BANGKOK: THE livelihood of millions of people in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will be affected as drought and newly-built dams impede the Mekong River’s flow, drying up segments of the once fast-flowing river. Observers predict that these two factors may lead to the death of the 4,700km waterway. At a discussion on the […]

Energy storage systems (ESS) using lithium-ion batteries should soon be a rising star, as many Thai companies are heavily investing in researchers, engineers and think tanks to enhance their competitiveness in the field. The government is supporting the business through investment incentives for Thai and foreign companies to capture rising demand for ESS at the […]

In a bid to counter air pollution in Bangkok, Thailand officials have turned to drones for answers. Early into 2019, the city’s air quality was reported to hit PM2.5, which meant that the air was full of particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns, reaching 185 micrograms per cubic meter. To put the scale into […]

Singapore’s Puma Energy, the retail and midstream arm of global commodities trader Trafigura, said yesterday it would sell its Australian commercial and retail fuels business to Chevron Australia for A$425 million (S$396 million). The sale by the company, which is 49 per cent owned by Geneva-based Trafigura, comes amid increasing pressure to rebalance its books […]

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government is holding a special meeting to establish common ground among state agencies about ways to ensure effective implementation of the national development plan for 2020. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith presided over the opening of the two-day open government meeting at the National Convention Centre, which is scheduled to end […]

A crisis is engulfing the Mekong River, its banks are collapsing and half a million people are at risk of losing their homes. The entire ecosystem of this South East Asian river is under threat, all because of the world’s insatiable demand for sand. Extracted from the bed of this giant river in Cambodia and […]

Terra, blockchain payment network that offers a price-stable cryptocurrency, has marked its expansion to Singapore with the appointment of Rahul Abrol –Uber’s former APAC Head of Strategy– as Head of International and Strategy. The new venture in Singapore will be its Southeast Asia hub; it will also hire locals to drive localisation. It plans to […]

[BENGALURU] Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corp said on Tuesday it was unsuccessful in securing approval from a Malaysian regulator to increase its lanthanide concentrate processing limit for 2019. Shares of Lynas fell as much as 5.8 per cent after the announcement, its worst slump since Aug 23. By 0120 GMT, the shares pared losses […]

Come next year, Phnom Penh residents will no longer have waste collection fees included in their electricity bill, thanks to an online payment system. A directive on changes to the payment system was signed by Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng on Monday. It said that to modernise public services and ensure everyone paid, waste […]

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday officially kicked off its 14th meeting, aiming to review and approve a new working plan to cope with the changing global environment. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith presided over the official opening ceremony of the two day-meeting at the International Cooperation Training Centre […]