The Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore are leading in having the most women holding senior management positions, based on a 2019 report by Grant Thornton, ‘Women in Business’.

In a recent report, it was found that 22 million people in Indonesia suffered from chronic hunger between the years 2016 and 2018. The report also acknowledged that there was strong growth in Indonesia’s agricultural sector and the country’s overall economy over the past several decades. Despite significant strides in the sector, however, many people across the country are still engaged in traditional agriculture as they are trapped in low-paid activities.

There is a growing interest in organic produce in Southeast Asia.

An Indonesian palm oil executive has been arrested for allegedly ordering the killing of two activist journalists who were mediating a land dispute between his company and local residents, police said Saturday.Maraden Sianipar’s body was found last week in a ditch near a palm plantation in Labuhan Batu in North Sumatra province.Police found the remains of his colleague, Maratua Siregar, in the same area a day later.

An Iranian beauty queen sought by Tehran on criminal charges has been granted political asylum in the Philippines, an official said Friday, ending a three-week standoff at Manila airport.Bahareh Zare Bahari, based in the Philippines since 2014, was denied entry into the Southeast Asian nation on 17 October when she returned from Dubai, with Philippine authorities citing an Iranian warrant for her arrest.Claiming Tehran wanted to punish her for opposition to Iran's theocratic regime, Baha

Be it the neighbourhood wet market that sells fresh food and produce, street festivals that deliver a dose of art or music, or parks which provide fresh air and a chance to reconnect with nature – public spaces are the cornerstones of thriving communities.But mass urban migration and rapid development are putting untold stresses on ASEAN’s cities, placing even greater emphasis on the way public spaces are designed and utilised.Almost half of the region’s total population now

A party-list group in the Philippines is pushing forward a bill that will grant 50 percent discounts from funeral services to poor families, as well as grant free funeral services for families in the country considered to be extremely poor.

In Southeast Asia, efforts have been made to tap women’s potential by improving the business and financing environment. There are also a growing number of women rising through the ranks, starting companies and deciding on industry policy.Despite these achievements, women, especially mothers, still experience discrimination at work. According to a 2016 survey by Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) in Malaysia, more than 40 percent of women in the workforce experienced pregnancy discrimination.

Indonesia has come in worst in ASEAN for women representation in management and didn’t do very well as far as women in board positions goes either. This was according to a survey which included five of the bloc’s members (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines). Recently, the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) released results of its third CS Gender 3000 report.

Illegal hunting poses a greater threat to ASEAN’s wildlife than earlier thought according to a study published in the Communications Biology journal last week.