Money Talks Podcast: Trump’s tariffs sent European stocks tumbling. Is it time to invest?

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With a lot or more than half of Europe being exposed to that, we think that is interesting. Although it is bumpy, of course, because of the taxes and a lot of trade limitations from the US. But the architectural pattern is something that we like.  

Andrea: 
I need to toss a ball here because we cannot discount the fact that Mr Trump is going to put another large ball, correct? What happens if President Trump pulls another large walk? What did your advice to shareholders be next?

Fook Hien:
Yeah, it’s very hard to determine what he will do.

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How much is too much food and why do takeaways always have so much carb?

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“Carbohydrate products such as wheat, pasta, macaroni and potato are considered cheaper than meats and seafood, which may explain why food-stall masters and peddlers particularly are more generous with them, ” she said.

If you’re budget-conscious and opted for a value or set meal, you could also be busting your calorie intake, said Tung Yee Nei, the lead nutritionist from Ventrickle, a Singapore-based nutrition app and food calculator.

“Consumers tend to equate larger portions with getting more for their money, even if it leads to food waste or unhealthy eating habits, ” she said. So “food providers may aim to satisfy customers by offering portions that are larger than the standard size”.

HOW MUCH DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO EAT?

“Your actual caloric needs vary according to age, activity level and weight goals, ” said Diane Seto, a senior dietitian from Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Generally, the average daily caloric requirements are 2,200 calories for men and 1,800 calories for women. Based on those recommendations, a meal should n’t exceed 600 calories for men and 500 calories for women:

  • Men: 500 to 600 calories per meal; 150 to 200 calories per snack
  • Women: 400 to 500 calories per meal; 100 to 150 calories per snack

In reality, just how much extra food could you be eating? Take rice portions, for example, said Seto. That serving of rice could measure a full cup or 200g, instead of the recommended half cup or 100g, she said, citing the guidelines from My Healthy Plate.

If you finish up everything in your packet of nasi padang, for instance, you could be consuming more than 200 calories just from the rice alone. That is already half of a woman’s caloric limit in a meal.

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Ministry defends Thai Pavilion costs

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PUBLISHED: 22 Apr 2025 at 05 :47

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong at the press conference (photo: Ministry of Public Health)
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong at the press conference ( photo: Ministry of Public Health )

The Ministry of Public Health has defended spending 900 million ringgit on setting up the Thailand Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, saying the show has received little praise and criticism has been treated as constructive comments.

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent director of the Ministry of Public Health, on Monday led a press conference to define open debate over the worth of the 900-million-baht funds the government used to make the Thailand Pavilion exhibition at the World Expo in Osaka, running from April 13 until Oct 13.

According to him, the government this month assigned the Public Health Ministry to handle the company of the Thailand Pavilion, with a expenditure of 900 million ringgit.

The Thai show is featured under the Expo’s key style:” Designing Future Society for Our Life”, highlighting key health and well-being issues, including child vaccination, hygiene, nutrition, physical exercise, and longevity.

He said the government firmly adhered to budget paying regulations, and all documents pertaining to the site’s expenses are available on the agency’s website for public assessment.

The exhibition was aimed at showcasing Thailand’s strengths in health promotion to a global audience while supporting broader economic goals, such as Thai traditional massage, which is expected to generate hundreds of billions of baht through business matching, Dr Opas said.

The Thai Pavilion attracted an average of 10,000 visitors per day, he said, adding that academics had been assigned to assess its worth.

” As can be seen on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook, many liked the exhibition and expressed their appreciation towards it, while others criticised it,” he said.

Some of the harshest words against the ministry’s work came from Unchalin Punnipa, president of TQM Alpha Plc and visitor to the fair, who on Facebook expressed doubts over whether the spending of more than 900 million baht had ever been examined carefully.

He said all his friends and acquaintances who visited the World Expo share the same view that the Thai Pavilion was more like a school exhibition than a world-class exhibit.

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Senate panel pushes to raise quake aid

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PUBLISHED: 22 Apr 2025 at 05 :42

On 10 April 2025, monks pray for those killed by the collapse of the under-construction State Audit Office in Chatuchak district after the earthquake on 28 March 2025. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
On 10 April 2025, priests pray for those killed by the decline of the under-construction State Audit Office in Chatuchak city after the disaster on 28 March 2025. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

A Senate committee on budget is looking to post a plan to improve compensation for sufferers of the March 28 disaster.

The commission, chaired by Senator Alongkot Worakee, on Monday held a meeting to discuss the payment method for those injured or deceased and those whose attributes were damaged.

Supakrit Boonkhan, deputy permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ), reported that over 32,000 requests for support have been received.

But, he said just about 878 cases have been approved within the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation’s 30-day date so far due to the time-consuming essence of building checks.

Labour Ministry assistant continuous secretary, Samas Patamasukhon, said roughly 200 companies in 23 regions were affected by the aftershock. The decline of the new State Audit Office building in the Chatuchak city of Bangkok resulted in 47 confirmed incidents and eight injured people.

The commission raised fears about the small settlement amounts reported by collapse patients, with some receiving as little as 70 to 300 ringgit, barely enough to cover document costs.

Mr Alongkot said payment follows 2020 laws, capping bills at 49,500 ringgit per damaged house, irrespective of its market value.

” Victims can appeal if dissatisfied, and unresolved appeals may proceed through administrative courts,” the senator said.

Following the meeting, he announced the committee’s intention to request assistance from the Ministry of Interior and the Council of Engineers to deploy additional personnel to inspect damaged buildings in Bangkok, as current staff are insufficient.

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Possibility of changes to cabinet ruled out

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PUBLISHED: 22 Apr 2025 at 05:38

Danuporn Punakanta
Danuporn Punakanta

The decision Pheu Thai Party has dismissed the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle whenever quickly, saying the group is focused on the new resources costs for fiscal year 2026, which starts Oct 1.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed a wish to continue working without making any cabinet changes for a long time, said Pheu Thai spokesmanDanuporn Punakantaon Monday.

Mr Danuporn was responding to speculations about the likelihood of the Bhumjaithai Party being axed from the government in a new government shake-up amid results from a Nida Poll public opinion poll.

The surveys showed that many people expected the business minister and the crops and cooperative minister to be replaced.

Mr Danuporn said Pheu Thai was now focusing on preparing for the House of Representatives ‘ consideration of the new resources bill, which was expected in a particular House treatment that would probably take place in late May.

During this legislative corner, MPs were visiting their districts in the regions to listen to their requirements and expectations from the president’s new administrative schedule, he said.

A meeting of these MPs may be called second for them to share what they had learned from their citizens, which could be treated as more insight into the government’s budget planning and investing strategy, he said.

Pheu Thai MPs would also need time in preparing to defend the funds expenses in the House, Mr Danuporn said.

The official said he was convinced that the budget bill may get overwhelming support from all alliance events, as the prime minister had in the recent during a vote of no confidence.

Somkid Chueakong, a deputy secretary-general to the PM, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, meanwhile, shrugged off the results of the Nida Poll’s survey, saying they were just some of a multitude of opinions.

Mr Phumtham said that a decision on a new cabinet reshuffle lies with the premier, adding that Bhumjaithai is a good coalition partner and that there is no reason to justify a reshuffle for the time being.

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in his capacity as a Bhumjaithai leader, said Ms Paetongtarn had never discussed any possible cabinet reshuffles with him. He said Bhumjaithai continues to support Pheu Thai as always.

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Arms deals tied to US tariff talks

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PUBLISHED: 22 Apr 2025 at 05 :14

NEWSPAPER SECTION: News

Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai

Whether Thailand buys more weaponry from the United States depends on the results of future trade deals with US officers, according to Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.

A Thai group led by Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira is scheduled to discuss with US authorities on Wednesday over the 36 % mutual tariffs on Thai imports, although most jobs have been paused until July.

Mr Phumtham dismissed as doubtful that the US price measures may affect the atmosphere agency’s jet fighter procurement plan, after some suggested that Thailand may consider buying military technologies and weaponry from Washington.

Some have speculated that Thailand might change from Swedish-made Gripen to US-made F-16 fighter jet.

According to Mr Phumtham, one of the problems of buying F-16 jet is to get loans from the US to fund the program, which would be a somewhat innovative thing to do.

He said the state also has economic issues to consider and noted that the air agency’s planned sourcing of the Gripen jet has yet to be approved by the government.

Recently, former defence secretary Sutin Klungsang said the US proposed a 12-year 4. 5 % interest rate for the government to collect up to 16 warrior planes.

Mr Phumtham even declined to say when asked if other types of flights, such as transport plane, would be on the table, as the C-130 plane is ageing. He added that the military’s plan to secure Stryker armoured cars from the US is not yet finalised.

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What drives some parents to abuse their children – and sometimes fatally?

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Then there are families who struggle to balance work and household duties, leading to increased strain at household especially when economic pressure or individual mental health difficulties are thrown into the mix.  

Dr Vivien Yang, main psychologist at Bloom Child Psychology, said lower-income people in special have trouble finding this compromise.

“ When there are space considerations and financial considerations, stress levels may be higher and sadness and anger management becomes a problem. ” 

Researchers also pointed to substance abuse as a possible contributing factor to baby abuse.

“Some ingredients, like drinking and stimulants, seem to specifically compound violence. I’ve seen families who, after having, go from angry to violent in a matter of minutes, ” said top vices therapist Tom Maniatis from Promises Healthcare.  

“Stimulants, particularly when used greatly, can cause anxiety or sudden surges of aggression. ”  

When under the influence, recognition of a child’s problem may also be clouded and the family may not be able to record the intensity of their activities, experts said.

They also does not consider the mistreatment they caused.

“So intoxication not only energy abuse, it likewise muddies a person’s ability to confront what they’ve done. Even when not actively large, someone with an addiction may use rejection as a coping system, ” Mr Maniatis said.

WHAT MAKES THEM KEEP GOING?

Psychologists and psychiatrists told CNA that abuse often begins with actual violence, and usually starts with linguistic and emotional mistreatment otherwise.

But this can eventually rise if parents may regulate their emotions or do not get help.  

“A hit becomes a regular punishment. Neglect turns to neglect. The parent normalises each step because there are no checks, internally or externally, ” said Mr Maniatis.  

Asked how kids are then able to continue physically abusing their children in the face of apparent accidents, Dr Chow said that by this level, they would have no emotional capacity to make any kind of rational decisions.

“It’s like a vehicles going at 300 kmh and you just can’t quit it. It’s past the threshold, ” she said.  

“ In that time… it ’s difficult for the person to walk ahead, especially if they don’t had good tools to prevent this.

” They may think ‘I’m the employer. I can do whatever I want and I have no laws because this is my baby’. “

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Commentary: Malaysia wants 35 million tourists in 2026. Can its environment keep up?

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ENVIRONMENTAL WARNING Evidence

Tourism is a critical financial website for Malaysia, contributing about 15 per cent of the country ’s gross domestic product. It is also Malaysia’s biggest firm, hiring about 4 million people or about 20 per cent of the workers power.

But focusing too much on tourist numbers may stress regional system, damage fragile ecosystems and direct to long-term economic damage. This method is foolish, especially in the face of escalating international climate and environmental degradation.

Malaysia’s communities are already under enormous stress from weather change and human activity. Floods, forest, tidal removal and wildlife hunting are just some of the problems plaguing the country.

For example, Malaysia has lost 50 per cent of its tidal support over the past century due to illegal logging, fisheries and pollution. Mangroves are not only important carbon falls but moreover natural barriers against flood and tsunamis. Their death has left coastal areas prone to rising sea levels and extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly repeated due to global warming.

In 2024, extreme storms displaced about 140,000 in Malaysia, highlighting the land ’s growing vulnerability to climate change. Next month, over 10,000 people were evacuated in Johor due to severe storms.

Forestry is another pressing problem. Malaysia has one of the highest levels of forest lost in the world, driven by firewood and palm oil crops, logging and industrial development. Between 2000 and 2023, the state lost 31 per share of its trees support, according to Global Forest Watch.

This has had disastrous consequences for wildlife, including the near-extinction of classic varieties like the Malayan cat, whose inhabitants has plummeted from 3,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 150 now. Hunting and wildlife damage continue to threaten other animals, such as orangutans and dwarf elephants, more eroding Malaysia’s natural heritage.

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IN FOCUS: How has Prabowo fared after 6 months as Indonesia’s president?

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Wijayanto added that the government’s cost-cutting measures were implemented poorly; instead of cutting the resources at the top level, such as officials, the costs related to civil workers at workers levels were cut.  

He cited for example how some ministerial posts may be reduced and this would also reduce related expenses such as team needed to support these ministers.    

Flip-flopping of procedures such as the government’s plan to implement a value-added income level climb to 12 per cent, which was cancelled next minute amid growing public issues, also does not reflect well on the government and caused hostility among shareholders, said Wijayanto.

He said that there is a perception that the Cabinet is “still no coherent”.

“Many officials are uncertain what to do. Therefore, until now, we are still unclear what kind of activities some officials have taken, ” he observed.

He added that a large Cabinet makes coordination hard and is not cost-efficient.    

“Ideally, Prabowo may shortly make some changes to the Cabinet. He had cut some comments or, and he could modify some people with better players. ”

Bhima from CELIOS agreed.

It had conducted a study of 95 journalists from 44 various organisations who covered various beats to charge how Prabowo’s Cabinet ministers had fared in their first 100 days using indicators such as project achievements, eligibility of policy plans with open needs, leadership and coordination quality, budget management and policy communication.

The survey found that several ministers failed, with Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai scoring the lowest with -113 points, followed by Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie Setiadi with -61 points and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia with -41 points.

“The Cabinet needs to be reshuffled and budget efficiency must start from the top level, ” said Bhima.

“There must be transparency in the making of regulations, especially those which are sensitive. ”

Wijayanto added that Prabowo needs to urgently change the communication style of the government and be more transparent in communicating policies.

This is particularly so given that like many countries around the world, Indonesia’s economic outlook has darkened in light of the sweeping tariffs that the US has announced.    

Trump has declared a 32 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indonesia before announcing a 90-day suspension, though a 10 per cent base is still in force.  

Prabowo’s government has tried to negotiate with the US by sending a delegation to Washington on Apr 18 led by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.  

While the two countries have yet to come to an agreement, they agreed to hold further talks within the next 60 days.    

“Trump’s tariffs will impact a lot of things, ” said Bhima.  

“Firstly, it will affect Indonesia’s export performance because with this tariff war, Indonesian textile, apparel, and footwear products will be at a disadvantage as many of the products produced here are for American international brands.

“There will also be a flood of imported goods, especially from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, to Indonesia. ”

He said that mass layoffs will be hard to prevent and the rupiah, which already hit a historic low against the US dollar this month, could further weaken.  

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Donald Trump’s actions open the gates to nuclear proliferation – Asia Times

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The coverage of every British president since Harry S Truman, who made the decision to use the A-bomb against Japan, has been to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons.

They have not always been productive. The world’s most potent weapons spread, with nine states then possessing them. But no United States president has deliberately sought their more spread, as the angry laws of Donald Trump are now set to perform.

In 2018, during his first term as president, Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal, which had safely placed restrictions on the advancement of weapons-grade elements in exchange for restrictions pleasure.

Iran has since accelerated its nuclear weapons program. Quotes now put Iran within months or even weeks of producing some weapons.

A short time after, after a series of escalating risks, Trump suggested that North Korea had agreed to reunify. Discussions ensued, but a package never materialized.

In reality, Trump failed to stop, let alone move up, North Korea’s optimistic nuclear weapons programs. North Korea is now said to possess at least 50 weapons as well as the means to deliver them.

Not longer an alliance

Under the following Trump presidency, the planet is facing a fast growing development threat of a different sort, one that is found not only among the usual suspects in Iran and North Korea, but also among a long list of US allies who previously basked in American security guarantees.

Only two months into Trump’s next term, America’s Western allies grew extremely concerned that the US was never more a reliable ally.

That’s due to his suspension ( and then reinstatement ) of weapons transfers and intelligence sharing with Ukraine; an directly prioritized reconciliation with Russia; open disparagement of NATO friends, with suggestions that the US would never come to their security in case of attack; and his lively and repeated threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada, Greenland and Panama.

Against this landscape, Trump’s guiding Project 2025 rules advocate escalating nuclear tests, breaking a long-held illegal.

When protected by the US nuclear overcoat, America’s closest friends are now threatened by it. Europe’s loss of confidence in the US is so intense that finding solutions has now become part of serious discussions in capital across the globe. France and the United Kingdom are poised to fill the void by sharing their nuclear deterrent with the likes of Germany and Poland.

The landscape in Asia

The risk of development is greatest in East Asia. On the campaign trail in 2016, Trump mused that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear weapons. “It’s just a matter of time, ” he said.

That time, however, is today.

While Trump has been active burning roads in Europe and North America, his supporters in East Asia — South Korea and Japan — have been watching with despair the destruction of the US-led international purchase. They have no option to relying yet on the British nuclear umbrella, except to create their unique deterrent abilities.

Surveys now show that more than two-thirds of South Koreans support their state ’s acquisition of nuclear arms independent of the US. Important figures across the political spectrum as well as a growing chorus of scientists and journalists have even boldly floated the idea of nuclearization.

To handle South Korea’s growing anxiety and test its nascent nuclear passions, the preceding Joe Biden presidency launched a diplomatic effort called Nuclear Consultative Group in 2023.

It established a regular process between the two places to discuss the state of the nuclear umbrella and do shared security tasks. This measure went a long way to quiet the voices calling for South Korean nuclearization — until Trump returned to the White House.

South Korea

Trump’s so-called America First foreign policy has given every reason for South Korea to once again question the reliability of US security guarantees. If the Trump administration is willing to throw its oldest and closest allies in the North Atlantic under the bus, there is little reason for South Koreans to place their continued faith in the US.

As important as South Korea has been to an American grand strategy, it has always been a second-tier ally and its bilateral alliance with the US was never as important as NATO or as special as the Canada-US relationship. South Korea is much more vulnerable to abandonment, and it now appears to be expendable in the second Trump administration.

Going nuclear is not a question of means for South Korea. It has one of the most advanced civilian nuclear industries in the world, with 24 reactors in operation and more than enough scientific know-how to churn out weapons in a short time, estimated at six to 12 months.

The question has always been one of political will, the absence of which has rested on American security assurances. With the Trump administration actively demolishing security guarantees to its closest allies, South Korea may conclude that the only viable path to its continued existence in the post-American world is acquiring nuclear weapons.

Japan, Taiwan

South Korea’s nuclearization likely would lead to a domino effect, triggering a new wave of nuclear proliferation across the region. If South Korea makes a dash for the bomb, Japan will have no choice but to follow suit.

Japan has a full nuclear fuel cycle, including a uranium enrichment plant, spent-fuel reprocessing facilities, nine tons of plutonium and 1. 2 tons of enriched uranium that can be easily fashioned into thousands of nuclear bombs in as little as six months.

While the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have long served as a guardrail against nuclearization in Japan, that moral taboo was sustained by a credible U. S. nuclear umbrella.

And once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, Taiwan will have every incentive to resurrect its earlier clandestine nuclear weapons program and seek its own deterrence capability.

Catastrophic dangers

While going nuclear may be individually rational for the East Asian countries, the collective outcome for the region and beyond is fraught with catastrophic risks.

The world is now grappling with the most dangerous collective action problem because the solution that has worked so well for decades — credible American security assurance — is eroding.

In upending the very international order that the US established, the Trump administration is not merely chipping away at the global security architecture underpinned by myriad American security guarantees. It’s imploding the post-Second World War security order from within and the moral, political and institutional bulwark against nuclear proliferation.

In this predatory, zero-sum world of Trumpian foreign policy, putting America First necessarily means putting everyone else last — and, along the way, inadvertently fueling nuclear proliferation.

Jamie Levin and Youngwon Cho are associate professors of political science at St. Francis Xavier University ( Nova Scotia, Canada ).

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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