The uniqueness of Google’s new cloud machine learning software, Cloud AutoML, is that it is a foundational software for the democratisation of artificial intelligence for worldwide use. With AI being the next frontier of future economic development, it is even more imperative that such expertise becomes accessible to everyone on an equal level.“Currently, only a handful of businesses in the world have access to the talent and budgets needed to fully appreciate the advancements of ML and AI.

Singapore sustained a comeback in home sales in December, boosting an annual tally that was already the highest since 2013.Developers sold 431 units, up from 367 a year earlier, according to Urban Redevelopment Authority data released Monday. For the year, home sales reached about 10,682 units.Rising prices and climbing sales are reinforcing signs that the city-state’s residential market is emerging from a four-year slump even as officials watch cautiously after previous overheating.

ASEAN this week This week The ASEAN Post covered a wide range of stories ranging from geopolitics to the energy sector.

The recent joint venture between Baidu and Asia Mobility Industries (AMI) to develop autonomous driving technology in Singapore brings it one step closer to becoming the smart nation it hopes to be.

Singapore which prides itself as one of the "cleanest" countries in the world is now listed at number seven on the top 10 biggest penalties paid list after being prosecuted under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).The last biggest case seen in Singapore was the Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine scandal, where seven senior executives were towed to court and given six-figure fines and jail sentences for making petty-cash claims on fake entertainment expenses, but was instead

 The notorious state of traffic in Southeast Asia has forced its people and even governments to look increasingly to tech for solutions. Tech companies seeing the opportunity have also been quick to adapt their products to address this need too. Recently, popular community-based traffic app Waze, for one, adopted the Thai language to help Bangkok's population tackle its traffic woes. Waze, along with Google Maps are two platforms that have a good reach across Southeast Asia.

Singaporean authorities have arrested 17 men for allegedly stealing fuel from a major Shell refinery, and have also seized an oil tanker and millions of dollars in cash, police said.The suspects, aged between 30 and 63, were detained in raids across Singapore on Sunday after the Anglo-Dutch energy giant lodged a police report in August.

Thousands of tourists have floated in a hot-air balloon over Myanmar’s historic Bagan plains dotted with more than 2,200 ancient Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries. Chances are they rode one of Memories Group Ltd.’s inflatables.The company, the largest operator of balloons in the area, will start trading under the MEGL ticker on the Singapore stock exchange on Friday.

The Royal Thai customs have seized 12.5 kilograms of rhino horn from South Africa in December, leading to the arrest of a key figure in Southeast Asia’s illicit wildlife trade.With the help of Elephant Action League (EAL), a non-profit organization based in US that investigates wildlife crime, Royal Thai authorities managed to arrest wildlife traffickers from the Bach Family Syndicate in Thailand.Through the seizure last month, Royal Thai Customs arrested a Chinese mule and a Thai national.

The Indonesian government is confident it can halve the number of forest fires in the country by 2019 after unveiling an ambitious plan recently.