Politics

A passenger wearing a mask walks outside a railway station in Shanghai on Feb. 8  as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
Your Week in Asia

China's partial reopening, SoftBank results and Singapore Airshow

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

9 February 2020
Medical staff work in the isolated intensive care unit in a hospital in Wuhan, China on Feb. 6. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 8 brings supply chain strain

US citizen dies in Wuhan as impact on business begins to crystallize

8 February 2020
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines his government's negotiating stance with the European Union after Brexit during a speech in London on Monday.
Trade

UK faces long road in 'ambitious' post-Brexit trade push into Asia

Top diplomat visits region, but demands and technical issues may hurt plans

6 February 2020
A view of a bridge that collapsed in Bali, Indonesia in 2016. The new insurance aims to offer protection for such Asian infrastructure. 
Economy

Asia's bridges and piers to be insured against disasters

Singapore, Japan and World Bank team to protect infrastructure

6 February 2020
A doctor puts on protective goggles before entering the isolation ward at a hospital in Wuhan, China.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: How the outbreak unfolded from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1

As cases surpassed 10,000, countries rushed to fly citizens out of China

1 February 2020
U.S.Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar takes questions from reporters at the White House after declaring a public health emergency over the coronavirus on Jan. 31.
Coronavirus

US denies entry of foreigners who recently visited China

Japan and Singapore also close doors as coronavirus spreads

1 February 2020
A Union Jack flag on the tag of a mattress in a store in Bangkok: total two-way trade between Britain and ASEAN amounted to more than $48 billion in 2018.
Opinion

Post-Brexit UK should prioritize Southeast Asia trade deals

London is well-placed to surpass Brussels in relations with ASEAN

30 January 2020
A woman in Singapore wears a surgical mask while buying flowers just before the Lunar New Year celebration were set to begin, amid confirmed cases of coronavirus there.
Coronavirus

Singapore invokes 'fake news' law on false coronavirus death report

Taiwan seeks to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan; Philippines halts flights

27 January 2020
Medical staffers transport a patient with a highly suspected case of the new coronavirus at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong on Jan. 22. A spike in deaths in mainland China reported Jan. 25.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus kills 15 more in China, reaches Europe and Australia

Outbreak shutters Shanghai Disney and halts seven movie releases

25 January 2020
Singapore is lobbying for greater international oversight on the use of emerging technologies such as AI.
Technology

Singapore engages Facebook and Grab to shape international AI order

City-state lobbies in Davos for stronger oversight on new technologies

22 January 2020
Supported by free education and subsidized housing, Singapore's citizens have become among the wealthiest in the world. (Illustration by Daniel Garcia)
The Big Story

Is Singapore's 'perfect' economy coming apart?

Once hailed as a model of progress, poverty and nativist resentment are on the rise

22 January 2020
Chan Chun Sing, Singapore's minister for trade and industry, center, holds the signed joint statement for the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement with counterparts from New Zealand and Chile.
International relations

Singapore and TPP trailblazers now turn to digital rule-setting

Partners seek to draw global standards for AI, fintech and personal data

22 January 2020
The influx of foreigners into Singapore has been a subject for heated debate at previous elections, with opposition parties playing to concerns that the livelihoods of Singaporeans are at stake
Politics

Singapore deputy PM warns opposition on exploiting social splits

Heng Swee Keat says country not immune to divisions seen elsewhere

20 January 2020
The vast majority of ASEAN pundits polled say the region is becoming the focus of a major power struggle between the U.S. and China.
International relations

7 of 10 ASEAN members favor China over US: survey

73% feel the region is becoming a staging ground for a major power struggle

16 January 2020
Brittany Kaiser, formerly of Cambridge Analytica, is calling for stronger legislation to protect user data.
Century of Data

Whistleblower warns of Cambridge Analytica's Asia reach

Former employees still active in elections, Brittany Kaiser says

11 January 2020
Singapore Airlines has regular flights to more than 10 European cities. Other Asian carriers may follow its lead and divert flights away from Iranian airspace.
Iran tensions

Singapore Airlines avoids Iran airspace as regional tension rises

Flights between SE Asia and Europe face disruption as country lies along route

8 January 2020
A health surveillance officer checks the temperatures of inbound passengers at Hong Kong International Airport on Jan. 4. Authorities have activated a "serious response" level as fears grow about a mysterious disease that may have been brought back by visitors to mainland China.
Coronavirus

Beijing urges calm over mysterious virus ahead of Lunar New Year

Business continues normally, as other governments in Asia raise alerts

8 January 2020
A man wearing a mask uses a smartphone at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. The outbreak of a mysterious illness in China has put Asian airports on alert.   © AP
Most read in 2020

Asia on alert over mysterious virus outbreak in China

Authorities step up airport screenings as illness triggers reminder of SARS

3 January 2020
Being a trade-dependent small state, Singapore’s economy has been hit hard by the U.S.-China trade tensions since late 2018. 
Economy

Singapore's 2019 growth drops to 0.7% from 3.1% in 2018

With economy weakest since financial crisis, government preps support measures

2 January 2020
Xi Jinping's ultimate aim is to win acceptance for what he has called a "community of common destiny" around Asia.
Opinion

2020 look ahead: Chinese influence a concern as ASEAN elections arrive

Taiwan, Singapore and others must beware Beijing's intentions as voters go to polls

31 December 2019
Already a major financial hub, Singapore wants to capitalize on its location to become an important trading center for LNG.
Energy

Singapore aims to be Asia LNG hub as demand soars

Planned storage terminal to boost nation's status in region's energy sector

30 December 2019
Vietnamese residents take photos as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un goes past in Hanoi on Feb. 26.
Photos

2019 in pictures: Looking back at a year of celebrations, confrontations and more

A selection of striking images from across Asia, and the stories behind them

29 December 2019
The Singapore government's website rebutted claims in a Facebook post by Lim Tean, head of the opposition People's Voice party.
Politics

Singapore wields fake-news law against opposition

Rival party leader accuses government of stifling dissent ahead of election

27 December 2019
While many of 2019's big themes stemmed from the worsening trade war, 2020 may hold other surprises. (Photo illustration by Nikkei)
The Big Story

Asia in 2020: from tech turmoil to SoftBank's next crisis

Watch these emerging trends and political flashpoints in the year ahead

25 December 2019
Singapore said on Friday it had instructed Facebook to correct a post on its social media platform under its new "fake news" law.
Politics

Singapore tells Facebook to correct post, citing 'fake news' law

Social media giant ordered to run correction after author refuses to comply

29 November 2019