Despite record heatwaves, floods and storms across much of South-east Asia in 2024, more people in the region are concerned about bread-and-butter issues such as food security than about climate change, according to a new survey. The proportion of those who see climate change as a serious and immediate threat dropped to 42.5 per cent in 2024, the latest South-east Asia Climate Outlook Survey by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute found. This was down from 49.4 per cent in 2023, 45.8 per cent in 2022, and 72.2 per cent in 2021. This might seem counter-intuitive as 2023 was the…
Author: Asia News Network
The United States is obstructing a bid by Japan’s Nippon Steel to acquire US Steel on the grounds of “national security”, employing language often reserved for their common perceived threat: China. The episode has cast a pall over US-Japan ties, even as Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – who has entrenched his country’s position as the superpower’s key ally in Asia – is due to visit the US for his farewell tour before stepping down in October. Nippon Steel, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, announced in December 2023 that it intended to buy US Steel. But the potential US$14.9 billion (S$19.3…
The death of a female employee at an unidentified company in Samut Prakan has sparked outrage after it was revealed that she had been denied sick leave. The employee, who died while being treated at a hospital in Pak Nam, had told a friend about the difficulty in taking sick leave due to her previous absences. This conversation on the Line application was shared on the Facebook page named E-Sor Khayee Khao (E-Sor crushing news) on Monday. The post quickly went viral, with most netizens blaming the boss for not allowing the woman to take sick leave. However, some pointed…
Trading among ASEAN countries has made significant strides since the ASEAN Free Trade Area was established in 1992 and is set to grow further in the coming years. The surge in trade was underscored by Laos’ Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mr Malaythong Kommasith, when he chaired the 56th ASEAN Economic Minister Meeting (AEM) and 38th ASEAN Free Trade Area Council Meeting in Vientiane on Monday. ASEAN has eliminated tariffs on almost all products, comprising 98.6 percent of all tariff items, and is continuing to refine the ASEAN Single Window Tax Notification System, in order to reduce trade costs and…
The opening of parts of Nusantara to the public following years of closed-door construction has whipped up enthusiasm and drawn visitors, including foreign tourists, to the country’s future capital in East Kalimantan. Some 300 visitors on the opening day on Monday awaited their turn to hop on the electric shuttle bus that would take them to the city, often seen as the legacy project of outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and which made its debut during the Aug. 17 Independence Day celebrations last month. Ayu and her family from Balikpapan, some two hours’ drive from Nusantara, were among the first…
Sharp Corp. unveiled a prototype of its first company-developed electric vehicle on Tuesday. The minivan, “LDK+” model, has a living room-like interior with a large LCD display, and the company aims to put it into commercial use within a few years. The Sony Group is also jointly developing an EV with Honda, and competition is likely to intensify. The LDK+, which is being shown for the first time, was planned and developed by Sharp using a chassis made by its parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. A 65-inch display is installed at the rear of the vehicle, and it…
The Musang King, the popular premium durian variety, is facing a “taste” dilemma. Some farmers are transforming its flavour to meet different market demands, but this has run afoul of durian purists. Some durian farmers are tweaking the Musang King taste to make it sweeter, dialling down on the bitterness that is also part of its hallmark. The Musang King stands out with its rich golden flesh and sweet taste with a hint of bitterness. An industry insider indicated recently that some farmers are focusing on increasing the sweetness of Musang King durians to serve the Chinese market better. Other…
Not sure if you can recycle a frying pan? What about that takeaway plastic container with food? Or maybe clothes that are still in good condition but you do not want any more? You can now ask an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot if an item, especially one that is not obviously recyclable, can be placed in the blue bins for recycling near your homes. The National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Bloobin AI chatbot, named after Singapore’s blue recycling mascot, was rolled out on messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram on Sept 16. Those unsure can ask it questions or send the chatbot…
The price of locally produced and imported rice retailed at around P50 a kilo in some public markets in Metro Manila despite lower import duties on the staple, likely due to traders still unloading their stock purchased at the higher tariff rate. Local regular milled rice was sold from a low of P45 per kilogram to a high of P51 per kg as of Friday, compared to P39 to P45 per kg during the same period last year, according to a price monitoring report by the Department of Agriculture (DA). Local well-milled rice ranged from P47 to P55 per kg…
The total number of fatalities and missing persons due to typhoon Yagi and subsequent floods and landslides in northern Vietnam has decreased from 348 (reported in the morning of September 15) to 330, with 292 deaths and 38 missing persons. The decrease is due to 18 missing people who turned up alive in two serious incidents in the two northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Cao Bang. According to updates from the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the mountainous province Lao Cai remains the hardest-hit locality, with 151 people dead or…