HONG KONG/BEIJING: China's Xiaomi Corp plans to make electric vehicles (EVs) using Great Wall Motor Co Ltd's factory, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter, making it the latest tech firm to join the smart mobility race.

Thailand must look to growth opportunities post Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said on Friday.

Thailand's economy is expected to grow 3.4% this year, down from the 4% projected earlier, and the recovery would be gradual amid high uncertainties and weak tourism, the World Bank said on Friday.

A total of 134 new Covid-19 cases, 128 local infections and six imported, were reported on Friday, raising the total to 28,577 with no new fatalities.

A man who died 13 days after being given a Covid-19 vaccine suffered from a chronic illness and it was not a consequence of the inoculation, a senior health official said on Friday.

Siam Commercial Bank Plc, the country's third-largest bank by assets, on Friday announced a joint venture with Indonesian startup Traveloka to offer financial services and products to Thai customers.

YALA: A tourist policeman and a police volunteer suffered shrapnel wounds when a roadside bomb exploded as they drove through Bannang Sata district overnight.

SINGAPORE: Following the blockage of the Suez Canal, shipping rates for oil product tankers have nearly doubled this week and several vessels were diverted away from the vital waterway as a giant container ship remained wedged between the two banks.

SEOUL: From a converted storeroom on the roof of his mother's Seoul apartment, Kim Min-kyo plays video games for up to 15 hours a day -- and makes a fortune from the thousands of fans watching him.

YANGON: A hurled Molotov cocktail caused a fire early Friday at the party headquarters of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar's largest city, a party official said.