With the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landslide victory in the recent Indian elections, all eyes are now on the new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and how his government will handle India’s struggling economy. Modi, a nationalist hardliner with a strong focus on spurring India’s economic growth,...
SINGAPORE is building up its expertise in nuclear safety, science and engineering, with a $63 million, five-year research and education programme. The move, say experts, will help the nation keep on top of developments in the field, and what to do if a disaster should strike. The...
Touring protest sites in Bangkok some weeks back, I listened to music, picked up some souvenirs and had a milky, iced Thai tea. The mood was carnival but shrill whistles and placards with slogans like "Thaksin Get Out" make clear the political point. I felt safe...
The global nuclear fraternity meets biennially at the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), taking place this year at The Hague. A brainchild of United States President Barack Obama, the NSS kicked off in 2010 and is a global platform aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the...
The Singapore Government’s move this week to penalise companies that cause haze is timely, given that fires are currently burning in Riau and Kalimantan. But the proposed laws are more than a symbol or knee-jerk reaction. The draft Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill, if passed, will allow...
The United States’ economic recovery and its debt ceiling topped a survey conducted among 28 Asia experts, business leaders and economists, with more than 60 per cent of respondents voting for the global issue as one they would be keeping the most tabs on in...
In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, two key buzzwords that conveyed the essence of the recovery strategy were “unconventional monetary policy” and “the new normal”. The developed world would pump up credit and lower interest rates to try to resuscitate failing companies and...
I probably travelled too much this year. I went to New York, Europe, and as far away as South America, and to most of the capitals of Asia. There are limits to what telephone and video calls can do. Information is plentiful today but insight requires...
As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Environment Ministers meet this week in Jakarta to discuss the haze, there are reasons to doubt governments will address key issues decisively. Cynics point out that the number of hot spots has again been growing in Sumatra. While...
Myanmar’s political opening has caught the world’s attention, and many countries are rushing to what has been called Asia’s last frontier market. Punishing sanctions by the European Union have been lifted, while Washington DC has suspended its measures. Seized by the economic potential of the...