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☆ Biden in Cambodia as global leaders join Southeast Asian summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport to attend the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. Cambodia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual summit and a parallel East Asian Summit, with the regional bloc engaging with a host of leaders. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met ASEAN leaders on Friday. "President Trump didn't attend a single East Asian Summit during four years in office," said Greg Poling, head of the Southeast Asia programme at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. ASEAN leaders on Friday issued a "warning" to Myanmar to make measurable progress on a peace plan or risk being barred from the bloc's meetings, as social and political chaos escalates in the country.

☆ Biden says U.S.-ASEAN pact to address 'biggest issues of our time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. In his first visit to Southeast Asia as president, Biden said the region was at the heart of his administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and Washington was committing resources, not just rhetoric, under a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ASEAN is engaging a host of leaders, including Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. At the gatherings, Biden will focus on the Indo-Pacific region and talk about U.S. commitment to a rules-based order in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said earlier this week. Biden on Saturday said the meetings would discuss Russia's "brutal" war against Ukraine and U.S. efforts to address the war's global impact.

☆ Japan's Kishida calls for constructive relations in talks with China's Li
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday he hoped the two countries could strive toward building a "constructive and stable" relationship, Japan's foreign ministry said on Saturday. In a speech at the ASEAN plus 3 meeting, Kishida reiterated Japan's view that North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, including one that flew over Japan, were a clear and serious threat to the international community, and unacceptable. He also called for cooperation among the countries in achieving a complete dismantling of North Korea's ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported Kishida was making final arrangements to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC meeting in Bangkok. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai Airways to name new CEO as early as Jan 2023, acting head says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Thai Airways International PCL (THAI.BK) expects to name a new permanent CEO as early as January 2023 as it proceeds with a pandemic-driven restructuring plan, the airline's acting chief executive said on Friday. "There were nearly 50 applicants," acting CEO Suvadhana Sibunruang told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry gathering in Bangkok, saying a decision would be made early next year. Thai Airways entered bankruptcy protection last year to restructure 400 billion baht ($11.1 billion) in debt and has shed around half of its workforce and aircraft fleet. The carrier previously said Thai state agencies will own about 40% of the airline after restructuring, down from current levels of 67%. The airline on Friday reported a third-quarter loss of 4.79 billion baht, down from a 40 billion baht profit the prior year that included a large one-off gain from the restructuring plan.

☆ Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend G-20 summit in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, an Indonesian government official said Thursday, avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts Nov. 15. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Chief of Support for G-20 events told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia, that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation. Biden will attend ASEAN and the G-20 while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to APEC. Putin’s decision not to attend the G-20 comes as Russia’s forces in Ukraine have suffered significant setbacks.

☆ ASEAN summit begins with Myanmar likely to dominate agenda; 'little progress expected'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cambodian Prime Minister and ASEAN host Hun Sen addressed Friday's opening ceremony with a call for vigilance and wisdom during times of economic and geopolitical turmoil. The junta has blamed a lack of progress on the pandemic and obstruction from armed resistance movements that it calls terrorists. James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, said ASEAN was struggling to cope with internal divisions over Myanmar and other issues. One Western diplomat who will attend the meeting said that while the bloc may try to make the Myanmar peace plan more action-oriented, "little progress is expected". G20 leaders are meeting in Bali next week and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will take place in Bangkok after that.

☆ Biden to attend summit of Southeast Asian leaders as Myanmar looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BANGKOK — Southeast Asian leaders convene in the Cambodian capital Thursday, faced with the challenge of trying to curtail escalating violence in Myanmar while the country’s military-led government shows no signs of complying with the group’s peace plan. U.S. President Joe Biden will be on hand for the Phnom Penh summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which comes as Washington and Beijing are increasingly jockeying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to Myanmar, the four-day meetings are expected to focus on ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, pandemic recovery issues, regional trade and climate change. Neither Xi nor Putin is expected to attend the ASEAN talks or the parallel East Asia Summit, though both China and Russia are thought to be sending high-level delegations. “For Southeast Asia it’s really important to physically show up, and I think the Americans are very aware of this,” Daniel said.

☆ Australia's Albanese says it would be positive if meeting arranged with China's Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Alasdair Pal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping it would be a positive development after years of strained relations between the two countries. Albanese is set to attend the G20 summit in Bali, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, his office said on Wednesday. "I've made it very clear that dialogue is a good thing, and if a meeting is arranged with Xi, then that would be a positive thing," Albanese told a news conference in Canberra. read moreThe leaders of the two countries last met when Albanese's predecessor Scott Morrison met Xi at the G20 in 2019, according to Australia's foreign ministry. read moreBoth countries should work to rebuild trust and put their relationship back on the right track, a statement from China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying.

☆ Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth faces off against Republican Kathy Salvi in Illinois' US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is running against Republican Kathy Salvi to represent Illinois in the US Senate. Duckworth holds a giant fundraising lead over Salvi and is highly favored to win the election. IL-17IL-06IL-13 HouseDemocratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Duckworth faces off against Republican Kathy Salvi in Illinois to represent the state in the US Senate. Illinois' Senate race candidatesDuckworth, an Iraq War veteran born in Bangkok, currently chairs the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland. Duckworth served four years as a helicopter pilot in the US Army Reserve before joining the Illinois National Guard in 1996.

☆ Corporate entertaining has come roaring back
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Alexandra Peers Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Boosted by a Covid-era tax break-window that closes at the end of the year — and under pressure to cement ties and reassure clients — companies are now spending big on wining and dining current and potential customers. The company, which has operations globally, needed something that would make clients “want to get on a plane from Singapore, from Japan” to attend. “It’s just like when kids go back to school and don’t want to, but then they get excited,” he said. And in the restaurant, guests typically opt for the $298 chef’s tasting menu — $468 with wine pairings. The deduction, which was meant to help support restaurants during the pandemic, only applies to restaurant meals, and only if a member of the client company is present.

☆ Thai headline CPI rises 5.98% y/y in Oct, slightly below forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary Headline CPI +5.98% vs poll forecast +6.0%Core CPI up 3.17% vs poll's 3.20%Govt support, stable prices to slow inflation - ministryBANGKOK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Thailand's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 5.98% in October from a year earlier, official data showed on Monday, slightly lower than forecast and the slowest pace in six months. The rise follows September's 6.41% increase and was just shy of the 6.0% forecast in a Reuters poll. The core CPI index, which strips out energy and fresh food prices, was up 3.17% in October from a year ago, versus a forecast rise of 3.20%, the commerce ministry said. Headline inflation forecast for the year is still seen at the 5.5% to 6.5% range, the commerce ministry said. Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon, Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai headline CPI rises 5.98% y/y in Oct, less than forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BANGKOK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Thailand's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 5.98% in October from a year earlier, commerce ministry data showed on Monday, slightly lower than forecast. The rise follows September's 6.41% increase and was just shy of the 6.0% forecast in a Reuters poll. The core CPI index, which strips out energy and fresh food prices, was up 3.17% in October from a year ago, versus a forecast rise of 3.20%. "The inflation situation is slowing," senior commerce official Poonpong Naiyanapakorn told a briefing. Reporting by Kitphong Thaichareon and Satawasin Staporncharnchai, writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thailand's 'floating train' a big hit as dam waters rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LOP BURI, Thailand, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Tickets have been selling out fast in Thailand for rides on a special "floating train", where passengers have been enjoying the illusion of aquatic rail travel due to a post-monsoon rise in water levels. The route starts in the capital Bangkok and passes through the Pasak Jolasid dam in Lop Buri province six hours away on an elevated track just above the water level, which officials say has been unusually high this year. The train runs only at weekends between November and February and tickets have been sold out until New Year. "I've never seen anything like this before," said Bunyanuch Pahuyut, who was among 600 passengers who have travelled on the route on Sunday. Reporting by Jiraporn Kuhakan; Editing by Martin Petty and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Airline apologizes after a woman says she was forced to crawl off a plane because staff couldn't provide a wheelchair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman says she was forced to crawl off a plane after staff couldn't provide a wheelchair for her. Natalie Curtis was traveling from Singapore to Bangkok with the Australian budget airline, Jetstar. Curtis told the Australian Channel 7 breakfast show, Sunrise, that she was offered a standard aisle wheelchair to board the flight in Singapore. Curtis told the news channel that the incident may have resulted from a language barrier between herself and airline staff. A spokesperson for Jetstar told Insider the airline had apologized for the incident and clarified that it did not charge for wheelchair use.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was released and “reunited with his family” in Pakistan, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday. “We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the statement said. The Pentagon said in a statement Saturday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had “notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Saifullah Paracha to Pakistan” last month. Following Paracha’s release, 35 detainees remain in Guantanamo Bay and 18 have been cleared for release, according to Amnesty International. The most high-profile prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay prison is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

☆ A passenger who smoked a sneaky cigarette in a plane's bathroom sparked a trash can fire during flight, airline says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Israeli passenger smoked a cigarette in the bathroom of an El Al plane on Friday, per The Times of Israel. The passenger will face legal action when he returns from Thailand to Israel, El Al said. The passenger's cigarette butt set toilet paper and tissues inside the trash can aflame, The Times of Israel reported. Flight attendants and the plane's captains used extinguishers to put the fire out, El Al said, per the newspaper. Police did not detain or remove anyone from the plane, the newspaper reported.

☆ Climate Change Is Real. Markets, Not Governments, Offer the Cure. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Bret Stephens | Mr. Stephens Is An Opinion Columnist. Mr. Winter Is A Staff Photographer On Assignment In Opinion. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +32 min

worse-case, highest-carbon-emission scenario.” (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the U.N. body that assesses climate change.) How do we weigh the risks of underreacting to climate change against the risks of overreacting to it? While he’s not an expert on climate change, he has spent decades thinking deeply about every manner of risk. That’s particularly true if climate change is akin to cancer — manageable or curable in its earlier stages, disastrous in its later ones. Maybe, I realized, in assessing my newfound concerns about climate change, my long-held beliefs might provide a solution — look to the market.

BANGKOK, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A Thai celebrity media tycoon, transgender rights advocate and new owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant wants to use the event to inspire women like her and boost tourism. She bought the Miss Universe Organisation on Wednesday for $20 million, marking the first time the beauty pageant organiser has been owned by a woman, her company said. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha 1 2 3 4She said Miss Universe can promote Thailand's Five F-factors tourism campaign, boosting fighting (Thai boxing), film, festival, fashion and food. “Every country - not just Thailand - will get tourism income when you are the (pageant) host country,” Jakapong said. Other plans for Miss Universe include licensing and merchandising opportunities, including integration with JKN’s own businesses like fashion, beverages and cosmetics.

[1/3] Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 27, 2022. Galih Pradipta/Pool via REUTERSJAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government warned on Thursday that any pressure from its Southeast Asian neighbours to put a time frame on a peace plan would create "negative implications". No Myanmar representatives were present at the special meeting of the group's foreign ministers to discuss the stalled peace plan. Late on Thursday, Myanmar's military-appointed foreign ministry released a statement blaming armed resistance movements for violence and saying pressure to set a time frame will create more negative implications than positive ones. And Indonesia has mentioned that this request needs to be delivered to Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) immediately," said Retno.

☆ World’s best spicy foods: 20 dishes to try
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

When it comes to the world’s best spicy dishes, we have some of the world’s hottest peppers to thank, along with incredible layers of flavor and a long, spice-loving human history. Peppers – a headliner for heat – are rated on the Scoville Heat Units scale, which measures capsaicin and other active components of chile peppers. And it’s the perky red pepper of the same name that brings the spiciness to this complex, layered and delicious dish. “The peperoncino (red chile pepper) is what makes this sauce ‘angry’ (arrabbiata) or spicy,” Chris MacLean of Italy-based Open Tuesday Wines said via email. FomaA/Adobe StockThe fiery Ethiopian spice blend called berbere – aromatic with chile peppers, basil, cardamom, garlic and ginger – is instrumental to the flavor chorus that’s doro wat, Ethiopia’s much-loved spicy chicken stew.

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☆ Photos of students in Philippines wearing ‘anti-cheating’ hats go viral
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Kriti Gandhi | Angie Ling | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Some wore homemade hats made from egg boxes, others created headgear from cardboard and coat hangers and some wore Halloween masks as they sat their exams. Professor Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz, an engineering instructor at the Bicol University College of Engineering in Legazpi City in the Philippines, stumbled across the idea while browsing Facebook, she told NBC News on Tuesday. Some students made their own hats, while others used Halloween masks. Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz“I was quite nervous at first,” said student Marc Louise Pelaez, 21, who wore a handmade hat during the exam. Cardboard and coat hangers were among the materials students used to create their headwear.

☆ Thai businesswoman buys Miss Universe pageant for $20 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - A Thai celebrity media tycoon and transgender rights advocate has bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million, marking the first time the beauty pageant organiser will be owned by a woman, her company said on Wednesday. She has been outspoken about her experience as a transgender woman and also set up the Life Inspired For Thailand Foundation to advocate for the rights to dignity and opportunities for transgender people. The acquisition is "a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio," said Jakapong, adding that Miss Universe, with its content, licensing and merchandising opportunities, plans to expand in Asia. JKN produces its own shows and distributes content in Thailand from abroad including documentaries and Bollywood dramas. The annual beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organisation, which was co-owned by Donald Trump between 1996 and 2002, is broadcast in 165 countries and has been running for 71 years.

☆ Ethnic group says Myanmar air attack kills 80 at celebration
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military killed as many as 80 people, including singers and musicians, attending an anniversary celebration of the Kachin ethnic minority’s main political organization, members of the group and a rescue worker said Monday. He said he first heard there had been 60 deaths, but was later told by sources close to Kachin Independence Army officials that about 80 people had died. He said military aircraft dropped four bombs on the celebration at about 8 p.m., according to members of his group who were there. They also included at least 10 Kachin military and business VIPs sitting in front of the stage, and cooks working backstage, he added. He said the deaths were a loss for all Kachin people, and its group would fly the Kachin flag at half-staff.

☆ An airline has apologized after a mother said her 12-year-old son was prevented from boarding a flight unaccompanied
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A mother says her 12-year-old son was prevented from boarding a flight due to an airline mix-up. While the flights were Qantas-operated, the flight numbers were Emirates, the airline said, and the family should not have been told they were allowed to use Qantas' unaccompanied minor service. Mooney also told the outlet that Qantas would not let her son board the flight unaccompanied, despite both Qantas and Emirates websites stating that young passengers 12 years and over could do so. This is not the first time airlines have faced issues over their unaccompanied minor policies. Last month, Southwest Airlines diverted a flight with an eight-year-old unaccompanied minor on board but failed to let her family know, Insider reported.

☆ Economies in Asia have the tools to manage economic headwinds, U.S. deputy Treasury secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand's finance minister, speaks at the meeting of finance ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bangkok on Oct. 20, 2022. Andre Malerba | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAsian economies are well-equipped to withstand economic headwinds next year, the U.S. Treasury said following the conclusion of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in Thailand last week. During the two-day meeting, finance ministers in Asia-Pacific also pledged not to adjust exchange rates for competitive purposes, recognizing that "excessive volatility or disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability." He added that U.S. legislation such as the CHIPS Act could help the region generate economic activity. "Ultimately I have come away from with a sense that the economies in this region have the tools to manage through the headwinds that they face": Wally Adeyemo Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

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