Arno Maierbrugger
Business journalist
Singapore to hike GST, tightens duty free allowances
Amid slowing global growth, ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and technological disruptions to industries and jobs, Singapore issued a budget for 2019 that will see new...
Thai economy grows better than expected, but election looms
Thailand's economy grew fastest in six years in 2018, with fourth-quarter beating expectations on higher domestic demand and record tourism arrivals. GDP rose 3.7...
Malaysia gets first robot hotel
Becoming increasingly popular in countries such as Japan, Singapore, China and Taiwan, the trend now comes to Southeast Asia: The first robot hotel will...
Laos a draw for investors, but obstacles remain
With growth rates of around seven per cent in recent years, Laos is one of the best performing in ASEAN. The country’s GDP rose...
North Korea could follow Vietnam’s “doi moi” example
As Vietnam’s capital Hanoi prepares to host the second US-North Korea summit later this month, experts say North Korea may be gearing up to...
Bangkok now second most expensive city to live in Southeast Asia
Thailand’s capital Bangkok has now become the second most expensive city to live in within ASEAN, only beaten by Singapore, according to a new...
Duterte revisits idea of Philippines’ name change
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has called for the island nation to be renamed to shed its colonial heritage from Spain. At a speech in...
Chinese keen on Thai property
Chinese buyers and investors continue pouring their money into Thailand's property sector even as the country moves towards an uncertain national election in March.
According...
Philippines could lose $1.5 billion in remittances from cash-strapped Gulf states
Around 80,000 to 100,000 jobs for Oversea Filipino Workers, or OFWs, among them 30,000 household service workers, could be lost due to the precarious...
Laos lays out economic growth path
The Laos government has unveiled a new national development vision, which it plans to facilitate from 2021 to 2025.
The plan entails the transformation of...
Malaysia’s ex-PM hit with more charges in 1MDB scandal – trial begins on Feb. 12
Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has been charged with three more counts of money laundering amounting to $11.6 million. He pleaded not guilty...
New Philippine Space Agency seen to capture $1.5-billion market
The planned Philippine Space Agency, or PhilSA, which has been announced last month by the country’s science and technology secretary, is expected to capture...
Second Trump-Kim meeting to be held in Vietnam on Feb 27-28
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will hold a much-anticipated second summit on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam, with...
Cambodia launches Khmer Rouge app
The department of Media and Communication (DMC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh has launched a mobile app and website – Mapping Memories...
Myanmar opens up for foreign insurance companies
Myanmar’s financial regulator will begin granting licenses to foreign-owned insurance companies, allowing them to operate in the market by April this year.
“We will soon...
Indonesia’s Batam hoping for $60 billion in investments
Indonesia wants to re-position Batam, an island archipelago just 30 kilometers south of Singapore, as an alternative manufacturing and shipping hub that would compete...
China proposes skytrain for Yangon
China has proposed to fund a $1.5-billion elevated railway project in Myanmar’s commercial capital, Yangon. China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd (CREEC) made...
Filipinos spend more than ten hours online per day – world record
The Philippines are topping the global country ranking of Internet usage per day with an average ten hours and 2 minutes of screen time....
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Singapore to hike GST, tightens duty free allowances
Amid slowing global growth, ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and technological disruptions to industries and jobs, Singapore issued a budget for 2019 that will see new...
Stories of the week
Malaysia gets first robot hotel
Becoming increasingly popular in countries such as Japan, Singapore, China and Taiwan, the trend now comes to Southeast Asia: The first robot hotel will...