Business

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is planning a stimulus package worth $10 billion that will include support for farmers and tourism, its finance minister said on Friday, in a move to shore up a flagging economy.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy expanded 2.8% in the first quarter, the weakest annual pace in more than four years, as exports - a key growth driver - have declined amid rising trade tensions and a strong baht THB=TH.

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats party said on Friday two senior lawmakers from the ruling party and opposition have indicated willingness to lead an emergency government to prevent a no-deal divorce with the European Union.

Given Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a negotiated transition, foes are plotting how to bring him down and stop a no-deal Brexit they say would be disastrous for the economy.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish politicians on Friday poured scorn on the notion of selling Greenland to the United States following reports that President Donald Trump had privately discussed the idea of buying the world’s biggest island with his advisers.

Trump is due to visit Copenhagen in September and the Arctic will be on the agenda during meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Tehran, Aug 16, IRNA - A prominent lawyer from Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies believes the UK’s bitter experience of seizing Grace 1 supertanker indicates how expensive it would be for the countries to follow the extremist elements in Trump administration from political, strategic and prestige point of view.

Chabahar, Aug 16, IRNA – A Russian official stressed the importance of Iran's port city of Chabahar in connecting the Caspian Sea littoral ports to the Gulf of Oman and voiced his country's interest in boosting trade via the strategic port.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Friday as turbulence continued on global markets amid ongoing worries about U.S.-China trade conflict.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped early losses to be up 0.3% at 20,456.96 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched down nearly 0.1% to 6,402.40, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.8% to 1,923.56. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.8% to 25,701.58. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.7% to 2,834.85.

15 Aug 2019; MEMO: The New York Times has released a damning report detailing the intimate links and connections between a Lebanese-American businessman and backdoor diplomat working with the United Arab Emirates, and an American businessman and fundraiser for President Donald Trump. The report also provides details of the extent of their collusion.

15 Aug 2019; MEMO: Turkey will open a new military base in Qatar this autumn, daily Hürriyet reported yesterday.

“A new Turkish base has been built near Qatar’s Tariq Ibn Ziyad military base,” Hürriyet correspondent, Hande Fırat, said, adding that the military base’s inauguration ceremony was expected to be “unveiled by the Qatari Emir and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”

MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Aug 15 (NNN-SPA) – China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), operator of the Mecca light rail, in the Hajj season in Mecca, completed this year’s pilgrimage transport service on Wednesday (yesterday).

During the seven-day operation, the total operation time was 156 hours, and more than 2.4 million trips were delivered safely and accurately.

Li Chongyang, vice general manager of CRCC, said that, the light rail system, originally planned to run 1,718 trains, actually ran 2,214 trains.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Active engagement with participating countries of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is needed to ensure the infrastructure being developed is in line with the affordability of the respective countries.

Former Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said mega-infrastructure undertakings like BRI were not without risks, as in recent years there have been some concerns expressed on debt sustainability.

He said this in turn would also have implications on economic growth and sovereignty.