Dubbed “breakbone fever”, dengue is one of the world’s leading mosquito-borne illnesses and infects as many as 100 million people annually.About half the planet’s population live in at-risk areas, mainly in Asia, Latin America and Africa.Explosive outbreaks have ravaged Southeast Asia this year, with around 670,000 infected and more than 1,800 people dead in the region, according national and World Health Organisation data.At least 622 have died in the Philippines so far this year, cases in…
Goldman Sachs hopes Aramco deal in Saudi Arabia can help it recover from 1MDB fallout
Goldman Sachs is tapping its upper echelons to navigate a notoriously complicated region where it has stumbled of late: the Middle East.After missing out on at least US$25 billion in deals in Abu Dhabi – the emirate that snubbed the US bank for its involvement in the 1MDB scandal – Goldman Sachs is making a push into Saudi Arabia.Chief executive officer David Solomon – the first chief of a Wall Street bank to visit the kingdom following the murder of government critic Jamal Khashoggi – has…
Manila must play its cards right with Chinese offshore gambling, given Beijing’s warnings
While China clamps down on cross-border gambling, countries in Southeast Asia are looking to corner more offshore gaming capital. Online gambling is illegal in mainland China and Beijing wants to crack down on cross-border gambling because it is morally corrupt, and a venue for capital flight and money laundering. But Chinese revenue has made cross-border gambling a lucrative industry for many of China’s neighbours, where gambling is mostly legal. This is particularly so for the Philippines,…
Indonesia’s election riots offer a lesson on the perils of fake news
Indonesia ’s riots in May serve as a warning to all democracies with polarised electorates, high social media penetration and institutions labouring under the strain of populist politics.The unrest was the first time in a democracy that social media-fuelled fake news and disinformation led to election riots.Supporters of opposition candidate Prabowo Subianto rejected the results of the presidential election, alleging incumbent Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, had stolen victory through…
Japan’s 84-year-old former empress Michiko has breast cancer surgery
Japan’s former empress Michiko “safely” underwent surgery on Sunday after the 84-year-old was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, the Imperial Household Agency said.Michiko’s husband Akihito formally stepped down as emperor in April, the first abdication for 200 years in the world’s oldest monarchy.Her operation began Sunday morning “as scheduled” at the University of Tokyo Hospital, the agency official said.“It ended safely and (she) went back to her room,” the official said, adding that…
Non-Muslim goods boycott a ‘ticking time bomb’ in Mahathir’s Malaysia
A movement calling for Malays to boycott non-Muslim products has emerged in Malaysia, where a campaign of fake news and political rhetoric continues to stoke racial and religious tensions, prompting a member of the Perak state’s royal family to describe the situation as a “ticking time bomb”.Messages urging the country’s Malay-Muslim majority to boycott goods produced by non-Muslims, even those that are halal, have been actively shared on Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups. Names of mini-markets…
Blast wounds 7 people at public market in southern Philippines
An explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines wounded at least seven people early on Saturday, the fourth blast in that area in 13 months, the military said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but a militant group operating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan in the province of Sultan Kudarat was among the suspects, the military said.The latest blast comes at a time of heightened tensions in the volatile southern Philippines after three incidents in…
Indonesia’s Yogyakarta targets Chinese students and tourists in bid to become another Bali
Yogyakarta contains multitudes. The Indonesian city is a tumult of culture shot through with rich veins of history – it’s still ruled by a functional monarchy; it has been home to storied, spectacular Buddhist and Hindu holy sites for well over a millennium; and is internationally renowned for everything from literature to silversmithing.All the same, the city is now better known for being an education hub. Besides its four state universities, Yogyakarta is home to more than a dozen private…
Asia’s beaches go quiet as China’s economy slows and tourists stay at home
From quiet beaches in Bali to empty rooms in Hanoi’s hotels, pangs from China’s economic malaise and weakening yuan are being felt across Southeast Asia’s vacation belt.A boom in Chinese outbound travel in recent years that stoked tourism across Southeast Asia is now in reverse gear. The abrupt decline of Chinese travellers is becoming a painful lesson for nations such as Thailand and Indonesia that had become overly dependent on Asia’s top economy.“The slump in Chinese arrivals and tourism…
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe dies in Singapore hospital aged 95
Robert Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe, has died in a Singapore hospital where he had been receiving treatment since earlier this year. He was 95.His health has been the subject of increased speculation in recent years and authorities in March arrested two journalists over a report alleging that he was “in bad shape”.It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe (1/2)— President of Zimbabwe (…