Bangkok, July 31 (IANS) Thailand’s industrial output continued to fall in June due to a decline in automotive manufacturing amid high household debt and rising energy prices, official data showed on Wednesday.

The manufacturing production index (MPI) dropped 1.71 percent in June from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.45 percent decrease in May and marking the fifth month of contraction this year, according to the Ministry of Industry.

Auto production shrank for the 11th consecutive month in June as consumer purchasing power diminished amid high interest rates, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

For the first half of 2024, the MPI fell 2.01 percent year-on-year, weighted down by an ongoing decrease in automotive and electronic production, said the ministry’s Office of Industrial Economics Director-General Warawan Chitaroon.

However, recovery in the tourism sector remained a supportive factor for related industries such as petroleum refining and beverage, while cassava starch and its products saw a significant growth in output, Warawan told a news conference.

The ministry said earlier that the MPI is expected to range between zero percent and 1 percent this year.

–IANS

as/

Vientiane, July 31 (IANS) Many parts of Laos have been affected by flooding and landslides, with farmland, residences and other property damaged following several days of rainfall.

Several villages of Yommalath district in Khammuan province, some 250 km southeast of the Lao capital Vientiane, have been affected by flooding after the Xebangfai River overflowed following several days of heavy rainfall, Lao national TV reported on Wednesday.

Many villages and crop fields were experiencing widespread flooding, as a tropical depression passed through the area, bringing large amounts of rain.

Local authorities in the province warned that the river was still rising and the level was approaching the warning mark, so there could be more flooding in the coming days, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Luang Prabang province, some 220 km north of Vientiane, local authorities were helping residents clean up their homes and clearing blocked roads after severe flooding and landslides hit the province.

The floods submerged roads, crop fields and vehicles, and also put electricity and gravity-fed water systems out of use.

Local residents had been instructed to move to safer locations on higher ground, according to the report.

Meanwhile, almost 40 households in Xay district in Oudomxay province, some 400 km north of Vientiane, were affected by flooding following heavy rainfall.

The Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines has instructed hydropower operators nationwide to ensure dam safety during the rainy monsoon season in the Southeast Asian country.

The operators of hydropower plants are asked to comply with emergency response plans and related legislations.

Villages along the Mekong River and its main tributaries in Laos have been warned to be alert for rising water levels after days of rain across Laos, with people in low-lying areas advised to be prepared for floods, the weather bureau said on Wednesday.

–IANS

as/

Nairobi, July 31 (IANS) Kenya on Wednesday launched the 481-million-shilling (about 3.73 million US dollars) Kenya livestock marketing and resilient project (KLMP) that seeks to boost the livelihoods of livestock and poultry farmers.

Bishar Fille Elmi, Director of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the four-year project covers nine counties and seeks to enhance the production and marketing systems of the smallholder farmers.

“The project will connect 38,000 farmers to markets to enhance their incomes,” Elmi said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the livestock sector which consists of a population of 150 million livestock contributes 12 percent of the total gross domestic product.

Elmi noted that the project will implement modern rangeland feeding technologies to ensure that livestock have access to adequate pasture, especially during the dry seasons. He noted that the country’s production of chicken meat stands at 111,000 metric tons annually against a demand of 618,000 metric tons.

Phineas Gikunda, project manager of KLMP, said that the scheme will also invest in the development of high-quality chicken and livestock breeds to reduce reliance on imports. He added that the project is also expected to provide loans to farmers-owned agribusiness in the poultry and livestock sectors.

–IANS

as

Beijing, July 31 (IANS) Wang Yilin, former chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) over serious violations of Party disciplines and laws, authorities said on Wednesday.

The decision was made following an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision, with the approval of the CPC Central Committee, according to an official statement released by the anti-graft authority.

The statement said Wang, who was also the former secretary of the leading Party members group of the CNPC, had lost his ideals and convictions, associated with political swindlers, and refused to cooperate during the investigation. Wang repeatedly accepted invitations to trips arranged by private business owners and received gifts and money in violation of the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving conduct. He also sought benefits for others in employee recruitment.

In addition, Wang also took advantage of his position to benefit others in job promotion, project contracting and business operations, illegally accepting huge amounts of money and valuables in return. He was also accused of allowing his relatives to use his power and influence for personal gains.

According to the statement, Wang’s acts constituted severe breaches of Party disciplines and serious duty-related violations, as well as the suspected crime of taking bribes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang’s illicit gains will be confiscated and his case will be transferred to the procuratorial authorities for examination and prosecution in accordance with the law, the statement said.

–IANS

as/

Vienna, July 31 (IANS) Austria’s inflation rate for July is expected to stand at 2.9 percent, marking the first time in three years that the monthly figure has dropped below 3 percent, according to a flash estimate by Statistics Austria released on Wednesday.

Tobias Thomas, Director-General of Statistics Austria, stated that price pressure for food has “eased considerably” in July, but price increases in restaurants “remain above average,” Xinhua news agency reported.

High inflation has plagued Austria over the past few years. In a report issued in early June, Statistics Austria said although the country’s inflation rate has been declining, it is falling at “a slower pace than that of the eurozone.” Austria still has one of the highest inflation rates among eurozone countries.

–IANS

as/