Thailand’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, is setting his sights on Indian tourists to boost tourism in the country. He said that he would make a trip to India this year with plans to meet his counterpart Narendra Modi and discuss increasing flight frequency between the two countries, including more services by flag carrier Thai Airways International Pcl. In a media interview on September 18, Srettha Thavisin pointed out that there are not that many incoming flights from India yet due to internal politics, and he hopes to visit India before the end of the year to negotiate on the issue
Norway Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide said that there is ingenuity which is being seen in Indian science, business and academics, which is really important for the country to partner with. The minister was speaking at the 3rd International Climate Summit 2023 organised on September 14 and 15, 2023 in New Delhi. “There’s simply no way that we can solve the climate crisis...without a strong engagement from India,” he said, adding, “It is important for the rest of us because of India’s size and population.” The 3rd International Climate Summit 2023 built on the momentum crea
Dubai’s real estate market experienced a staggering surge in apartment prices in August 2023, marking the most significant increase in nearly ten years. This surge continues to fuel the city’s transformation into one of the world's most dynamic and competitive housing markets. The recent housing boom in Dubai, primarily driven by larger single-family homes until now, is now extending its influence to apartment prices. Apartments constitute approximately 85% of the available housing supply in this bustling Middle East hub for business and tourism. Prices for apartments rose 20% on av
Delhi Metro has increased the operational speed of Metro trains on the Airport Express Line to 120 kmph starting September 18. With this, the total journey from New Delhi station to newly-built Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 station will take about 21 minutes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a metro ride to reach the new station at Dwarka Sector-25. The train he travelled in moved at 120 kmph, leading to the formal start of services with enhanced speed on the Airport Express Line. PM Modi on September 18 also inaugurated the first phase of YashoBhoomi, the India International Convention an
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has become the first person to get Indonesia’s Golden Visa. The ChatGPT creator would now enjoy priority security screening at Indonesian airports, longer stay periods in the country, and easier entry and exit processes, among other perks. Indonesiahas launched the golden visa program to attract foreign investment. The 10-year visa has been issued to Altman as he has an international reputation and may bring benefits to the country, said the country’s immigration office. Introduced on September 2 to boost economic development, the new visa a
As wildfires raged across the state of Louisiana in August, a remarkable meteorological phenomenon was captured on camera in Sabine Parish, a firenado. This event occurred amidst the ongoing wildfires in Northwest Louisiana on August 25. A firenado is short for fire tornado. It is a rare weather occurrence caused by the combination of scorching air from a wildfire and swirling wind gusts moving in different directions. As statewide fires continued to burn Louisiana, the video footage of Sabine Parish's wildfires showing a rare weather phenomenon surfaced. Officials of the Louisiana Depa
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has set up the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) as a federal authority to introduce a world-leading regulatory framework for a national lottery and commercial gaming. Globally respected regulator Kevin Mullally has been appointed as CEO. He has over 30 years of experience in national and international gaming regulation to the GCGRA. The GCGRA is led by a team of internationally credentialed leaders, all with proven track records and a deep understanding of global best practices in regulating and maintaining an effective, safe, and respon
The global environmental non-profit, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has set up a base in Singapore, in a boost to the country’s ambitions of becoming a green finance hub. Headquartered in the United States, TNC aims to raise the supply of high-quality carbon credits in the region and unlock more conservation projects in Southeast Asia. These credits are permits that companies or countries can buy to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a company can buy carbon credits from a forest conservation project in Indonesia. Each credit represents one tonne of emissions. In a medi
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) of the United Arab Emirates ran a back-to-school health awareness campaign from August 17 to 31 to equip parents and students with insights into the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles as they return to school. The campaign emphasises the benefits of physical activity, a balanced diet, regulated sleep patterns, and controlled electronic screen time. Under the campaign, six community events were held at Lulu Hypermarkets. Additionally, an exclusive awareness session was organised specifically for MoHAP employees. The events involved a se
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on August 18 praised India for advancing health coverage and schemes. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from August 17 to 19, he commended India for its steps in advancing Universal Health Coverage and the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which is the world’s largest health assurance initiative. The WHO Chief also recalled his visit to a Health and Wellness Centre in Gandhinagar and lauded the services being provided to 1,000 households by