LONDON - ‌Airport screening for Nipah virus, which has been stepped up across Asia this week after two cases were identified in India, are more about reassurance than science, several leading experts said on Friday.

JERUSALEM - Israel announced it would reopen the crucial Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday after months of urging from the UN, humanitarian organisations and ordinary Palestinians — but only for the “limited movement of people”.

Illegal tours targeting foreign markets are spreading rapidly in Thailand, prompting the Tourism Department to prepare for more inspections of tour companies this year.

Thailand plans to tighten the rules for investors in data centres and other businesses that use a large amount of electricity, requiring them to provide a bank guarantee or collateral to secure power purchases.

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Friday chose former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to head the US central bank when Jerome Powell’s leadership term ‌ends in May, giving a frequent Fed critic a chance to put his idea ​of monetary policy “regime change” into practice.

Cybercrime police have arrested two Chinese nationals following a raid on a condominium in Pattaya, where 26 mobile phones with Chinese-language messages were found, raising suspicions of links to online scam operations.

The Bank of Thailand says it remains confident in its ability to manage baht volatility against the US dollar after Thailand was added to a US Treasury watchlist for currency practices.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is accelerating its programme to convert all kindergarten classrooms in its school network into dust‑free learning spaces by year-end, as the capital continues to battle hazardous air pollution.

Malaysia has admitted that frequent political change in Thailand is disrupting a two-country plan to reset a railway link that is a key element in Kuala Lumpur’s policy to promote trade and tourism in Southeast Asia.

PANAMA CITY - Panama’s Supreme Court annulled on Thursday the concession allowing Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to operate ports at the Panama Canal, a ruling that undermines Chinese sway over the waterway.