Malaysia plans to spend 460 billion ringgit (US$112.6 billion) under its 2027 budget, expanding welfare assistance and tax relief while retaining fuel subsidies as households contend with higher living costs. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also finance minister, presented the spending plan in parliament on Friday as his government faces pressure for an early election following a series of state poll defeats. Anwar said the budget should be judged on “whether more people can live with...

The artificial intelligence boom is no longer just a story about software models, cloud platforms, or the companies racing to build the next large language model. It is increasingly a story about where chips are made, how far they travel, and whether the supply chains behind them can withstand the next geopolitical shock. A new […] The post AI boom pushes chipmakers to expand across Asia Pacific, FedEx report finds appeared first on e27.

The Philippines is developing a national road map to combat child labour as part of a broader push across Southeast Asia, where poverty and insecure livelihoods continue to drive children into work despite government efforts to stamp out the practice. But analysts warn that policy commitments alone will not be enough without stronger support for vulnerable families, better access to education and more effective enforcement of child protection laws. On September 23 and 24, government officials,...

Grace often hears other Singapore mothers debating how much private tuition their children need. Some rush to enrol their offspring in multiple classes before they turn five, while others try to resist the pressure to add lessons outside school. She enrolled her two children, now aged four and seven, in Chinese tuition when they were three to give them greater exposure to their ancestral tongue. “Neither of their parents speaks fluent Mandarin at home … I guess there is some degree of pressure...

Asia’s AI founders do not lack investor attention. What they lack is the expensive plumbing frontier AI demands: models, compute, technical help and patient capital. Granite Asia and Google AI Futures Fund want to bundle all of it into one programme. The Singapore-headquartered VC firm, which manages around US$11 billion in assets and co-managed capital, […] The post Ecosystem Roundup: Granite Asia, Google bundle cash and compute for Asia’s AI founders appeared first on e27.