The latest survey of Chinese industry points to further weakening of domestic demand, adding to concerns of an Asia-wide slowdown eased slightly by export powerhouses South Korea and Singapore. - Robert M Cutler

Business leaders in Singapore, where top-end banking, healthcare and student facilities have long attracted the elite from Myanmar, are now heading in increasing numbers in the opposite direction to scout out the new opportunities in the former military-run country. - Megawati Wijaya

Bangladeshi exporters have lost their sole direct shipping service to China, as Singapore-based Pacific International Lines discovers that the Chinese just don't want enough of the South Asian country's products. Meanwhile, the cost of using remaining indirect services is rising. - Syed Tashfin Chowdhury

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower was quick to step in to make sure that striking migrant workers obtained unpaid back wages, but similar employees are on their own when "agents" and "repatriation companies" squeeze their wages and grab their savings. - Kalinga Seneviratne

The Singaporean economy took on a healthy glow at the end of last year, thanks in part to an unexpected surge in industrial production. The latest findings for the Purchasing Managers' Index are far less rosy. - Robert M Cutler

Singapore’s two casinos earned more from gambling in their first full year than the 39 casinos of the Las Vegas Strip. The Lion City now serves as a model for other Asian countries seeking to bet on gambling revenue, while a heavy-handed government with a grasp of law and the role of taxes is also suiting operators. - Muhammad Cohen

With Myanmar slowly opening up, Western countries that shunned the country for decades are likely to stream in. In response, India, Singapore and Thailand can be expected to step up their engagement to protect their influence. China, which has invested huge amounts of capital and other resources, is unlikely to watch passively as its presence is whittled away. - Sudha Ramachandran (Dec 21, '11)

South Korean stocks steadied after sliding, along with the won, in initial reaction to the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The sensitivity of export dependent countries like Korea and Singapore to global economic health, however, means "stability" in the present climate is very fragile at best. - Robert M Cutler

Debt-bound farmers in Bangladesh are discovering that a quick route to clearing the slate is to sell a kidney or other body part to doctors in Dhaka, India or Singapore. Police rounding up one gang reckon 42 farmers have sold their kidneys. Local media put the figure at five times that. - Syed Tashfin Chowdhury

Plans for Ivy League liberal arts to come to Singapore through a collaboration between Yale University and the National University of Singapore quickly led to the island-state being touted as the thought center of Asia. However, Yale alumni and Singaporeans who've suffered restrictions on free debate say the pride of America's university system has compromised its principles. - Muhammad Cohen (Sep 8, '11)

Hopes that the Yale-National University of Singapore plan will encourage creative, analytical and critical education in Asia appear overly optimistic to Yale alumni who instead point to a "brand-building"exercise. Those who expected "free-thinking" Yale to expand freedom any way forget its historic role as a bastion of the US establishment. - Muhammad Cohen (Sep 8, '11)

Manchester United's stellar earnings will give American owner Malcolm Glazer plenty to cheer and the Red Devils' Asian fans incentive to gobble up shares on sale in Singapore. A raft of new sponsorship agreements add to the English football champions' riches and points to a paper trail across the region that sheds light on the money - and why in private Glazer is counting on fans to open their wallets. - Mair Dubois (Sep 2, '11)

Tony Tan has narrowly been elected as president of Singapore. With more than 27 years of experience in parliament and close ties to the ruling party, the 71-year-old offered stability over change for a position that while essentially ceremonial, can instill "confidence for the future" on the island nation. - Megawati Wijaya (Sep 1, '11)

Singapore, already facing local complaints on employment and inflation, is bracing for tougher times if the United States and other large economies head into recession. But few doubt the island nation will again bounce back quickly and strongly. - Megawati Wijaya

Asian equities showed a general decline over the past week, with only Singapore and Jakarta avoiding negative territory, although Hong Kong was not far off joining them as it showed more strength than fellow Greater China market Shanghai. R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets

Australia posted the strongest gains in Asian equities last week, closely followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan, as patterns emerged suggesting a re-emergence of regional, rather than global, dynamics in the markets. India, Singapore and Malaysia ended in negative territory. R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week's markets.

High spending by visitors to Singapore's two new casino resorts and other attractions was not enough to offset a dip in manufacturing as the economy, one of the world's fastest growing since the 2007-08, stalled in the past three months. The region's strengths may make this a brief blip; events in Europe may dictate otherwise. - Robert M Cutler

A year after the grand opening of Marina Bay Sands, the casino resort and rival Resorts World Sentosa together make more revenue than the Las Vegas Strip and are helping to fuel an economic boom in Singapore. That has not silenced concern over moral and social costs. - Muhammad Cohen

Gambling in Macau already outshines Las Vegas, and Singapore's gaming revenues will probably overshadow those of the famed US strip this year. That was more than enough to justify the unbridled optimism at last week's Global Gaming Expo Asia 2011 in Macau. The only cloud: few folk, if any, really know what's going on. - Muhammad Cohen

The opening of free-trade talks with Singapore is a small but significant step for Taiwan as it tries to catch up with agreements forged by South Korea, its arch rival in trade. If negotiations with Singapore proceed without being used to make Taiwan look like a formal state, Beijing will likely stand aside again. - Jens Kastner