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jury’s out on Thailand’s new 300-baht tourism fee, with foreigners expressing reservations about its introduction. The Thai government has confirmed that all overseas arrivals will have to pay the 300-baht levy from April. Speaking to the Bangkok Post, a number of foreigners have questioned how the money will be spent. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has previously stated that the fee will be used to develop and upgrade tourist attractions, creating disabled access and adding facilities such as public toilets. He says people flying into the kingdom will have the fee included in their airfare, while those coming by land or sea will have to hand over the dosh at...

Just three months after winning a Kowloon Tong residential site for HK$1.6 billion, Hong Kong-listed Lai Sun Development continues to focus on the city’s quickening luxury market, with its acquisition of a pair of adjacent properties in the Mid-Levels area for a combined HK$1.3 billion ($166.8 million). Analysts expect luxury residential apartments to be built on the site at on 1-1A Kotewall Road, with Cyrus Fong, senior director for valuation and advisory at Knight Frank, noting that should the property be redeveloped, it could be worth from HK$2 billion to HK$2.5 billion upon completion. Lai Sun is paying as much as HK$22,628 per square foot of floor area to acquire the...

This Los Angeles mansion, which could set the record for the most-expensive home ever sold in the U.S.—has amenities that make your head spin: Five pools A massive nightclub A full-service beauty salon A wellness spa 10,000-square-foot sky deck A home theater seating more than 40 people Game room an outdoor bar The One’ Megamansion Heads to Market in Los Angeles for $295 Million, Vying for a U.S. Price Record The new-build in Bel Air, once valued at $500 million, spans more than 100,000 square feet, twice as big as the White House The gargantuan megamansion in Los Angeles’s Bel Air area known as The One will be listed for sale next week with a $295 million...

The pop-music icon owned the Tuscan-style estate from 1992 to 2000 Homes may come and homes may go, but the opportunity to own a waterfront mansion once occupied by Madonna doesn’t come along very often. The “Material Girl” and “Vogue” singer’s former estate on Miami’s exclusive Brickell Avenue has sold for $29 million, Mansion Global has learned, about one month after it was first listed. Madonna purchased the property for $4.9 million in 1992 and owned it until 2000, spending $700,000 on renovations, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported in 2000. She owned the home before the current seller, Gunther Corp., according to listing agents...

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew will most certainly be removed from his 31-bedroom Georgian mansion and lose his police protection as a result of Her Majesty. The Duke of York, Prince Andrew will most certainly be removed from his 31-bedroom Georgian mansion and lose his police protection as a result of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II's precisely crafted 42-word statement, according to The Sun. The Queen stripped him of his royal patronages and military titles at Windsor Castle after an hour-long meeting with Prince Charles and Prince William. Royal Lodge, the 31-bedroom mansion, which is three miles from Windsor Castle and was the Queen Mother's previous residence, is valued at least...

An ancient Italian village has been photographed from above, revealing its shape that bears an uncanny resemblance to a person. Centuripe, a small town on the island of Sicily, was photographed from the air by a drone, revealing its five-pointed shape. Multiple images were stitched together by the photographer to reveal the full shape of the town, which has an uncanny resemblance to a person with arms outstretched. The aerial pictures reveal four longer stretches of buildings jetting off in different directions - like limbs - and a shorter fifth stretch that makes up the 'head'. Local drone snapper Pio Andrea Peri, 32, first discovered the human shape of the town when looking at the...

What about the rest of the region? What exactly defines happiness? Is it the amount of times you feel good about your life? Maybe. What about the amount of money you're earning? Sure. According to the World Happiness Report 2021, compiled by the Gallop World Poll team, there are multiple considerations that define a certain level of happiness. For 2021, focus was put on the effect of COVID-19 on structure and the quality of life, as well as governments' handling of the pandemic. Things like social support, freedom of choice, generosity or social good, perception of government and/or business corruption, as well as the effect of COVID-19 were all considered in the report. To get...

A Covid-19 vaccine does not provide full or immediate protection, which means it's still possible to get infected and test positive for the virus. Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts did. He tested positive after he got his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino, who coaches the men's team at Iona College in New York, also tested positive after getting his first dose. They could have tested positive for a few reasons. There's a lag between vaccination and protectionIt takes a few days to a few weeks for the vaccine to work, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You could test positive before the vaccine kicked...

Thailand's largest industrial estate developer has suspended work on a $1 billion project in Myanmar due to fears that the military coup and possible international sanctions will drive investors away from the country. Amata had just begun construction on the 2,000-acre industrial complex outside Yangon in December but the development, including a new power plant, will be put on hold, chief marketing officer ViboonKromadit told reporters on Tuesday. The announcement is a sign of the impact that the military coup, which began on Monday with the detention of Aung San SuuKyi and other civilian leaders, could have on business activity in the country. "We and our clients are concerned about a...