Author: Isla

    City officials deploy CCTV analytics and crowdsourcing as Bangkok’s Songkran 2026 kicks off with massive crowds, reaching 140,000 on Silom Road alone.     The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has significantly elevated its security and surveillance protocols as hundreds of thousands of revellers descend upon the capital for the Songkran 2026 festival.    With crowd numbers on Silom Road alone surpassing 140,000, authorities have shifted to a real-time monitoring system to manage the influx.       Command Centre Oversight On the evening of 12 April, Thanit Tanbuaklee, deputy permanent secretary for the BMA, convened an emergency briefing…

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A Dubai-based property valuation platform has announced a real estate auction service, targeting sales timelines of around 30 days from listing to completion. YallaValue said the service is licensed by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), allowing sellers to auction their property for free, with an “optional marketing package available on a success-only basis”, meaning they only pay if the sale is completed.“We’re launching next month, so no properties are formally listed yet – but the early seller response has been stronger than expected,” Jack Sellers, founder of YallaValue, told Khaleej Times in an interview. “We opened our seller registration less…

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Image: Jinnah Convention Centre. Islamabad – Humza Ahmed / Wiki Commons The world’s attention was focused for a brief moment on Islamabad. Complicated, but hopeful talks to end the war against Iran and to rescue the future of the global economy failed after 21 hours of negotiations. Meanwhile, New Delhi remains on the sideline and Beijing in the background. There is no agreement. Both sides accuse each other of making excessive demands. Nevertheless, it was a historic meeting, as the Pakistani-mediated talks were the highest-level direct meeting between representatives of the US and Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.…

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New Zealand’s peak body for wood processing is calling on all political parties to support the new free trade agreement with India, which is set to be formally signed in New Delhi next week. It comes as the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) has joined the wider BusinessNZ network in backing the agreement, warning that political hesitation risks squandering a once-in-a-generation market opening for the sector. Mark Ross, CEO of the WPMA, said the stakes for the wood processing sector could not be higher: “This Free Trade Agreement presents significant opportunities for New Zealand wood processors and manufacturers.” Under…

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[Photo; xinhua] Macau is exploring a new incentive to attract international visitors: covering transport costs for those flying into Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and traveling on to the casino hub. The move aims to counter a decline in long-haul flight connectivity caused by geopolitical tensions. The proposal, unveiled on the opening day of the 14th Macau International Travel Industry Expo (MITE), aims to attract long-haul tourists amid a decline in direct flights to nearby Hong Kong. “We are considering covering transport costs for international guests arriving at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, so they can travel to Macau after arrival,” Maria…

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ABU DHABI, UAE, April 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) Group and its listed companies are heading to Hong Kong for its annual Global Investor Outreach on 14 to 16 April, presenting Abu Dhabi’s resilient growth story and the breadth of investment opportunities available through the ADX. This roadshow will be held on the sidelines of the HSBC Global Investment Summit 2026. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Group’s headquarters in the capital of the UAE Hong Kong will be the ADX’s first international stop for 2026, connecting international capital with the high-growth opportunities emerging from the…

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Investors betting on a China reflation trade may be in for a reality check, as rising government bond prices and lacklustre equities point to lingering doubts about whether inflation in the world’s second-largest economy can be sustained.Yields on China’s one-year sovereign bonds have fallen by 5.5 basis points over the past three weeks, while 10-year yields are down 1.6 basis points. Over the same period, the benchmark CSI 300 Index has slipped about 1 per cent. Bond yields move inversely to prices but tend to track expectations for inflation and interest rates.Taken together, the moves suggest limited conviction in the…

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The central government has unveiled a package of economic and people‑to‑people incentives following a rare visit by the leader of the main opposition party in Taiwan, saying that it wanted to “enhance the well‑being of compatriots” and steady cross‑strait ties after years of tension. The measures were announced as Kuomintang (KMT) chair Cheng Li‑wun wrapped up a six‑day trip to the mainland that included a high‑profile meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Cheng described the visit as a “journey for peace,” while Xi told her that people on both sides of the strait belonged to “one family” seeking development…

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