VIENTIANE — Representatives from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are meeting to share scaled-up and intensified national disease prevention, preparedness, detection and response measures.

They gathered in Lao capital Vientiane for the 18th ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Health Development (SOMHD) on July 1-5, according to a report from the Center of Information and Education for Health under the Lao Ministry of Health on Wednesday. (Laos-ASEAN-Disease Preparedness)

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s economic growth is projected to be 2.4 percent in 2024, down from the 2.8 percent forecast in April, mainly due to weaker-than-expected exports and contracted public investment earlier this year, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

According to the bank’s Thailand Economic Monitor, the country’s growth will be supported by sustained private consumption as well as a recovery in tourism and merchandise exports. (Thailand-Economy-Outlook)

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ULAN BATOR — The Mongolian central bank has decided to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 11 percent, the Bank of Mongolia said Wednesday.

“After assessing both present and future economic conditions, along with potential external risks, we have opted to retain the benchmark interest rate at 11 percent. This decision aims to bolster economic growth and ensure inflation remains within our target range,” the Bank of Mongolia said. (Mongolia-Central Bank-Benchmark Interest Rate)

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JAKARTA — Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Karawang, West Java Province, on Wednesday.

Owned by HLI Green Power, the plant is a joint venture between Indonesia Battery Corporation and South Korean automaker Hyundai, alongside battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution. (Indonesia-EV Battery Cell)

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JAKARTA — Five members of a family, including three children, died after a fire engulfed a furniture warehouse in Bekasi, an outskirt city of Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday morning, local authorities said.

According to a preliminary report, the fire broke out at about 6:45 a.m. local time in Jatiasih area where the victims were inside the house. (Indonesia-Fire-Deaths)

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COLOMBO — Two people were killed in a fire that broke out on Wednesday morning in a row of houses where tea plantation workers live in central Sri Lanka, the police said.

Speaking to local media, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said the victims were a 60-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman who were living in the first house that caught on fire. The cause of the fire was an electricity leakage, according to the police. (Sri Lanka-Fire)