Thailand’s exports to Russia drop by 40% during first 10 months
MONDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2022
Thailand’s exports to Russia during the first 10 months of this year fell by 40.31% to US$494.57 million (about 17.1 billion baht) from the same period last year, according to the Commerce Ministry.
Exports to Russia in October were worth $40.5 million, down 24.58% from the previous month and 67.87% from the same period last year.
Figures for the four main Thai product categories exported to Russia from January-October were as follows:
– Agricultural and fishery products: $50.25 million, down 17.40%
– Agro-industrial products: $93.91 million, up 12.53%
– Industrial products: $329.27 million, down 50.65%
– Minerals and fuel: $21.15 million, up 24.03%
The top 10 Thai products exported to Russia during the first 10 months in terms of value were:
– Vehicles, parts and accessories: $79.11 million, down 68.81%
– Rubber products: $67.27 million, down 17.13%
– Plastic pellets: $42.14 million, up 32.31%
– Machines and parts: $38.87 million, down 10.96%
– Canned and processed fruits: $38 million, down 0.23%
– Canned and processed seafood: $24.86 million, up 61.09%
– Refined oil: $21.12 million, up 25.25%
– Rubber products: $14.29 million, down 52.26%
– Food seasoning products: $13.24 million, up 41.15%
– Air-conditioners and parts: $10.74 million, down 69.41%
The ministry’s Information Technology and Communication Centre blamed the export slowdown on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
It said the value of Thailand’s exports to Russia fell by 73% in March after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. The contraction continued with exports down 77% in April, 65% in May, 53% in June, 43% in July, and 25% in August.
The centre said the major reason for the slowdown was a shortage of ships and containers after western shipping lines boycotted Russia because of the war.
The value of exports also fluctuated each month mainly because of uncertainties in shipping and Russian purchase orders, it added.
The ministry forecast Thailand’s exports to Russia would drop by about 40% this year.
Great Wall Motor Sponsors HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2022
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Great Wall Motor (GWM) drives forward the sports sector as the official automotive partner of the world’s leading badminton tournament ‘HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2022’ to be held during December 7 – 11, 2022, at Nimibutr Stadium, National Stadium complex.
In addition, GWM will provide a fleet of the All New HAVAL H6 Hybrid SUVs and the All-New HAVAL JOLION Hybrid SUVs to deliver cutting-edge and convenient travel experiences to top badminton players and staff from around the world.
GWM will be the first Chinese automobile brand to sponsor the global badminton tournament in the Thai market, reinforcing its commitment to become the xEV Leader that is ready to collaborate with all sectors to uplift the company’s stature as the Global Intelligent Technology Company and develop the Thai badminton industry while driving Thailand’s economy and society in response to the post-Covid-19 recovery, restoring happiness to people in Thailand and across the world.
Elliot Zhang, President of Great Wall Motor ASEAN, said: “It is a terrific opportunity for Thailand to host one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments such as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2022 which will bring over 60 top-ranked badminton players from around the globe to Thailand. GWM is thrilled and honoured to partake in developing and promoting Thailand and the world’s badminton – the sport that always brings joy to Thai fans. Sponsoring this global competition reaffirms our position as a global automotive brand that focuses on further improving this borderless sports industry.”
Join GWM in cheering for top Thai badminton players – Ratchanok Intanon, Busanan Ongbumrungphan, Jongkolphan Kititharakul, Rawinda Prajongjai, Nuntakarn Aamsaard, Benyapha Aamsaard, Dechaphon Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai – who will be competing for competition.
GWM also offers special activities for Thai badminton fans at all GWM partner stores, including online activities to win prizes such as free tickets, GWM points and many more.
In addition, consumers who participate in activities held at Great Wall Motor booth activities at the 39th Motor Expo 2022 and on GWM application will have a chance to win a ticket to watch the final match (limited number at 75 VIP passes & privilege tickets).
For more details, please visit GWM Thailand Facebook and GWM application from 1-11 December 2022.
New Malaysian-designed sneaker inspired by colourful local tea
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Fancy wearing teh tarik on your feet? No, not literally of course, but as a sneaker, with a design inspired by teh tarik.
That’s what a locally inspired sneaker collaboration between SneakerLAH, Asics Malaysia, and Malaysian streetwear store Hundred%, has come up with.
Called the The Gel-Lyte III “The Tarik” sneaker, this is the third such sneaker collaboration that SneakerLAH, Malaysia’s biggest sneaker event, has done with Asics. The first one was released in 2019 – the nasi lemak inspired Gel-Kayano 5 OG “Nasi Lemak” – followed by another in 2020 inspired by the Petronas Twin Towers – the Gel-Lyte III “Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers”.
At first glance, the sneaker really is the colour of teh tarik, with a bold caramel suede that resembles the various shades of the “pulled” milk tea. It even has interchangeable stripes that mimic the splashes made by the process of making the pulled tea.
On the insole, speckles and imprints represent the stain left behind by a glass of teh tarik, while the white translucent sole mirrors the gleaming surface of the steel tables usually found in the mamaks or kopitiams.
Bryan Chin, co-founder and CEO of SneakerLAH, said that this particular shoe was two years in the making. One of the challenges they had to tackle was, well, how do you make a shoe look like teh tarik?
“Teh tarik has many different shades of brown, so we really explored a lot of the different shades of brown available to us,” Chin said. “The Asics product team went through the process with us, showing us all the different colours and materials.”
“We really wanted to highlight the many aspects of teh tarik, not just the one you have at the mamak stall,” he said, adding that the idea behind the collaboration is to highlight Malaysian culture.
“Every other week there is a sneaker collaboration coming out. But we thought, how do we highlight our culture? What is very close to our heart? This is what went through my mind when thinking about this – it’s not just about the product or whether it looks cool – but whether there is a story to tell here as well. Our Malaysian food is very colourful, and it’s beautiful when you apply it to a shoe. So this time around, I think we are all very, very happy with it.” Chin explained.
Messi helps Argentina past Australia into World Cup quarter-finals
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Reuters
Lionel Messi scored on his 1,000th career appearance in Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia at the World Cup on Saturday (December 3) to surpass his great predecessor Diego Maradona’s tournament total and set up a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands.
Seeking a first World Cup at his fifth attempt, the mesmerizing Messi curled the ball low past goalkeeper Mat Ryan from inside the area in the 35th minute to send the legions of Argentine fans into delirium at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Julian Alvarez bagged Argentina’s second from close range in the 57th minute after fatal hesitation from Ryan with the ball at his feet following a backpass.
Australia, who did superbly to reach the last 16 and are ranked 35 places below the double World Cup winners, defended valiantly with the towering Harry Souttar prominent. They set up a nervy end after Craig Goodwin’s shot was deflected into the net off Enzo Fernandez for an own goal in the 77th minute.
The 35-year-old Messi’s goal was his third in the Qatar tournament and his ninth at World Cups, one more than Maradona.
Depay on target as Netherlands beat U.S. 3-1 to reach quarter-finals
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Reuters
The Netherlands became the first country into the World Cup quarter-finals as they beat the United States 3-1 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday (December 3).
A 10th-minute effort by Memphis Depay and another from Daley Blind with the last kick of the first half paved the way for the Dutch to set up a last eight clash with either Argentina or Australia, who were playing later.
Substitute Haji Wright scrambled in a reply for the United States in the 76th minute to give the Americans hope but Denzel Dumfries’s volley sealed a seventh quarter-final appearance for the Dutch.
Louis van Gaal’s Dutch side grabbed the lead with their first attack when a slick move ended with Dumfries cutting a perfect pass back for Barcelona forward Depay to stroke home.
Dumfries then played a carbon copy ball for Blind to make it 2-0 and put his side in cruise control.
Wright bundled home from a Christian Pulisic cross but Dumfries crowned a great display to finish off the Americans.
Immersive show of Korean cultural heritage opens at National Museum Bangkok
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
A Korea gallery utilizing immersive video content has opened at the National Museum Bangkok.
The exhibition, titled “A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art,” presents Korean cultural heritage reinterpreted by the latest digital media technology. The exhibition is organized jointly by the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum Bangkok.
Also on display are two sculptures of Buddha from the two countries that, while hailing from different eras, share rich and long histories of Buddhist stories.
In organizing the first official public presentation of Korean cultural heritage in Thailand, the organizers aimed to blend cultural heritage and digital technology in introducing Korean art and history in an approachable way to the museumgoers.
Two large-scaled immersive digital content, “Journey of the Soul” and “Royal Procession with the People,” produced by the NMK are on display.
The two newly created content are based on Joseon-era Buddhist paintings and “Uigwe,” a collection of royal protocols of the Joseon era.
“Journey of the Soul,” explores the Buddhist worldview and depicts Koreans’ beliefs in the afterlife at the time.
The work puts together several major Joseon-era Buddhist paintings, such as “The Ten Kings of Hell,” “Underworld Messengers” and “The Assembly of Amitabha Buddha.”
Meanwhile, “Royal Procession with the People” illustrates the rites of the Joseon royal court that embodied core Confucian values.
Visitors will be able to view King Jeongjo’s majestic processions to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon Gyeonggi Province. The illustrations in “Uigwe,” listed on Unesco’s Memory of the World Register in 2007, served as the main source for creating the immersive content.
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva from the Unified Silla period of Korea currently on exhibition at the National Museum Bangkok (NMK)
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva from the Srivijaya period of Thailand currently on display at the National Museum Bangkok (NMK)
Buddha statues from Korea and Thailand — an Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva statue from the Unified Silla period and an Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva statue from the Srivijaya period of Thailand — are also on exhibition, facing each other.
“At the exhibition’s opening ceremony, Korean delegates were surprised to learn that Thailand also shares a similar history of recordings of the king’s rituals,” said an NMK researcher who attended the gallery opening ceremony in Bangkok.
National Museum of Korea hopes the exhibition will play a pivotal role in opening a permanent Korean section within the Gallery of Asian Art at the National Museum Bangkok in the future.
The exhibition is scheduled to run through May 21, 2023.
Study Identifies Human Skills most in demand in Southeast Asia’s major Job markets
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has revealed results from recent research showing that the top five most in demand skills today are human skills despite new technologies transforming the world of work which is set to continue through at least 2026.
Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia are likely to be affected by the threat of recession in countries like the United States and Australia due to its impact on tourism and trade, consequently putting more pressure on local businesses and employees.
In this period of economic uncertainty, businesses are looking for employees who can stay relevant and versatile, and those that fail to upskill will get left behind by the more prepared and adaptable.
The Great Resignation brought about by the pandemic along with the waves of retrenchment has also ushered further uncertainty, creating a job market where only the fittest would survive and thrive.
A World Economic Forum study highlights that over a billion people globally will need reskilling to keep up with the evolving demands of the workforce by 2030.
To help organizations and individuals successfully navigate through the recession, Pearson has conducted a study of the key skills that employers are looking for and training.
Using an analysis of more than 21 million job ads globally, Pearson’s Skills Snapshot identifies today’s new ‘power skills’ – the capabilities now powering the world’s economy and individual careers.
The analysis shows that while technical capabilities remain essentially crucial for many roles, employers highly prize human skills such as collaboration, communication, and leadership.
According to Pearson’s Skills Outlook, the five skills that today’s employers look for the most are all human skills:
Communication Customer Focus Leadership Attention to Detail Collaboration
As we move towards a new, hybrid style of working, Pearson’s predictive AI modelling tool suggests that the top five power skills that will be most in demand to meet the economic need in 2026 are also human skills:
Collaboration Customer Focus Personal Learning Achievement Focus Cultural and Social Intelligence
“It is surprising to see that the most critical skills needed in the workforce today and in the future are in fact human skills,” explained Richard George, Vice President, Data Science, Workforce Skills at Pearson. “Swift investment is needed, as a strong foundation of human skills is essential for success for employers and employees. As the adoption of new technologies continues, the importance of non-technical skills such as the ability to learn and cultural and social intelligence is only becoming more important. Organisations that recognise this and invest in helping employees build transferable and flexible capabilities are the ones that will thrive in our changing world.”
“Although technical skills are increasingly high in demand, technological advancement can often render these skills obsolete or unique to specific job scopes. For instance, the Great Recession of 2008 brought about a major shift in skill requirements for that time. Skills such as analysis and data savviness became high in demand and those companies invested time and resources into upskilling or rehiring. Even in tech roles, human skills allow employees to be agile and adaptable in their learning,” continued George.
Pearson also emphasised the relevance of Power Skills to the Southeast Asian market.
In fast-paced markets like Singapore, personal learning and achievement focus help employees differentiate themselves from the rest. Additionally, cross-border and intraregional collaboration is a common part of job scopes, especially in multinational corporations. Collaboration skills as well as Cultural and Social Intelligence help employees thrive in such situations.
The ability to learn is proving to be a critical skill for career and workplace growth. With a strong foundation in enterprise and workplace learning, Pearson is well-positioned to help people and businesses grow the skills they need for today’s economy.
As the world’s leading learning company, Pearson engages in regular studies about current trends and needs of the job market.
By providing this data and the appropriate learning tools to key groups like educators, employers, and even governments, Pearson is helping to close the skill gap.
Pearson helps to foster and support soft skills through integrated assessments and its Skills Accelerator Program by bringing skills training to real-life scenarios.
People cut Banksy mural off battle-scarred Ukraine wall
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
A group of people tried to take a mural by British street artist Banksy in Ukraine on Friday by cutting it off a battle-scarred wall where it was painted, the governor of Kyiv region said.
The group managed to slice off a section of board and plaster bearing the image of a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher on the side of a scorched building.
“They (people that tried to take the mural) said that they have decided it with him (Banksy). And we ask them, ‘Nobody has ever seen him! How could you decide that with him?'” Alyona, a local resident who confronted the disturbers, told Reuters.
Eight people were spotted at the scene in the city of Hostomel near Kyiv and the mural was retrieved, according to Andrii Nebytov, chief of Kyiv region National Police.
“The expertise will determine the value of the object. Then the detectives and the prosecutors will determine the qualification of such actions,” said Nebytov
The image was still intact and police were protecting it, he added.
“We planned to cut out this mural to be later placed on a new building. This is our life; this is our memory. The people want to keep it in the community,” said Anna Filipova, a local resident.
Banksy, whose work can sell for millions of dollars on the art market, confirmed he had painted the mural and six others last month in places that were badly affected by heavy fighting after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is now in its tenth month. Moscow’s forces were pushed back from around Kyiv in the first phase of the war, but fighting rages on in the east and south.
Assessment of US Intelligence Community on Ukraine, Russia, China and N. Korea
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
The US intelligence community expects the reduced tempo in fighting in Ukraine to continue in coming months, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Saturday.
Haines, who made the remarks at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in California, detailed US intelligence assessments on a variety of topics, including the Ukraine war, Russia and protests in China.
Speaking about the Ukraine war, Haines said that while the conflict has wound down to an extent, the US expects both Ukraine and Russia to prepare for counteroffensives in the Spring.
“We actually have a fair amount of scepticism as to whether or not the Russians will be, in fact, prepared to do that,” she said, “And I think yeah, I think more optimistically for the Ukrainians in that time frame.”
Haines cast doubt on Russia’s ability to resupply.
“Our own sense is that they [RUSSIA] are not capable of indigenously producing what they are expending at this stage,” she said.
Haines said that dissent in Russia over the war was significant but not at a critical mass.
“You’ve seen some of the sorts of more significant figures in Russia, you know, provide more critical views of the war and what’s happening and Putin than you have in the past, but nothing that amounts to likely regime change,” she said.
Haines also spoke about protests in China over the government’s zero-Covid policy, saying that it was revelatory of Chinese President Xi’s inflexible governing style.
“I think, is highlighting the fact that despite the impact it’s having on the economy, despite the human impact of the Zero-Covid policy on communities who, you know, are experiencing this in China, he’s unwilling to take a better vaccine from the West and is instead relying on a vaccine in China that’s just not nearly as effective,” she said.
A deadly apartment fire last month in the far western city of Urumqi sparked dozens of protests against Covid curbs in over 20 cities in a wave unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
Retired assistant police chief named Prayut’s adviser
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
An order appointing former assistant National Police chief Pol General Chayapol Chatchaidej as an adviser to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was published in the Royal Gazette on Friday.
The order stated that Chayapol’s appointment was approved by the Cabinet on October 25, and his new position went into effect retroactively since then.
Chayapol was born on June 10, 1962, and completed his studies in Class 37 of the Royal Police Cadet Academy.
He retired as assistant police commissioner-general this year.