TOP NEWS Japan’s ruling party approves bill to regulate tech giants ASEAN states struggle as El Niño bites China’s first humanoid robot conference attracts industry playersMORE HEADLINES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Philippine Daily InquirerWorld’s first-ever ‘Miss AI’ beauty pageant launched with a whopping cash prize The NationNat’l Innovation Agency launches platform to boost Thai agri startups with deep tech The Japan NewsGovernment panel in Japan to urge protections for intellectual property in AI Terms of Use Philippine Daily InquirerOpenAI Japan officially opens The Korea HeraldSamsung develops fastest DRAM chip optimised for ondevice AI China DailyAI ‘resurrection’ of dead stars raises ethical, legal concerns The StarAI security systems can help identify potential threats at airports The Japan NewsChina court awards damages over AI images resembling Ultraman The StarGenerative AI assistants can be prompted to create mass health disinformation The Daily StarCan tech giants solve climate change and social inequality? Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Supreme Court mulls AI translators, podcasts about cases The Japan NewsAIs to monitor each other in a few years’ time, says NTT vice president DawnAI and elections: Like Pakistan, India too may see an increasing use of the tech China DailyChina’s first humanoid robot conference attracts industry players The NationAI cameras to be used to detect pickpockets, criminals at Khao San Songkran party China DailyArtificial intelligence transforms coal mining in North China VIEW ALL COMBATING INFLATION The Jakarta PostWeaker rupiah, high oil prices hit Indonesia’s manufacturing sector The Daily StarThe cost-of-living crisis prolongs for Bangladeshi wage workers The StarBlanket fuel subsidies in Malaysia to be removed The Daily StarRice prices in Bangladesh unlikely to fall from current level The StatesmanIndia’s wholesale price-based inflation spikes to 3-month-high at 0.53% in March The Korea HeraldBank of Korea holds rate, wary of inflation’s ‘last mile’ The Korea HeraldAmid deepening apple crisis, South Korea eyes long-term measures The Daily StarNo respite to Bangladeshi consumers: Inflation edges up in March The Kathmandu PostNepal’s inflation at 30-month low, yet food prices refuse to come down The Korea HeraldPolitical leeks: Scallions become election attack line KuenselGoods and services become costlier by 4.53 percent in Bhutan Philippine Daily InquirerInflation jitters weigh down Philippines’ shares The Daily StarNearly 500,000 Bangladeshis to become extremely poor for higher inflation: World Bank The Jakarta PostAs El Nino bites, Indonesians struggle with record-high rice prices The Jakarta PostIndonesia’s inflation rises above 3 percent as Ramadan begins Philippine Daily InquirerHigher electricity prices in the Philippines forecast until May VIEW ALL TECHNOLOGY VIEW MORE They are expected to be used in hazardous waters and deep-sea areas where water pressure is high, with the production cost per unit ranging from tens of millions of yen to over one billion yen. BUSINESS, Corporate Buzz, Home Page, Technology, Technology Right, Top News, TOP NEWS Japan’s ruling party approves bill to regulate tech giants ... BUSINESS, Corporate Buzz, Daily Digest, Home Page, Technology, Technology Right Vietnamese PM meets Apple CEO to discuss cooperation, development ... BUSINESS, Technology, Technology Right Samsung, SK boost investment to secure hefty chip subsidies in US ... ECONOMIC AFFAIRS VIEW MORE It is also the first of six global campaigns that will be rolled out by the Singapore Tourism Board which include those positioning Singapore as a family playground and culinary capital. Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, meanwhile, said the devaluation of the Korean won is likely to be “transitory.” CORPORATE BUZZ VIEW MORE Under the law, the Japan Fair Trade Commission will impose a “surcharge” of 20% of their domestic sales in relevant fields if tech giants such as Apple Inc. and Google LLC. do not comply with their requirements. PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed gratitude for Tim Cook's visit and acknowledged Apple's contribution to the country's economy by expanding its business operations and creating over 200,000 jobs. SPECIAL REPORTSVIEW ALL MORE HEADLINES Timeline: What happened to Audrey Fang, the S’porean who was found dead in south-east Spain ... Body of missing S’porean woman in Spain found with 30 stab wounds; S’porean man arrested ... Old, unfit vehicles taking lives in Bangladesh ... All employers in Singapore must fairly consider flexi-work requests from Dec 1 under new rules ... 206 killed, 1,593 injured over first five of Songkran’s ‘7 dangerous days’ ... Victims of 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes remembered ... CHINA AND ASEAN The Phnom Penh PostCambodia, China planning sixth military drills The Straits TimesSingapore, Shanghai ink record 15 MOUs as bilateral trade grows The Japan NewsU.S., Australia to counter China’s ‘destabilizing military activities’ China DailyAsean-Plus defence ministers agree to improve defence collaboration The Jakarta PostChina and Asean join hands to bring the ‘Asian moment’ in global governance China DailyRCEP shows strength and resilience of regional trade liberalization The NationThailand and China ink 5 agreements to boost trade, regional security The Jakarta PostIndonesia, China to resume joint-military training exercises, strengthen military cooperation China DailyXi, Widodo vow to take ties to new level The Jakarta PostIndonesia-China ink $2.6 billion crude palm oil, fishery trade deals The Straits TimesOutcome of China’s application to join CPTPP trade pact not yet known: S’pore PM The Phnom Penh PostCambodia, China sign $1.6 billion deal for second expressway The Jakarta PostAs Xi visit draws near, delays haunt Jakarta-Bandung rail project The Jakarta PostWhat does the 20th CCP National Congress mean for Indonesia? Viet Nam NewsVietnamese, Chinese Party leaders stress peace at sea, resumption of flights in talks Viet Nam NewsVietnam, China sign 13 cooperation documents in Party leader’s visit VIEW ALL BIG PICTURE VIEW MORE The report from Enterprise Singapore and DealStreetAsia found that start-ups based in the country accounted for 63.7 percent of all equity deals in the ASEAN-6 in 2023. McKinsey & Company senior partner Vishal Agarwal suggested at an event that project developers have to build local ecosystems and work with stakeholders to find innovative solutions. POLICY MATTERS VIEW MORE After the issue was raised, the Indian side had also informed them of conducting a study and tabling it at the secretary-level meeting of the two countries to remove the charges. A year has passed, but nothing happened, traders lamented. Since March 14, China has granted visafree entry on a trial basis to visitors from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. MORE HEADLINES Nepal’s federalism on a bumpy road ... 40 litterbugs caught in Brunei ... Indonesia should be more active in foreign policy, former ministers say President Moon meets BTS, officially appoints them as special diplomatic envoy Russia’s Putin, PM Imran discuss Afghanistan, bilateral ties in 2nd call in a month Asean is China’s largest trading partner with US$685b trade CLIMATE WATCH Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine agritech startup named one of ‘climate and nature impact innovators’ The Kathmandu PostAs springs dry up, water shortage deepens in high altitude villages in Nepal The Daily StarBaked by heat, Bangladesh expands AC manufacturing The Daily StarA feminist approach to climate solutions Dawn70 killed as Afghanistan hit by heavy rains Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine ocean systems deteriorating, says study The NationBangkok cuts daily carbon footprint by 142 tonnes with food waste tactic The Straits TimesCarbon financing could retire dozens of coal plants in SE Asia by 2030: Rockefeller Foundation Philippine Daily InquirerPresident Marcos orders government to set standard in conserving energy Go Go Mongolia70,000 hectares affected by wildfires in Mongolia Philippine Daily InquirerMasbate’s milk farms also reel from the intense Philippine heat KuenselBhutan’s SDG on track The Jakarta Post18 people killed in South Sulawesi landslide DawnLightning, rains kill 24 in Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Philippine Daily InquirerHot weather prompts 5,800 Philippine schools to switch to online classes The Kathmandu PostAs Nepal’s peak forest fire season nears, number of human fatalities rises VIEW ALL AGRICULTURE VIEW MORE The maps will provide essential geospatial information with precise coordinate data, serving as a basis for decision-making across various sectors including agriculture and land and water management. Mayani, a five-year-old Filipino company on a mission to uplift the lives of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk by harnessing technology, will take part in the Amplifier mentorship program launched in Singapore at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024. TRANSPORTATION VIEW MORE Changi Airport was also named the best airport in Asia, and best in the world for its immigration services. The rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East could result in potential jet fuel price hikes and lower passenger traffic, and no aviation player will be spared if a full blown war erupts in the region. ENERGY VIEW MORE In SE Asia, coal power plants are the main source of electricity and a major source of air pollution and carbon emissions. Many of the plants are young, with an average age of less than 15 years. This comes after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines extended the red alert status in Luzon and Visayas, a status issued when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand. MORE HEADLINES Japan to establish ¥500 billion fund to reinforce economic security ... China to include sex education in primary school text books ... Indonesian migrant worker’s ‘7 conditions’ for job search sparks debate ... Livelihoods hinge on green recovery ... Energy minister tells petroleum dealers ‘legitimate’ demands will be met, urges them to reconsider strike ... Japan cultural agency to earmark ¥6.5 billion to preserve local festivals ... Marijuana legal in Thailand from Dec 9, but ‘doobies’ still not allowed ... Covid-19 shots alone don’t ensure 100 percent safety, continued caution needed, experts say ... SPOTLIGHT ON ASIA China DailyReturn of cultural relics from US to China signals enhanced exchanges The Straits TimesKeeping time: One man and his passion for vintage and antique clocks The Straits TimesFrom Lee Kuan Yew to Lawrence Wong: How leadership transitions take place in Singapore KuenselReviving Bhutan’s tradition of natural pigments The StarA uniquely Malaysian celebration The StarRapid ageing and Malaysia’s ‘ghost towns’ The Korea HeraldWill South Korea’s political regionalism crumble? The Korea HeraldTourists to South Korea getting younger China DailyInheritor innovates to keep Chinese textile art relevant Viet Nam NewsHoi An’s bamboo craftsmen bend with market to survive The Korea HeraldMarriages between Korean men, Japanese women soar China DailyFluent foreigners spread the word on dialects China DailyChongqing subway helps local vegetable farmers widen their business The NationHow a forgotten Narathiwat village created a new future for residents The Japan NewsRoast beef, ice cream and bread: Soy sauce isn’t just for sushi anymore The Kathmandu PostKarnali folk in Nepal return to oil lamps as electricity supply proves unreliable VIEW ALL GO DEEPER WITH ANN Coming Soon ANN Newsletter Sign up here Follow us: