Business
Philippines Raises Policy Rate to 5.5% in Larger-Than-Expected Move as Inflation Pressures Persist
October 23: The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 5.50% on Thursday, October 22, making a larger move than economists in a Reuters poll had expected. The decision came as Philippine inflation remained elevated, creating a...
Technology
Sunway Plans Autonomous Bus Trials in Malaysia, With Logistics Vehicles and Electric Aircraft Also Under Study
October 22: Malaysia’s Sunway Group is proposing autonomous bus trials and exploring driverless delivery vehicles and electric aircraft, according to a company announcement and technology-sector reporting. The plans involve WeRide, Neolix and AutoFlight. They describe testing and potential deployment, not the start of unrestricted...
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Asia
Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing Arrives in Malaysia for Talks With Anwar as Repatriation of Myanmar Nationals Draws UN Objections
Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing landed in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday for a two-day visit. He meets Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday. Malaysia says the return of Myanmar nationals will lead the agenda; the UN refugee agency and rights groups oppose the returns.
Asia
Thailand Sets Four Flood Scenarios for IMF–World Bank Meetings in Bangkok, With a 3-Metre Cancellation Trigger
Days before finance ministers and central bankers from 191 countries arrive in Bangkok, Thailand has drawn up a four-step flood plan for the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings. Forecasters expect about 50 mm of rain a day during the opening weekend.
Asia
Haze Pushes Singapore’s Air Quality Into the Unhealthy Range in All Five Regions as Smoke Drifts In From Sumatra and Kalimantan
Air quality in every region of Singapore was in the unhealthy range on Tuesday, with the 24-hour PSI reaching 135 in the central region by 5pm. The National Environment Agency says smoke from fires in southern Sumatra and West Kalimantan is drifting towards the island.
Asia
Philippine Inflation Jumps to 7.2% in September, the Fastest Since March 2023, as Rice Prices Rise 20%
Consumer prices in the Philippines rose 7.2% in September from a year earlier, up from 6.1% in August and above every forecast in a poll of economists. Rice was 20.3% dearer and transport 14.6%. The central bank next meets on 22 October.
Asia
Asia Is Most Exposed if the AI Boom Turns, AMRO Warns, Even as It Holds Regional Growth at 4.1%
AMRO, the economic watchdog for Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea, kept its regional growth forecast at 4.1% for 2026 and raised 2027 to 4.1%, while warning that the same AI boom lifting exports could cause financial stress if it reverses.
Asia
Indonesia’s Prabowo Names Career Diplomat Arrmanatha Nasir Foreign Minister, Replaces Police Chief and Revives a 26-Member Advisory Council
President Prabowo Subianto has reshuffled his cabinet, moving Sugiono out of the foreign ministry and appointing career diplomat Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir. A day later he swore in a 26-member Presidential Advisory Council.
Asia
Myanmar Airstrike on Kyauktaw Market in Rakhine Kills 50, Wounds 58, Aid Workers Say
A Myanmar military airstrike on a riverside market in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state, killed at least 50 people and wounded 58 on Monday, according to aid workers and the Arakan Army. The market is a trading hub on the river route to India.
Asia
Thailand’s Constitutional Court Upholds February Election, Rules Barcoded Ballots Did Not Breach Voter Secrecy
Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that barcodes and QR codes on ballots in the February 8 election did not breach voter secrecy, dismissing an Ombudsman petition and averting a possible re-run that could have shaken PM Anutin Charnvirakul's coalition.
Asia
Philippines’ Marcos Pardons Mary Jane Veloso, Filipina Who Spent 15 Years in Jail After Indonesian Death Sentence
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina migrant worker arrested with heroin in Indonesia in 2010 whose 2015 execution was halted at the last minute.
Asia
Indonesia Ferry Disaster: Death Toll Rises to 64 as Search for 71 Missing From Virgo Transport 8 Is Extended
Two weeks after the Virgo Transport 8 capsized in the Java Sea on its way from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, Indonesia's search agency says 64 people are dead and 71 still missing. The search has been extended by seven days.
Asia
Thailand Floods: 25 Provinces Hit, 8 Dead as Bangkok Declares Flood Disaster and Special Holidays
Bangkok declared a flood disaster on September 26 after almost two days of heavy rain swamped roads; more than 84,000 people in 21 provinces are affected.
Asia
Indonesia Deploys 64 Aircraft and 54,394 Personnel Against Forest Fires
Indonesia says 64 aircraft and 54,394 personnel have been mobilised against forest and land fires. The figures describe a response continuing since August.
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Business
Philippines Raises Policy Rate to 5.5% in Larger-Than-Expected Move as Inflation Pressures Persist
October 23: The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised its key policy rate by 50...
India
Modi–Tusk Talks: India and Poland Seek Deeper Defence, Space and Nuclear-Energy Cooperation
October 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held talks...
Technology
Sunway Plans Autonomous Bus Trials in Malaysia, With Logistics Vehicles and Electric Aircraft Also Under Study
October 22: Malaysia’s Sunway Group is proposing autonomous bus trials and exploring driverless delivery...
Explainers
Shraddha Dubey–Shiva Sharma Case Explained: Arrests, Transit Remand and the Unanswered Questions
October 22: The investigation into Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma’s death has moved into...