Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will begin coordinated air patrols off the strife-torn southern Philippines next month to combat the growing threat posed by Islamist militants, an official said Friday.The neighbours had already launched joint sea patrols four months ago in the same area, the Sulu Sea.Fears have been growing that the IS (Islamic State) group is trying to establish a Southeast Asian outpost in the southern Philippines after gunmen waving the jihadists' black flag o

A system that connected stock markets in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand has closed down, five years after its high-profile debut.The Asean Trading Link started with Bursa Malaysia and Singapore Exchange, with The Stock Exchange of Thailand also joining. It was heralded at its launch as breaking the barriers to cross-border trade and offering a single entry-point to three of Southeast Asia’s biggest stock markets, with thousands of listed companies.

Stagnant spending and soft wage growth in Japan are forcing two of Asia’s biggest retailers – Fast Retailing and Seven & i Holdings – to court overseas consumers to drive long-term growth.Fast Retailing, operator of the Uniqlo chain, and convenience-store giant Seven & i will report earnings results Thursday amid a Japanese economy that’s still posing challenges even as it expands.

Mau Dizon, a marketing officer in one of the largest Philippine banks, is among millions of Filipino taxpayers who stand to benefit from President Rodrigo Duterte’s tax reform plan that aims to return to consumers 860 billion pesos (17 billion dollars) over five years.Dizon will pay lower taxes under the proposed reform and is likely to spend most of the savings on staples, which account for about a third of her family’s monthly budget.

Sitting last month in the Phnom Penh villa that houses Cambodia’s main opposition party, Mu Sochua searched for a way to fight back against one of the world’s longest-serving leaders.Her boss in the Cambodia National Rescue Party, whose face adorns a banner hanging in front of the building, was in jail over accusations that he plotted with the US to seize power. Independent media outlets closed down due to government pressure.

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region is a cluster of nations renowned for its rapidly growing economy which has placed it as the seventh largest economy worldwide. Despite the progression of these Southeast Asian nations, there are still a few issues that need to be addressed, one of which is mental health and the lack of awareness about mental illnesses.

As Amazon.com pushes into Southeast Asia with a new venture into Singapore, the online retailer is facing some tough hurdles. Shopping in air-conditioned malls is practically a national sport, and e-commerce rivals moved in long ago.Delivery delays also marred Amazon’s debut in July, when on-the-ground operations began with Prime Now two-hour deliveries.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that "only one thing will work" with North Korea as he acknowledged the fact that diplomatic efforts in the past have consistently failed.

Vertex Ventures, the venture capital arm of Temasek Holdings, has completed its biggest fundraising for Southeast Asian and Indian technology deals.The Singapore-based firm closed its third Southeast Asian fund at 210 million dollars, a record in the region that exceeded its target of 150 million dollars. The money will be used for early stage investments, aiming to repeat its success with Grab.

Big-name investors including Expedia and Alibaba are pumping billions of dollars into Indonesian tech start-ups in a bid to capitalise on the country’s burgeoning digital economy and potential as Southeast Asia’s largest online market.Indonesia has seen a surge of cash into its technology sector over the past two years, helping support dozens of homegrown start-ups ranging from ride hailing apps to e-commerce firms.And with a population of more than 250 million, a swelling middle class and gr