Lately there has been some good news on advancing the social dimension of ASEAN, and Brunei, the current chair of the bloc, deserves praise for this. The joint statement that the 25th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC) released at the end of its meeting on 31 March contains some interesting and encouraging outcomes that focus on youth empowerment and a stronger sense of regional belonging. Among the decisions, of which the details have yet to be shared, are the pr

Facebook and Google are planning two new undersea internet cables to connect Southeast Asia to North America.The project with regional telecoms companies aims to supply faster internet speeds to Singapore and Indonesia.This comes after Facebook withdrew three projects to connect the United States (US) to Hong Kong with similar cables, following government concerns over spying.The cables require regulatory approval from the national governments involved.“Named Echo and Bifrost, those

Just a few days ago, ASEAN member state Malaysia made headlines when the country’s coastguard made its largest ever seizure of methamphetamine.

There have been historic gains overall for children around the world in the past few years as “more and more are living longer, better and healthier lives,” said Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) last year.A UNICEF 2019 report in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) cited some of the progress in child rights over the last three decades such as the decrease in the under-five mortality rate

Geostrategic tensions, global mistrust and the dark side of the digital world are significant threats that could fracture the world, according to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General during the UN General Assembly in September 2020.

Every year, the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Executive Opinion Survey polls business leaders from around the world on their perceptions of top global risks.

Washington's top diplomat urged Southeast Asia on Thursday to cut ties with Chinese companies helping build islands in the South China Sea, weeks after the United States (US) blacklisted two dozen firms working in the disputed waters.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's comments came at a regional Asian summit overshadowed by the US-China rivalry over a range of issues, from trade to the coronavirus.Tensions are also simmering over the South China Sea, with the US last month sanctioning

After decades of impressive growth, for the first time, Southeast Asia is experiencing a drop in measured human development. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will likely take months to reveal itself and years to put right. Yet, a legacy of mobilising under constraints is leading Southeast Asia’s pandemic response.During the first two months of COVID-19 lockdown, the once bustling streets of Bangkok were unusually quiet.

The number of digital consumers in Southeast Asia is growing exponentially and in a much quicker pace than expected. Just last year, Bain & Company, a global consulting firm predicted that the number of digital consumers in the region will reach 310 million by 2025.

Global demand for personal luxury goods has been steadily increasing for decades, resulting in an industry worth US$308 billion in 2019. However, the coronavirus crisis has hurt major industries and even negatively affected livelihoods and the economy in general. Fast-fashion brands have even closed down their retail stores, one by one.