It was in 2019 when Mr George Tan, a retiree, first dipped his toes into cryptocurrency. At the time, the crypto market was still reeling from a crash in 2018 – Bitcoin alone had tumbled more than 80 per cent that year after an astronomical rise of nearly 2,000 per cent in 2017.
Germany, through the KfW Development Bank, will spend about RM98 million (EUR20 million) to fund the Village Forest Management Project’s second phase. It covers sustainable forest management, protects natural ecosystems and improves rural livelihoods.
2. KOREAN-BACKED WASTEWATER TREATMENT STUDY — VIENTIANE TIMES
Laos and South Korea are finalising a feasibility study for the development of wastewater treatment in Vientiane. The study includes treatment plant design, financing, network expansion, legal reforms, institutional restructuring and sustainable operation models.
1. GOLD COINS FOR TOP ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS — THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
The government awarded one tical (16.3 grammes) gold coins to students who scored distinctions in the recent matriculation exams. Thirty-three students achieved high marks in the exams and outstanding students will be sent abroad for study tours.
2. PRESERVING NATION’S VALUABLE HISTORY — THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture will publish books on Myanmar’s history. Drafts including primitive fossils, the stone age, bronze and iron ages and urban culture of the Pyu Period are in the editing process.
1. COASTAL AREAS BRACING FOR TYPHOON KAJIKI — VIETNAMPLUS
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has urged authorities to step up preparations as Typhoon Kajiki threatens central coastal areas. The fifth storm to hit the East Sea this year is likely to unleash strong winds and heavy rain.
2. SWITCHING TO BATTERY-SWAPPING ELECTRIC MOTORS — VIETNAMPLUS
Automaker VinFast will introduce its first battery-swapping electric motorbike model, the Evo Max this October. This will help motorcyclists to shift from petrol-powered motors to electric vehicles in line with the nation’s green transition policy.
1. PRAVEENAR SINGH FROM SARABURI CROWNED MISS UNIVERSE THAILAND 2025 — THE NATION
Praveenar “Veena” Singh from Saraburi has been crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2025 (MUT 2025), earning the right to represent Thailand on the international stage at the Miss Universe competition.
2. DONATION TO PROVIDE AID ALONG BORDER PASS B100M — BANGKOK POST
More than 100 million baht has been donated to the government to support residents affected along the Thai-Cambodian border.
1. PRABOWO BANKS ON DANANTARA TO BALANCE BUDGET — THE JAKARTA POST
President Prabowo Subianto has suggested that Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) play a big role in his short-term plan to balance the budget, but critics say that runs counter to the state asset fund’s design. In his annual state budget address before the People’s Consultative Assembly on Aug 15, Prabowo promised to keep refining fiscal planning through to the end of his term to reach the narrowest deficit possible.
2. VP SAYS BABY LACTATION ROOM A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN SMOKING CARRIAGE — ANTARA
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has emphasized the importance of lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers and diaper changing rooms for babies on long-distance train journeys. His statement was in response to a suggestion from a member of the legislature (DPR) who proposed the provision of dedicated smoking carriages on long-distance train journeys.
1. MARCOS TAGS CORRUPTION AS ‘NEW ENEMY OF FREEDOM’; VOWS CRACKDOWN — PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday turned the National Heroes’ Day commemoration into a rallying call against corruption, declaring that anomalies and abuse of power are the modern-day threats that “steal the health, dreams, and future of the next generations of Filipinos.”
2. MARCOS TO FILIPINOS: BE TODAY’S HEROES THROUGH SERVICE, COMPASSION — PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday called on Filipinos to honor the country’s heroes by emulating their patriotism through service and compassion, as the nation marked National Heroes Day.
