New Lao-Thai friendship bridge to enhance trade, connectivity
A concrete-pouring ceremony of the fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge was held on Friday in Bolikhamxay province, attended by Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit, and officials from both countries.
The project is an important part of Lao's sustainable growth plan and will help the country improve infrastructure and become better connected regionally and internationally, according to a Lao Economic Daily report on Saturday.
The 1,350-metre bridge marks a major step in bilateral cooperation, with 98.4 per cent of construction on the Lao side and all approach roads and immigration facilities completed.
The bridge is expected to cut travel time between the two provinces by up to three hours, boosting trade and tourism.
Following earlier crossings that handle over 5 million vehicles annually, the new bridge is projected to start with 1,200 vehicles per day, increasing to 3,000 within five years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
U.S. stocks close lower ahead of Powell speech
NEW YORK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed lower on Thursday as investors await Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming remarks at the annual Jackson Hole economic policy symposium on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 152.81 points, or 0.34 percent, to 44,785.5. The S&P 500 declined 25.61 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,370.17. The Nasdaq Composite fell 72.55 points, or 0.34 percent, to 21,100.31. Nine of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors ended in negative territory. Consumer staples posted the sharpest losses, down 1.18 percent, followed by utilities, which dropped 0.71 percent. On the other hand, energy gained 0.71 percent, while materials advanced 0.26 percent. Market participants are awaiting Powell's Friday speech for clarity on the Federal Reserve's policy outlook. His remarks could provide signals about whether persistent inflationary pressures will keep rates higher for longer or open the door to rate cuts. The minutes of the Fed's July meeting released Thursday added to investor caution, showing that officials remain concerned about both the labor market and inflation. Most policymakers agreed it was premature to cut rates, while Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman dissented, opposing the decision to hold rates steady. "The minutes from the Fed meeting in July do not indicate a rate cut is coming. We expect Fed Chair to be balanced-to-hawkish at his speech on Friday at the Jackson Hole Symposium," said Padhraic Garvey, regional head of research at ING. Earnings also influenced trading, particularly in retail. Walmart shares slid 4.49 percent after the company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results. Technology stocks, which have carried an outsized role in the market's performance, continued to face pressure. Amazon and Meta Platforms each fell about 1 percent, while Nvidia, Broadcom, Apple, Microsoft and Tesla also ended lower. Alphabet eked out a gain.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Egypt recovers sunken archaeological finds from Mediterranean Sea
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Thursday successfully retrieved three massive artifacts from the Mediterranean Sea off Abu Qir Bay in Alexandria governorate. The ministry's divers managed to take out three pieces: a colossal quartzite statue of a sphinx bearing the cartouche of King Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC), a broken-necked and broken-kneed granite statue of an unknown person from the late Ptolemaic era (332-30 BC), and a white marble statue of a Roman nobleman. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said this operation marks the first of its kind in 25 years. Speaking to Xinhua at the site, Khaled said the retrieval is a pivotal step in a national project to develop Abu Qir Bay, adding that an underwater team of inspectors from the Council had discovered submerged fixed and movable structures that have been hidden for centuries, likely due to geological shifts or earthquakes that caused them to sink beneath the Mediterranean waters. He confirmed that underwater exploration and excavation will continue at the site to uncover more of Abu Qir's secrets, as the site is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries made during previous surveys in the western part of Abu Qir. "The survey and study of the site have confirmed that it represents a complete Roman-era city, with buildings, temples, water cisterns, and fish farms, as well as an ancient port and docks. This suggests that it is an extension of the western part of the famous city of Canopus, a section of which was previously discovered to the east of the area," he told Xinhua. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the submerged city of Canopus was renowned for its sacred sanctuaries dedicated to Osiris and Serapis. The city was also known for its extravagant celebrations during the Roman era, the ministry said.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Russia's Transport Ministry aims for 50 pct driverless vehicles by 2050
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Ministry of Transport expects that half of all vehicles will be driverless by 2050, Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin said Thursday. "Looking ahead to 2050, our projections indicate that around 50 percent of all transport vehicles will operate without drivers. Efforts are currently underway to create the necessary conditions for this," Poteshkin said at a press conference. Previously, an unmanned truck completed its first journey from St. Petersburg to Kazan in western Russia, operating autonomously with engineers present in the cab covering the 1,600-kilometer route in 24 hours via expressways. In early April, fully autonomous freight vehicle operations were launched on the Central Ring Road in the Moscow region. Such operations have been in place on the M-11 Neva highway since 2023. Poteshkin added that about 90 driverless trucks are currently transporting freight on toll roads. "To date, these vehicles have traveled over 6 million kilometers," he said. "For further advancement, we aim to achieve Level 5 autonomy, where vehicles operate completely without drivers. We are currently developing the necessary regulatory framework and adapting road infrastructure to support this," Poteshkin added. Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin stated on Aug. 14 that the development of unmanned transport in Russia through 2028 is based on a comprehensive strategy. The starting point for this process will be the federal law on highly automated transport vehicles, which is expected to be adopted in 2026 and come into force in the third quarter of 2027, he said.
