Climate issue: Expensive engineering is no match for Mother Nature In north jakarta, not far from a quayside where workers unload frozen mackerel, a derelict building stands a metre deep in murky water. The warehouse was flooded in 2007, after torrential rains and a tidal surge submerged half the city …
PUNTERS at Bangkok’s International Motorshow this week may spend more time in traffic jams than enjoying driving their cars, suggests a new index. According to the global index compiled by navigation company TomTom, Thailand’s capital has been ranked as having the worst traffic in the world, second only to Mexico City. The TomTom …
Despite a huge wave of urbanization in the first decade of this century, the process may be just getting underway. Asia’s urbanization may only be just beginning, despite almost 200 million people moving to its cities in the first decade of the 21st century, according to the World Bank. The …
The World Bank is beginning to commit billions of dollars to flood prevention, water management and other projects to help major Asian cities avoid the expected impact of climate change, a dramatic example of how short the horizon has become to alleviate the effects of global warming. Places such as …
(Reuters) – The cost of living the Australian dream has surged with Sydney and Melbourne among the five most expensive cities in the world, outstripping most European and U.S. locations, according to an annual survey released on Monday. Asia and Australasia account for 11 of the world’s top 20 most …
Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia – short-sightedness – a study suggests. Researchers say the “extraordinary rise” in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light. The scientists told the Lancet that …
 Tokyo is still the world’s most expensive city to live in and Oslo and Osaka still make the top five, but the Worldwide Cost of Living 2011 survey just released from the Economist Intelligence Unit also revealed some dramatic changes in the last year. Australia has become one of the …
Seven deadly sins — seven lively Asian cities. We all stray off the path of righteousness from time to time. So if you’re going to end up in hell due to a temptation to eat more than your fair share of stinky tofu, take a detour to Taipei first. Or if …