Thailand’s fuel retailers cut diesel prices by THB1.20/litre amidst energy pressures. Despite this, Thai fuel prices remain mid-range in ASEAN, influenced by varying tax and subsidy policies across the region.

Key Points

• Major Thai fuel retailers reduced diesel prices by THB1.20/litre on April 21. This offers motorists some relief amid ongoing energy price pressures. Petrol and gasohol prices remain unaffected.
• Despite the reduction, Thailand’s fuel prices remain mid-range within ASEAN. Both petrol and diesel prices are lower than some neighbors like Singapore but higher than others like Vietnam.

• Regional price variations are influenced by differing tax structures, oil fund mechanisms, and subsidy systems, rather than solely crude oil costs. Thailand’s Oil Fuel Fund, for example, subsidizes gasohol prices.

Fuel Price Reduction and Regional Comparison

Thailand’s major fuel retailers have implemented a significant price cut on diesel, reducing it by THB1.20 per litre. This measure, effective April 21st, offers a much-needed respite to consumers facing persistent energy price volatility exacerbated by ongoing Middle East tensions. The reduction applies to various diesel grades, including B7 and B20, while prices for petrol and gasohol have been maintained at their current levels. This initiative aims to alleviate some of the financial burden on motorists during this challenging period.

This price adjustment positions Thailand within a moderate bracket when compared to its Southeast Asian neighbours. Data from the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) reveals that, even after the reduction, Thailand’s fuel prices are neither the highest nor the lowest in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This finding provides a broader context for the domestic energy pricing landscape.

Factors Influencing Regional Fuel Prices

The comparative analysis of fuel prices across ASEAN highlights that Thailand’s position is a result of a complex interplay between market forces and governmental policies. Each nation employs distinct tax structures, oil fund mechanisms, and subsidy programs, leading to considerable price variations. For instance, Thailand’s Oil Fuel Fund actively subsidizes gasohol, making it more affordable than conventional petrol.

This policy intervention, alongside other regulatory measures, shapes the retail price of fuel, demonstrating that while global crude oil prices are a significant factor, domestic economic and political strategies play an equally crucial role. The differing approaches underscore the multifaceted nature of energy pricing within the region.

Source : Thailand cuts diesel prices but remains mid-range in ASEAN – Asia News Network

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If they are anything like most Oscar winners, the team behind The Artist will have spent the first day of the rest of their lives conforming to the grandest, and most lucrative, of Hollywood traditions.

Having woken up, pinched themselves, and made sure that -oui! – it really was a gold statuette on their bedside table, France’s newly minted movie stars are likely to have devoted their waking hours to pondering two pressing questions: how to shift that throbbing hangover, and which of the myriad career choices suddenly on their horizon should they pursue next?

Breaking the silence

The first will not have been easily answered. Having sought refreshment at the Governor’s Ball, the team who won five of Sunday’s Academy Awards – including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor – adjourned to a packed party hosted by their film’s distributor, Harvey Weinstein, at the Mondrian Hotel in Hollywood.

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Then they swept through Vanity Fair’s bash, before continuing to the Chateau Marmont hotel, where at around four in the morning, several boisterous members of their entourage leapt into the swimming pool, fully clothed.
The second post-Oscar question requires even more careful consideration. Like any winners of the biggest accolade in show business, The Artist’s leading man Jean Dujardin, director Michel Hazanavicius, and producer Thomas Langmann will, for the time being, be inundated with potential job offers. But, as any Hollywood agent will tell you, an overabundance of choice doesn’t always make for easy decisions. Leverage the success

On a purely pragmatic level, history suggests that all three can, if they so desire, leverage The Artist’s success into financial security. The film has already made $76 million worldwide and is now being widened into more than 2,000 cinemas in the US, with a view to further capitalise on its Best Picture status.

As well as “back end” earnings from that pot – which must also be dipped into by the voracious Weinstein – they are entitled to use their modish status to secure significant paydays.

VanEck is a global asset management firm offering ETFs, mutual funds, private funds, model portfolios, institutional strategies, separately managed accounts, as well as UCITS funds. Since our founding in 1955, putting our clients’ interests first, in all market environments, has been at the heart of the firm’s mission. VanEck has a long history of looking beyond financial markets to spot trends that create meaningful investment opportunities. We were one of the first U.S. asset managers to give investors access to international markets, which set the tone for identifying asset classes and themes such as gold investing in 1968, emerging markets in 1993, and exchange traded funds in 2006 that later helped shape the investment industry. The firm oversees $161.7 billion in assets as of September 30, 2025. Disclosures: http://ow.ly/SZ9450N5qTJ.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday night, marking another routine addition to the company’s rapidly expanding global internet constellation.

The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 8:23 p.m. PDT on April 22, 2026, arcing southward over the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular nighttime display visible across much of Southern California. All 24 satellites were deployed approximately one hour after liftoff, bringing the total number of Starlink spacecraft in orbit closer to 9,000.

The booster, making its fifth flight, performed flawlessly and landed on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” positioned in the Pacific, achieving SpaceX’s 600th successful booster landing earlier in the week on a separate mission. The rapid reuse of Falcon 9 first stages continues to drive down launch costs and enable the high launch cadence that has become SpaceX’s hallmark.

This mission, designated Starlink Group 17-14, adds more capacity to the constellation’s coverage over the Americas and Pacific regions. Starlink now provides high-speed, low-latency internet to users in remote and underserved areas worldwide, including rural communities, maritime operations, aviation and disaster response zones. The service has grown dramatically since its initial beta phase, with hundreds of thousands of active terminals in use across dozens of countries.

SpaceX has maintained an aggressive launch schedule in 2026, with Vandenberg serving as the primary West Coast site for Starlink missions heading into polar or sun-synchronous orbits. These trajectories allow the satellites to provide coverage at higher latitudes that equatorial launches from Florida cannot efficiently reach. Wednesday’s launch was the latest in a string of Starlink missions from California, following similar flights earlier in April.

The payload consisted of the latest generation of Starlink satellites, equipped with improved laser inter-satellite links that enable faster data routing across the constellation without relying solely on ground stations. These upgrades have helped reduce latency and increase overall network performance, making Starlink more competitive with traditional fiber and terrestrial broadband services.

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and chief executive, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Starlink as a bridge to global connectivity and a key revenue driver for the company. The service supports SpaceX’s broader ambitions, including future Mars colonization efforts, by generating cash flow that funds development of the Starship vehicle. Starlink also serves as a critical communications backbone for Starship test flights and other SpaceX missions.

Wednesday’s launch occurred without incident, with live webcasts on X and the SpaceX website drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers. Spectators along the California coast shared videos of the bright exhaust plume lighting up the evening sky, a common sight for residents near Vandenberg but one that never fails to captivate.

The U.S. Space Force, which operates Vandenberg, continues to support SpaceX’s frequent operations while balancing national security launches. The base remains one of the most important spaceports in the world, handling both commercial and government missions.

Starlink’s growth has not been without controversy. Some astronomers have raised concerns about the brightness of the satellites interfering with ground-based observations, though SpaceX has worked to mitigate the issue through darker coatings and operational adjustments. Regulatory bodies in multiple countries continue to monitor the constellation’s impact on orbital debris and radio frequency interference.

Despite those challenges, demand for Starlink remains strong. The service has proven particularly valuable in Ukraine, where it has maintained connectivity during conflict, and in remote parts of Africa, South America and the Pacific islands where traditional infrastructure is limited or nonexistent. Maritime and aviation versions of the terminal have also expanded the addressable market significantly.

SpaceX plans dozens more Starlink launches in 2026, with both Florida and California sites contributing to the cadence. The company aims to maintain or exceed its record-setting pace from previous years as it works toward a constellation ultimately numbering in the tens of thousands of satellites.

For Vandenberg, Wednesday’s mission added another successful notch to its long history of space launches dating back to the early days of the U.S. missile and space programs. The base’s coastal location provides an ideal trajectory for polar orbits while minimizing risk to populated areas.

As the Falcon 9 first stage touched down on the droneship hours after liftoff, SpaceX teams prepared for the next mission already on the calendar. The company’s ability to reuse boosters dozens of times has transformed the economics of space access, making frequent Starlink deployments financially viable.

The addition of 24 new satellites will incrementally improve coverage density and redundancy within the network. Users in marginal coverage areas may notice better performance as the constellation fills out, while new customers continue to sign up for the service at a steady pace.

Wednesday’s launch underscores SpaceX’s dominant position in the commercial launch industry and the central role Starlink plays in its business model. With Falcon 9 now a mature and highly reliable vehicle, the company is shifting increasing focus toward Starship development while keeping the Starlink machine running at full speed.

As night fell over Southern California, the glow of the Falcon 9’s engines briefly turned darkness into day, a vivid reminder of the rapid progress in commercial spaceflight. For SpaceX, it was another successful step in building the world’s largest satellite constellation. For the growing number of Starlink users, it represented expanded access to high-speed internet from orbit.

The mission’s success further cements Vandenberg Space Force Base as a vital hub for America’s space ambitions, both commercial and national security-related. With more Starlink flights scheduled in the coming weeks, the California coastline is likely to see many more nighttime rocket launches lighting up the sky in the months ahead.

ET Now: There are two ways of looking at it the top level exits in Infosys. On the one hand, a lot of people say that there was a team that was probably not performing well and now they are exiting and that will probably be a positive for the stock over the long run. The sceptics, on the other hand, would argue that there are a lot of people who have been manning the company for the last many years and it is not a pint-sized company, but a Rs 1 lakh 70 thousand crore behemoth. Why have there been so many high profile exits in the company?

Mohandas Pai: There is a leadership vacuum in the company, because they made the wrong choice of CEO three years ago and that is playing out right now. The company has not performed and in June 2011, they had appointed three members on the board and all three of them have gone now and all three have been extraordinary individuals.

Ashok Vemuri is now the CEO of another company, V Balakrishnan had left and has started his own fund and BG Srinivas, I am told, would now be joining some other company as CEO.

So obviously, all three have been CEO materials. It is obvious that the chemistry did not work, or they were not fully empowered. There is a need for the board to sit down and work out a good succession plan and put a new team in place because the entire layer of people below the executive board are now gone and many of them were outstanding performers.

Yes, a few of them possibly were not pulling the weight, but it is not possible that all of them were not doing so. They were extraordinary people and they are performing at other places.