A centuries-old monastery in southern Thailand is the country’s latest cultural landmark to be inscribed on Unesco’s World Heritage List, which will aid in the site’s conservation, the government said on Sunday.
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan in Nakhon Si Thammarat province is Thailand’s ninth World Heritage site, but its first in the nation’s southern region, the Thai foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Its inscription will further strengthen cooperation at both the national and local…
Southeast Asia must embrace reforms for ‘China plus one’ to succeed
In recent years, Southeast Asian governments have viewed the “China plus one” strategy as their best chance to escape the middle-income trap. As global manufacturers looked to diversify away from China because of rising costs, trade tensions and supply-chain vulnerabilities, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia seemed perfectly placed to benefit.
The promise was simple and compelling: new factories would arrive, more formal jobs would be created, wages would rise in tandem with higher productivity…
Japan, UK, Italy eye Japanese factory to build fighter jet
A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries factory is expected to be the Japan centre for the development and assembly of the next-generation fighter jet to be produced by Japan, Britain and Italy, sources close to the matter said on Saturday.
The three members of the trilateral Global Combat Air Program are discussing the roles each will play in the design and manufacture of the jet, with Britain to set up its centre in Warton and Italy in Turin, according to the sources.
The Japanese centre will be set up…
Who pays when overheated roads melt and rails buckle?
Heatwaves come and go, and while this is happening with increasing frequency and intensity – as this year’s record-breaking temperatures show – they slip from attention once things cool off. What does not disappear is the lasting and costly damage they do to the basic infrastructure we rely on in our daily lives.
Ultra-hot days and nights can result in the deaths of many people (those who cannot afford air conditioning especially) and they ignite forest infernos of terrifying intensity. Some of…
Smaller Asian airlines seek to add routes despite Middle East war, rising fuel costs
India’s Akasa Air and Malaysia’s AirBorneo are pressing ahead with expansion plans despite soaring jet fuel prices and disruption from the Middle East conflict, in a development that analysts say is a sign smaller Asian carriers are finding room to grow as larger airlines grapple with capacity constraints.
Akasa Air, India’s youngest airline, said last week that it was seeking to raise 10.5 billion rupees (US$110 million) through equity and debt, including loans from state-run banks, to fund the…
Tornado rips roofing from Indonesian construction site, sends workers fleeing
A tornado tore through an industrial site in Batam, Indonesia, ripping roofing from workshop facilities and sending helmeted workers running for cover as weather officials warned that unstable conditions could trigger further sudden storms.
The short-lived wind vortex, described locally as a puting beliung, struck VME Process in Tanjung Sengkuang, Batu Ampar, at about 10am on Wednesday, damaging workers’ shelters and scattering construction materials across the site, according to Indonesian…
UAE’s transactions law resets court tests for project risk, pricing and exit economics
The UAE’s Civil Transactions Law will influence how courts review evidence, pricing decisions and agreement outcomes when disputes arise.
Financial crime and operational resilience in ADGM regulator’s sights
Financial services firms operating in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) can expect their efforts to combat financial crime and meet requirements around operational resilience to come in for regulatory scrutiny over the coming months, experts have said.
More businesses set for tax relief as government unveils latest rates cuts
The UK government has announced a 20% business rates cut for pubs, clubs and music venues as part of broader cost of living measures aimed at supporting retail and hospitality companies.
Malaysia probes telecoms giant Maxis over Khairul Aming privacy leak
A social media post over an unpaid phone bill has triggered a data-protection investigation in Malaysia, after one of the country’s most recognisable influencers questioned how a stranger obtained details from his telecoms account.
The episode involving Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman, better known as Khairul Aming, has raised uncomfortable questions for telcos about how tightly they manage customer account information and how quickly private details can be exposed when those controls fail.
Khairul…