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☆ Tesla cuts US prices for sixth time this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Members of media and guests surround the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 during Thailand Tesla's official launch event in Bangkok, Thailand, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaCompanies Tesla Inc FollowApril 18 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) late on Tuesday further slashed prices in the United States for some of its Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles, according to its website, ahead of its first-quarter results on Wednesday. The Elon Musk-led electric vehicle maker's sixth price cut in the U.S. will see the cost of both the Model Y Long Range and Performance vehicles cut by $3000 each. The cost of its Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive will be cut by $2000 to $39,990. The move comes after the company recently cut prices for its electric vehicles in Europe, Israel and Singapore, expanding a global discount drive it began in China in January, while raising concerns about its industry-leading profit margin.

☆ Young Thais who questioned monarchy look to win seats in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Panu Wongcha-Um | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

They are bringing the issue of the role of monarchy in society into the open. Changing - though not abolishing - those laws is part of the platform of Lookkate's progressive Move Forward party, which is campaigning on reducing the severity of punishments for royal insult and how it is applied. Kanokrat said the protests had put issues such as LGBT rights and the ending of the military conscription on the agenda. They had energised the progressive left while at the same time triggering the rise of a right-wing royalist party, Thai Pakdee, which is campaigning on toughening up the lese majeste law, he said. "We have a real progressive left that connects with street politics and a far-right party that rises as a response."

☆ New year revelry returns to Thai streets as tourism rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Devjyot Ghoshal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People play with water as they celebrate during the Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year in Bangkok, Thailand, April 13. Festivities for Songkran, a much-loved Thai festival sometimes described as the world's largest water fight, had been muted or barred for the past few years due mainly to COVID-19 restrictions. ABut as travellers now return to Thailand, the key tourism sector is helping revive Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Thailand beat its target of 6 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter, recording 6.15 million visitors between January and late March, according to government data. At least 30 million tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year and spend 1.5 trillion baht ($43.74 billion), according to projections by the Tourism Council, an industry body.

[1/2] Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai Party's leader and prime ministerial candidate, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bangkok, Thailand, April 10, 2023. This time, new election rules favour bigger parties, and Bhumjaithai has strengthened its slate of candidates to compete with larger opponents. "Last time, Bhumjaithai Party won millions of votes from people who believed in the benefits of marijuana," he said. Some small parties have suggested amending it and Pheu Thai has raised the possibility of discussing it in parliament. "Protecting the monarchy is an inspiration for the party," Anutin said.

☆ China's GWM taps Brazil's WEG for electric vehicle charging network
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] EV car Good Cat by Ora, a brand by Great Wall Motors, is displayed at the Bangkok International Motor show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaSAO PAULO, April 4 (Reuters) - Chinese electric car maker Great Wall Motors (GWM) (601633.SS) on Tuesday said is planning to install an electric vehicle charging network in Brazil through an exclusive partnership with local motor manufacturer WEG (WEGE3.SA). The partnership involves developing "a broad network for recharging electrified vehicles at dealerships, parking lots, shopping malls and other commercial establishments," GWM said in a statement. WEG will provide the Chinese firm "electric vehicle chargers to be sold to consumers and to be installed at the automaker's dealerships," it added. ($1 = 5.0852 reais)Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr., editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Chinese demand is helping boost Singapore property prices, Chinese students are snapping up apartments in Sydney and Melbourne, and agents say Chinese interest is ticking up in Thailand. But they indicate that in the wake of the pandemic, Chinese families are looking to relocate assets, and even themselves, overseas. Home purchases in Singapore, where Chinese are the top foreign buyers, cooled early in 2023 from last year's torrid pace - but only slightly despite a steep rise in real estate stamp duties. The Singapore American School has "seen significant interest from Chinese families looking to enrol," it said in a statement responding to Reuters questions. Canada, another real estate market popular with Chinese investors, has put a two-year ban on foreign purchasers.

☆ Myanmar junta dissolves Suu Kyi's party as election deadline passes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening session of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, November 13, 2017. "It doesn't matter whether they say our party is dissolved or not. The shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which the junta has declared "terrorists", said the military had no authority to hold what would be a sham election. The election would return Myanmar to the quasi-civilian democratic system that experts say the military can control with the NLD out of the picture. Richard Horsey, senior adviser to the International Crisis Group, said the election was dangerous for the country.

☆ Thai PM Prayuth to run for re-election in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, as the PM candidate from the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party), gestures with party's members during an event to unveil the party's candidates list and campaing for the upcoming election, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, March 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was officially nominated for re-election on Saturday as his party's first candidate for the country's next leader in polls set for May 14. Prayuth, 69, is running with the new United Thai Nation Party, and will likely face Pheu Thai party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter and niece of two former premiers from the billionaire family. "We volunteer to make everyone as happy as possible," Prayuth said at a party event to introduce its candidates for all 400 constituencies. Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was nominated as the party's No.

☆ Candida auris is just one infection fueled by rising temperatures. See how extreme climate helps spread disease, in 3 simple charts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Climate change may be driving the rapid spread of Candida auris, a deadly fungus, across the US. Three charts show how extreme weather and environmental changes help spread disease. Nicolas Armer/picture alliance via Getty ImagesA leading theory on this fungus's sudden emergence and wide spread is that it's fueled by climate change. Whatever survives, however, is adapted to extreme heat — including the fever our bodies produce to kill off pathogens. David Ryder/Getty ImagesHumans and their infrastructure are more vulnerable to the devastating impacts of disease when they're compromised by extreme weather.

☆ Thai PM slips in opinion poll, rival pulls ahead as election looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to members of media at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, March 20, 2023. Thailand is expected to hold an election in May, which will continue a long-running political battle between the Shinawatra family and conservative pro-military establishment. "Poll is a poll. Paetongtarn, 36, better known locally by her nickname "Ung Ing" is one of the nominees for prime minister for the Pheu Thai party, which together with its previous incarnations has won every Thai election since 2001. The NIDA Poll, which surveyed 2,000 voters across Thailand in March, also showed that nearly 50% of respondents said they would back parliamentary candidates from Pheu Thai.

☆ Exclusive: Daughter of Thaksin banking on nostalgia to win Thailand election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Juarawee Kittisilpa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, the Pheu Thai Party's most visible candidate for prime minister, speaks during the general election campaign in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaAMNAT CHAROEN, Thailand, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Touting her billionaire family's legacy of populism and massive election victories, Thailand's Paetongtarn Shinawatra is emerging as the candidate to beat in upcoming polls, betting that nostalgia can win millions of working class votes. And only through stable politics can people's lives change in a sustainable manner," she said, while campaigning in the northeast. Thaksin and Yingluck were toppled by the army in 2006 and 2014 respectively, despite overseeing big economic growth. Thailand's election is shaping up to be another grudge match between warring elites in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

☆ South Korea fines German automakers for rigging diesel car emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A Mercedes-Benz badge on one of the German company's cars at the 43rd Bangkok International Motor Show, Thailand, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoSEOUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - South Korea's anti-trust regulator said on Thursday it would impose a combined fine of 42.3 billion won ($33.48 million) on three German automakers for colluding to rig emissions of its diesel cars using software. Mercedes-Benz was fined 20.7 billion won, BMW 15.7 billion won and Audi 6 billion won, the regulator said, adding that Volkswagen was not fined because it did not earn revenue relevant to the issue. Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi were not immediately available for comment. Last year, Mercedes-Benz and its Korean unit were fined 20.2 billion won for false advertising tied to gas emissions of diesel passenger vehicles.

☆ What is your Plan B? Prepping for a money reset
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With layoffs accelerating – especially in tech, with 140,000 last year and 58,000 so far this year, according to Crunchbase – your Plan B might not be just a theory anymore. To help you do that, there is the timely new book “The Great Money Reset” from Jill Schlesinger, CBS News business analyst and host of the “Jill On Money” radio show and podcast. In other words, the question is not whether a Great Money Reset is coming your way – it is when. “A Plan B doesn’t mean you have to chuck your whole career,” Schlesinger says. OVERHAUL YOUR SPENDINGThe amount you are spending, or not spending, is going to determine the number and quality of your Plan B options.

☆ 'I feel my eyes burn': Thailand says stay indoors as air pollution spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A view of the city amid air pollution in Bangkok, Thailand, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Air pollution in Bangkok and neighbouring Thai provinces spiked past safe levels on Thursday, prompting authorities to urge people to stay indoors and avoid strenuous outdoor activity. The country's pollution control department said "stagnant weather conditions" were exacerbating vehicle emissions and seasonal fires on agricultural lands. The level in Bangkok and the surrounding areas is currently 70.5 micrograms per cubic metre. Every year, exposure to outdoor air pollution is estimated to cause 4.2 million premature deaths, according to the WHO.

☆ China's EV giant BYD in talks to acquire insurer Yi'an
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The BYD Atto 3 EV car is displayed at the 39 Thailand International Motor Expo, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/FilesSHANGHAI, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD said on Tuesday it is working on a potential acquisition of Yi'an P&C Insurance Co, an insurer that was seized by Chinese regulators two years ago as part of a crackdown on financial conglomerates. Chinese business publication Caixin reported earlier this month, citing unnamed sources, that BYD would fully take over the insurer and would use it to start an insurance business targeting electric vehicles. Yi'an P&C Insurance was among nine firms Chinese regulators seized from the Tomorrow Holdings conglomerate in July 2020. China banking and insurance regulator said last year it had agreed to allow Yi'an P&C Insurance to enter bankruptcy and reorganisation procedures.

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/Summary WHO's executive board meets from Jan. 30-Feb. 7WHO seeking $6.86 bln for 2024-2025 budgetBody seen pushing for bigger role in global health crisesGENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization will push at its board meeting this week for an expanded role in tackling the next global health emergency after COVID-19, but is still seeking answers on how to fund it, according to health policy experts. Also on his list was "the position of the World Health Organization, recognizing there is a need for a reinforced central role for WHO" in the global health emergency system. "It's a huge knot," said Nicoletta Dentico, the co-chair of the civil society platform the Geneval Global Health Hub. PANDEMIC PREPARATIONThe WHO, which celebrates its 75-year anniversary having been set up in 1948, will also use the meeting to advocate for a boosted role in pandemic preparedness, documents showed. Tedros will call for a Global Health Emergency Council to be set up linked to WHO governance.

[1/4] The BYD Atto 3 EV car is displayed at the 39 Thailand International Motor Expo, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 30, 2022. The company announced in September it would build an EV assembly plant in Thailand with annual capacity of 150,000 cars from 2024. Talks are underway to select a site for the Vietnam plant, said the sources, who declined to be named because the discussions are confidential. The Vietnam plant will export components to the assembly plant to be built in Thailand, one source said. That would pose a direct challenge to VinFast, a Vietnamese EV maker that began selling cars in 2019 and plans to expand in the United States and Europe.

Tuesday's slide knocked off nearly $50 billion in market value, roughly equal to the valuation of rival Ford Motor Co (F.N), which last year sold three times as many cars as Tesla. The sell-off came after Tesla missed market expectations for fourth-quarter deliveries despite shipping a record number of vehicles. Tesla's market value has declined by about $370 billion since Chief Executive Elon Musk closed the deal to buy social media firm Twitter. Tesla shares biggest loser among Big Tech Tesla shares biggest loser among Big Tech since AprilTesla delivered 405,278 vehicles in the fourth quarter, short of analysts' estimates of 431,117. The gap between production and deliveries has widened to 34,000 vehicles as more cars got stuck in transit.

☆ Eight bodies found in ruins of Cambodia casino fire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kwang Jiraporn Kuhakan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view of the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino where a fire broke out, in Poipet near Thailand border, Cambodia, December 30, 2022. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaPOIPET, Cambodia, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Cambodian rescue teams recovered eight bodies on Friday from the charred rooms of a casino-hotel where a fire killed at least 27 people a day earlier, with more than 20 people still missing. Safety standards in Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia can be well below international standards and poorly enforced. Rescue teams said they had to move slowly through the smouldering remains of the building in case it collapsed. Those in Poipet are hugely popular with short-term Thai visitors as gambling is illegal across the border and unlicensed casinos operate underground there.

☆ Prayers in Thailand for king's hospitalised daughter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Well-wishers sign a book and pay their respects for Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha as she has been hospitalized due to a heart problem at Chulalongkorn hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, December 16, 2022. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and many senior officials, politicians and religious leaders visited Chulalongkorn hospital on Friday to lay orange flowers, the colour associated with the princess, and sign a book of well wishes. Thailand's Buddhist Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana has requested all Thai temples at home and abroad to conduct special daily chanting sessions for the princess, an official announcement from the National Office of Buddhism said. The princess is one of three children of King Vajiralongkorn who has a formal title, making her eligible for the throne under a 1924 Palace Law of Succession and the country's constitution. Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Athit Perawongmetha; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Of seven new dams planned in Laos, at least four are co-financed by Chinese companies, according to Mekong Dam Monitor data. 'WAKE-UP CALL'Farmers in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta region were not prepared for the speed at which their landscape - and fortunes - have changed. The Mekong River Commission estimated in 2018 that total sediment flow by now would be around 47 million tonnes per year. "Mainstream dams catch everything," said economist Brian Eyler at the Stimson Center, which runs the Mekong Dam Monitor. The Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams in Laos are the most recent to come online, with Xayaburi the largest on the entire Mekong River.

☆ Eldest daughter of Thai king hospitalised with heart problem - palace
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets her royalists as she leaves a religious ceremony to commemorate the death of King Chulalongkorn, known as King Rama V, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, October 23, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoBANGKOK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been hospitalised due to a heart problem and her condition has stabilised to a certain level, the royal palace said on Thursday. She was flown by helicopter to Bangkok after her condition stabilised at a certain level, the palace said in a statement, without elaborating. The princess is one of three children of King Vajiralongkorn who have formal titles, making her eligible for the throne under a 1924 Palace Law of Succession and the country's constitution. King Vajiralongkorn has yet to formally designate an heir since becoming king in 2016 and there has been no official discussion on the prospect of the princess taking the throne.

☆ Tesla launches EVs in Thailand amid competition from cheaper brands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The Tesla Model Y is covered by black cloth during Thailand Tesla's official launch event in Bangkok, Thailand, December 7, 2022. It produces about 1.5 million to 2 million vehicles annually, of which about half are exported. Customers who showed up to Tesla's launch in a luxury mall in central Bangkok said they were interested in the new cars being offered. The price differences aren't significant (from other EV brands)," said office worker Thitipun Paisirikul, 36, adding he expected the re-sale value of the car would be high. State-owned energy firm PTT Group this year announced a $1 billion joint venture with Taiwan's Foxconn to produce EVs in Thailand.

☆ Xi Jinping: Saudi's MBS rolls out the red carpet for China's president, in a not too subtle message to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Saudi leaders will infuse the trip with a dose of spectacle. The Saudi king – or his powerful Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman – may bestow the Chinese leader with some honors and medals. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Al Salman Palace, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15. Today, the US consumes only a fraction of that Saudi oil, and China is Saudi Arabia’s biggest client and trading partner. Over the last year, Gulf Arab countries appear to have ramped up their independent-minded policy.

☆ Mercedes opens its first EV-only dealership in the world in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Mercedes-Benz logo is seen at the 43rd Bangkok International Motor Show, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 22, 2022. Mercedes-Benz has rolled out five electric models since 2019 and "sees further growth in the electric vehicle market in Japan," it said in a statement. Battery EVs have been slow to catch on in Japan, where domestic makers dominate the market. But foreign brands sold a record 2,357 EVs in November, surpassing a tenth of total imported car sales for the first time, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA). Across all car types, Mercedes-Benz sold 51,722 cars in Japan last year, making it the top-selling foreign vehicle brand, JAIA data shows.

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