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ECONOMY & BUSINESS BANGLADESHTODAY 6 THE FRIDAy, JAnuARy 4, 2019 Jersey unveiling ceremony of Rajshahi Kings of BPL T-20 Tournament 2019 held on January 3, 2019 at Amphitheatre, Hatirjheel, Dhaka. First Security Islami Bank sponsored Rajshahi Kings on BPL T20 Tournament for the 3rd time. Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, Chief Patron and Hafizur Rahman Khan, Chairman, Rajshahi Kings, Abdul Aziz, Additional Managing Director and Md. Zahurul Haque, Deputy Managing Director of First Security Islami Bank, Amzad Hussain, Director, Tahmid Azizul Haque, CEO and S M Shamsur Rahman, COO of Rajshahi Kings along with other officials were present on the jersey unveiling ceremony organized in this regard. Photo: Courtesy Serena in inspirational message to working mums Serena Williams has posted an inspirational New Year message to mums and dads juggling parenthood with work, saying "anything is possible". The 23-time Grand Slam champion began 2019 in Perth at the mixed teams Hopman Cup, with baby Alexis Olympia in tow. She posted a picture of herself and her daughter to her 10.4 million followers on Instagram, holding her child as she stretched her leg. Williams, 37, said "it's not about what we can do it's what we MUST do as working moms and working dads". "Anything is possible. I was getting ready for the first match of the year and my dear sweet baby @olympiaohanian was tired and sad and simply needed mama's love. "So if it means warming up and stretching while holding my baby that's what #thismama will do. "My fellow moms and dads working - or stay home it's equally as intense - but you inspire me," she added. "Hearing your stories makes me know I can do this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This year is to you!" The last time Williams played in Australia was January 2017, when she won the Australian Open when eight-weeks pregnant. Last month, the WTA introduced new rules so returning mothers have a special ranking that earns them a seeded position at tournaments, ensuring they do not face a top player in the opening round. Williams, along with other tennis mums like former world number one Victoria Azarenka, had advocated for the changes to help ease the transition back for players who had given birth. She is partnering Francis Tiafoe for the United States at the Hopman Cup and on Tuesday evening played mixed doubles against Switzerland, with Roger Federer on the other side of the net. The Swiss team won with Williams calling it "literally the match of my career". "It is really great and special to go against the greatest of all time," she said of facing Federer in a competitive match. No place like home: 'Force Spurs to stay at Wembley,' says Cardiff boss Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock believes Tottenham Hotspur should be made to play at Wembley for the rest of the season to avoid their rivals having any unfair advantage. Spurs, who beat Cardiff 3-0 to go second in the Premier League on Tuesday, have been prevented from returning to their rebuilt o850 million White Hart Lane because of delays to the building work. An announcement on a date for them to move in is expected after January 7, but their next Premier League fixture, the home game against Manchester United on January 13, will take place at Wembley. Four of Spurs' next five games are at home - one of which is against Cardiff's relegation rivals Newcastle - while they still have to entertain bottom-placed Huddersfield. Spurs have already beaten the second bottom and third bottom teams, Fulham and Burnley, at home this season. Cardiff, who are 16th, three points above the relegation zone, were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham at Wembley on October 6. "They have made that many cockups now with the timing, I think the Premier League should now force them to play at Wembley now for the rest of the season," said Warnock. "I don't think there should be a chance of any advantage to any of our opponents really. "It's not our fault - we should have been playing at the new stadium ourselves, so I think they should step in now, rather than be there in six or seven weeks, or whatever it is." Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino stressed the importance of bouncing back after they recovered from their 3-1 defeat to Wolves to leapfrog Manchester City, six points behind leaders Liverpool. Goals in the first 26 minutes from Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min made it a comfortable return to winning ways for Spurs. "It was so important to bounce back to build another positive run," said Pochettino. "It was so important for our confidence because in three days we start another competition - the FA Cup - and we have the semi-final of the League Cup against Chelsea. "This was a massive victory for us to make us believe but more in our possibility to be in a very good position in the table." Kane got himself into the record books again - his third-minute opening goal means he has now scored five Premier League goals on New Year's Day, equalling a record held by Andrew Cole and Steven Gerrard. Kane's goal came off his shin, deflecting in a loose ball from a terrible touch from Cardiff captain Sean Morrison after Kieran Trippier's cross from the right initially hit Kane. Spurs made it 2-0 after just 12 minutes when Eriksen dummied Bruno Ecuele Manga and Harry Arter before picking his spot from the edge of the box. Son made it 3-0 with another stylish finish, the South Korean delaying his shot from Kane's short pass while Morrison dallied before steering an acute-angled drive across Neil Etheridge and into the far bottom corner for his 11th goal of the season, all scored in the last 16 games. Cardiff's only threat came from half-time substitute Junior Hoilett, who forced two saves from Hugo Lloris. Asia markets mostly lower as tech firms soured by Apple Most Asian markets extended the previous day's sharp losses Thursday with technology firms tumbling after Apple slashed its revenue forecasts blaming slowing China sales. The yen soared against a number of other currencies including the dollar, euro, Australian dollar and Turkish lira in a flash crash fuelled by the Apple announcement. In early trade bargainbuyers capitalised on Wednesday's hammering across Asia but were unable to sustain momentum with sentiment weak owing to uncertainty over a number of issues including the China-US trade war, China's economic woes, the US government shutdown and Brexit. Wall Street and European markets mostly recovered from early losses to end slightly higher but Apple's announcement that it expected to earn less than expected in the key December quarter sent shudders through markets. The firm, which was already under pressure over signs that sales of its new iPhone were coming up short, blamed sluggish demand in China for the cut and cited the US trade war as a factor. "While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China," chief executive Tim Cook told investors. He told CNBC the tariffs row had put "additional pressure" on an already slowing Chinese economy, resulting in lower store and online traffic. The firm's shares - already down about a third from their record high in March Asian tech firms took a hit from the news, with Hong Kong-listed Sunny Optical and AAC Technologies down 6.8 and 5.4 percent, while Apple supplier TSMC shed 1.8 percent in Taipei, with Foxconn 0.2 percent off. But on broader markets Hong Kong fell 0.3 percent after tanking almost three percent Wednesday, while Shanghai was marginally lower following a more than one percent drop after more weak Chinese economic data. Seoul retreated 0.8 percent, Singapore was one percent down while Wellington gave up 0.9 percent, with Taipei and Mumbai also in negative territory. Sydney jumped more than one percent while Manila surged 2.2 percent. Tokyo was closed for a holiday. London fell 0.4 percent in early trade while Paris and Frankfurt each lost 0.8 percent. Banny Lam, head of research at CEB International Investment Corp, warned of continued volatility. "There are a lot of uncertainties lying ahead," Lam told Bloomberg News. "The markets will likely be stuck in a downtrend over the next few weeks." The news from Apple sparked a sell-off in the currency market with the yen, a safe haven in times of turmoil, soaring around 3.7 percent to 104.87 against the dollar before the greenback recovered later in the day. The Japanese unit also soared to a 10-year high against the Australian dollar, which is seen as a bellwether for China, and the euro, while the Turkish lira was down a similar amount. "The Apple news is driving safe haven flows, which have seemingly triggered a flash crash in forex," Brad Bechtel, global head of foreign exchange at Jefferies LLC, said. Analysts suggested that a rush to the safety of the yen saw it rise, which caused programmes that were set up by yen short-sellers to prevent them losing cash to kick in, exacerbating the problem. The selling was amplified by thin liquidity owing to a public holiday in Japan. The flash crash also saw the greenback surge around four percent against the Australian dollar to its highest level since 2009. The Aussie has been battered by slowing growth in China, a key export destination for the country's commodities sector. The lira was also down almost 10 percent against the greenback. "The moves were very violent," Stephen Miller, an adviser at Grant Samuel Funds Management, said. "It would have caught some by…surprise." Oil tumbled on lingering concerns about whether OPEC-led production cuts would be enough to turn around prices as supplies remain high and demand weakens. Prices last year suffered their first annual decline since 2015 and are 40 percent down from their four-year peaks reached in early October. India blow as spin ace Ashwin to miss final Test India's top spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was Wednesday ruled out of the final Test against Australia on what is expected to be turning wicket at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Ashwin, who suffered an abdominal strain on the fourth day of the opening Adelaide Test, trained on Tuesday but has not recovered in time and will miss his third Test in a row. Left-arm finger-spinner Ravindra Jadeja is expected to stay in the side for the fourth Test beginning Thursday. Australia must win to prevent India, who lead 2- 1, claiming a first-ever series triumph Down Under. "It's unfortunate that he's had two niggles that are quite similar in the last two away tours," said skipper Virat Kohli. "He's very important for sure. In Test cricket he's a vital part of this team and we wanted him to be 100 percent fit for a longer period to that he can come back to us in the Test format. "He is very disappointed that he's not able to recover in time." India will need to make at least one change to the team that won in Melbourne with middleorder batsman Rohit Sharma, who hit a gritty 63 in the first innings, jetting back to Mumbai after his wife gave birth to a daughter. Maradona shows support for racism victim Koulibaly Diego Maradona has given his backing to Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly after the Senegalese international was subjected to racist abuse by Inter Milan supporters last week. Argentina great Maradona, who won the Serie A title with Napoli in 1987 and 1990, posted a picture of himself on social media holding up Koulibaly's No.26 shirt with a message of support for the player, who was targeted with monkey chants by Inter fans during Napoli's 1-0 defeat at the San Siro on Wednesday. "I played for Napoli for seven years and I also suffered from racist chants from some fans," said Maradona, who is coach of Mexican second division outfit Dorados and adored by Napoli fans. The 58-year-old, currently on holiday in Buenos Aires as the Mexican league is on a break, said he feels "even more Neapolitan today and that he wants "to be close to" Koulibaly. "I hope this incident signals a turning point to eliminate, once and for all, racism from football." Maradona's gesture of solidarity comes after thousands of Napoli fans wore Koulibaly masks in support of the 27-year-old during their side's 3-2 win over Bologna on Saturday. On Friday, European football governing body UEFA said its anti-racism protocol had not been followed during the match in which Koulibaly, who was also sent off, was abused. Fans were asked three times over the loudspeaker to stop the abuse, but they ignored the pleas. According to UEFA's protocol, the match should have been suspended then but instead the game was allowed to continue. The Italian league subsequently ordered Inter to play two home matches behind closed doors as punishment. Oil volatile, ends up 2 pct but demand concerns still weigh Oil prices rose about 2 percent in choppy trading on Wednesday, supported by a slight recovery on Wall Street, even as concerns remained about weakening global economic growth which could hurt demand for oil. Brent crude futures gained $1.11, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $54.91 a barrel, after trading between $52.51 and $56.56. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude ended $1.13, or 2.5 percent, higher at $46.54 a barrel, after hitting a session low at $44.35 and high at $47.78. Oil futures were buoyed by US equity markets as major stock indices pared earlier losses. Crude futures have recently tracked stocks on Wall Street, which in 2018 recorded its worst year in a decade. However, manufacturing data from China earlier added to ongoing concerns about a slowing global economy and increased output out of countries like Russia. China's factory activity contracted for the first time in more than two years in December, highlighting the challenges facing Beijing as it seeks to end a bruising trade war with Washington. "We still view some slippage in the Chinese economy as a significant bearish consideration given the fact that they had become the largest crude importer in the world," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Tarek Reaz Khan has recently been promoted to the rank of Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of Mutual Trust Bank Ltd (MTB) with effect from January 01, 2019. Prior to this elevation, he was the Senior Executive Vice President and Head of SME and Retail Banking Divisions. Khan joined MTB on November 01, 2015 and since then has made significant contributions to the bank, a press release said. After completing Masters in Marketing from the University of Dhaka, he started his career with Beximco Group as a Management Trainee in 1994. He commenced his banking career with Standard Chartered Bank as a Trainee Officer in 1997 and worked till 2013, where he held several Senior Management positions. Prior to joining MTB, he served Bank Alfalah Bangladesh as Head of Retail Banking and Head of Business, Global shares began 2019 on a downbeat note while oil prices and bond yields slid and the Japanese yen strengthened Further pointers are expected this week from a closely watched survey on US manufacturing BENGALURU: Gold touched its highest in more than six months on Wednesday as sagging equities compounded concerns over weakening global markets, prompting safehaven flows into the precious metal. Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at $1,284.71 an ounce at 1250 GMT, having earlier touched its highest since June 15 at $1,288.66. US gold futures rose 0.5 percent to $1,287.10. "We are seeing a very riskaverse market right now," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA. Global shares began 2019 on a downbeat note while oil prices and bond yields slid and the Japanese yen strengthened as data from far and wide exacerbated concern over the potential for a global economic slowdown. Economic and geopolitical concerns mean it is only a matter of time before gold shoots up, said Kunal Shah, head of research at Nirmal Bang Commodities in Mumbai. Bangladesh Operations. He also served in Premier Bank Limited as Deputy Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer. Tarek brings with him over 25 years of experience with 22 years in banking in Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a note Euro zone manufacturing data also proved disappointing, as activity barely expanded at the end of 2018, according to a survey. Worries about an economic slowdown and excess supply dragged down oil prices from multi-year highs reached in October 2018. Crude futures ended 2018 down for the first year since 2015, with WTI slumping 25 percent and Brent tumbling 21 percent. Russian production hit a post-Soviet record in 2018, figures showed on Wednesday. Other data showed US output reached a record in October and Iraq boosted oil exports in December. Surging shale output has helped make the United States the world's biggest oil producer, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia. Oil production has been at or near record highs in all three countries. Signs of rising production illustrate the challenge facing the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, which are seeking to prop up the market with a supply cut of 1.2 million barrels per day. However, the energy minister for the United Arab Emirates, an OPEC member, said on Tuesday he remained optimistic about achieving a market balance in the first quarter. Tarek Reaz Khan promoted to Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of MTB different capacities. An avid golfer, Tarek has attended various local and overseas training courses and workshops, and frequently delivers lectures on diverse banking related topics Gold hits multi-month high as falling equities cement growth fears Markets are also awaiting views from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on the US economic outlook and hints about interest rates in 2019 when he participates in a joint discussion on Friday with former Fed heads Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke. Further pointers are expected this week from a closely watched survey on US manufacturing, due on Thursday, followed by the December payrolls report on Friday. "People are also expecting a softer dollar in 2019," OANDA's Erlam said, adding that gold prices could also be supported by a changing outlook for interest rates. There are expectations that a three-year rate-hiking cycle in the United States has come to a close, which would be beneficial for non-yielding bullion. The United States Treasury market fell earlier in the day on assumptions that the Federal Reserve will call a halt to its rate increases. Among other precious metals, palladium fell 0.5 percent to $1,257.49 an ounce. Silver was steady at $15.44, having earlier touched its highest since Aug. 3 at $15.51, while platinum fell 0.2 percent to $789.80.
MISCELLANEOUS FRIDAY, JANuARY 4, 2019 7 SKorean lawmaker: Spy agency says NKorean diplomat in hiding North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil, went into hiding with his wife in November, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday. A high-profile defection by one of North Korea's elite would be a huge embarrassment for leader Kim Jong Un as he pursues diplomacy with Seoul and Washington and seeks to portray himself as a player in international geopolitics. South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki said an official from Seoul's National Intelligence Service shared the information during a closed-door briefing. Kim did not say whether the spy agency revealed any information about Jo's current whereabouts or whether the diplomat had plans to defect to South Korea. Kim said the NIS said it has not been contacted by Jo. Kim said the NIS official said that Jo and his wife left the official residence in early November, weeks before his term was to end in late November. Kim said he couldn't confirm whether the NIS official revealed whether Jo and his wife were accompanied by any children. The NIS earlier said it couldn't confirm a South Korean media report that Jo was under the protection of the Italian government as he seeks asylum in a Western nation. North Korea has not yet No one budged at President Donald Trump's closed-door meeting with congressional leaders, so the partial government shutdown persisted over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. They'll all try again Friday. In public, Trump renewed his dire warnings of rapists and others at the border. But when pressed in private Wednesday by Democrats asking why he wouldn't end the shutdown, he responded at one point, "I would look foolish if I did that." A White House official, one of two people who described that exchange only on condition of anonymity, said the president had been trying to explain that it would be foolish not to pay for border security. In one big shift, the new Congress will convene Thursday with Democrats taking majority control of the House, and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they'd quickly pass legislation to re-open the government - without funds for the border wall. "Nothing for the wall," Pelosi said in an interview to air Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. "We can go through the back and forth. No. How many more times can we say no?" But the White House has rejected the Democratic package, and Republicans who control the Senate are hesitant to take it up without Trump on board. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it a "total nonstarter." Trump said ahead of his White House session with the congressional leaders that the partial shutdown will last "as long as it takes" to get the funding he wants. "Could be a long time or could be quickly," Trump said during lengthy public comments at a Cabinet meeting, his first public appearance of the new year. Meanwhile, the shutdown dragged through a second week, closing some parks and leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay. Democrats said they asked Trump directly during Wednesday's private meeting held in the Situation Room why he wouldn't consider their package of bills. One measure would open most of the shuttered government departments at funding levels already agreed to by all sides. The other would provide temporary funding for Homeland Security, through Feb. 8, allowing talks to continue over border security. "I said, Mr. President, Give me one good reason why you should continue your shutdown," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said afterward. "He could not give a good answer." Trump's response about looking foolish was confirmed by a White House official and another person familiar with the exchange, neither of whom was authorized to describe the exchange by name. Trump had campaigned saying Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico has refused. At another point Wednesday, Trump told commented on Jo's status. An official with the Italian Foreign Ministry said the North Korean hadn't requested asylum from Italy. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with standard practice, said Jo no longer held diplomatic status in Italy. That presumably refers to his government's ending his diplomatic assignment to Italy and his being recalled. North Korea, which touts itself in its propaganda as a socialist paradise, is extremely sensitive about defections, especially among its elite diplomatic corps, and has previously insisted that they are South Korean or U.S. plots to undermine its government. North Korea may publicly ignore Jo's possible defection or hold back harsh criticism to avoid highlighting the vulnerability of its government as it pursues diplomacy with Washington and Seoul, said Koh Yuhwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University. The last senior North Korean diplomat known to have defected is Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, who fled to South Korea in 2016. While not identifying him by name, the North's state media then described Thae as "human scum" and claimed he was trying to escape punishment for serious crimes. Thae, who has been an outspoken critic of Kim Jong Un while living in South Korea, denied the accusations and said he defected because he didn't want his children to live "miserable" lives in the North. It's possible that Jo is trying to defect because of similar reasons, said Koh, who is a policy adviser for South Korean President Moon Jae-in. "It could be difficult for some diplomats to accept being called back to the North after enjoying years living in the free West. They could want their children to live in a different system and receive better education." The highest-level North Korean to seek asylum in South Korea is Hwang Jangyop, a senior ruling Workers' Party official who once tutored Kim Jong Un's late father, dictator Kim Jong Il. Hwang's 1997 defection was hailed by many South Koreans as an intelligence bonanza. Hwang died in 2010. In 1997, the North Korean ambassador to Egypt fled and resettled in the United States. Not much is publicly known about Jo, who had been North Korea's acting ambassador to Rome after Italy expelled then- Ambassador Mun Jong Nam in October 2017 to protest a North Korean nuclear test. After shutdown talks go nowhere, officials to try again Pelosi that, as a "good Catholic," she should support the wall because Vatican City has a wall, according to a congressional aide. Trump has mentioned the Vatican's centuries-old fortifications before, including at the earlier Cabinet meeting. But Democrats have said they don't want medieval barriers, and Pelosi has called Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.- Mexico border immoral. "I remain ready and willing to work with Democrats," Trump tweeted after the meeting. "Let's get it done!" House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said that there's no need to prolong the shutdown and that he was disappointed the talks did not produce a resolution. He complained that Democrats interrupted Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen as she was trying to describe a dreadful situation at the border. Nielsen, participating in the meeting by teleconference, had data about unaccompanied minors crossing the border and a spike in illegal crossings, and she tried to make the case to the group that current funding levels won't suffice, according to the White House. "We were hopeful that we could get more of a negotiation," said McCarthy. He said the leaders plan to return to the White House Friday to continue negotiations. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox that Pelosi will be "more able to negotiate" once she is elected speaker, as expected Thursday. The two sides have traded offers, but their talks broke down ahead of the holidays. On Wednesday, Trump also rejected his own administration's offer to accept $2.5 billion for the wall. That proposal was made when Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials met at the start of the shutdown with Schumer, who left saying they remained far apart. On Wednesday Trump repeatedly pushed for the $5.6 billion he has demanded. Making his case ahead of the private afternoon session, Trump said the current border is "like a sieve" and noted the tear gas "flying" overnight to deter arrivals. "If they knew they couldn't come through, they wouldn't even start," he said at the meeting, joined by Cabinet secretaries and top advisers, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. With no negotiations over the holidays, Trump complained he had been "lonely " at the White House, having skipped his getaway to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. He claimed his only companions were the "machine gunners," referring to security personnel, and "they don't wave, they don't smile." He also criticized Pelosi for visiting Hawaii. At the Capitol on Wednesday, Pelosi said she hoped Republicans and the White House "are hearing what we have offered" to end the shutdown. Two-wheeler fire extinguishing motorcycles has been added to Fire Service and Civil Defence in Jhalakathi. Iran's health minister resigns over proposed budget cuts Iranian state TV says the health minister has resigned over spending cuts in a budget submitted to parliament last week. It says President Hassan Rouhani accepted Health Minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi's resignation on Thursday. Iran is in the grip of an economic crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months as officials try to downplay the effects of renewed U.S. sanctions. The $47.5 billion budget is less than half the size of last year's, mainly due to the severe depreciation of the local currency following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The U.S. has restored crippling sanctions in recent months, including on Iran's energy and banking sectors. German governor condemns actions by migrants and far-right Bavaria's conservative governor is condemning an incident in which young asylum-seekers allegedly assaulted passers-by in a southern German town, but is also denouncing far-right attempts to exploit it. Four apparently intoxicated Afghan and Iranian teenagers were arrested in Amberg on Saturday, suspected of assaulting people near the town's train station. Twelve people were hurt, most slightly. Bavarian officials said it's not legally possible to deport the suspects but authorities want to change that. On Thursday, police said they were looking into farright claims of a local militia group being set up but had no concrete evidence of that. Bavarian governor Markus Soeder says "we condemn in the strongest terms the crimes committed in Amberg, but we also condemn the fact that certain far-right groups are trying to abuse this." Severe weather hampers flight operations at Delhi airport Flight operation at New Delhi's airport in India were hampered Thursday due to rough weather conditions including fog, officials said. According to officials, all departures at the airport were put on hold from 7:30 a.m. local time. Two air carriers Jet Airways and IndiGo have issued an advisory, asking their passengers to check their flight status as the services from Delhi had been affected. "Due to expected poor visibility at Delhi and Bengaluru airport, flight departures and arrivals may be impacted. Tropical storm to lash Thailand's famed southern beach towns Thai authorities suspended ferry services and began evacuations Thursday ahead of a powerful tropical storm that is expected to pound the Southeast Asian nation's famed southern beach resorts. Rain was already falling around the Gulf of Thailand on Thursday morning and officials warned that torrential downpours, strong winds and rough seas were expected in 16 provinces when Tropical Storm Pabuk makes its expected landfall on Friday. "There will be heavy rainfall and we have to prepared for flooding or an impact on transportation," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said. "We are ready ourselves but if the rainfall is high we will need some time to resolve problems." Thailand's Meteorological Department said the storm will lash southern Thailand's east coast from Thursday to Saturday, with the two provinces of Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat expected to be hardest hit. Surat Thani is home to the popular tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. The department said the storm was moving west into the Gulf of Thailand with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 mph). It said waves 3 to 5 meters (yards) high were possible in the Gulf of Thailand and 2 to 3 meters (yards) high in the Andaman Sea on the west coast. It warned of strong winds and storm surges on the gulf side and said all ships should stay berthed on land through Saturday. Southern Thailand's tourist industry is a huge moneymaker, and authorities have become particularly sensitive to visitors' safety since last July, when 47 Chinese tourists drowned when the boat they were on sank in rough seas near the popular resort of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In what was possibly a storm-related death, a Russian tourist in Koh Samui drowned Wednesday as he tried to rescue his daughter, who was struggling in strong surf. Thai PBS television reported that the daughter survived but her father lost consciousness after being tossed against some rocks and couldn't be revived by rescuers. Fishing is another major industry in the south, and small boat owners were heeding the warning. Many dragged their vessels ashore, attaching ropes to the boats and having friends help tug them on to beaches. The storm was passing about 300 kilometers (180 miles) south-southwest of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City at midday Thursday, and was expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the Mekong Delta, the country's major area for rice and aquaculture production. According to Vietnamese state television VTV, authorities ordered people to take precautions and sent radio alerts to thousands of fishing boats to take shelter or return to shore. They had forbidden new boat departures in five southern coastal provinces since Tuesday. Thailand's Meteorological Department said the storm will lash southern Thailand's east coast from Thursday to Saturday, with the two provinces of Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat expected to be hardest hit. Surat Thani is home to the popular tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. The department said the storm was moving west into the Gulf of Thailand with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 mph). It said waves 3 to 5 meters (yards) high were possible in the Gulf of Thailand and 2 to 3 meters (yards) high in the Andaman Sea on the west coast. It warned of strong winds and storm surges on the gulf side and said all ships should stay berthed on land through Saturday. Southern Thailand's tourist industry is a huge moneymaker, and authorities have become particularly sensitive to visitors' safety since last July, when 47 Chinese tourists drowned when the boat they were on sank in rough seas near the popular resort of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. In what was possibly a storm-related death, a Russian tourist in Koh Samui drowned Wednesday as he tried to rescue his daughter, who was struggling in strong surf. Thai PBS television reported that the daughter survived but her father lost consciousness after being tossed against some rocks and couldn't be revived by rescuers. Fishing is another major industry in the south, and small boat owners were heeding the warning. Many dragged their vessels ashore, attaching ropes to the boats and having friends help tug them on to beaches. The storm was passing about 300 kilometers (180 miles) south-southwest of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City at midday Thursday, and was expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the Mekong Delta, the country's major area for rice and aquaculture production. China lands spacecraft on 'dark' side of moon in world first China's burgeoning space program achieved a first on Thursday: a landing on the so-called dark side of the moon. The United States, the then-Soviet Union and more recently China have all sent spacecraft to the near side of the moon, which faces Earth, but this is the firstever landing on the other side. The China National Space Administration said the 10:26 a.m. landing of the Chang'e 4 lunar explorer has "opened up a new chapter in human lunar exploration." A photo taken at 11:40 a.m. and sent back by Chang'e 4 shows a small crater and a barren surface that appears to be illuminated by a light from the spacecraft. Its name comes from that of a Chinese goddess who, according to legend, has lived on the moon for millennia. The landing highlights China's growing ambitions to rival the U.S., Russia and Europe in space, and more broadly, to cement China's position as a regional and global power. The Chang'e 4's launch on Dec. 8 was hailed as one of the nation's major achievements in 2018, and state broadcaster China Central Television announced Thursday's landing to the public at the top of the noon news. "The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger," President Xi Jinping said as far back as 2013, shortly after taking office. In 2013, Chang'e 3, the predecessor craft to the current mission, made the first moon landing since the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. The United States is the only country that has successfully sent a person to the moon, though China is considering a crewed mission too. For now, it plans to send its Chang'e 5 probe to the moon next year and have it return to Earth with samples - also not done since the Soviet mission in 1976. The relatively unexplored far side of the moon has a different composition than the near side, where previous missions have landed. Chang'e 4, a combined lander and rover, will make astronomical observations and probe the structure and mineral composition of the terrain above and below the surface. "The far side of the moon is a rare quiet place that is free from interference from radio signals from Earth," mission spokesman Yu Guobin said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. "This probe can fill the gap of low-frequency observation in radio astronomy and will provide important information for studying the origin of stars and nebula evolution." One challenge of operating on the far side of the moon is communicating with Earth. China launched a relay satellite in May so that Chang'e 4 can send back information. Photo: Manik Roy Italy: North Korean envoy didn't ask for asylum The Italian Foreign Ministry says the envoy who had been North Korea's acting ambassador in Rome has not asked Italian authorities for asylum. South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday that North Korean diplomat Jo Song Gil went into hiding with his wife in November before his term in Italy ended. His whereabouts are not publicly known now. Italy on Thursday noted that it had been notified in the past that Jo's spell as a diplomat in Italy had ended and thus he no longer held any diplomatic position in Italy. It wasn't immediately clear if the diplomat might have sought asylum from another country's embassy or consulate in Italy. Ministry officials spoke to The Associated Press under their customary rules of anonymity on delicate matters. By Frances D'Emilio in Rome. South Korea says North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil, went into hiding with his wife in November. South Korea's spy agency told the information to lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday. A high-profile defection by one of North Korea's elite would be a huge embarrassment for leader Kim Jong Un as he pursues diplomacy with Seoul and Washington and seeks to portray himself as a player in international geopolitics. South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki said an official from Seoul's National Intelligence Service shared the information during a closed-door briefing. Kim said the NIS said it has not been contacted by Jo. North Korea has not yet commented on Jo's status. About 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Severe weather hampers flight operations at Delhi airport Flight operation at New Delhi's airport in India were hampered Thursday due to rough weather conditions including fog, officials said. According to officials, all departures at the airport were put on hold from 7:30 a.m. local time. Two air carriers Jet Airways and IndiGo have issued an advisory, asking their passengers to check their flight status as the services from Delhi had been affected. "Due to expected poor visibility at Delhi and Bengaluru airport, flight departures and arrivals may be impacted. Do check your flight status before you leave for the airport," IndiGo in a statement said. Officials said dense fog conditions have also affected some trains due to low visibility.
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