News
M’sia imports aid I'nesia palm oil sector
Malaysian buyers are ramping up imports of Indonesian palm oil as local supply battles to recover from the lingering impact of last year’s crop-damaging El Nino weather pattern. Traders said world No.2 producer Malaysia was set to boost imports of palm oil and related products ...
ASEAN finds free trade a tougher sell in today's environment
As the U.S. pulls back and China expands, Southeast Asia tries to adjust. People become aware of the divine power of a mantra only when they no longer hear it. People have been hearing world leaders inveigh against protectionism after official meetings for so long ...
Microinsurance closes gaps in social safety nets
“I was very worried [about the hospital bill] because my father was in [intensive care] for a long time,” said Sheryl Tan, recalling the two painful months leading up to her father’s death last year. “So I was relieved when I heard that MediShield Life ...
Insurers help to pay for Asia's infrastructure needs
A recent $150 million refurbishment of two decades-old geothermal power plants on the Philippine island of Luzon may sound like just another project aimed at overcoming the country’s severe electricity shortages. But, for Asia’s insurance companies, there is more to it. Bonds issued to pay ...
Small Chinese wheat mills feel the pressure
Rising wheat prices in China are putting pressure on thousands of the country’s small flour mills, speeding up rationalization of the world’s biggest milling industry and boosting the market share of bigger players. Many small-scale mills have been forced to shut down or cut back operations ...
In defining plantations as forest, FAO attracts criticism
What’s in a definition? For some, too much. Nearly 200 organizations have signed an open letter to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, calling for the agency to change how they define “forest” – the very landscape honored today on International Day ...
Asia dominates rankings of most expensive cities
Asian cities such as Singapore and Tokyo were the most expensive worldwide for residents in 2016, as currency appreciation drove an increase in the general cost of living. The Worldwide Cost of Living research, conducted semiannually by The Economist Intelligence Unit, found that half of ...
Indonesia's Siloam plans to double number of hospitals
Indonesia’s Siloam International Hospitals aims to double the number of its hospitals to 50 by 2019. The country’s largest hospital operator expects to expand into remote areas, including the island of New Guinea, now that a universal health care system has been introduced, allowing low-income ...
The key to successful elections in Timor-Leste: professional security forces
The big day has finally arrived for voters all across Timor-Leste and, for the first time since the restoration of independence in 2002, for Timorese also living in Australia and Portugal. According to the electoral administration body STAE, there are 747,583 Timorese voters registered to ...
SteelAsia offers to revive defunct National Steel
To ride the infrastructure boom, SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation has offered to acquire the mothballed National Steel Corporation in Iligan city. SteelAsia is the largest reinforced steel bar maker in Southeast Asia, while NSC was once the largest steel mill in Asia until it failed to ...
