Big Take Asia: Leaked Phone Call Upends Thai Politics
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
The Bulletin July 24, 2025
The rundown: Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodian forces along their disputed border after troops exchanged fire in a dramatic eruption of tensions between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. Here's what we know. Why it matters: Cambodian media reported ongoing exchanges of fire around the ancient Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temples. The first reports of fighting emerged at the Ta Muen Thom temple. All sit along the disputed territorial line. The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has responded to the border clashes. "The Embassy is receiving reports today, July 24, of fighting, including rocket and artillery fire, between Cambodian and Thai forces along the border," the embassy said in a post on Facebook. Read more in-depth coverage: China Reacts to Deadly Thailand, Cambodia Border Fight TL/DR: A Cambodian civil aviation official said flights between Cambodia and Thailand are continuing as scheduled, despite the current clashes at the border. What happens now? The U.S. Embassy said: "There are reports of casualties and the Thai government is ordering the evacuation of certain areas. U.S. citizens living or traveling near the Thailand-Cambodia border should follow direction from Thai security services and consult local government authorities for the latest information." Deeper reading Thailand, Cambodia Exchange Fire Around Ancient Temples: Live Updates
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
China offers parents £375 per child to tackle declining birth rate
China will offer parents an annual childcare subsidy of 3,600 yuan (£376) in an effort to arrest the country's declining birth rate. The scheme, announced on Monday, will cover all children under three. It will apply retroactively from 1 January 2025, but families with children born between 2022 and 2024 can also apply for partial subsidies, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the National Health Commission, the nationwide subsidy is expected to benefit nearly 20 million families. The subsidies will not be treated as taxable income or counted when determining eligibility for poverty assistance. The National Bureau of Statistics reported earlier this year that China's population had fallen for the third consecutive year in 2024. It had declined by 1.39 million to 1.408 billion as deaths continued to surpass births. In 2023, the population had fallen by 2.08 million. The fall was double the previous year's, which marked the first population drop in 60 years. China's birth rate has been declining for decades, driven by the 'one child policy' implemented from 1980 to 2015 and rapid urbanisation. The 'one child policy' has also resulted in a skewed sex ratio due to a cultural preference for male children. Marriages have also witnessed a decline, with 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024 compared to 7.7 million the previous year. The subsidy scheme follows regional experiments with childcare incentives in over 20 provinces. Inner Mongolia's capital city of Hohhot introduced a policy in March for parents to get up to 10,000 yuan (£1,045) in annual subsidy until the third child turned ten, along with daily free milk for new mothers and an electronic voucher worth 3,000 yuan (£313) for dairy products. In cities like Shenyang or Changchun, subsidies range from 1,800 to 3,600 yuan (£188-376) per child. Some regions offer one‑off birth bonuses as well. 'Although the subsidies don't cover all childcare costs, they help with essentials like baby formula and diapers, easing the financial burden,' a woman named Ma Ying from Guyuan in Ningxia told Xinhua. Critics, however, say that declining fertility rates are not just an issue of finances. The high cost of childcare and education, job uncertainty and a slowing economy are discouraging young Chinese men and women from marrying and starting families, demographers argue. They also point to gender discrimination and traditional expectations for women to manage the household as contributing factors to the declining birthrate. 'Without sustained structural investment in areas like affordable childcare, parental leave, and job protections for women, the effect on fertility is likely to remain minimal,' demographer Emma Zang, a professor at Yale University, told Reuters. To promote a more 'fertility friendly society', the southwestern province of Sichuan has proposed extending marriage leave from five to 25 days and increasing maternity leave from 60 days to 150 days.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
US-Japan trade deal guarantees lowest tariff rates for chips, pharma, Japanese official says
By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's leading trade negotiator said on Tuesday that the trade deal Tokyo agreed with the United States last week guarantees Japan will always receive the lowest tariff rate on chips and pharmaceuticals of all the pacts negotiated by Washington. "If a third country agrees with the United States on lower rates on chips and pharmaceuticals, those lower rates would apply to Japan," Ryosei Akazawa told a news conference. The European Union secured a 15% baseline tariff as part of a framework trade deal with the U.S. this week, averting looming new tariffs on chips and pharmaceuticals. Japan last week struck a trade deal with the U.S. that lowers tariffs on cars and other goods to 15% in exchange for a U.S.-bound $550 billion Japanese investment package including equity, loans and guarantees. Asked why there has been no joint statement on the agreement, Akazawa said Japan is prioritising having President Donald Trump sign an executive order to bring the agreed 15% tariff rate into effect. "We want to concentrate our efforts on getting the tariffs lowered first, and then we can consider whether an official document on the agreement is necessary," he said.
