Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Asean must grab its rare-earth shot
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 22/11/2025
» US President Donald Trump's return to Southeast Asia last month felt like a rerun -- tariffs, tough talk, and televised deals. But this time, he left behind more than headlines. From Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, Mr Trump inked trade pacts promising tariff relief on US exports in exchange for joint ventures in mining and refining the rare-earth minerals that power the world's clean-tech boom.
Climate finance for urban resilience
News, Imran Arif, Published on 29/10/2025
» Heavy rainfall and floods continue to plague Thailand's cities. A trifecta of heavier-than-usual rainfall exacerbated by the La Niña weather pattern, unsafe overcapacities at major dams, and unusually high sea tides is a stern reminder of how vulnerable Thailand's urban centres are amid the world's changing climate.
Global coral collapse a neglected crisis
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 16/08/2025
» Before the crack of dawn on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, Somsak Chaisri paddles his wooden boat over waters that used to shimmer with life. A once-vibrant coral garden below the water surface now consists of dead skeleton-like structures. According to this fisherman, the bleached coral skeletons are the only things he pulls from the water after his father showed him how to fish in living coral reefs. "Now, I drag up ghosts," he murmured. His lament echoes across the tropics. From the Maldives to Mozambique, the once-thriving reefs of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans are being scoured of life.
Blended finance for climate action
Oped, Imran Arif, Published on 13/08/2025
» It takes policy support, commitment and also money to tackle climate change. For the latter, Thailand needs around 5-7 trillion baht in climate finance to achieve its carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions by 2050 and 2065, respectively. However, that's a target the country is still a long way away from.
More missiles, memes, and the new resistance
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 19/07/2025
» There was a time, not so long ago, when Walter Cronkite's sombre baritone could turn battlefield dispatches into moments of collective reckoning. Even the first "television war" of 1991, piped in grainy bursts from Baghdad, felt slow enough for shock to sink in. These days, the missiles that streak above Natanz or Esfahan arrive on TikTok between latte art tutorials and kittens sliding off sofas. The effect is less shock-and-awe, more scroll-and-shrug.
US-China trade truce didn't solve rare earths riddle
Oped, Imran Khalid, Published on 27/06/2025
» Amid the swirl of headlines about a US-China trade breakthrough in London on June 11, it is reported that US President Donald Trump said the US and China had made a "great deal" -- with China agreeing to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students.
Thai LNG hub ambitions need caution
Oped, Imran Arif, Published on 25/06/2025
» Despite local and global headwinds, Thailand's energy demand, driven by economic activities, continues to grow. Such seemingly insatiable energy demand has been met primarily via natural gas, which, according to Thailand's Electricity Generation Authority (EGAT), is used to generate 60.85% of Thailand's electricity.
Thai climate ambitions face trade heat
Oped, Imran Arif, Published on 28/05/2025
» Early last month, the US announced plans to impose a reciprocal tariff rate of 36% on goods originating from Thailand due to a trade deficit. This set off alarm bells between Thai policymakers and export-oriented business sectors. So, efforts are underway to negotiate a deal that would safeguard Thailand's highly fruitful trade relationship with the US.
How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola is smuggled out of Sudan
Business, Richa Naidu and Khalid Abdelaziz of Reuters, Published on 05/03/2025
» LONDON/DUBAI - Gum arabic, a vital ingredient used in everything from Coca-Cola to M&M's candy, is increasingly being trafficked from rebel-held areas of war-torn Sudan, traders and industry sources say, complicating Western companies' efforts to insulate their supply chains from the conflict.
A spark of hope for India-Pakistan ties
Oped, Imran Khalid, Published on 12/06/2024
» Despite the long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan, India's recent general election, which saw a narrow victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has seen some analysts become more optimistic about better bilateral relations between the nations.