Economy

Singapore has established a new coastal and flood protection fund to help protect the country against rising sea levels.
Opinion

We cannot stop climate change, but we can be better prepared

Data and digital technology can help deliver more resilient infrastructure

29 September 2020
Cranes are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

Emerging Asia set for 1st recession in six decades, says ADB

Nobel laureate Stiglitz signals the end of region's labor intensive growth model

15 September 2020
Major contactors based in the central Philippines island of Cebu laid off around 4,000 garment workers in early September.
Business trends

Philippine garment makers expect 21,000 layoffs as US orders fall

Workers union appeals to sports apparel giants to help avert further job cuts

8 September 2020
A baby receives free polio vaccine in Quezon City, Metro Manila, in October 2019: millions of children need lifesaving drops.
Opinion

Polio stalks the Philippines. Again.

COVID-19 lockdowns hampering polio vaccination effort

8 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacanang on Aug. 31. (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office)
US-China tensions

Philippines pushes deals with Chinese company blacklisted by US

Manila says it is 'not a vassal state' and needs Chinese money for infrastructure

1 September 2020
A medical personnel uses a bag-mask valve at an isolation facility in Metro Manila on May 1: few problems are insurmountable when collaborative science rise to the occasion.
Opinion

Reimagining Asia's response to COVID-19

Purpose-driven leadership, digital transformation and collective effort are critical

19 August 2020
A boy wears a face shield while watching an online learning class from a smartphone in his home in Manila on Monday.
Coronavirus

Duterte eases Manila lockdown in bid to boost tanking economy

Government will expand testing and contact tracing of symptomatic patients

18 August 2020
Duterte has stubbornly refused to give up on his failed strategy.
Opinion

Why Duterte must own up to the Philippines' COVID-19 disaster

Despite good intentions, corruption scandals have made the country a basket case

14 August 2020
Jeepney drivers who lost livelihoods amid the coronavirus outbreak look for financial help along a Metro Manila roadside on July 30.
Economy

Philippines plunges into recession as economy shrinks 16.5% in Q2

Latest lockdown dampens hopes for strong near-term recovery

6 August 2020
Rodrigo Duterte, right, speaks beside Senator Christopher "Bong" Go on Mar. 12: the Philippine President repeatedly praised his likely heir apparent.
Opinion

Duterte's populist rants risk further harm to ailing economy

Philippine president had more to say about anointed successor than economic recovery

30 July 2020
Some 10 million Filipinos, or a tenth of the population, work in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Economy

Remittances track 25% lower in blow to emerging economies

Philippines among nations hit hard by virus-related job losses abroad

20 July 2020
For years, the growth of wealthy countries has relied on a supply of willing labor. The pandemic has called that into question.
The Big Story

Crucial yet forgotten: the Filipino workers stranded by coronavirus

What happens when the world's largest migrant workforce disappears?

15 July 2020
A pandemic-induced economic downturn threatens to become a bigger issue for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte than his campaign against crime and drugs. © Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters
Asia Insight

Duterte's strongman popularity at risk from COVID-19 recession

Succession plans threatened as president muzzles dissent amid pandemic

14 July 2020
The nuclear reactor inside the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in Morong town, Philippines, pictured in September 2016: public acceptance is the biggest challenge.
Opinion

Indonesia and Philippines are smart to make nuclear power plans

Fossil fuels are terrible for environment and renewables are not always available

12 July 2020
Since Chinese tourists contribute about A$12 billion to Australia's  economy each year, Beijing wants Canberra to pay a price for biting the hand that feeds it.
Opinion

China's economic bullying will never work

Beijing has threatened Australia, Japan and others with tariffs and tourism cuts

8 July 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has hit Asian economies hard. Conditions in the ASEAN5 countries and India are still deteriorating, with trade and movement of people restricted in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. 
Economy

ASEAN and India sink into deep minus growth: JCER survey

Acceleration of digitization expected due to COVID-19 pandemic

7 July 2020
Reporting on Wirecard shows that a whistleblower raised serious issues on the handling of transactions to senior management.
Opinion

Why does the Philippines attract financial fraud?

Wirecard is only latest example of Manila being caught up in corporate misdeeds

6 July 2020
A textile worker lies down outside a factory after it was shut due to the lockdown in Bhiwandi, India, on Apr. 1: the worst is yet to come as a severe export slump lies ahead.
Opinion

Asia has an unemployment crisis waiting to happen

Export collapse will expose how tenuous many workers' jobs are

1 July 2020
The central bank of the Philippines unexpectedly further lowered its policy rate cut key rate on Thursday.
Economy

Philippine central bank cuts key interest rate to record low

Surprise move lowers benchmark to 2.25% to combat coronavirus slowdown

25 June 2020
Maria Ressa waves to the media before attending a court hearing on June 15: the threat to free reporting hangs heavy not only on Rappler but all of the Philippines' journalists.
Opinion

Maria Ressa's conviction shows Philippine rule of law is broken

Duterte is tightening his grip on media like Rappler during coronavirus pandemic

16 June 2020
Workers at a dhaba during lockdown in Chandigarh, pictured on May 15: brisk streetside commerce has all but disappeared.
Opinion

Workers in Asia's informal economy need protecting now

Coronavirus shock should compel governments to bring them into formal sector

15 June 2020
A child and her mother rest inside a shelter for people who are unable to feed themselves in Manila on April 1: developing Asia must bail out households.
Opinion

Asia needs rapid action to prevent millions falling into poverty

Coronavirus shock exposes how unstable economic growth has been

15 June 2020
Rescue personnel help move flood victims to safer areas in the southern Indian state of Kerala in August 2019.
Opinion

Central banks must connect climate change and financial inclusion

Extreme weather can wash away people's livelihoods

5 June 2020
A worker packs polio vaccine vials in Bio Farma's factory: the company is the largest vaccine manufacturer in Southeast Asia.
Opinion

Southeast Asia is on the coronavirus vaccine hunt

Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have successful pharmaceutical sectors

1 June 2020
Massage parlors in Thailand can now provide up to two hours of service at a time. Workers at a salon on Surawong Road, Bangkok wear face shields. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Thailand reopens massage parlors as Singapore ends 'circuit breaker'

Southeast Asia relaxes restrictions, cautious about second coronavirus wave

1 June 2020