Southeast Asia

The regional economy is marked by significant capital movements and sector-specific disruptions. Major deals include a $22.5 billion aircraft purchase by Vietnam's Sun PhuQuoc airways and a $736 million healthcare IPO by Malaysian billionaire Jeffrey Cheah's Sunway Healthcare. However, the period also saw the closure of Deliveroo Singapore and a warning from SM Lee that Middle East tensions will impact energy prices for countries like Singapore.

• 4Bank Rakyat launches Syariah-based AI Fiqh scholar platform
• 3Tensions in the Middle East will affect energy prices and impact countries far away, like Singapore: SM Lee
• 3Deliveroo Singapore to cease operations after March 4
• 2Delays at Malaysia’s Johor checkpoint on Feb 25 caused by system failure that disabled all autogates
• 2Only data centres that benefit Malaysia allowed to set up shop, Anwar tells Dewan Rakyat

Political focus is split between Thailand's post-election coalition-building and the Philippines' intense legal battles surrounding the Duterte family. In Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin's party won the election but requires coalition partners, with the Pheu Thai party extending support to the Conservatives. In the Philippines, Vice President Duterte faces impeachment bids and ICC scrutiny over the 'war on drugs', while the House panel found a second impeachment complaint against President Marcos insubstantial.

• 4Philippine Vice President Duterte will seek presidency in 2028 but faces impeachment bids
• 3Palace insists Duterte’s ICC transfer lawful amid ‘kidnapping’ claim
• 2ICC allows Duterte to skip detention hearing
• 2China’s Xi calls on Vietnam to deepen cooperation, promote ‘traditional friendship’
• 2Philippine lawmakers weigh impeachment for Marcos

Security incidents are driven by transnational criminal violence and the regional spillover of distant geopolitical conflicts. China executed four members of a Myanmar-based criminal gang, and a mutilated body was found in a Bali kidnapping case. Simultaneously, the US-Israel attacks on Iran caused flight cancellations for Singapore Airlines and Scoot, prompting Singapore to implement more checks at all checkpoints and President Marcos to order the protection of Filipinos abroad.

• 36 SIA, Scoot flights cancelled amid US-Israel attacks on Iran
• 2Six Foreign Nationals Held in Bali Kidnapping Case as Mutilated Body Parts Found
• 1Marcos orders DFA, DMW: Secure Filipinos after US-Israel strikes on Iran
• 1South Korean with Interpol red notice caught in Pasig
• 1Healy, Romero discuss expanding US-PH reserve command training

Society is primarily responding to a series of natural disasters and geological events across the region. A strong earthquake hit off Malaysia's Sabah, the biggest recorded there in 11 years, while the Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines erupted explosively. These events are compounded by a fabricated graphic circulating online that misleadingly links Sara Duterte to a flood control scandal.

• 3Fabricated graphic of former lawmaker linking Sara Duterte to flood control scandal misleads online
• 1Oil spill reaches small island off Phuket
• 1Babies travelling to countries with high measles incidence need to get MMR vaccine early: Ong Ye Kung
• 1MFA advises Singaporeans to leave Iran while flights remain available
• 1Residents, Tourists Evacuated as Flooding Persists in Denpasar

Who covers Southeast Asia most

Outlets by number of headlines in February 2026, with their stance toward the country.

• VN Express117 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral reporting with mixed signals

• Channel NewsAsia89 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral institutional reporting

• Bangkok Post87 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral with mixed signals

• Philippine Daily Inquirer82 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral with mixed domestic and international coverage

• Jakarta Globe61 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral reporting with occasional critical framing

• New Straits Times34 titles

  0ReportorialDomestic

  neutral, factual reporting

• Reuters30 titles

  From United States
• The Nation Thailand29 titles

  From Thailand

Sources from Southeast Asia

• Straits Timesen
• Channel NewsAsiaen
• Philippine Daily Inquireren
• Bangkok Posten
• VN Expressen
• The Nation Thailanden
• New Straits Timesen
• The Staren