https://www.scmp.com/rss/522279/feed Singapore Management University (SMU): A prominent Singapore-based, publicly funded private university, SMU was established in 2000, modelling its education after the Wharton School. Its mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and cultivate broad-based, entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. Located in downtown Singapore, SMU offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across disciplines including accountancy, business, economics, law, and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A framework proposed at an Asean ministers’ meeting is set to propel disaster management to the top of the bloc’s agenda, further easing cooperation and decision-making in a region facing nearly US$18 trillion in disaster risk exposure. Analysts say the proposal, if implemented, would strengthen anticipatory action – potentially enabling the bloc to act before a formal request from a member state is even made. At the 35th Asean Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Manila on March 5, bloc... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346934/asean-bets-new-framework-remedy-uneven-disaster-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3346934/asean-bets-new-framework-remedy-uneven-disaster-response?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:30:08 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Singapore pizza shop owner Roy Chan has ridden out more than one business shock – from the Covid-19 pandemic to US tariff pressures – but he now sees another looming threat. Suppliers for ingredients used at his Goldenroy Sourdough Pizza restaurant had warned prices could soon rise by up to 30 per cent following a surge in oil prices due to the escalating Iran war, Chan said. “Delivery providers have not increased prices yet, but it may come in the next few weeks or months,” he added. Like Chan,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346282/why-southeast-asias-small-firms-could-bear-brunt-latest-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346282/why-southeast-asias-small-firms-could-bear-brunt-latest-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:00:12 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales director Sabir Ansari relied on Deliveroo almost daily for burgers and pasta delivered to his door in Singapore. Over time, the 31-year-old said, it became harder to justify the service’s costs as rival platforms such as Grab and Foodpanda offered more food options and aggressive promotions that made “delivery fees way cheaper”. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. For Deliveroo, that kind of calculation among consumers became increasingly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3344705/what-deliveroos-singapore-exit-says-about-citys-food-delivery-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3344705/what-deliveroos-singapore-exit-says-about-citys-food-delivery-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:51:13 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong should increase funding for university research to position itself as a global education hub, a leading academic has said, citing a growing trend of students choosing Asian destinations for tertiary studies. Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), which is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition, told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that he hoped the coming budget... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344442/boost-rd-investment-make-hong-kong-global-education-hub-cuhk-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3344442/boost-rd-investment-make-hong-kong-global-education-hub-cuhk-president?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 07:47:56 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Recent comments by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong about an inclusive “we first” society potentially involving foreigners have drawn the ire of some locals, with experts noting that a cultural shift and greater cooperation are necessary to attain the goal. The “we first” society call was first raised by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day Rally last year, when he stressed that Singaporeans had to band together to write the next chapter of their story. On Monday, Gan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341573/who-are-we-why-some-singaporeans-bristle-we-first-inclusive-society-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341573/who-are-we-why-some-singaporeans-bristle-we-first-inclusive-society-call?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:48:03 +0000 Kolette Lim,Aidan Jones Kolette Lim,Aidan Jones Southeast Asian countries invited to join Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” should think carefully before entering what looks like a “more exclusive version” of the United Nations Security Council with the US president in ultimate control, analysts caution. Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are among about 60 countries that have reportedly received invitations, alongside South Korea and India. The initiative, presented by Trump as a new international body to promote global... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340651/why-southeast-asia-wary-trumps-pay-play-global-peace-board?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340651/why-southeast-asia-wary-trumps-pay-play-global-peace-board?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:30:10 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim When Singapore’s trade minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that locals owned nearly 90 per cent of registered retail businesses in the city state while Chinese nationals came in second at a distant 3 per cent, the figures drew mixed reactions from the public and analysts. The discourse online centred on what the statistics implied – critics felt that though the proportion of foreign-owned entities, especially from China, might be minuscule, most could actually be big brands with multiple outlets,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340470/singapores-retail-ownership-data-sparks-debate-about-foreign-chains-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340470/singapores-retail-ownership-data-sparks-debate-about-foreign-chains-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau A special economic zone between Singapore and the Malaysian state of Johor (JS-SEZ) should include Indonesia’s Riau Islands to ramp up the region’s allure to global investors, an apex business chamber and leading accounting firm have said, ahead of the city state’s budget address next month. As part of its 18 top recommendations, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which has more than 32,000 members, and PwC Singapore on Monday said expanding the zone to include the Indonesian islands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339786/singapore-urged-expand-johor-sez-indonesia-deepen-asean-integration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339786/singapore-urged-expand-johor-sez-indonesia-deepen-asean-integration?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:36:37 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim For businesses in Singapore, such as skincare chain Kskin, the global trade environment has become more challenging in recent years as a result of hurdles ranging from rising costs and US tariffs to fast-changing regulations. Kskin began venturing overseas in 2023 and has opened outlets in Malaysia, the Philippines and the US. Due to the tariffs, the costs of Kskin’s equipment and products have risen in recent months. Brian Ng, the firm’s director, told This Week in Asia: “Our margins [at... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339397/singapore-businesses-list-rising-costs-and-tariffs-their-biggest-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339397/singapore-businesses-list-rising-costs-and-tariffs-their-biggest-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 06:30:09 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Meta Platforms’ multibillion-dollar acquisition of Manus, a Chinese-founded artificial intelligence agent start-up, has set off a mix of excitement and unease in China’s tech circles, opening what some see as a new “cash-out” route for AI entrepreneurs beyond the traditional IPO playbook. Industry observers said the acquisition was made possible by two key developments: Manus’ progress in building a globally competitive general AI agent and the founders’ decision to relocate the business... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3338316/metas-multibillion-manus-buyout-draws-plaudits-raises-spectre-china-ai-exodus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3338316/metas-multibillion-manus-buyout-draws-plaudits-raises-spectre-china-ai-exodus?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore has long been a proven test bed for international food and beverage chains as a wealthy, brand-savvy market where new entrants can generate instant buzz – and just as quickly disappear for those who fail to cook up a storm. The first part of that pattern was on display this month, with long queues forming outside the first Asia outlet of US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A more than a week after it opened in the city state. The crowds reflect the initial pull of a well-known American brand,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337125/singapores-unforgiving-food-scene-can-go-hot-and-cold-brands-what-keeps-them-coming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337125/singapores-unforgiving-food-scene-can-go-hot-and-cold-brands-what-keeps-them-coming?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 05:30:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Retired regional human resources director Helen Kuan typically spends this time of year picking up Christmas presents from her usual department store haunts around Singapore. But her options are becoming more limited as more of these one-stop stores have been shuttering in recent years. On Monday, shopping centre NEX, located in the northeast of Singapore, announced that Japanese brand Isetan would close in April next year, a month after the chain shut its Tampines outlet. With these closures,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3336081/more-department-stores-singapore-struggle-can-they-adapt-and-survive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3336081/more-department-stores-singapore-struggle-can-they-adapt-and-survive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:12:50 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The tarpaulin barely held against the wind, sagging under days of ceaseless rain. For the earthquake survivors of San Remigio, in the central Philippines, it was all that remained – a thin sheet of plastic above a patch of mud, standing in for the homes a 6.9-magnitude quake had reduced to rubble weeks earlier. Then, in early November, Typhoon Kalmaegi barrelled through. The storm, known locally as Tino, drenched thousands of families still huddled in their makeshift shelters. Roads vanished... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3335387/why-philippines-cant-escape-its-endless-cycle-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3335387/why-philippines-cant-escape-its-endless-cycle-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Singapore’s ambitions to lead the world in green shipping are picking up steam, with a new agreement with China poised to enhance the city state’s decarbonisation efforts and cement its role as a key hub for alternative fuels. The partnership, signed last month, aims to establish a digital and green shipping corridor between the two countries, and promote maritime decarbonisation, innovation and greater supply chain efficiency. The deal could give Singapore a competitive edge by plugging it... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3332718/how-singapores-bid-green-shipping-leadership-gaining-traction-chinas-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3332718/how-singapores-bid-green-shipping-leadership-gaining-traction-chinas-help?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 02:30:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The latest deadly typhoon to tear through the Philippines has killed more than 100 people, raising fears among experts that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, and harder to prepare for. Typhoon Kalmaegi – the most recent in a string of late-season cyclones to batter the country in recent years – left a trail of devastation across the central Visayas region this week. The storm follows a worrying pattern of high-impact tropical cyclones that have struck the Philippines... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331826/deadly-typhoon-kalmaegi-philippines-raises-more-disaster-readiness-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331826/deadly-typhoon-kalmaegi-philippines-raises-more-disaster-readiness-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:15:26 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A spate of powerful earthquakes across the Philippines has triggered widespread panic, sparked a flood of misinformation and prompted officials to take decisions that experts warn could undermine long-term disaster readiness. Analysts say the anxious public reaction – from mass hysteria in schools to viral conspiracy theories about “The Big One” – underscores a pressing need for better science communication and coordination between government agencies, especially in a country highly exposed to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330110/big-one-coming-earthquake-mania-grips-philippines-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330110/big-one-coming-earthquake-mania-grips-philippines-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:46:21 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Marina Mahathir readily acknowledges the privileges of her birth and says that being able to “get a foot in the door” only made her more determined to speak up for those who could not. The 68-year-old daughter of Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad told an audience at Singapore Management University (SMU) on Friday that her family name gave her a platform – and a responsibility – to champion marginalised communities, particularly women and people living with HIV. “I had a way of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328605/how-malaysias-marina-mahathir-turned-privilege-lifelong-advocacy-social-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328605/how-malaysias-marina-mahathir-turned-privilege-lifelong-advocacy-social-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 07:00:10 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Pang Kok Meng, 65, lives with his 91-year-old mother in a public housing flat in Geylang, a township in central Singapore. For more than a decade, he has been feuding with a neighbour living one floor below. “Whenever there’s a little noise – if someone’s high heels make clacking sounds, or if I drop something on the floor – he retaliates by banging on his ceiling,” he told This Week in Asia. “He does it every day, from day to night, it scares my mother to tears.” Pang is far from alone.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3328577/singapores-high-rise-noisy-neighbour-feuds-turn-deadly-mediation-solution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3328577/singapores-high-rise-noisy-neighbour-feuds-turn-deadly-mediation-solution?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Wages in Singapore grew by 4.3 per cent this year, the lowest in Southeast Asia, but slightly higher than the 3.9 per cent rate in Hong Kong, a study has found. Professional services firm Aon released its annual Salary Increase and Turnover Survey on Wednesday, based on data collected from more than 700 companies in the region including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The study found that the average percentage growth across the region was 5.4, with Vietnam having the highest percentage... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3328266/singapore-2025-wage-growth-lowest-southeast-asia-edges-out-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3328266/singapore-2025-wage-growth-lowest-southeast-asia-edges-out-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:21:07 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the Philippines grapples with the fallout of a deadly earthquake and two destructive typhoons in less than a fortnight, analysts have criticised officials for their poor disaster management, comparing the damage with the flaws exposed by the ongoing flood-control scandal. The latest disasters have highlighted shortcomings ranging from weak enforcement of building codes to chronic underfunding of related scientific programmes, according to the analysts. Those weaknesses were on full display... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327842/are-latest-natural-disasters-philippines-further-proof-poor-planning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327842/are-latest-natural-disasters-philippines-further-proof-poor-planning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:27:48 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Living in a cramped 35 sq ft cubicle home in an old building in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po, Samuel Wong Wang-fat’s options for beating the heat are limited to using wet towels, turning on a small fan or sipping a cold drink. His floor is divided into 15 shoebox flats that rely on a single air conditioner in the corridor that is too weak to keep any of the tenants cool. Wong is too scared to open his windows in case he lets in rats. The 68-year-old cleaner rarely visits nearby shopping centres and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3326217/hong-kong-gets-hotter-where-city-going-wrong-urban-greenery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3326217/hong-kong-gets-hotter-where-city-going-wrong-urban-greenery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:30:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg At Singapore’s universities, undergraduates are fighting for the golden ticket they believe will get them a coveted banking job years later: membership in a campus finance club. Lengthy interview rounds and days of working on PowerPoint slides have become de rigueur as a gloomier job market in the banking and trading hub raises the stakes for college students seeking a career in finance. “It’s low-key crazy – it’s quite absurd how competitive it is,” said Maya, a social sciences graduate from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317657/inside-singapores-cutthroat-campus-finance-clubs-where-10-get-and-stress-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317657/inside-singapores-cutthroat-campus-finance-clubs-where-10-get-and-stress-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 06:03:52 +0000