BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday defended herself against negligence charges linked to a ruinous government rice pledging scheme that could lead to her removal from office, the latest development in a political crisis that has gripped the country for months.
As the country stumbles along, the central bank said Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, heavily reliant on tourism, was expected to contract in the first quarter after consumption and investment fell.
