When a brutal, communist dictatorship is able to attract tourists, the most obvious question is: Who? North Korea was isolated further Friday as the United States that it will ban its citizens from visiting the country. Given the worrying headlines that consistently swirl around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, common sense suggests that you’d […]

The diamond industry is expected to grow in coming years on strong demand from China, India and the U.S., but there is a key hurdle ahead: millennials. Speaking with CNBC’s “Street Signs” last week, Charles Rosario, senior vice president of Lazare Diamonds, reflected on the role the millennial generation — broadly defined as those born […]

Three years ago, Ferly Aninditya’s stall at a Jakarta food court was losing money. Deterred by the Indonesian capital’s paralysing traffic, few customers were prepared to come to him. But that was before he teamed up with Go-Jek, the ride-hailing motorbike service that delivers everything from meals and groceries to cleaners and hairdressers across Jakarta, […]

Asia markets will open for trade on Wednesday following the firmer lead on Wall Street Tuesday and as oil prices rose more than 3 percent overnight. Oil prices soared overnight after major U.S. oil producer Anadarko announced plans to reduce capital spending due to lower oil prices. Market sentiment was also boosted when de-facto OPEC […]

Budget airline Scoot has vowed to be “aggressive” with its growth ambitions, unveiling five new destinations and a plan to double its fleet, following an official merger with Tigerair. Just months after announcing their intentions to pursue a tie-up under the single Scoot brand, the two Singapore Airlines-backed low-cost carriers are becoming one under a […]

The rivalry between India and China is heating up as the heavyweight economies face territorial tensions on both land and sea. A fierce border stand-off in Bhutan’s Doklam region — triggered by a Chinese road construction project in a disputed area and a Bhutanese request for Indian help — is now entering its second month […]

A massive private Chinese conglomerate pulled an unusual move on Monday, revealing its ownership structure after striking multi-billion dollar deals that have raised questions about corporate governance, strategic motivations, financial health and who exactly is calling the shots. HNA had its start as a small airline, and has now evolved into a giant, global conglomerate […]

Things are looking up for Malaysia, with more foreign investors cashing in on the country’s improving economy and strengthening currency, market participants told CNBC on Tuesday. The Malaysian ringgit has been one of the best-performing currencies in the region this year, while domestic stocks have gained around 8 percent. In fact, the country’s brightening prospects […]

Japanese tech titan SoftBank has approached Uber about taking a multi-billion dollar stake in the ride-sharing company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. SoftBank has already invested in three ride-sharing companies in Asia: GrabTaxi in Singapore, Ola in India and Didi Chuxing Technology in China, the report noted. […]

Bank of Japan policymakers contested how much information to disclose about a possible exitfrom quantitative easing, with several worrying about the risks of doing so given the BOJ is still far off its 2 percent inflation goal, minutes of the central bank’s June 15-16 meetingshowed on Tuesday. Some members said the BOJ needed to clearly […]