12 h. ago Poverty rates have plunged, but can we all live like the Swiss by 2100?

In 1900, most people lived without electricity, antibiotics or universal education. Today, life expectancy is decades longer, literacy and access to medicine are near universal in many regions, and hundreds of millions have entered the global middle class. This progress was built through science, industry, public health, education and the hard work of ordinary people who believed tomorrow could be better. The question now is whether humanity can achieve a still more audacious goal: a world in...

Politics

6 d. ago Singapore urged to expand Johor SEZ to Indonesia to deepen Asean integration

A special economic zone between Singapore and the Malaysian state of Johor (JS-SEZ) should include Indonesia’s Riau Islands to ramp up the region’s allure to global investors, an apex business chamber and leading accounting firm have said, ahead of the city state’s budget address next month. As part of its 18 top recommendations, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which has more than 32,000 members, and PwC Singapore on Monday said expanding the zone to include the Indonesian islands of...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong and Nansha target global drone benchmark via cross

Hong Kong has taken a significant stride towards cross-border drone flights by teaming up with Nansha in mainland China to develop unified standards, policies and validation pathways through joint tests and trials – an effort that could set a global benchmark. The collaboration follows an accord signed on December 25 between the Hong Kong Productivity Council and Nansha’s International Advanced Technology Application and Promotion Centre (GBA). Edmond Lai Shiao-bun, the council’s chief digital...

Events

1 week ago Philippines ramps up protection of undersea cables amid growing ‘grey

The Philippines is stepping up efforts to protect undersea cables – the unseen backbone of digital communications – as a string of regional and global incidents has sharpened concerns that seabed infrastructure could be targeted for sabotage or espionage. Officials and analysts say the moves signal that so-called grey-zone activities – coercive actions that fall short of open conflict – beneath the sea are no longer going unnoticed. The concern is not only physical damage to submarine cables but...

Politics

1 week ago Why investors are looking to Southeast Asia’s economies amid global tensions

Foreign money is flowing back into Southeast Asia, and analysts expect the region to remain a draw for global investors even as geopolitical tensions and domestic political risks cloud the outlook. Emerging Southeast Asian markets recorded US$337 million of equity inflow in December last year, the highest monthly figure since September 2024, according to a Bloomberg report. These economies include Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Analysts say the rebound points to...

Economics

1 week ago China’s CATL, Nio deepen partnership to develop EV batteries with longer lifespans

Contemporary Amperex Technol­ogy Ltd (CATL), the world’s largest maker of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, has intensified efforts to develop batteries with longer lifespans after deepening its partnership with carmaker Nio. The two companies said they were committed to finding solutions to an issue that could cost millions of EV users trillions of yuan to replace expired batteries. Under a five-year agreement, CATL and Nio would pursue new technologies aimed at extending the life cycle of EV...

Politics

2 w. ago Sinopec and Aramco launch Fujian joint venture to develop major refinery and petrochemicals complex in China

Sinopec and Aramco launch Fujian joint venture to develop major refinery and petrochemicals complex in China  Energies Media

Politics

2 w. ago South Korea's Lee seeks to develop strategic cooperative partnership with China

South Korea's Lee seeks to develop strategic cooperative partnership with China  Reuters

Politics

2 w. ago Report: China Eastern and COMAC sign agreement to develop stretched ‘C919

Report: China Eastern and COMAC sign agreement to develop stretched ‘C919-800’  Aerospace Global News

Politics

2 w. ago Tech war: China takes confident strides to develop more AI innovation in 2026

On the last day of 2025, DeepSeek published a new technical paper, with founder and CEO Liang Wenfeng among the 19 co-authors, about “manifold-constrained hyper-connections” – a general framework for training artificial intelligence systems at scale, which suggested “promising directions for the evolution of foundational models”. That release was a fitting reminder to the world, especially during the peak of the Christmas holiday season, about Chinese AI companies’ sharpened focus on innovation...

Events

2 w. ago China takes confident strides to develop more AI innovation in 2026

China takes confident strides to develop more AI innovation in 2026  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 w. ago China to Develop New Port in Kuwait for Regional and Global Trade

China to Develop New Port in Kuwait for Regional and Global Trade  The Maritime Executive

Politics

3 w. ago Kuwait Signs $4.1 Billion Port Construction Deal With China to Expand Global Trade Role

Kuwait Signs $4.1 Billion Port Construction Deal With China to Expand Global Trade Role  kurdistan24.net

Economics