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☆ Myanmar democracy leader says 2,000 dead fighting junta, urges military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 pro-democracy fighters have been killed in Myanmar battling a military junta that seized power last year, the head of a parallel civilian government said in an interview aired on Thursday, urging allies to provide military aid. The military has branded him and his colleagues terrorists and banned citizens from communicating with them, but their parallel civilian government enjoys widespread support. Duwa Lashi La has been pictured visiting troops, who include former students and professionals driven to the jungles by military crackdowns, clad in a flak jacket and helmet. Duwa Lashi La said the opposition fighters had killed about 20,000 junta troops. Duwa Lashi La said the door was not closed to negotiation but the military had to stop killing civilians, vow to withdraw from politics and abolish the constitution that enshrines their power.

☆ Critical to 'front-load' aid to Ukraine as costs rise - IMF's Georgieva
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told the Reuters NEXT conference she was confident international partners would continue to provide needed support for Ukraine. Jack Taylor/Pool via REUTERS"We at the IMF are working hard to be able to step up our own support for Ukraine," she said. Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure have increased the amount of aid needed, adding up to $1 billion a month to previous estimates of $3 billion to $4 billion, she said. In mid-October, before Russia began bombing cities in western Ukraine and targeting electricity and water plants, the IMF and Ukrainian authorities had projected the needed international support at $3 billion to $4 billion a month. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Your Amex Platinum hotel credit expires at the end of the year — here's what you need to do by December 31 to avoid wasting $200 in value
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Joseph Hostetler | Credit Cards Reporter | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

American Express; Rachel Mendelson/InsiderThe Platinum Card® from American Express comes with up to $200 in hotel credits each calendar year. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Head to Amex TravelNavigate to the Amex Travel hotel finder to search for a hotel. Again, only hotels that participate in Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection will trigger this $200 hotel credit. Book a prepaid rate to trigger your hotel creditThis $200 hotel credit is only valid for prepaid bookings.

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[1/2] French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he hosts a reception for the mayors of France, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. The visit also highlights the unique way that Macron has raised France's profile on the world stage, and particularly in the United States. From Beirut to Bangkok, and from the Kremlin to the White House, he has sought to place himself at the center of every crisis, with a flair for seizing the moment. The White House defends the bill as necessary to boost the electric vehicle industry and other clean energy initiatives, saying subsidies play an important role. After Biden apologized publicly, Macron seemed less than mollified, saying "Trust is like love: Declarations are good, but proof is better."

☆ Tiger Woods calls for LIV Golf boss Greg Norman to stand down
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Tiger Woods has called for Greg Norman, the CEO of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, to stand down amid a rift with the PGA Tour. Earlier this year, LIV Golf joined an antitrust lawsuit alongside some of its players, alleging that the PGA Tour threatened to place lifetime bans on players who participate in the LIV Golf series. David Cannon/Getty ImagesThe LIV Golf series is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Woods – who returned to golf earlier this year following serious injuries sustained in a car accident – has previously voiced opposition to the LIV Golf series, and on Wednesday, he reaffirmed his stance. LIV Golf declined to comment on Woods’ latest remarks when contacted by CNN.

☆ Bosch, Mercedes-Benz to roll out fully-automated parking at Stuttgart Airport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | 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. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/FilesBERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Bosch and Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) have received approval for a fully automated self-parking software which enables cars to drive themselves into a pre-booked parking spot at a Stuttgart Airport parking lot and back out again, Bosch said on Wednesday. The function will be available for Mercedes-Benz customers owning an S Class or EQS produced from July 2022 onwards. The two companies received approval in 2019 to begin using the automated valet parking system at the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage, and have been cooperating on the development of fully automated driverless parking since 2015. Car owners can book a parking spot ahead of time via an app, and leave their vehicle in a drop-off area.

☆ Thais fill steel vats and huge boxes in bottomless popcorn challenge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/8] Women carrying foam boxes containing popcorn during a campaign "all you can eat popcorn for 199 baht ($5.60)" in front of a cinema inside a department store in Bangkok, Thailand, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Dozens of Thais showed up with steel vats, cardboard boxes and all sizes of plastic containers to a mall in central Bangkok on Monday, after a cinema offered "all you can eat" popcorn for 199 baht ($5.60). "I'm planning to share it with my family and friends," the investment expert said, as cinema workers shovelled the popcorn into buckets and boxes. For what would have been the price of a ticket to the movies, customers also got bottomless soda refills to help slake what many expected would be a vengeful thirst from eating all that popcorn. ($1 = 35.5200 baht)Reporting by Jiraporn Kwang Kuhakan; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Car bomb kills one, hurts nearly 30 in southern Thailand -police
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Nov 22 (Reuters) - At least one person was killed when a car bomb exploded inside a police compound in southern Thailand on Tuesday, a police official said. "It was a car bomb. Images on social media showed black smoke billowing from a car on fire inside a low-rise compound and police diverting traffic away. Provinces in southern Thailand along the border with Malaysia have seen a decades-long, low-level insurgency, in which the Thai government has battled shadowy groups seeking independence for the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla. Explosions and fires ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand in August, in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks that injured seven people.

[1/2] Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud arrives to attend the APEC Leader's Informal Dialogue with Guests during the APEC 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 November 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the immunity decision did not speak to a review of Washington's relationship with Saudi Arabia, which was ongoing. HISTORIC LOWSaudi ties with the United States and the wider West are still at a historic low point. When Saudi Arabia consequently took its security into its own hands with its war in Yemen, it saw Western criticism as hypocritical. Saudi Arabia would likely still prefer to have a U.S. security umbrella.

☆ Analysis: China has limited power, and perhaps little desire, to curb North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China does not want to see a nuclear-armed North Korea, nor does it want to see U.S. nuclear weapons in the region, but the prospect of an expanding U.S. military footprint raises other priorities for China, said Jenny Town of 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea project. "They see the United States, South Korea and Japan forming as a security bloc, creating a need for a counter bloc, which would include North Korea," she said, referring to China. "Americans have perennially overestimated China's influence over North Korea," said John Delury, professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in Seoul. "Sanction North Korea, which cut itself off from the world for three years because of COVID and continued testing missiles? The whole point is China doesn’t control North Korea."

☆ No need to avoid Xi at APEC, Taiwan envoy says after rare encounter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Taiwan told its representative there was no need to avoid Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Thailand, the envoy said on Monday, leading to a rare encounter at a time when China has been stepping up military pressure. "Certainly, the presidential office had said to me if there was an opportunity there was no need to avoid a meeting or a greeting. That was the only instruction," Morris Chang told reporters in Taipei on his return from Bangkok. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping has traditionally been one of the few forums where China and Taiwan talk, even if just in passing to exchange pleasantries. Taiwan participates at APEC as "Chinese Taipei", the name it also uses to participate in the Olympics and some other events.

CNN Business —Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plans to bring its most advanced technology to Arizona, the founder of the chip giant said Monday. Super-advanced semiconductor chips — like the ones produced by TSMC — are an indispensable part of everything from smartphones to washing machines. Advances in chip manufacturing require etching ever-smaller transistors on to silicon wafers. Chang said its plant in Arizona will produce 3-nanometer chips, TSMC’s most advanced technology. Experts have warned that any disruption to Taiwan’s chip supply could paralyze production of key equipment, impacting almost everyone in the world.

☆ China’s Xi attempts to claim diplomatic victory in battle for global influence after summit whirlwind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday. Since taking office, Biden has shored up relations with allies and partners to counter China’s growing influence. In a rare, candid moment caught on camera, Xi chided Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of leaking details of a brief conversation between them. He also attended the Group of 20 dinner, where he shook hands and chatted with leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from the Dutch Prime Minister, Xi also invited US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to visit Beijing early next year.

☆ Hong Kong leader tests positive for COVID-19 after APEC summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving back in the city from an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, the government said in a statement. Reporting By Twinnie Siu; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Vice President Harris announces $20 million new clean energy funding for Mekong region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S Vice President Kamala Harris announced $20 million in new funding for clean energy projects in the Mekong region, during the last day of her tour of Thailand on Sunday following a regional summit. She spoke to civil society and business leaders in Bangkok after the close of a meeting of the 21-member APEC bloc a day earlier. "In particular we know that the climate crisis presents a real threat to the communities who depend on the Mekong River. In Thailand, in Vietnam, Laos." Reporting by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan PM Kishida plans to sack internal affairs minister Terada, Yomiuri reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to sack internal affairs minister Minoru Terada, Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday, the third cabinet minister to leave in under a month in a fresh blow for Kishida's battered support ratings. Kishida told a news conference in Bangkok on Saturday he would make a decision on Terada as needed, adding "cabinet ministers must fulfill their obligations to explain." The suspected killer has said his mother was bankrupted by the church and has blamed Abe for promoting it. The LDP has acknowledged many lawmakers have ties to the church but that there is no organisational link to the party. Further damage came from the resignation of justice minister Yasuhiro Hanashi last week for comments seen as making light of his work responsibilities, specifically signing off on executions.

☆ US VP Harris announces $20 mln new clean energy funding for Mekong region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ APEC pledges to boost trade as geopolitical rifts hijack regional summits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Apec 2022 summit will take place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok from November 18-19,2022. At the G20 meeting in Indonesia, members unanimously adopted a declaration that said most members condemned the Ukraine war but also acknowledged some countries saw the conflict differently. The APEC leaders echoed the G20 declaration as they referred to U.N. resolutions that deplore Russia's aggression and demand its complete and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine, but also noted a variety of opinions. Recognising that APEC is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy," the bloc said. Russia is a member of both G20 and APEC but President Vladimir Putin has stayed away from the summits.

Separately, police fired rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters in Bangkok as the host of the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, opened the conference. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency gathering of leaders from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the summit after North Korea carried out the missile test. "This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Bangkok for the APEC meeting, told reporters North Korea had "repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency". First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov is representing him at APEC.

☆ Xi says China to consider holding Belt & Road Forum in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China would consider hosting the third Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation next year, which would be the first staging of the event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Belt & Road is Xi's signature infrastructure investment initiative, and previous editions of the forum, in 2017 and 2019, drew leaders and officials from dozens of countries. However, China has all-but-shut its borders since COVID and cancelled most big in-person international events that it had been due to host. Xi was speaking on Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Bangkok. Reporting by Tony Munroe and Albee Zhang; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Friday, the South Korean and Japanese governments said, a day after it resumed weapons tests as it vowed “fiercer” military responses to the U.S.’s strengthening its alliances with South Korea and Japan. It would be the second ICBM North Korea has fired this month and the third this year, after it refrained from conducting such tests since 2017. Japan’s Defense Ministry also said it appeared to be an ICBM-class ballistic missile. In a statement Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the summit would lead to a “more unpredictable phase” in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. U.S. and South Korean officials say North Korea is also preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test, which would be its first since 2017.

☆ Japan calls off business forum after Saudis cancel trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Nothing has been decided regarding a visit to Japan from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed (bin Salman)," Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. "Japan's relationship with Saudi Arabia is crucial given they are a significant strategic partner. It is important we hold high-level visits between Japan and Saudi Arabia in the near future," Matsuno said. Saudi Arabia signed investment agreements worth $30 billion with South Korean companies during the visit. Prince Mohammed has since arrived in Thailand for a state visit, according to state media.

☆ After ASEAN and G-20, diplomats make last push on Ukraine crisis at APEC
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sri Jegarajah | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into Europe's eastern flank, which risks sparking a new phase of the conflict, will overshadow the agenda at this week's APEC Summit in Bangkok. Nurphoto | Getty ImagesBANGKOK — A possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into Europe's eastern flank, which risks sparking a new phase of the conflict, will overshadow the agenda at this week's APEC Summit in Bangkok. The latest developments in Europe are likely to eclipse the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum as business leaders, heads of state and diplomats try to find a way out of the conflict in Ukraine. The war has led to a stubbornly high global inflation that's challenged policymakers and caused a crippling cost of living crisis. Thailand has shown exceptional leadership in steering APEC through a challenging time," he said.

☆ Morning Bid: Cat, mouse and 5%
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. The cat-and-mouse game between the Fed and financial markets has intensified around 5% peak interest rates next year as next week's Thanksgiving holiday hoves into view. In Europe, the euro , euro bond yields and bank stocks (.SX7P) climbed on Friday as the European Central Bank prepared for the start the biggest withdrawal of cash from the euro zone's banking system in its short history. The crypto world continued to lick its wounds amid unfolding revelations and reverberations surrounding the collapse of exchange FTX. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ APEC summit host Thailand urges leaders to put aside differences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Juarawee Kittisilpa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, wife Naraporn Chao-ocha, China's President Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan attend the Gala dinner of the APEC Summit 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 17, 2022. Thailand Government House/Handout via REUTERSBANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Thailand, the host of the APEC summit, urged leaders of the group meeting in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday to "rise above differences" and focus on resolving pressing global economic issues in areas such as trade and inflation. China's President Xi Jinping is attending the summit, while the United States is being represented by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Security was tight at the APEC summit with around 100 anti-government protesters gathered and planning to march on the meeting venue on Friday morning. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will represent him at APEC.

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