World

The North of Thailand is grappling with a surge in wildfires, with 401 hotspots detected across 17 provinces, the Region 3 Forest Fire Control Centre said on February 13.

Thailand is expected to welcome 3.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in February, a 5% increase year-on-year, with all major markets surging between 2% and 20%.

A US military-contracted plane crashed in Maguindanao del Sur province, southern the Philippines, on February 6, killing all four people on board, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) confirmed.

Timor-Leste was recognised as an ASEAN observer state and joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2005 before officially applying for membership on March 4, 2011.

Cambodia welcomed 6.7 million foreign visitors in 2024, reflecting a nearly 23% increase from 5.45 million in 2023.

With around 3 million hectares of mangroves of various types, Indonesia is well positioned for carbon offsets and trading.

Indonesia aims to build nuclear power plants for cleaner energy, Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Hashim Djojohadikusumo said at a recent energy forum.

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira has expressed confidence that the government would surpass private sector expectations by achieving GDP growth of over 3% this year.

The Indonesian government has allocated 48.8 trillion IDR (2.99 billion USD) for the second phase of developing Nusantara, Indonesia's new capital, for the 2025-2029 period.

Amid global economic challenges, Malaysia's economy maintained robust recovery throughout 2024, providing momentum for continued growth in 2025.

Indonesian Minister of Trade Budi Santoso has affirmed his country's readiness to address potential impacts of a trade war between the US and China when Donald Trump assumes the presidency.

Singapore will soon require app stores to implement measures, including age verification, to enhance online safety, particularly for children, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced on January 15.