Neighbourhood Scan

Vietnam

Among world’s most connected

Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi are among the globe’s 50 most internationally connected airports, according to UK travel data firm OAG. Heathrow in London has retained its status as the world’s most internationally connected airport, followed by John F Kennedy in New York and the Netherlands’ Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Tan Son Nhat airport has been serving 36 million passengers a year since 2017, or nearly 100,000 a day on an average. VN Express

Pakistan

Trafficking kidneys for wealthy

The police have apprehended gang members involved in conducting over 300 unlawful kidney operations in Lahore. Fawad Mukhtar, who led the gang, unlawfully extracted the kidneys of 328 people and transplanted them for his rich clients. His assistant was a mechanic who would administer anaesthesia to the victims. Local recipients would be charged Rs 30 lakh and foreigners Rs 1 crore. The notorious surgeon was arrested

multiple times, but would manage to secure bail. Dawn

Bangladesh

Why is Dhaka the slowest city?

To ease traffic congestion in Dhaka, the government has spent crores on flyovers, metro rail and expressways. But these projects are far from solving the traffic jam problem. On the contrary, the average speed of vehicles dropped from 21 km per hour in 2007 to a meagre 4.8 in 2022. Recently, a study found Dhaka to be the slowest city in the world. On an average, commuters are stuck in traffic for 46 minutes every two hours. The reason is the emphasis on private-car-friendly infrastructure, without giving due importance to developing the public transport system. The Daily Star

Singapore

Unhealthy air after four years

The air quality in Singapore entered the unhealthy range last Saturday, for the first time since 2019. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings ranged between 66 and 119 at 4 pm. A PSI reading of 101 to 200 is in the unhealthy range, for which the National Environment Agency advises the public to cut down on outdoor activities. The most severe haze conditions in Singapore were experienced in 2015, when the PSI crossed 300 to hit the hazardous range. The Straits Times

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