Man United Beats Liverpool 4-3 After Extra Time to Advance to FA Cup Semifinals

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18 March 2024, 01:38

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — There’s still some fight left in Manchester United.

With the season hanging in the balance, Erik ten Hag’s team produced one of the most important wins of his tenure to beat Liverpool 4-3 after extra time in a thrilling FA Cup quarterfinal match on Sunday.

With nearly the last kick of the match, substitute Amad Diallo sent Old Trafford into raptures, ended Liverpool’s bid for a quadruple of trophies and fired United into the semifinals.

“Listen to the noise, you can tell what a big game it is,” said Marcus Rashford, who missed a golden chance to win it at the end of regulation but leveled for 3-3 in extra time. “I had to score that chance at the end … but we got the job done and we have to get something out of this season.”

A thrilling quarterfinal match had seen both teams give away leads in a clash between English soccer’s biggest rivals.

AP24077624959638 — Manchester United’s head coach Erik ten Hag celebrates after Manchester United’s Antony scored his side’s second goal during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Manchester United and Liverpool at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Ten Hag has faced mounting speculation about his position in the face of a troubled campaign and restructuring at the club. The FA Cup represents his last chance of silverware this season, while Champions League qualification is in doubt with United sixth in the Premier League.

Defeat against the club’s fiercest rival would likely have seen pressure on the Dutchman grow. TV cameras focused on new director Dave Brailsford as the clock ticked down with Liverpool leading 2-1 as the game approached 90 minutes.

Brailsford is part of the team overseeing United’s soccer operations following British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s recent investment in the club. He looked stone-faced with United seemingly headed out of the competition and Liverpool’s away fans making the loudest noise.

Emotions changed drastically inside Old Trafford, however, when Antony equalized in the 87th to make the score 2-2. That set up a white-knuckle ride through to the first minute of stoppage time in extra time, with big chances missed and momentum swinging one way and then another until United’s winner.

Ten Hag hopes it can be a turning point for his team.

“Every team needs its moment into a season and we never had that moment,” the United manager said. “This could be that moment where the team believe and (has) energy that we can do amazing things. I think when you can beat Liverpool the way we did, then you can beat any opponent.”

Twelve-time FA Cup winner United was later drawn against second-tier Coventry in the semifinals and defending champion Manchester City will play Chelsea, which beat Leicester 4-2 earlier Sunday.

The game had looked like going to a penalty shootout until Diallo fired low into the bottom corner to beat Caoimhin Kelleher following a late Liverpool corner.

The substitute was so caught up in the moment that he was shown a second yellow card and sent off for taking off his jersey during wild celebrations.

“It’s the best goal of my life, it’s a really important moment,” he said. “I am disappointed to be sent off, but what is important is to win. To beat Liverpool is a big, big moment for me.”

United’s pursuit of a top-four finish was also helped after fourth-place Aston Villa drew 1-1 at West Ham in the Premier League earlier in the day. Tottenham, in fifth, lost 3-0 at Fulham on Saturday.

Ten Hag’s team is still nine points adrift of Villa, but has a game in hand, and perhaps momentum after such a morale-boosting win.

He described the opening 35 minutes of Sunday’s match as the best his team had played all season.

Scott McTominay put United ahead in the 10th minute before goals from Alexis Mac Allister in the 44th and Mohamed Salah in the second minute of first-half stoppage time gave Liverpool the lead at the break.

After Antony leveled, Harvey Elliott hit the post for Liverpool and Rashford fired wide with only the ‘keeper to beat with the final kick in regulation.

In extra time Elliott restored Liverpool’s lead in the 105th and Rashford leveled for United seven minutes later.

Diallo’s winner killed off Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of winning four trophies before he steps down at the end of the season.

“I wanted to give it back to Garnacho but I see the defender and I have to go on my own. It is unbelievable, it is a dream for me to score the last goal for Manchester United. I want to say thanks to the supporters. It is one of the best games of the season so we want to continue like this,” said Ahmad.

Liverpool has already won the League Cup, is second in the league and through to the quarterfinals of the Europa League.

“I think my boys showed incredible character again,” Klopp said. “You cannot compare our season to United’s with the amount of games. It’s fine, we deal with it.”

CHELSEA’S REVENGE

Two goals in second-half stoppage time saw Chelsea book its place at Wembley and avenge its defeat to Leicester in the 2021 FA Cup final.

But Mauricio Pochettino’s team was given a scare against Leicester at Stamford Bridge.

AP24077539269393 — Chelsea’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino celebrates with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke after the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday, March 17, 2024. Chelsea won the match 4-2. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer put Chelsea 2-0 up in the first half, with Raheem Sterling also having a penalty saved by Jakub Stolarczyk. Leicester fought back after the break through a spectacular own-goal by Axel Disasi, who sent a long-range back pass without checking where his ‘keeper was, and an equalizer from Stephy Mavididi.

With the game looking set to go to extra time, Chelsea struck twice through two substitutes.

Carney Chukwuemeka restored the Premier League team’s advantage after an assist from Palmer in the second minute of time added on. Noni Madueke scored a brilliant solo effort six minutes later to ensure the win and a semifinal spot.

Leicester beat Chelsea 1-0 in the final three years ago to win the trophy for the first time.

TOP FOUR

Nicolo Zaniolo’s goal in Sunday’s only Premier League game could be crucial in the battle to qualify for the Champions League.

Having been routed 4-0 by Tottenham last week, Aston Villa, in fourth, trailed to Michail Antonio’s header at West Ham. But Zaniolo’s second-half strike secured a 1-1 draw that moved Villa three points clear of Spurs, having played a game more.

AP24077580847686 — The big screen displays Checking Goal during a VAR review after West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos scores a disallowed goal during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham and Aston Villa, at the London stadium in London, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Even then, Unai Emery’s team had to rely on VAR to rule out a a stoppage-time goal from Tomas Soucek for handball.

Depending on how English teams perform in Europe this season, the Premier League could be handed an extra Champions League spot, meaning fifth place would gain entry to next season’s competition.

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AP24077654479823 — Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, left, scores his side’s fourth goal, the winning goal, during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

AP24077648208457 — Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford scores his side’s third goal during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

AP24077644958480 — Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott celebrates with Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas after scoring his side’s third goal during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

AP24077624271493 — Manchester United’s Antony scores his side’s second goal during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

AP24077663090067 — Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, right, celebrates with Manchester United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana at full time of the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

AP24077665921286 — Manchester United’s Scott McTominay scores his side’s opening goal during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Two New Zealanders Are Arrested for Assaulting a Phuket Officer

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Khaosod English

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17 March 2024, 21:38

phuket new zealand12 — Photo by Thapapong Trs

PHUKET – Two New Zealanders were arrested on Saturday in Phuket after they assaulted a traffic police officer who tried to stop them for speeding on a motorcycle but refused to stop and later tried to steal his handgun, with a shot accidentally fired, during the struggle but hits no one.

The officer, Police Senior Sergeant Major Somsak Noo-iat suffered from arm and leg injuries.

The two New Zealanders, Oscar Matson Day, 36, and Hamish Day, 34, were charged with assaulting a police officer, conspiring to commit robbery, assembling to fight or obstruct officials while performing their jobs, and driving without a licence.

The speeding occurred in front of a noodle restaurant on Chao Fah Tawan Ork Road, Phuket’s Muang district, after the two Kiwis failed to stop when notified and after Somsak pursued them to a nearby street-side noodle shop, take a video clip of the two, before being assaulted by them. They were arrested when police reinforcement arrived.

newzealand phuket3 — The side of the road where the incident occurred.

Miss Jutharat, who works at a bakery, claimed she heard two gunshots and went outside to find out, where she saw two foreigners fighting with one police officer. Nobody dared to intervene because foreigners had guns. So she and other witnesses called Chalong Police Station to assist the policeman and arrest the foreigners.

“I don’t want anything this violent to happen. She stated that foreigners and Thais are able to live together as long as they respect each other’s rules.

Another witness, Somnuek Chankong, described the incident as frightening. He didn’t dare step in to help because he didn’t have a weapon. He encouraged the police to continue performing their responsibilities so that tourists may travel to Thailand with confidence.

Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, AKA “Big Joke”, late on Sunday instructed immigration police to revoke the visas of the two New Zealanders, and to ban them from reentering Thailand.

Cambodia Launches Visit Siem Reap 2024 Campaign

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Xinhua News Agency

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17 March 2024, 13:36

SIEM REAP – Cambodia on Saturday launched the Visit Siem Reap 2024 campaign in the northwestern province, aiming to draw more visitors to its tourist attraction the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park.

Addressing the launching event with thousands of participants, which was held together with the official opening ceremony of the eighth River Festival, Prime Minister Hun Manet said the campaign was designed to revitalize the tourism industry in Siem Reap province in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

“The Visit Siem Reap 2024 campaign, together with the 2024 Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year and the Cambodia-India tourism year, will give a boost to the tourism sector in Siem Reap province, attracting more foreign tourists to Cambodia,” he said.

According to Hun Manet, the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), which started commercial operation last November, is becoming a potential magnet by facilitating the trip of international tourists to the Angkor park in particular and to Cambodia in general.

The prime minister also encouraged tourism officials, local authorities and tour agents to organize various tourism activities to support the campaign.

Tourism Minister Sok Soken said the campaign would inject new momentum into the local tourism sector, helping attract more international tourists, particularly to the Angkor park.

“The Visit Siem Reap 2024 campaign is one of our major measures to revitalize the tourism industry in Siem Reap province,” he said.

Siem Reap is home to the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992.

Angkor park, the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country, is home to 91 ancient temples built over a time span from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

The ancient site received nearly 800,000 international visitors in 2023, earning 37.1 million U.S. dollars in revenue from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.

However, the figures were compared to 2.2 million foreign tourists the park received in the pre-pandemic era in 2019, with a gross revenue of 99 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales.

Opinion: Enforced Disappearances, Somchai Neelapajit, and the Deep Thai State

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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17 March 2024, 13:00

Human rights activist Angkhana Neelapajit stands next to an image of her husband, Somchai Neelapaijit, a human rights lawyer who disappeared 20 years ago, in front of the Department of Special Investigation. Photo: Amnesty International Thailand

Before the panel marking 20 years since the enforced disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Monday began, I asked Somchai’s wife, Angkhana Neelapajit, whether she is still living in the same Bangkok house in which Somchai resided before he disappeared 20 years ago.

“Yes,” Angkhana, who has since abandoned her old job as a nurse and eventually became Thailand’s prominent human rights activist, including a stint as a national human rights commissioner, told me. She adds that for the family of those who disappeared, they always hold on to the hope that if one day their loved one is freed, the first thing he or she would do is to head straight home.

But it has been 20 years now and when I went up to the panel as one of the four speakers that evening, which included Angkhana, I told the audience that I think for family members of those abducted, as long as no remains are discovered, closure is the hardest thing to do. I dare not ask people like Angkhana whether she had a closure and accepted the fact that perhaps Somchai is most likely never coming home. It just seems inconsiderate.

The enforced disappearance of Somchai, who was a prominent attorney representing suspect Thai-Malay Muslim separatists in the Deep South, occurred on March 12, 2004, when Thaksin Shinawatra was PM. Many government and coup makers come and go during the two decades and now the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai government is back in power again.

One constant is that there was no real breakthrough and impunity prevailed. This led to my hypothesis that such crimes are works of the deep state and not just a particular government and those forced to disappear, or abducted and killed, were regarded as the enemy of the state – or the enemy of the deep state. That is why no government dares or wants to dig deep and reveal the very dark side of its own state.

In the case of Somchai, though some police officers were arrested and put on trial, including a tourist police officer, no one was punished in the end and the public as well as the family never got an answer as to why Somchai must die. The crime, BTW, audaciously took place very near Hua Mak Police Station in Bangkok.

In two other prominent cases, anti-monarchist Surachai Danwattanusorn, who fled to Laos after the May 2014 coup and actively calling for the abolishment of the monarchy, disappeared in December 2018. Although the bodies of his two close aides were found at the end of December that year floating up on the Thai side of the Mekong river, covered with clothes, binded, and with their stomachs cut up and stuffed with concrete poles – a dehumanizing way to kill and probably a warning to others. In another case, ethnic Karen activist Billy Porlajee Rakchongcharoen, a land rights leader, was last seen on April 17, 2014, in Phetchaburi province.

Supporting, or affording legal representation to alleged Thai-Malay separatists, is akin to being an enemy of the state. Being anti-monarchist, or republican, is being an enemy of the state. Fighting for land rights in protected forests is akin to being an enemy of the state. This is also probably why Thailand, despite being a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, would not accept the ICC’s jurisdiction over the kingdom.

Angkhana, who became a prominent human rights activist in her own right and arguably the most prominent spouse of a victim of enforced disappearance in Thailand, laments at the panel on Monday evening that despite the parliament finally passing the Anti-Torture and Anti-Enforced-Disappearance Act was finally passed in 2022, Angkhana said little has been done to prevent enforced disappearances from occurring in the future.

Meanwhile, people like Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said during the introduction of the panel on Monday, (which by the way, was organized not by the FCCT but by organizations including Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch and Forum-Asia) that now that Thaksin is back, he “owes it to the Neepapaijit family, and to the Thai people to come clean and fully reveal all that he knows about the enforced disappearance of Somchai Neelapaijit.

“No more excuses, Khun Thaksin,” Robertson said. “And since Thaksin continues to have a significant say in what the ruling Pheu Thai Party and government actually do, he should also push the current Thai PM Srettha Thavisin and his government to reopen the case and prioritize it.”

I told Angkhana at the panel that she needs to go and see PM Srettha and cajole him to do more on the problem of enforced disappearance and ensure justice not just for Somchai but 76 others (as tallied by the UN and local NGOs) and she replied:

“I’m really exhausted. Twenty years, hundreds of petitions. Sometimes I feel like a beggar, asking for mercy.”

Perhaps we should ask the deep state if it has an iota of mercy at all.

Emperor Worried About Weak Ties To British Royals Before 1998 Visit

By

Kyodo News

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16 March 2024, 21:47

LONDON – Japan’s imperial couple “felt a sense of unease” about their links to the British royal family ahead of their state visit in 1998, newly released documents at the National Archives in London showed Saturday.

The files opened to public view show that, despite their past visits, then Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko felt they lacked the more intimate connections enjoyed by other members of the imperial family with Britain and its royal family.

Akihito acceded to the throne in January 1989 and abdicated in April 2019.

Sadaaki Numata, a minister at the Japanese Embassy in London at the time, spoke to David Wright, then one of the most senior civil servants at the Foreign Office, to air the imperial couple’s concerns and sought to strengthen connections, according to the telegram Wright sent to the British ambassador in Japan in 1994.

emps — Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walk to boarding a plane to leave for Vietnam on Tuesday at the Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Photo: Shizuo Kambayashi / Associated Press

Wright wrote to then Ambassador John Boyd and then Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd’s private secretary, John Sawers, with a view to raising the matter at the ministerial level.

Wright wrote, “He (Numata) identified one problem about the Emperor and Empress. They felt a sense of unease about their links with the British Crown.”

“They lacked the firm foundation of the long-standing personal links” of other imperial members such as Akihito’s aunt Princess Chichibu, and younger brother Prince Hitachi and his wife Princess Hanako, Wright said in the telegram.

“In a sense, and to make matters worse, their lack of close personal ties was highlighted by the experience of the next generation,” Wright wrote.

Wright’s telegram refers to Akihito’s son, Emperor Naruhito, who studied at Oxford University between 1983 and 1985, as did his wife, Empress Masako.

AP23054006821138 — In this photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito poses for a photograph with Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

Akihito’s younger son, Crown Prince Fumihito, and his cousin-in-law, Princess Hisako, had built ties with the British royal family while they attended Cambridge University and Oxford, respectively.

“The successful British ties of the younger generation served to enhance TIHS’s (Their Imperial Highnesses’) sense of unease about the lack of a close relationship with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh,” Wright wrote.

Although Akihito attended Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 when he was crown prince and stayed at Windsor Castle with his wife in 1976, other members of the imperial family had lived in Britain and built more durable ties with the British royal family.

Numata told Wright he felt the royal couple’s ties to the British royal household were weaker than in the 1980s when their two princes studied in Britain.

Despite a Japanese state visit to Britain being considered for several years, it was only in 1998 that it actually took place as it was considered controversial by some in Britain due to the history of the two countries fighting in World War II and former prisoners of war demanding apology and compensation.

French Ambassador Presides Over Opening Ceremony of TFII-Schneider Electric Center of Excellence

By

Contributor

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16 March 2024, 10:00

On 28 February 2023, the Thai-French Innovation Institute (TFII), KMUTNB, hosted the opening ceremony of the TFII-Schneider Electric Center of Excellence, presided over by Mr. Jean-Claude Poimbœuf, French Ambassador to Thailand.

The event was attended by KMUTNB executives and distinguished guests, including Prof. Dr. Teravuti Boonyasopon, Chairman of KMUTNB Council, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Suchart Siengchin, President of KMUTNB, Asst. Prof. Dr. Pornsak Srisungsitthisunti, Director of TFII, Mr. Mongkhon Tangsiriwit, Cluster President for Schneider Electric Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, Dr. Yossiri Ariyakul, Delegate for Thailand & Laos Schneider Electric Foundation, Mr. Arumugaraj Davitdurai Pandian, Director of ASSIST, and Dr. Nirutt Butrsaenlee, Bureau of Research and Development, Office of the Vocational Education Commission.

This newly established center is located on the 3rd floor of the Science and Technology Research Institute (STRI) with the aim of promoting excellence in the electric power industry, electronics, automation systems, and renewable energy.

The TFII-Schneider Electric Center of Excellence was established through the cooperation of KMUTNB and Schneider Electric Thailand. This center is a result of the shared visions and dedications of TFII, Schneider Electric Thailand, and Schneider Electric Foundation to equip the new generation of the engineering workforce with skills and competences essential for succeeding in the fields of automation systems, renewable energy, and intelligent systems.

This cooperative effort aims to keep pace with the increasing demand for highly skilled manpower in the field of engineering in the rapidly evolving world. The TFII-Schneider Electric Center of Excellence will be a unit under TFII to carry out the mission of developing human resources in higher education institutes, vocational colleges affiliated with the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, and the industrial sector.

Initially, the TFII-Schneider Electric Center of Excellence aims to provide training services to the lecturers of KMUTNB and 13 vocational colleges across Thailand. In the long run, the center has set a goal to promote expertise among the country’s workforce in the areas of industrial automation systems, electrical control motors, efficient energy management systems, smart home systems, SCADA, and IOT systems.

These are key areas important to the sustainable growth of the economy and the advancement of technology, pushing Thailand forward as a leader in innovation of the region.

McDonald’s Apologizes for Global System Outage That Shut Down Some Stores for Hours

By

Associated Press

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16 March 2024, 00:57

LONDON (AP) — McDonald’s apologized Friday for a global technology outage that shuttered some restaurants for hours.

The company said the outage was caused by a third-party technology provider and was not a cybersecurity issue. It started around 12 a.m. CDT during a configuration change and was close to being resolved about 12 hours later, the Chicago-based company said.

AP24075440401268 — Curbside pick up sign is seen as a customer walks past at a McDonald’s in Wheeling, Ill., Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

“Reliability and stability of our technology are a priority, and I know how frustrating it can be when there are outages. I understand that this impacts you, your restaurant teams and our customers,” Brian Rice, the company’s global chief information officer, said in a statement.

“What happened today has been an exception to the norm, and we are working with absolute urgency to resolve it. Thank you for your patience, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused,” the statement added.

The company said the outage also wasn’t related to its shift to Google Cloud as a technology provider. In December, McDonald’s announced a multi-year partnership with Google that will move restaurant computations from servers into the cloud. The partnership is designed to speed up tasks like ordering at kiosks and to help managers optimize staffing.

Earlier Friday, McDonald’s in Japan posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “operations are temporarily out at many of our stores nationwide,” calling it “a system failure.” In Hong Kong, the chain said on Facebook that a “computer system failure” knocked out orders online and through self-serve kiosks.

AP24075521181354 — People look at a sign outside a McDonald’s store, which notified it has closed earlier than usual due to “system error,” in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Downdetector, an outage tracker, also reported a spike in problems with the McDonald’s app over several hours.

Some McDonald’s restaurants were operating normally again after the outage, with people ordering and getting their food Friday at locations in Bangkok, Milan and London.

A worker at a restaurant in Bangkok said the system was down for about an hour, making it impossible to take online or credit card payments but allowing it to still accept cash for orders.

At another location in Thailand’s capital, there was plywood over a door with a sign saying, “Technicians are updating the system,” even as customers were ordering again and paying digitally.

AP24075414636767 — A sign on the door of a McDonald’s as a person enters after earlier problems in the fast food restaurant, in Bangkok, Friday, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/ David Cohen)

A worker at a Milan restaurant noted that the system was offline for a couple of hours and a technician walked them through getting it back up and running.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s in Denmark said the “technology failure” was resolved there and restaurants were open.

Media outlets reported that customers from Australia to the U.K. had complained of issues with ordering, including a customer in Australia who posted a photo to X saying a kiosk was unavailable.

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Courtney Bonnel AP Business Writer reported from London. AP journalists Jintamas Saksornchai and David Cohen in Bangkok, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark; Kelvin Chan in London; Colleen Barry in Milan; and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed.

Nissan, Honda Begin EV Tie-up Talks Amid Competition From Tesla, BYD

By

Kyodo News

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15 March 2024, 23:37

Japan Nissan Honda — Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda President Toshihiro Mibe attend a joint news conference in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO – Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. said Friday they have agreed to start a feasibility study for a strategic partnership in electric vehicle production and software technologies in a bid to cut costs and improve competitiveness in the face of powerful overseas rivals such as Tesla Inc. and China’s BYD Co.

The Japanese automakers are considering collaborating on EV components, including electric drive systems, and the development of software as well as complementing their respective product line-ups, they said.

The move comes as competition in the global EV market has intensified worldwide. With the change of tide progressing at a fast clip, automakers worldwide are faced with ever-increasing costs for developing vehicles equipped with expensive batteries and sophisticated features such as autonomous driving.

“Working on electrification and intelligence is an extremely tough task to do alone,” Nissan President Makoto Uchida said at a press conference. “By combining respective know-how, we will be able to create new values.”

Honda President Toshihiro Mibe said at the conference, “We can no longer fight in the existing framework in the face of the rapid change in the industry,” adding that economies of scale are extremely important to be competitive in the area of EVs.

AP24075313881511 — Honda President Toshihiro Mibe speaks during a joint press conference with Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida
in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Nissan, considered one of the pioneers in the EV market with the launch of the Leaf compact car in 2010, has been widely seen as failing to maintain a strong presence in the segment due to the meteoric rise of newer players such as Tesla and BYD.

The potential partnership with Honda could mean a shift in Nissan’s current EV strategy, which is focused on its alliance with Renault SA of France and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

The tie-up talks follow Renault’s decision in January to call off the plan to list its new EV venture Ampere, in which Nissan expressed its intent to invest last year in a bid to widen its EV line-up.

Nissan’s Uchida said its partnership with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors has not changed, while adding that if the tie-up with Honda proves beneficial, there is a possibility of expanding the collaboration to other alliance partners.

AP24075313946127 — Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida gestures during a joint news conference with Honda President Toshihiro Mibe
in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Honda, which had traditionally preferred to develop cars in-house, has been ramping up EV collaboration with other companies, such as Sony Group Corp. and General Motors Co., in recent years.

“Moves by newer players are extremely powerful and agile. If we cannot respond to the change, we will be wiped out,” Honda’s Mibe said. “We have changed our mindset.”

Nissan and Honda are not considering a capital tie-up at the moment, their presidents said.

The potential collaboration will likely help them meet their electrification goals set for the coming years.

Nissan plans to increase the number of electrified models to 27 by fiscal 2030 while also aiming to put into practical use all-solid state batteries, a next-generation technology expected to significantly boost the range of EVs, by fiscal 2028

Honda has said it will make all its new models either EVs or fuel-cell vehicles by 2040 in a major shift away from gasoline-powered cars, its traditional revenue source.

Bangkok Police Capture a Vietnamese Pickpocket Gang

By

Khaosod English

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15 March 2024, 20:11

BANGKOK – On March 15, Metropolitan Police officers announced the arrest of three Vietnamese pickpockets who were targeting visitors at tourist destinations.

Police personnel at the Royal Palace Police Station said that the victim was a female Malaysian tourist who had travelled to Wat Phra Chetuphon or Wat Pho, claiming that she had taken a wallet from the shoulder bag. There were 6,000 baht in Thai currency and four credit cards.

Following that, police officers continued their investigation until they identified the culprits who stole foreign visitors.

vietnam thief2 — The police also seized a credit card swipe machine, two pieces of clothing used on the day of the incident, a receipt printing machine, and 109 rolls.

As a result, on March 14 at approximately 9:00 p.m., they apprehended three Vietnamese nationals at a Moo Krata restaurant in the Din Daeng district. The police also seized a credit card swipe machine, two pieces of clothing used on the day of the incident, a receipt printing machine, and 109 rolls.

Authorities charged Ms.Vo Thi Anh TuYet, 59; MS. Nong Thi Chi, 47; and Mr.Nguyen Huu Van, 53, with theft. Initially, all three suspects admitted that they had committed the crime. The chosen area took place at Wat Pho since it attracts more tourists than other locations.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poonsawat, Deputy Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, stated that the offenders frequently visited prominent tourist spots in Bangkok, such as Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho, and chose victims who were foreign tourists. They were walking and pressing against the victim’s back, and they planned to use the pandemonium to pick pockets and collect stuff.

When most travellers no longer carried cash, they would steal a credit card and swipe it at a card-swiping machine.

Suspect in Murder of Russian Man in Phuket Flees Thailand

By

Khaosod English

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15 March 2024, 19:28

PHUKET – Police in Phuket investigating the murder of 41-year-old Russian national Mr. Artur Mkhitarian have found that the Tajikistani suspect has fled Thailand for Turkey.

The body of Mr. Mkhitarian was discovered on Wednesday morning at a rented house on a hill at Soi Chao Fah 67, Chalong Sub-district. He had been stabbed to death. Police believe that Mr. Mkhitarian was murdered between 20 hours before his body was discovered on March 13.

The victim’s wife, Miss Anna, had reported him missing on Tuesday evening after he failed to return home. She and a friend, Mr. Axandr, contacted the car rental company that Mr. Mkhitarian had used, and they were able to track the car’s GPS to the marijuana farm where the body was found.

russia murder12 — The body of Mr. Mkhitarian was discovered at a rented house on a hill at Soi Chao Fah 67, Chalong Sub-district, on March 13, 2024.

Witnesses living near the scene of the crime reported hearing a commotion on the night of the murder, March 12, but they were unable to understand what was being said as the people involved were not speaking Thai.

Mr. Mkhitarian had arrived in Phuket on January 28, 2024, and his visa was due to expire on April 26, 2024. Miss Anna, 32, said that she and her husband had been living in Phuket with his parents and their two children. She last saw her husband alive on March 12 and she was unable to contact him after 5:00 pm that day.

Miss Anna reported her husband missing to the police, and they were able to track the car’s GPS to the marijuana farm. The body was found inside the house.

russia murder11 — Police officers found a red Honda PCX motorcycle that the suspect had abandoned at Phuket International Airport on March 14, 2024.

Police believe that the house where the murder took place was rented by a Thai woman named Ms. Khanitha, who has a foreign boyfriend. A Tajikistani national named Mr. Bakhtovar Murozoda was also staying at the house. He fled the house after Mr. Mkhitarian disappeared and took a flight from Phuket airport to Istanbul, Turkey at 9:38 pm on March 12.

On March 14, police officers found a red Honda PCX motorcycle that the suspect had abandoned at Phuket International Airport on the international side. They examined it for latent fingerprints and blood stains.

According to CCTV footage, moreover, Mr. Murozoda was the only person there in the house when the incident occurred. Mr. Murozoda left the residence alone, but Mr. Mkhitarian did not, and he was later found dead.

The police then petitioned the court to approve the arrest warrant. The court authorised it on March 14, 2024, to arrest Mr. Murozoda for the crime of “intentionally killing another person.” The police will work with Interpol officers to apprehend the accused.

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