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The Laos-China Railway links Vientiane to Boten on the Chinese border, and onwards to Kunming in Yunnan.

Laos-China Railway picks up steam, but S-E Asian country struggles to capture gains

As new industries prove elusive, Laos wants to switch from a transit route to a manufacturing base

Two-thirds of Sentosa Cove properties resell at a loss, with average loss topping S$1 million since 2023

The 302-unit Cape Royale, completed in 2013, has been the last major new condominium development in Sentosa Cove.

Analysts point to small niche buyer pool in soft market weakened by cooling measures targeted at foreigners

Sea Q2 earnings up 10.6% at US$458.1 million as Shopee hits new highs

Shopee, Sea’s e-commerce arm, reports a 48.2% increase in revenue to US$5.6 billion in Q2.

Earnings per share stand at US$0.72, compared with US$0.68 a year earlier

Malaysia renews 10-year energy plan, targeting savings of around US$21.5 billion

Workers inspect cooling equipment at a data centre in Johor. Malaysia has been pushing companies and investors to focus on energy sustainability.

The country is the fastest-growing data centre hub in South-east Asia

Destry Damayanti must now clear parliamentary scrutiny before formally taking the helm of Bank Indonesia after serving as acting governor since Perry Warjiyo’s departure last month.

Who is Destry Damayanti, the first woman set to lead Indonesia’s central bank?

The veteran economist’s global standing and experience could signal policy continuity, say economists

Has the Iran war damaged US economic credibility?

The greenback’s position rests on the size of the US economy, the depth of its markets and institutional credibility – pillars no rival currency can currently replicate.

Doubts about the dominance of the US dollar have resurfaced but markets have not voted with their feet

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Malaysia keeps voting for change. Is Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan running out of time to deliver?

Veteran Ismail Lasim, who has been an Umno assemblyman since 1999, being sworn in as Negeri Sembilan chief minister on Aug 2 after PH lost the state a day earlier.

It is Anwar that is now the face of the establishment and a growing liability

After a blockbuster IPO, can China’s memory chipmaker CXMT compete globally in the AI era?

CXMT was founded in 2016 in Hefei after acquiring technology and intellectual property from the bankrupt German memory maker Qimonda.

Firm’s realistic near-term target remains below the performance of today’s leading AI memory

From old bungalows to chic cafes: How the RTS is reshaping JB neighbourhoods

Annie Low runs Shuu Patisserie, a European cottage-inspired bakery located in Taman Abad in Johor Bahru.

There are concerns about a rise in rental prices ahead of the RTS Link opening

Behind The Name

Scaling Berli Jucker’s retail empire – daughter of Thai beer billionaire seeks growth outside home country

Thapanee Techajareonvikul, CEO and president of Berli Jucker, sees Vietnam as an important growth enginee for BJC, which has traditionally been heavily invested in Thailand.

CEO thinks diversifying its revenue is important for both BJC and TCC Group, which BJC is a part of

Malaysia’s 8th richest man Jeffrey Cheah wants Sunway business to last 10 generations

Sunway Group's founder and chairman Jeffrey Cheah says international expansion will increasingly be driven by the next generation.

Having weathered two crises, the founder pairs professional management with slow-burn succession to keep the business and family intact

Richard Eu on how core values, customers keep Singapore’s TCM chain Eu Yan Sang relevant

Eu Yan Sang group chairman Richard Eu has been with the company since 1989 and has seen plenty of change over the years, such as how employees view their jobs.

New markets expansion, heightened focus on online e-commerce penetration and continuous new product development are on the cards

Singapore

Q2’s 5.9% year-on-year GDP growth exceeds the median 5.8% forecast in a Bloomberg poll of economists.

AI boom prompts economists to lift 2026 growth forecasts

Regional economies have also bumped up their growth expectations amid the stronger-than-expected surge

Non-stop flights to emerging markets would boost Singapore economy: MTI report

Singapore could benefit by serving as a key stop for goods and travellers on routes between emerging markets and South-east Asia and Oceania.

The gains would be in direct investment flows and passenger, cargo transfers, for instance

Banking veteran Hsieh Fu Hua appointed deputy chairman and director of CapitaLand Investment

Hsieh joins CLI’s board as the company “accelerates its growth ambitions as a leading global real asset manager”.

He previously held leadership roles in SGX, Temasek and UOB

Singapore upgrades 2026 key exports growth forecast to 14-16% on electronics-led H1 outperformance

Frasers Property to put hospitality portfolio revamp to shareholder vote on Aug 28

The Leadership Playbook

DBS COO’s most important tip for AI transformation: Lead with ‘why’

Goh is DBS’ first group chief operating officer.

In executing the bank’s artificial intelligence strategy, Derrick Goh sees his role as a ‘midfielder’

‘Asia will be the growth engine’: FedEx’s Salil Chari on riding the AI boom

Greater change also means more personal growth, said FedEx’s Asia-Pacific regional president Salil Chari on leading the logistics firm in a time of uncertainty.

Global logistics is in a volatile era but this has not derailed his focus on regional high-value trade

‘Keep things simple’: HP Greater Asia chief Michael Boyle on leading the tech giant beyond hardware

Boyle says: “If we look at the relationship between cloud and the edge, HP is very much positioning ourselves to be not only at the compute level but also the orchestration around the edge and reducing that friction.”

The managing director says setting a clear direction is biggest lesson he has learnt as a leader

How are Singapore’s largest family-owned real estate groups passing the baton? Who’s who among the names to watch?

Legacy builders: How Singapore's property tycoons primed their empires for the future

How did Singapore’s largest family-owned real estate groups build their businesses and pass the baton? Who’s who among the names to watch?

Asean

Penang is looking to its established medtech ecosystem, home to global manufacturers including B Braun and Abbott, for more long-term, high-value investments.

Penang looks beyond chips with a bigger medtech push

The Malaysian state is scaling up its high-margin play in the sector to lock in long-term investment

Qian Hu’s base in Dili houses a quarantine centre to store seafood for export and wholesale.

Singapore-listed Qian Hu sets up Timor-Leste subsidiary to tap aquaculture potential

It will invest US$1 million in operational base; US$2 million in seaside hatchery

The wife (R) of a teacher killed in the shooting weeps after identifying her husband's body. Nine people were killed, including the 14-year-old gunman, and 22 others were injured.

Thai PM suspends firearm purchase licences after school shooting

[BANGKOK] Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday (Aug 11) suspended the issuance of permits to buy firearms and said existing licences would be reviewed, days after a 14-year-old gunman ki...

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