Politics: News & Insights

Police stand guard to prevent people from gathering during a demonstration in Hong Kong on Sept. 6, 2020. Last year, Beijing imposed a national security law on the city to quell protests.

Economy

Heritage Foundation drops Hong Kong from 'economic freedom' index

US think tank cites Beijing's control over city's policies, as Singapore tops list

4 March 2021

Proceeds from Singapore's planned bonds will go toward new rail lines like this one as well as tidal walls to protect against rising sea levels.

Economy

Singapore to fund infrastructure with debt as COVID swells deficit

GST hike 'sooner than later' in 2022-25, deputy PM says in budget speech

16 February 2021

Temasek Holdings announced that Chief Executive Ho Ching (right) will retire and Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegaraon (left) will take over the post. (Source photos by Reuters)

Finance

Ho Ching to retire as CEO of Singapore investment giant Temasek

Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara promoted internally to top role

9 February 2021

The World Economic Forum held a full week of online meetings in place of its usual January summit in Davos, Switzerland. In May, it plans to hold an in-person meeting in Singapore.

WEF in Singapore

Five Davos takeaways, from China to COVID to capitalism

Beijing-Washington friction looms over online warmup for Singapore summit

1 February 2021

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addresses the online Davos Agenda meetings on Jan. 29.

WEF in Singapore

US-China meeting possible in Singapore: Davos chief says

Lee Hsien Loong warns against generational 'twilight struggle'

29 January 2021

Transparency International says the Philippines, ranked 115th for perceived corruption, has responded to COVID-19 with "abusive enforcement, and major violations of human rights and media freedom."

Coronavirus

Corruption deepens COVID impact in developing Asia: report

Singapore is region's only country in Transparency International's clean top 10

28 January 2021

Coronavirus

COVID shots meet skepticism in South Korea, China and Japan: poll

Survey for Davos meetings shows only 14% to 23% want immediate vaccinations

27 January 2021

Migrants take shelter at a construction site in Ahmedabad, India, during the coronavirus crisis. Experts warn the pandemic could lead to greater inequality, as workers who cannot adapt to telework are left behind.

WEF in Singapore

Mind the digital gap in Asia's post-COVID economy: Davos panelists

Singapore minister and others stress workforce upskilling for 'inclusive growth'

26 January 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the Davos Agenda meetings on Jan. 25 in a screenshot from the World Economic Forum video feed.

International relations

Xi slams new Cold War, but White House says competition inevitable

Biden to form 'new approach' on China after consulting allies and Congress

26 January 2021

COVID-19 has forced the World Economic Forum to regroup in 2021, with online meetings this week and the first "Davos in Asia" planned for Singapore in May.

WEF in Singapore

Davos Singapore online prelude spotlights Asian clout, COVID doubts

Xi, Modi and other leaders to speak as worries linger over in-person summit

25 January 2021

Over $3.5 billion was spent on this year's U.S. presidential campaigns, more than double the roughly $1.5 billion spent when Donald Trump was elected in 2016.

Interview

US democracy crumbles as money swamps politics: Singapore's Mahbubani

Diplomat says Biden win won't fix political 'plutocracy' -- and Asia must learn

14 January 2021

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, shakes hands with then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya, Malaysia, after the two countries signed an agreement on the now-terminated Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project in December 2016.

International relations

Singapore and Malaysia terminate high-speed rail project

Governments fail to agree proposed changes to the suspended plan

1 January 2021

Exercising on the waterfront near Singapore's Marina Bay Sands resort: The Asian destination is trying to revive its conference industry while preventing international gatherings from becoming COVID-19 superspreader events.

Travel & Leisure

Singapore trains to be in fighting shape for Davos 2021

MMA events and concerts serve as warm-up for COVID-era World Economic Forum

31 December 2020

Your Week in Asia

Japan's elections, 100th anniversary of CCP: Asia's 2021 calendar

One year after Wuhan lockdown, will there be a Tokyo Olympics?

27 December 2020

Southeast Asian super apps Grab and Gojek have been in merger talks for nearly a year, with investors on both sides now aggressively pursuing a deal. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Business deals

Grab demands strong control by founder in Gojek merger

Tan 'CEO for life' bid spurs investor backlash in talks between ASEAN unicorns

24 December 2020

A woman casts her vote during provincial elections in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in Thailand on Dec.  20: the public was more interested in education and justice reform and less concerned about the students' demands.

Opinion

How COVID-19 calmed a restive Southeast Asia

Political protest and violent conflicts ebb as 2020 draws to a close

22 December 2020

Biden has suggested three agenda items for his summit: fighting corruption, anti-authoritarianism, and human rights.

Opinion

Asia's wise heads are wrong to dismiss Biden's big idea

President-elect's democracy push is worth considering

9 December 2020

Singapore's hot and humid climate will provide a decidedly different backdrop for the 2021 World Economic Forum.

WEF in Singapore

Singapore scores as COVID moves Davos forum from Alps to tropics

First WEF in Asia raises hopes for reboot of crucial convention business

8 December 2020

The Davos meeting is usually held every January at the Swiss ski resort. (Photo courtesy of the World Economic Forum)

Coronavirus

Singapore to host World Economic Forum's annual meeting next May

Davos meeting moved from Switzerland amid COVID fears

8 December 2020

The Chang'e 5 lunar probe completes vertical transport in Wenchang, Hainan, China on Nov. 17.

Your Week in Asia

China's moonshot, Xiaomi results, and India GDP

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

22 November 2020

Indo-Pacific

US Navy chief wants Indian Ocean '1st Fleet,' possibly in Singapore

Secretary Braithwaite says 7th Fleet in Japan not enough to check China

19 November 2020

Cambodia soldiers participate in the country's 67th Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh on Monday.

International relations

Beijing-friendly Cambodia and Laos pushed out to ASEAN's fringe

China's rise exacerbates Southeast Asian bloc's inherent tensions, experts say

13 November 2020

Coronavirus

How Singapore fights COVID with contact tracing: 5 things to know

After dorm crisis, city-state is again a success story, but can others copy it?

3 November 2020

A theater asks moviegoers to check-in by scanning a QR code with special app-equipped smartphones. By the end of the year, Singaporeans will have to carry either a Bluetooth token or a special app-equipped smartphone to go almost anywhere in the city-state.

Coronavirus

Singapore mandates use of tracing app as it fights COVID's spread

Residents will not be able to leave home without a digital device by end of year

29 October 2020

Apple's new store in Singapore: Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat says the company's partnership with the city-state "will enable Singaporeans to lead healthier lives."

Coronavirus

Singapore-Apple app spotlights Asia's health-privacy tightrope

As governments and Big Tech look beyond COVID, some fear 'mission creep'

2 October 2020