Top News Headlines In Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, & Vietnam: June 14, 2025
Senate President Hun Sen urged law-abiding nations to encourage Thailand to pursue legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice to resolve the ongoing border dispute. The Kingdom wants to seek a peaceful resolution through bilateral dialogue and legal means.
1. DAYTIME HUSTLE FORCES JAKARTANS TO FIND JOY IN NIGHTTIME WORKOUTS -- THE JAKARTA POST
After a packed day working as a sales and marketing officer, 35-year-old Jonathan Kasim finds joy in multiple strength exercises he does twice a week at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex in Central Jakarta.
2. ENVIRONMENT MINISTER DEMANDS CLEANER FUEL AS JAKARTA RANKS AMONG WORLD'S MOST POLLUTED CITIES -- JAKARTA GLOBE
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq is calling on state-owned energy giant Pertamina to immediately adopt European-grade fuel standards as Jakarta reels from a surge in air pollution that has placed it among the most polluted cities globally.
MYANMAR
1. CRACKING DOWN ILLEGAL FOREX TRADING -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
The Central Bank of Myanmar advised individuals and institutions not to engage in illegal foreign currency trading without a valid licence. Those travelling abroad to study, work, medical treatment and for pilgrimage can buy foreign currencies at authorised banks' foreign exchange counters.
2. FOOD TRADE FAIR TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
The Food and Beverage Myanmar trade show will be held at the Yangon Convention Centre from June 27 to 29, 2025. Companies can showcase their products ranging from beverages, meat, fish, dairy items, fruits and ready-to-eat food.
VIETNAM
1. SWEDISH MEDICAL UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT VIETNAM -- VIETNAMPLUS
Vietnam and Swedish top medical university Karolinska Institute plan to expand further cooperation in medical training and research. Officials may work in healthcare challenges such as neonatal mortality and care for premature infants.
2. VIETNAMESE COFFEE EXPORTS SOARING THIS YEAR -- VIETNAMPLUS
Coffee exports hit a new record of RM20 billion (US$4.7 billion) in the first five months of this year. It was largely driven by a rise in shipments to key markets — the European Union and the United States.
-- BERNAMA
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Borneo Post
23 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
From Wageningen to Inner Mongolia: Dutch expert reflects on decade of innovation in China's dairy industry
A staff member works at the Innovation Center Europe of China's Yili Group at Wageningen University in Wageningen, the Netherlands on June 19, 2025. – Xinhua photo WAGENINGEN (Aug 14): For Dr Gerrit Smit, a Dutch food science veteran, a professional leap into the unknown became the defining journey of his career. After a decade at the helm of the Yili Innovation Center Europe, Smit recently stepped down from his leadership role, passing the baton to fellow Dutch scientist Dr Carolien Van Loo. But he's not going far, continuing as a senior expert to support the center he helped build from the ground up. Established in 2014 in the Dutch university town of Wageningen, the Yili Innovation Center Europe marked the first overseas R&D arm of China's dairy giant Yili Group. It was an ambitious step for a Chinese company eager to tap into Europe's leading food science ecosystem. For Smit, it was also the start of a personal and professional journey. Smit (right) works with a colleague at the Yili Innovation Center Europe at Wageningen University in Wageningen, the Netherlands on June 19, 2025. – Xinhua photo Building bridges, building science 'When I joined, nothing existed, not the team, not the lab, not even the strategy,' Smit told Xinhua in a recent interview. 'It was a challenge, but also an opportunity to build something truly international.' With a background in molecular microbiology and biochemistry, Smit had held senior roles at Unilever, Finnish dairy firm Valio, and the Netherlands' NIZO food research institute. He'd also worked in academia across Europe and the United States, including stints at Wageningen University, Leiden University, and the University of Tennessee. But joining a Chinese company was new territory, and so was acting as a cultural bridge between East and West. Under Smit's leadership, the center became a hub of Sino-European collaboration, producing tangible breakthroughs in dairy science. One of its most notable achievements: the development of next-generation infant formulas enriched with human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and probiotics. These formulations, created in partnership with Wageningen University and other research institutions, have garnered multiple patents. The center also spearheaded innovations in cheese tailored for the Chinese market, products that combine European craftsmanship with local tastes. 'To see a cheese made with European methods, enjoyed in Chinese households, is deeply rewarding,' Smit said. Beyond product development, the center has delved into areas like probiotics, food safety, and artificial intelligence, often in collaboration with top European research bodies. Staff members work at the Innovation Center Europe of China's Yili Group at Wageningen University in Wageningen, the Netherlands on June 19, 2025. – Xinhua photo Decade of growth and mutual recognition Smit's decade at Yili coincided with an era of accelerated cooperation between China and Europe in the dairy sector. He noted their natural complementarity: Europe offers deep scientific expertise and industrial heritage, while China brings market scale, speed, and an appetite for innovation. 'Eleven years ago, European experts knew little about Chinese dairy companies,' he said. 'Now, there's growing recognition of their innovation capabilities and global impact. At the same time, Chinese companies are helping reinvigorate parts of the European dairy ecosystem.' One of the center's contributions has been its scholarship and internship programmes, which have supported over 50 young researchers from across Europe, including Germany, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. 'We've become an incubator for the next generation of dairy scientists,' Smit said. He also witnessed Yili's remarkable ascent in the global dairy industry, from breaking into the world's top 10 in 2014 to entering the top five by 2020. Smit noted that, based on his past experience with companies, achieving an annual growth rate of 1 to 2 per cent is already considered impressive. 'But at Yili, I witnessed double-digit growth.' The rapid growth of Chinese companies like Yili doesn't just show up in terms of business results, it fueled a heightened need for innovation, he added. Smit was particularly moved by Yili's commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'While many European firms paused investments, Yili built a state-of-the-art lab for us. That showed real long-term vision.' Undated file photo shows the intelligent and digitalised production line at Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley in Tumd Left Banner in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. – Xinhua photo Discovering China, one journey at a time Before joining Yili, Smit had never visited China. Over the past decade, he's traveled there up to six times a year, from Beijing and Shanghai to Hohhot in Inner Mongolia. Each visit brought new surprises, from bullet trains and smart dairy farms to sprawling cityscapes rising seemingly overnight. 'What struck me most was the speed of transformation,' he said. 'You'd visit a city, and a few months later it's almost unrecognisable.' One memory stands out: standing on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, in front of a traditional yurt, surrounded by vibrant greenery. 'At that moment, I understood that the images in Yili's promotional videos weren't marketing. They were real,' he said. 'China isn't just modernising rapidly; it's doing so with deep respect for its environment.' Smit (centre) and his Chinese colleagues pose for a group photo at an Yili eco-smart pasture in Hohhot city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 26, 2023. – Xinhua photo From the labs of Wageningen to the steppes of Inner Mongolia, Smit's decade-long journey reflects more than just professional success. It's a story of cross-cultural collaboration, scientific discovery, and personal growth. For Smit, what began as a challenge evolved into a deeply rewarding chapter of life – bridging continents, cultures, and industries. 'This experience is one of the greatest gifts of my career,' he said. – Xinhua China dairy Dutch food Xinhua
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Next big energy trade is mega batteries for Europe's excess power
LONDON: Three years ago, Castleton Commodities International (CCI) analysts huddled in their London office to discuss how to make money from a growing phenomenon in the European power market – negative prices. The dislocated markets and sharp price swings they saw are exactly the type of conditions that commodity traders like CCI thrive on. It's only becoming more widespread, as renewable output far outstrips demand at times during the day, sending prices below zero and causing excess supplies to be wasted. Then hours later, a drop in wind or the sun going down can see prices jump back up. The problem is that storing electricity when it's not needed and selling when prices are higher is much harder than for other commodities like copper or oil. CCI found a solution: It decided to get into the battery business. While CCI was an early mover among commodity traders, it's one of a growing number of firms including heavyweights Vitol Group and Trafigura Group that are investing in utility-scale batteries. After making fortunes hauling oil, gas and metals around the world, the traders are turning their attention to opportunities buying, storing and selling energy back into grids – especially in Europe, where capacity is set to rise sevenfold by 2030. 'It is the ultimate fast and scalable way to pick those instances of extreme volatility and address that volatility,' Arie Pilo, CCI's head of principal investments, said in an interview. 'You don't see Brent moving from minus US$50 a barrel to plus US$3,000 a few times every week. And that's what power allows you to do.' Europe's renewables output has boomed in recent years to help meet climate goals, but investments in battery storage have struggled to keep up. The region needs 'gazillions' more large-scale batteries to address the issue of negative prices, Vitol chief executive officer Russell Hardy said in February. Of those looking to roll out projects, CCI's spending plans for Europe make it one of the biggest early investors in the sector. Since its meeting three years back – and as negative prices became even more common – it has amassed industrial battery assets in some of Europe's most renewables-heavy regions, including the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany. The company bought majority stakes in storage developers S4 Energy BV and Lower 48 Energy BESS Ltd, and plans to invest US$600mil to US$1bil by the end of 2027 in a portion of 10 gigawatt (GW) of potential storage sites, according to Pilo. Traders hope that the investments will help them profit from the wild price swings in power that are often far bigger and more frequent than in other commodity markets, especially as batteries become cheaper and better. 'The trick here is you have to have many of these assets in many different locations to be able to do this at scale,' Pilo said. The big price swings are getting more frequent as solar and wind farms increasingly overload grids for part of the day. If the planned excess power can't be stored or used, prices turn negative. And sometimes renewable plants are forced to turn off to maintain the stability of the grid. Then there are also hours when there's not enough output and stored electricity, meaning the grid can have to fire up more fossil-fuel plants. That can come at a steep price and produces emissions. Harnessing batteries and the trading opportunities they bring can help alleviate these problems, by charging up when there's excess power and selling later when renewable generation dips. The technology's role in ensuring energy security was also highlighted by widespread blackouts in Spain and Portugal this year. The push by trading houses is part of a wider move into liberalising electricity markets, that have long been dominated by utilities like Electricite de France SA and Uniper SE. The expansion is set to continue. Take top independent oil trader Vitol. VPI Holding Ltd, which is part owned by Vitol and has battery sites in Ireland, plans to invest €450mil (US$520mil) in developing a portfolio of 500 megawatt (MW) of German storage through a joint venture in the coming years. Vitol's VC Renewables subsidiary already has capacity in the United States, with more currently in construction there and another 2GWh in its near-term pipeline. Meanwhile, Trafigura-backed Nala Renewables has battery investments in Belgium and Finland, and plans to have a multi-stage portfolio of around 1GW by year-end, chief executive officer Mike O'Neill said. There are also others – including Danish traders Norlys Energy Trading and Equinor ASA-backed Danske Commodities A/S – which act as traders for electricity stored by developers who have batteries but don't buy and sell power in the market. Utility-scale batteries are similar in size and appearance to shipping containers. Sites are often located near where large amounts of renewable power hit grids – for example close to Scottish wind farms or huge banks of solar panels in Germany. 'You can compare it to owning oil tanks in Cushing or the Permian – traders always have to have these assets at the hub,' said Laurent Segalen, a battery sector investor and founder of advisory service Megawatt-X. Sub-zero power prices aren't the only rationale for investing in batteries. Traders can profit by simply selling stored power for more than they paid for it. They can also make money in the ancillary services market, where mechanisms are used to maintain grid stability. That's particularly the case for traders operating in multiple regions. 'It's not just buying the two lowest or three lowest hours and selling the three highest,' Pilo said. Batteries are also attracting a variety of other investors. They include specialist developers like KKR & Co-backed Zenobe Energy Ltd, traditional energy firms like utility SSE Plc and French oil major TotalEnergies SE, as well as investment funds like Gresham House Energy Storage Fund Plc. The drop in battery costs is another driver. General battery prices slumped over the last decade as manufacturers scaled up on the back of the electric-vehicle revolution, filtering through to the smaller sector of those used for grids. Improving technology also means units can store more power and operators can better time when to release energy into the grid to maximise profit. 'You're starting to see viable reasons to invest in battery energy storage projects in Europe,' BloombergNEF analyst Nelson Nsitem said. 'That's caused by a lot of renewable capacity, big differences in swings in prices across the day and battery prices coming down.' Some of the biggest barriers to entering the market for large-scale batteries include getting access to sites to build and, crucially, rights to connect to the grid. For those who've been able to do that while benefitting from cheaper batteries, the business case is only getting better. 'The cost of a new battery has come down to the tune of 50% in the last two years and that's been a very, very positive development for people that moved in early like us and that had the chance to build in all these plots,' CCI's Pilo said. — Bloomberg
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Ringgit rises amid softer US dollar
At 6pm, the local note appreciated to 4.2040/2085 versus the US dollar. KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit extended its gains against the US dollar for the third straight day, as the greenback's safe-haven status weakened following lower-than-expected US consumer price index (CPI) data for July, which fuelled expectations of a September interest rate cut. At 6pm, the local note appreciated to 4.2040/2085 versus the US dollar, up 0.57% from Tuesday's close of 4.2290/2320. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the softer-than-expected US inflation rate of 2.7% in July was largely driven by a moderation in the owner's equivalent rent (OER) to 4.1%, after holding at 4.2% for two straight months. OER accounts for about 25% of the CPI weightage, he said. — Bernama
