Southeast Asia Insights

The Philippine Navy is moving fast to upgrade its defense strategy by getting new autonomous drone ships and by participating major international military drills. These changes come at a time of rising tension between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, indicating that the Philippines is trying to strengthen both its military reach and disaster response systems.   Autonomous Drone Ships Transform Maritime Defense The Navy has teame...

The arrest of former congressman Zaldy Co in Prague has pushed one of the Philippines’ most sensitive corruption cases into a new phase. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed that Co is now in Czech custody after allegedly entering without proper documents. Manila is working to bring him back.   This is not just about one politician. Co was a former Ako Bicol representative and chaired the House appropriations committee, one of th...

Singapore and Malaysia are emerging as the clear leaders in Southeast Asia’s higher education landscape. A new regional ranking by Times Higher Education highlights a growing shift in academic power, with universities from both countries outperforming traditional regional competitors.   At the top of the list are National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, which secured the number one and two spots. Both in...

Across Asia, the cost of medicine is rising, and recent global tensions are making the situation worse. In countries like the Philippines and Malaysia, patients are facing higher prices and growing uncertainty over supply.   The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is pushing up oil prices and disrupting shipping routes. These changes are increasing transport and production costs for medicines, which are heavily traded across borders. For m...

A major carbon credit project in Indonesia is facing growing scrutiny, raising broader concerns about how global carbon markets measure climate impact.   The project, located in Sumatra and backed by a major pulp and paper group, was designed to prevent deforestation and generate carbon credits. These credits allow companies to offset emissions while supporting forest protection.   On paper, the project is significant. Covering arou...