Food is synonymous with Southeast Asia. From the mouth-watering delicacies in the streets of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines – just to name a few – to the Michelin starred restaurants that serve fine dining quality cuisine with a dash of authentic local flavours. However, food as we know it is not inalienable to advents brought about by technology.

When the organisers of the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) were looking for a venue for their 2017 event, they weren’t quite sure if Lao PDR’s UNESCO World Heritage town Luang Prabang would be able to handle the magnitude of the event. The ancient town located at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers in northern Lao PDR is considered by many as the heart of Laotian culture.

Vietnam’s strong economic growth in recent years has led to the flourishing of the nation’s digital economy. The country’s economy in 2017 was deemed to be one of the best performing in the region.

An index published recently by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed that rents for Singapore’s central area had risen by three percent in the three months leading up to 30 September, the biggest jump since 2014. Data from the URA showed that demand had continued to grow faster than supply for the fourth consecutive quarter, resulting in a fifth straight quarter of rental growth.

Earlier this week, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's running mate Ma'ruf Amin - who is also the chief of the country's top Islamic clerical body, the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) - revealed plans to make halal (permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law) certification mandatory by next year.

Indonesia’s location on the Pacific ring of fire, where the Indian-Australian, Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates meet, makes it a hotspot for earthquakes. Its disaster-prone situation is further compounded by its location in Southeast Asia, one of the most vulnerable regions to climate-related extreme events. After a season of loss, the Indonesian government is now looking at a new integrated disaster risk financing and insurance strategy to help the country finance its recovery.

Despite launching the Thailand 4.0 initiative two years ago, Thailand is on track to lose as many as three million jobs over the next 20 years if it fails to adapt to new disruptive technologies, according to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).Thailand 4.0 is a new economic model launched by the Thai government which aims to transform the country into a high-income nation.

In the first quarter of 2018, Southeast Asia saw a 9.4 percent increase in tourist arrivals, which is the largest number recorded amongst all regions. This figure exceeds the already robust six percent average growth for global tourism during the same period. Within the Southeast Asian region, Thailand recorded the highest arrival of foreign tourists in 2017 at 35 million.

Last year, when speaking about the drop in his country’s tourism sector, an unnamed government official suggested that Lao PDR should attempt to put more effort into attracting tourists from Muslim countries in the region. He said that by providing prayer rooms in public places along with promoting halal (permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law) restaurants, the country would be more welcoming to Muslim visitors.

Depending on whom you ask, ratings agencies are either would-be guardians of financial probity or an indispensable valuation tool for investors.Their reputation was badly tarnished by the 2008 financial crisis when critics said they failed to notice the warning signs in over-extended banks.But since then, they have tightened up, promising new rigour in their analysis of government and corporate finances to ensure investors make the best-informed decisions possible.Their actions - like S&a