Singapore may be the leading international financial centre in south-east Asia, but Kuala Lumpur is looking to narrow the gap through becoming a regional hub for Islamic finance as well as catering for more conventional financial institutions through its Tun Razak Exchange.

Will a first-round court victory for Chinese manufacturer Sany over the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US have implications for other foreign investors?

Part of China's shift away from manufacturing and towards more value-added sectors has seen it focus more on innovation and design. With an exponential rise in the number of Chinese students taking creative arts courses and a record number of design patents registered in recent years, it seems as if the country's creative juices are really starting to flow.

As Japan embarks upon the task of bringing its corporate governance structure up to international standards, John West reports on the pressures that caused the country's government to finally tackle this historic problem, and looks at the likelihood of the proposed reforms coming into fruition.

Global instability is nothing new, but the past few years have seen numerous flashpoints come to the fore around the world. This leaves many companies in a quandary over whether to stay in an unsettled location, how to insure themselves, and how to keep the locals on side should they choose to stay put. 

Protests have been rumbling on in Pakistan since August but, undeterred by this less than favourable domestic backdrop, the country's minister of state for privatisation is pushing ahead with bold privatisation plans.

The Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur is a popular destination for tourists, and is rising in prominence as a finance and business hub for the south-east Asia region. Barbara Njau charts the city's progress.

Kuala Lumpur is the eighth most visited city globally, with tourists flocking to attractions such as the Petronas Twin Towers. However, concerns over the city's inadequate transport networks are frequently voiced, something local officials are rectifying with a series of new projects.

Malaysia's minister of international trade and industry, Mustapa bin Mohamed, tells Barbara Njau that Kuala Lumpur's role has been and remains integral to Malaysia's rise as a global trade hub.