Alibaba’s Lazada woos sellers affected by Indonesia’s e-commerce ban

Lazada is the third-largest e-commerce player in Indonesia, after Sea Limited’s Shopee and Tokopedia, according to Momentum Works. Matt Hunt | Lightrocket | Getty Images Lazada, a Southeast Asian e-commerce marketplace owned by Alibaba, is courting sellers affected by Indonesia’s latest e-commerce regulation, its Indonesia CEO James Chang told employees in a town hall meeting … Read more

Spending and ethics in focus

TikTok has officially launched its e-commerce service TikTok Shop in the US.  Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Consumers are increasingly turning to social media for their shopping this holiday season, and TikTok’s latest venture into e-commerce has emerged at the forefront. For some, it means weighing the convenience of mobile shopping and often low … Read more

Southeast Asia haze returns as peatland fires fan global warming fears

In this photo taken on Oct. 10, 2023, a man looks at a forest fire as it approaches houses in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra in Indonesia. Al Zulkifli | AFP | Getty Images With El Nino in full force, officials are bracing for the worst transboundary haze in southern Southeast Asia since before the pandemic … Read more

Rejected Rohingya Boat Sighted Off Indonesia Coast

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – A boat carrying Rohingya refugees that was forced back to sea earlier this week was sighted Saturday several miles off the coast of Indonesia’s westernmost region, according to a local commander. The group of around 250 people from the persecuted Myanmar minority arrived off Aceh province on Thursday, but residents told them … Read more

India, Indonesia, China to see biggest jump in real salary in 2024

This year, nine out of 12 places in Asia-Pacific received the highest real salary increases in the world, ECA International reported. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA | AFP | Getty Images Workers in Asia-Pacific are predicted to receive the biggest real pay increase in 2024, according to ECA International.  The average real salary increase — which is nominal … Read more

Global rice markets are in crisis amid ‘artificial’ shortage

Rice is a crucial staple for over half the global population and the world is bracing for its most significant shortage in 20 years. India’s export ban on rice is reverberating through global rice markets, threatening food security if developing nations cannot afford or access rice. “The only shortage out there right now would really … Read more

Tencent-backed J&T Express fell in Hong Kong IPO debut

Courier handing over package asking female customer to do electronic signature, delivering, receiving, efficiency 10’000 Hours | Digitalvision | Getty Images Shares of Indonesia’s J&T Express fell 1.33% when it went public on Friday. The logistics service provider traded at 11.84 Hong Kong dollars ($1.51) on Friday morning, after opening at HK$12. The HK$3.92 billion … Read more

Southeast Asia looks to renewable power for energy security

The floating solar photovoltaic power plant by EDPR Sunseap Group, a unit of Energias de Portugal SA, in Woodlands, in Singapore, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Bryan van der Beek | Bloomberg | Getty Images Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. As energy demand grows, the region is turning to … Read more

Israeli bombardment of Gaza not self-defense, but genocide: VP

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has said that the Israeli occupation forces’ ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip is not an act of self-defense, but a genocidal campaign against Palestinians. “The world regards what Israel has been doing (to Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023) has gone beyond an act of … Read more

Singapore exports fall for 12th month in September but recovery seen

Containers are loaded on the premises of the port operator PSA, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), at the Port of Singapore on 14 June 2022. Bernd von Jutrczenka | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Singapore’s exports fell for a 12th straight month in September on a year-on-year basis as the trade-reliant economy grappled again with global headwinds on inflation and declining … Read more