Showing 1 - 10 of 24
Asean must grab its rare-earth shot
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 22/11/2025
» US President Donald Trump's return to Southeast Asia last month felt like a rerun -- tariffs, tough talk, and televised deals. But this time, he left behind more than headlines. From Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, Mr Trump inked trade pacts promising tariff relief on US exports in exchange for joint ventures in mining and refining the rare-earth minerals that power the world's clean-tech boom.
Defusing a battery waste time bomb
Oped, Nattaphorn Buayam & Pitnaree Polsomboon, Published on 22/10/2025
» A mountain of dead batteries is piling up. If Thailand does nothing, these seemingly innocuous yet toxic batteries will become a national crisis. Properly managed, they can fuel a new economic future.
Will Indonesia regret its trade deal with Trump?
Oped, Lili Yan Ing, Published on 23/07/2025
» Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true. That ancient proverb comes to mind when considering the eagerness of America's trade partners around the world to negotiate deals with US President Donald Trump's administration. Four countries already have, with Indonesia the latest to do so -- and possibly the first to regret it.
Fatbergs ahead
Oped, Postbag, Published on 25/06/2025
» Re: "BMA's sewer war begins", (Editorial, June 25).
Asean countries are facing their own 'China shock'
News, Manishi Raychaudhuri, Published on 20/05/2025
» As the United States and Europe have sought to loosen their economic ties with China in recent years, Beijing has focused on expanding its export markets across the "Global South", particularly in Southeast Asia. But this could create significant economic risks as the region's manufacturers struggle to compete. Regardless of the contours of any eventual US-China trade deal, Beijing's exports to America seem destined to continue falling, as do those to the European Union. The bloc has been seeking to "de-risk" from Chinese imports and supply chains, particularly when it comes to electric vehicles, batteries and solar power equipment.
Different kinds of thieves with the same goal
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 18/02/2025
» What's the difference between smash-and-grab raids and protection rackets? Not all that much from the legal point of view, but protection rackets have a lower level of risk and a higher rate of returns.
The 'living happily ever after' rule is for everyone
Oped, Steve Ammidown, Published on 14/02/2025
» The romance genre has a single set-in-stone rule: The main characters of the story will end up happily in a relationship. The HEA (Happily Ever After) or the HFN (Happy for Now) is the expectation of every reader who picks up a romance novel in the same way a mystery reader waits for a big twisty reveal or a fantasy reader anticipates strange and arcane magic.
Indonesia leads Asean with Brics entry
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/01/2025
» Indonesia has scooped Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand to become the first Asean country to join the Brics bloc of developing economies as a full member. Brazil, the new Brics rotational chair, announced Indonesia's admission was timely with strategic significance.
Time to deal with e-waste
Oped, Editorial, Published on 15/10/2024
» Electrical appliances, from television sets to refrigerators, mobile phones to tablet computers, have become an essential part of our daily lives. However, most consumers aren't aware of what happens to the obsolete gadgets that they have discarded. A lot of electronic waste, in fact, contain toxic, heavy elements, such as nickel, cadmium, lead and mercury, along with traces of precious metals like gold and silver.
Former Merkel rival aims to become chancellor
News, Sarah Marsh, Published on 24/09/2024
» Squeezed out of top-level politics by his arch-party rival Angela Merkel more than two decades ago, Friedrich Merz is on course to land his first-ever government job as Germany's next chancellor. The conservative Christian Democrat Party (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, which together are topping nationwide polls, last Tuesday agreed to nominate Mr Merz, 68, as candidate for chancellor in next year's federal election.