Thai tycoon Sarath meets Trump, eyes stronger US ties
The event, held at Lusail Palace, was part of Trump's official Middle East visit, with Qatar being the second stop on his tour.
The reception was hosted by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al-Thani and attended by members of the royal family, the Qatari Prime Minister, and cabinet ministers.
It also welcomed prominent US officials and business leaders, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Executives and investors from across Asia, including India and Thailand, also took part.
Sarath Ratanavadi was notably the sole Thai invitee at the event.
Speaking after the reception, Sarath stated, 'I had the opportunity to engage directly with President Trump and several US cabinet members. The discussions reflected a positive tone regarding US-Thailand relations, particularly in the area of investment. The US expressed openness to increased Thai investment, especially in the energy sector, where Gulf already has ongoing operations.'
The meeting highlighted growing interest in strengthening US-Asia investment ties, particularly in the context of shifting global energy dynamics and economic diversification strategies. - The Nation/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
E-hailing firms Maxim, inDrive granted 3-month probation
In May, Apad revoked inDrive Malaysia's operating licence after it reportedly failed to comply with regulations introduced by the agency in 2019. (inDrive pic) PETALING JAYA : Russian-founded e-hailing firms inDrive and Maxim have been placed under a three-month probation period after successfully appealing the revocation of their operating licences. The Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) said the two companies were ordered to take corrective measures to continue operating, particularly regarding e-hailing vehicle permits (EVPs). 'To meet this condition, Maxim and inDrive have improved their registration system to ensure all of their drivers have valid EVPs before they can start operating. 'Both companies have also given Apad 'view only' access to their data to make it easier to cross-check their data on EVPs,' it said in a statement. Apad said it conducted a random check on their drivers on July 11 and found that everything was in compliance. The agency and the road transport department had found the improvements made by the companies satisfactory, and agreed to place Maxim and inDrive under a three-month monitoring period, effective tomorrow. 'To ensure the continuous commitment of both operators, their representatives are required to turn up at the Apad headquarters every month throughout the monitoring period. 'These sessions are aimed at allowing Apad to conduct real-time monitoring, with random checks conducted on drivers via the inDrive and Maxim applications,' it said. In May, both firms were ordered to halt operations from July 24 after failing to comply with Apad's regulations introduced in 2019. In September 2022, the road transport department raided inDrive's Malaysian office and discovered that the firm was operating with an expired licence. In 2023, Maxim was also raided by Apad officers for allowing vehicles to operate without a valid permit.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Analysis-Rwandan rebels' fate clouds Trump's vision for mineral-rich Congo
(Reuters) -Moves to end fighting in eastern Congo that are essential to U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for a mining bonanza in the region are meant to get underway by Sunday, but the future of a small rebel group has emerged as one of the major obstacles. A U.S.-brokered peace agreement signed last month by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers was designed to halt violence that escalated this year with a lightning advance in the Democratic Republic of Congo by M23 rebels. Rwanda denies allegations from the U.N. and Western governments that it is fighting alongside the M23 rebels to gain access to Congo's minerals. Rwanda says its troops are there to tackle what it describes as an existential threat from thousands of Rwandan Hutu rebels known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Security experts and diplomats say the FDLR, which includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide, boasts only a few hundred combatants and is not a significant battlefield force. But the peace agreement explicitly requires Congo to "neutralise" the FDLR as Rwanda withdraws from Congolese territory, underscoring the group's importance to the fate of Trump's diplomacy. Both the Congolese operations against the FDLR and the Rwandan withdrawal are supposed to start by Sunday and conclude by the end of September. U.N. experts said in a report this month that Rwanda, along with M23, is trying to seize control of mineral-rich territory. Kigali responded that the presence of the "genocidal" FDLR "necessitates the defence posture in our border areas". The U.N. experts also accused the Congolese military of relying on the FDLR in its fight against M23. A spokesperson for Congo's government did not respond to a request for comment on that question, but Kinshasa has said it is on board with ensuring any threat posed by the FDLR is "definitively eradicated", including by voluntary disarmament. It has also accused Rwanda of using the FDLR as a pretext for deploying on Congolese territory. Congolese researcher Josaphat Musamba said it was not possible for Congo to rid the region of FDLR fighters given that M23 holds much of the territory where the FDLR now operates. "It would be feasible if the Rwandan-backed rebellion were not active and threatening to conquer other territories," said Musamba, a Ph.D. candidate at Ghent University who is from eastern Congo and studies the conflict there. Jason Stearns, a political scientist at Simon Fraser University in Canada who specialises in Africa's Great Lakes region, said lack of progress against the FDLR could be cited by Rwanda as a reason to keep its troops deployed in eastern Congo past September, throwing off Washington's timeline. "It would be fairly easy for Rwanda to claim that Congo is not abiding by its side of the deal - that its operations against the FDLR are not serious enough, have not been successful enough - and therefore to drag its feet," Stearns said. A spokesperson for Rwanda's government did not respond to a request for comment on its approach to the FDLR. Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on July 4 that Rwanda was committed to implementing the deal, but that it could fail if Congo did not live up to its promises to neutralise the FDLR. APPEAL TO TRUMP Trump said on July 9 the Congolese and Rwandan presidents would travel to the United States in the "next couple of weeks" to sign the peace agreement. They are also expected to sign bilateral economic packages that would bring billions of dollars of investment into countries rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. There has been no further word on a date. While Washington has hosted negotiations between Congo and Rwanda, Qatar has hosted separate direct talks between Congo and M23. On Saturday the two sides agreed to sign a separate peace deal by August 18. M23 currently has no concrete plans to withdraw from the territory it controls. The FDLR has urged Trump not to green-light a Congolese offensive against it. A July 2 letter to Trump from Victor Byiringiro, the FDLR's acting president, said attacking the FDLR would jeopardise the safety of Congolese civilians as well as more than 200,000 Rwandan refugees. In written responses to questions from Reuters, FDLR spokesperson Cure Ngoma said only "a frank, sincere, and inclusive dialogue among Rwandans" could bring peace, though Rwanda has repeatedly ruled out such talks with the group. Trump expects Congo and Rwanda to abide by the peace deal "which will foster lasting stability and prosperity in the region," Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said in response to Reuters questions about the FDLR's future. "All armed groups must lay down their arms and work within the framework of the peace process." The fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year, while escalating the risk of a return to the kind of full-scale regional war which led to the deaths of millions of Congolese in 1998-2003. (Reporting by Sonia RolleyAdditional reporting and writing by Robbie Corey-BouletEditing by Philippa Fletcher)
Malaysian Reserve
2 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
High‑Growth Oncology Market Projected For US$900bn in Revenue Despite Policy Headwinds
USA News Group News CommentaryIssued on behalf of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. VANCOUVER, BC, July 23, 2025 /CNW/ — USA News Group News Commentary – Cancer diagnoses are climbing fastest among younger women, sparking alarm that looming cuts to U.S. research budgets could stall progress in prevention and treatment. Adding to the strain, federal and state regulators are re‑examining mRNA vaccines, creating a cloud of uncertainty over future cancer‑funding priorities. Yet even amid this policy turbulence, a new wave of oncology innovators is lining up near‑term milestones that could reshape the landscape—led by Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), Cue Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: CUE), Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM), Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALLO), and Perspective Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-American: CATX). While regulatory red tape tightens, surging diagnoses of colorectal and other GI cancers in young people demand quicker innovation in oncology. Forecasts suggest worldwide cancer‑drug revenues could blow past US$900 billion by 2034. Within that, next‑gen therapies built on precision techniques are slated to reach US$175.2 billion, advancing at a brisk 7.35% annual clip. Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) recently held a well‑attended key opinion leader (KOL) webinar where pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer specialists dissected pelareorep's clinical history, its biomarker data package, and where the oncolytic virus could slot into evolving chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens. 'I want to thank our esteemed panel of oncologists for their meaningful contributions to our KOL event,' said Jared Kelly, CEO of Oncolytics. 'Their insights underscore a critical and timely message: pelareorep is a compelling immunotherapy platform that is well situated for combination strategies and a highly differentiated asset for pharma partners looking to expand or establish leadership in GI oncology. We are committed to moving forward aggressively toward registrational development while engaging with partners who share our vision of transforming outcomes in these difficult-to-treat cancers.' The panel revisited survival gains in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), reviewed translational evidence of 'cold‑to‑hot' tumor conversion, and outlined next steps for a registration-enabling study. Management said feedback from the discussion would inform both upcoming trial designs and partnering talks now underway. The event came on the heels of Oncolytics having rolled out an expanded translational‑data review that tightened the scientific case for pelareorep, an intravenously delivered oncolytic reovirus. Renewed analyses from the GOBLET gastrointestinal cancer study and the AWARE‑1 breast cancer study confirmed that the virus replicates inside tumors, switches on interferon signaling in the immune system, and draws tumor‑infiltrating lymphocytes into the tumor microenvironment. 'This robust data set, amassed from several studies in cancers that have historically resisted immunotherapeutic approaches, provides definitive validation of pelareorep's immune-mediated mechanism of action,' said Dr. Thomas Heineman, Chief Medical Officer of Oncolytics. 'We observed tumor biopsy-confirmed virus replication, immune cell activation, and the recruitment of cytotoxic T cells into the TME – all consistent with the durable responses observed in patients with metastatic PDAC and HR+/HER2- breast cancer who were treated with pelareorep.' Investigators also recorded higher PD‑L1 expression and tracked newly expanded cytotoxic T‑cell clones in blood samples that matched those inside shrinking lesions—molecular fingerprints that point to stronger responses when pelareorep is combined with standard-of-care treatments and checkpoint inhibitors. 'The collection of data here show that pelareorep works how a cancer immunotherapy should work,' said Jared Kelly, CEO of Oncolytics. 'Pelareorep is a versatile product candidate with strong platform potential to enhance immunological responses in multiple indications, including hard-to-treat cancers. Such compelling findings should be exciting to strategic partners focused on finding a platform immunotherapy in large indications with high unmet medical needs.' Clinical outcomes already hint at real‑world benefit. In more than 100 first‑line mPDAC patients, pelareorep‑based regimens achieved a 21.9% two‑year overall‑survival rate versus a 9.2% historical benchmark. A separate single‑arm study that paired pelareorep with chemotherapy and a checkpoint blocker produced a 62% objective‑response rate—especially notable given that no checkpoint therapy is approved in this cancer today. In hormone‑receptor‑positive, HER2‑negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+/HER2‑ mBC), two randomized trials added more than ten months of median overall survival, while BRACELET‑1 nearly doubled median progression‑free survival to 12.1 months compared with 6.4 months for control patients. To steer these data toward value‑creating deals and late‑stage trials, the company strengthened its leadership earlier this year by appointing industry veteran Jared Kelly as CEO and naming Andrew Aromando Chief Business Officer. The duo previously helped guide Ambrx Biopharma into a US$2 billion sale to Johnson & Johnson, experience the board believes will support capital‑efficient development and strategic partnering for pelareorep. 'Pelareorep's clinical data across multiple tumors is striking and represents the potential for a true backbone immunotherapy to address many in-need indications,' said Kelly. 'With a renewed focus and sharpened clinical development plan, we believe we will move pelareorep forward effectively and efficiently to a place where potential partners will see the value of a de-risked immunotherapy.' As CBO, Aromando is now leading global business development and helping shape the company's corporate, clinical, and regulatory strategies. The leadership tandem is expected to prioritize partnering and expansion opportunities while preserving capital efficiency—a strategy well-suited for pelareorep's growing clinical profile. 'I'm thrilled to join Oncolytics at such a pivotal moment in its evolution,' said Aromando. 'With promising data in difficult-to-treat cancers and a compelling body of clinical evidence in over 1,100 patients, I believe the Company is uniquely positioned to deliver meaningful value to patients and other stakeholders in the near term.' Pelareorep currently holds FDA Fast Track designations in mPDAC (pancreatic cancer) and HR+/HER2‑ mBC (breast cancer), along with Orphan‑Drug status for pancreatic cancer in the United States and Europe. With mechanistic proof, survival data that outperform historical controls, and fresh validation from the recent KOL event, Oncolytics Biotech is aligning its clinical, regulatory, and business strategies to move pelareorep into registration‑enabling trials and position it as a backbone immunotherapy across solid tumors. CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Oncolytics Biotech at: In other recent industry developments and happenings in the market include: Cue Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: CUE) recently reported that adding CUE‑101 to pembrolizumab produced a 50% overall response rate in patients with recurrent/metastatic HPV‑positive head and neck cancer who had a combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 1, including the same 50% response in those with low CPS 1–19. The regimen has now generated two complete responses, an 88% 12‑month overall survival rate, and a median overall survival of 32 months, handily outperforming historical pembrolizumab data. 'The culmination of maturing data further support our conviction that CUE-101, representative of our approach with the CUE-100 series, demonstrates a potential breakthrough therapeutic approach for establishing a new standard of care,' said Dan Passeri, CEO of Cue Biopharma. 'With this maturing data, we are further emboldened in our conviction that our Immuno-STAT® platform represents transformative potential for selectively modulating the patient's immune system.' Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) recently published Phase 2 RAMP 201 results in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, showing avutometinib + defactinib delivered a 31% confirmed overall response rate in recurrent low‑grade serous ovarian cancer, rising to 44% in KRAS‑mutant tumors. 'The publication of the primary analysis of the RAMP 201 study in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reflects the meaningful clinical advancement demonstrated by the combination of avutometinib plus defactinib for patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer,' said John Hayslip, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Verastem Oncology. 'The findings supported the recent FDA approval of the combination in KRAS-mutated recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer and our ongoing global Phase 3 RAMP 301 trial of the combination in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer with and without a KRAS mutation.' Median progression‑free survival reached 12.9 months overall and 31.0 months in the KRAS‑mutant subgroup, with 82% of patients experiencing some tumor shrinkage regardless of mutation status. Back in June, Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALLO) presented updated Phase 1 TRAVERSE data showing a single dose of ALLO‑316 achieved a 31% confirmed response rate in heavily pre‑treated renal cell carcinoma patients whose tumors expressed CD70 in ≥ 50 % of cells. 'ALLO-316 is showing clear evidence of targeted antitumor activity in patients who had failed most or all approved therapies for advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma,' said Zachary Roberts, M.D., Ph.D., EVP, Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Allogene. 'Our proprietary Dagger technology allows the use of a standard cyclophosphamide and fludarabine-based lymphodepletion regimen with a single dose of ALLO-316. Strong CAR T-cell kinetics and extensive infiltration of tumor tissue by CAR T cells are combining to generate deep and durable remissions. These are results that were previously considered out of reach for patients with advanced solid tumors.' Four of five responders remain in remission—including one lasting more than 12 months—while safety remained manageable with no graft‑versus‑host disease observed. Investigators say the results highlight allogeneic CAR T's potential in solid tumors and justify continued expansion of the study. Perspective Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-American: CATX) recently began recruiting the third dose‑escalation cohort of its Phase 1/2a trial testing [²¹²Pb]VMT‑α‑NET in unresectable or metastatic somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2)‑positive neuroendocrine tumors, raising the fixed dose by 20% to 6 mCi. Earlier cohorts showed anti‑tumor activity with mostly low‑grade adverse events, prompting FDA alignment to explore whether the higher dose can further enhance efficacy. 'We are excited to start exploring a higher dose level of VMT-α-NET after successfully completing an interaction with the FDA that was agreed prior to commencement of this trial,' commented Markus Puhlmann, Chief Medical Officer of Perspective. 'We are encouraged by the overall clinical profile observed at the second dose level of VMT-α-NET—including evidence of anti-tumor activity and primarily low-grade adverse events—and we believe it is important to assess whether a higher dose could further improve the therapeutic profile.' The company plans additional safety and efficacy readouts, including dosimetry analyses, at scientific meetings in 2H 2025. Source: CONTACT:USA NEWS GROUPinfo@ 265-2873 DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. ('MIQ'). MIQ has been paid a fee for Oncolytics Biotech Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. which were purchased in the open market, and reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. at any time without any further notice commencing immediately and ongoing. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material, including this article, which is disseminated by MIQ has been approved by Oncolytics Biotech Inc.; this is a paid advertisement, we currently own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. and will buy and sell shares of the company in the open market, or through private placements, and/or other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment. Logo –
