"I believe, in the slowdown, regulatory uncertainty has played a role. It’s important for India to take up reforms but to be able to do this with greater clarity and greater certainty would help,” Gopinath said at an event here in the national capital. The IMF Chief Economist said that although reforms are important for an economy, they should come with clarity and certainty on the policies and regulations. “Economies need reforms and they are important but there also needs to be an environment of regulatory certainty, which is the clear rules of the game, what the particular policies are and how it impacts you. There has to be clarity on that,” she said at industry chamber FICCI’s 92nd Annual Convention.

FDA tells shops to separate products containing THCThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging convenience stores and shopping malls to clearly demarcate areas selling cannabis-based food and snack products and ensure that sales are only to customers over the age of 20. FDA deputy secretary-general Weerachai Nolwachai on Sunday mentioned an incident where a child became ill after eating a snack that had cannabis as an ingredient. He said the FDA had already issued a public health ruling requiring cannabis to be clearly listed as an ingredient no matter the quantity included. The drug was delisted from Category 5 of the narcotics law in June. If people keep violating the law, the government might put cannabis and hemp back on the Category 5 narcotics list.

Foreign workers granted 2-year extensionNearly 1.7 million registered foreign workers initially allowed to work until Feb 13, 2023 will be granted extensions to work for another two years. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said the cabinet approved on July 5 a work permit extension for 1.69 million migrant workers to Feb 13, 2025. The workers include 410,000, approved by the cabinet in Dec 2020, 930,000 in July 2021, and 350,000 in Sept 2021. Pairoj Chotikasathien, director-general of the Department of Employment, said migrant workers who are allowed to work until Feb 13, 2023 will be divided into two groups. Under ministry regulations, if workers want to continue working in Thailand they must seek permission from a registration officer at the Labour Ministry, he said.

He also dismissed rumours that the digital lottery tickets were being snapped up by a handful of people to resell at their websites. Lawan said data shows that the 5.1 million digital tickets for the previous draw had been bought by some 900,000 individuals, which means each person bought only five or six tickets. He said there was no indication that any one person bought an unusually high number of tickets. He also said that the GLO did not find any large-scale vendors reselling digital tickets, but did catch and take action against some small vendors who were reselling them. Meanwhile, GLO director Noon Sansanakhom on Sunday warned people against buying previously bought digital lottery tickets.

“But travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 crisis has caused the border trade to drop by more than 60 per cent,” she said. She said consumer behaviour has transformed after the Covid-19 crisis, as most Laotians only go to Udon Thani to see the doctor, refuel their vehicles or purchase necessities. “Foreign investors have introduced big changes in Laos, with many 4- to 5-star hotels being built in Vientiane,” she said. She added that now travellers preferred to put up in Vientiane as hotels are cheaper there and they can take the China-Laos high-speed railway to continue their journey. “Soon Thais will be crossing the Mekong River to go shopping in Vientiane instead,” she added.

2,028 Covid hospitalisations, 18 deaths as true numbers unreportedShoppers walk round the famous Chatuchak weekend market at night after the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration eased Covid-19 restrictions, on Sunday. On Saturday, 2,578 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,559,029 Covid-19 cases, including 2,335,594 cases this year, with 4,504,734 complete recoveries to date. The accumulated death toll stood at 30,006 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 9,298 so far this year. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 642,743 in 24 hours to 567.15 million.

Most Thais foxed by new party-list MP scheme: pollA staff member calls out the vote for a constituency at a Samut Prakan polling station on March 24, 2019. A Nida opinion poll on Sunday shows most people do not understand the method for the calculation for party-list MPs in the upcoming election. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)A large majority of people do not understand the method for the calculation of party-list MPs, particularly an argument over whether to divide the party-list votes by 100 or 500, according to the result of a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. Under the approved formula, the 500 figure - the total number of all MPs, comprising 400 from constituencies and 100 from party-lists - will be used to divide party-list votes to determine the minimum number of listed MPs for each political party. Asked to comment on the House of Representatives having two types of MPs, from constituencies and party-lists, 58.39% said they wanted to have both types of MPs; 33.38% said there should be only constituency MPs; and 8.23% said there should be only party-list MPs.

He was a key figure for Ajax last season, making 36 appearances in all competitions and helping them to the league title and a runners-up finish in the Dutch Cup. Ten Hag managed Martinez for three seasons at Ajax after the player moved to the Netherlands from Argentine side Defensa y Justicia in May 2019. Martinez made 118 appearances in all for the Dutch club. Capped seven times by Argentina, he would bolster United's defence, which conceded 57 goals last term - the most among the top six. He could also give the manager an extra option in midfield after the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.

The NHSO made the clarification after adjusting its funding for Covid treatment on July 4, following the reclassification of the disease as endemic on July 1. Under the new funding system, people in home or community isolation will be regarded as outpatients rather than Covid-19 patients. As for inpatients, responsibility for funding special rooms and protective equipment for Covid treatment will pass from the NHSO to the DRG (Diagnostic Related Groups) system. “NHSO is still paying compensation to public health units for providing drugs, tests and services to people who contract Covid-19, whether as outpatients in home/community isolation or as inpatients,” said Jadet. “The new payment system was implemented to help the NHSO manage its budget from government more efficiently now that the disease is regarded as endemic,” he added.

(Photo: Apichart Jinakul)The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has given an assurance that health screening and home and community isolation programmes for Covid-19 patients will continue. Home isolation and community isolation are still covered by the NHSO in the event the attending physician deems the patient is best suited by such treatments. Dr Jadej said that wider vaccination of the public has resulted in a reduction in cases where home isolation is required. However, he insisted that the office would continue to cover costs related to home isolation if requested by a physician. Official figures released on Saturday showed that 12,365 people with Covid symptoms were currently being treated in home or community isolation, and another 23,867 in hospitals.

"I'm very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea," Koulibaly said in a statement. "It's a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. "Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn't make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them." Koulibaly made 317 appearances for Napoli after joining from Belgian club Genk in 2014, winning two trophies and cementing his place among some of the top defenders in Italy.

Pupae, 11, rides her elephant Ole to school in Buri Ram to help her family save on fuel costs. (Photo supplied)BURI RAM: A fifth grade student in Satuek district has become a social media celebrity after switching to the family elephant for her daily commute to school to save fuel costs. Wisanchol Yongram, 38, confirmed to reporters that his daughter, 11-year old Pupae, was the girl seen on the TikTok account @Ole FcThailand riding the 25-year old male pachyderm, named Ole, to school. The animals previously put on shows for tourists at an elephant kraal in Ayutthaya until the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Yongram family to return to Buri Ram. (Video: Ole Fc Thailand)

Man released from jail over triple murders shot dead at plantationRescue workers take the body of Prayun Ritmunee, 53, to a vehicle after the former murder convict was shot dead at his rubber plantation in Phrom Khiri district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province, in the early hours of Saturday. (Photo: Nujaree Rakrun)NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A man released from jail two years ago was shot dead at a rubber plantation in Phrom Khiri district in the early hours of Saturday in what police believed might be an act of revenge. There, the team found Prayun Ritmunee, 53, lying dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his head, stomach and arms near a makeshift shelter. Family members of the slain man told police that Prayun had shot dead three people at a local gambling den in 2009, and he was caught and sentenced to jail. He was released from jail two years ago and lived with his family in Thon Hong.

2,025 new Covid cases, 20 more deathsTourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok on Friday. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)The country registered 20 more Covid-19 fatalities and 2,025 new cases during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Saturday morning. The new case numbers did not include 3,489 positive results from antigen tests over the previous 24 hours, which would raise the total to 5,997. Screenshot from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,557,001 Covid cases, including 2,333,566 this year, with 4,502,156 complete recoveries to date. Thailand ranked 27th globally with 4.55 million cases.

"GPO aimed to produce Favipiravir for use in the country, but the agency is relying on imports of the drug instead," RDS said, adding that the GPO is the only agency permitted to produce and import Favipiravir in Thailand. RDS said that this wasn't the first time that Favipiravir stocks have run low. It said this problem would not happen if the government allowed the private sector to produce or import the drug. RDS also revealed evidence from a Public Health Ministry executive's Line chat to support its claim that Favipiravir is running out. "Apart from medical staff, the public should be made aware of this issue as well," RDS added.