Prabowo leads in unofficial presidential vote count

Indonesia’s presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto gestures after he cast his ballot to vote in the country’s presidential and legislative elections at a polling station in Bogor on February 14, 2024. Indonesians began voting for a new president on February 14 with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto the frontrunner to lead Southeast Asia’s biggest economy despite concerns … Read more

Indonesians are electing Jokowi’s successor

Presidential candidate and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, vice presidential candidate Muhaimin Iskandar, presidential candidate and Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, presidential candidate and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD (from left to right) react on the stage during the last presidential election … Read more

Gen Zers lead the way in Singapore’s online shopping space

Logos of online social media and social networking sites displayed on a smartphone screen on August 01, 2023 in Bath, England. Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images SINGAPORE — As more businesses turn to social media to sell their merchandise, online shoppers in Singapore are exploring new buying experiences — and Gen … Read more

Climate change has displaced millions in Pakistan, China and India

A girl sits on a cot as she crosses a flooded street in Pakistan on October 4, 2022. A record 32.6 million internal displacements were associated with disasters in 2022 — more than the 28.3 million with conflict and violence, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Fida Hussain | Afp | Getty Images As … Read more

Economy, Gaza war and China ties dominate

Presidential candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo, along with their vice presidential candidates, are posing for photos after the first presidential candidate debate at the General Election Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 12, 2023. Indonesia is preparing to hold general elections for president and vice president for the 2024-2029 period … Read more

A new luxury hotel with rooms made from buses opens in Singapore

The resort hotel has 20 rooms which will be open for stays from Dec. 1, 2023. Source: The Bus Collective It only costs a dollar to ride a Singapore bus — but 398 Singapore dollars to sleep in one. The Bus Collective is Southeast Asia’s first resort hotel to repurpose decommissioned public buses into luxury … Read more

Laos is spiraling toward a debt crisis as China looms large

A pedestrians at a bus station in Vientiane, Laos, on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Valeria Mongelli | Bloomberg | Getty Images An alarming debt crisis has unfolded in Laos in recent years, raising worries about the tiny nation’s obligation to its biggest creditor — China. China became the largest foreign investor in Laos in late … Read more

Indonesia could be the ‘gateway’ to EV investments in ASEAN

Korean automobile manufacturer Kia displays the electric vehicle “EV6 GT-Line” during the 30th Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang on August 10, 2023. Yasuyoshi Chiba | Afp | Getty Images Indonesia’s EV-friendly policies have lured global investors to the country, but experts say they could also boost investments in Southeast Asia’s automotive industry more … Read more

ASEAN strikes nearer to financial unity with new regional funds system

Indonesian President Joko Widodo makes a speech throughout the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Overseas Minister’s Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 14, 2023. Murat Gok | Anadolu Company | Getty Photos A brand new regional cross-border fee system not too long ago applied by Southeast Asian nations might deepen monetary integration amongst members, … Read more