Foreign investors drained $40 billion from emerging Asia last quarterRampant inflation, as well as aggressive central bank interest-rate hikes, saps the outlook for global growth. Global funds offloaded a net $40 billion of equities across seven regional markets last quarter, exceeding any three-month period characterised by systemic stresses since 2007. The steepest selling was in tech-heavy Taiwan and South Korea and energy-importing India, while foreign investors also made supersized outflows from Indonesian bonds. Indian shares saw $15 billion of sales, and South Korea reported $9.6 billion, also exceeding the earlier periods. Swaps are pricing in a further 150 basis points of rate hikes from the US central bank this year.

Police rushed to the scene to find 20-year-old racer Nattakit Chringjit lying unconscious with injuries and the dead body of 16-year-old spectator Monthol Chooyung. Ekkarat Littima, 59, said he was watching the race in front of his house while holding his two-year-old nephew in his arms. Suddenly, he said, the motorbike hit him, his nephew and another person nearby. Another spectator said the race was going smoothly until two motorbikes got locked and one went off track for 20 metres before hitting the crowd. The witness said the accident took place at a dangerous curve that had no barrier, adding that the announcer had warned racers to beware of this curve.

BCP sees Koh Mak as low-carbon havenSeagrass is the focus of a multi-pronged effort to make Koh Mak a low-carbon tourist destination. Unlike other resort islands that use beaches and the sea to attract visitors, Koh Mak is positioning itself as a low-carbon tourist destination. Located in Trat province in eastern Thailand, Koh Mak has long enjoyed a slow lifestyle with less modern entertainment than other resort islands. A memorandum of understanding to promote sustainable tourism on Koh Mak was recently signed by BCP, the state-owned Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta), Kasetsart University, Koh Mak Tambon Administration Organization, Baan Ao Nid Integrated Agricultural Community Enterprise, and Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. Dasta is carrying out a Koh Mak tourism waste management campaign to improve waste collection and recycling.

Marijuana and hemp were removed from the list of banned narcotics on June 9. • Government officials cannot consume marijuana or hemp illegally or in a manner that can affect the image of state officials. • Governors, provincial public health offices and related authorities must provide knowledge and promote public awareness over the cultivation and consumption of marijuana and hemp as permitted by law. • Local authorities must educate people about the benefits and dangers of marijuana and hemp. The Defence Ministry issued a similar order last month, prohibiting its personnel from using marijuana or hemp on military complexes as well as from displaying inappropriate behaviour while under the influence.

Lack of flights, rising fuel costs hit tourismForeign visitors queue to check in for their flights at Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)Insufficient inbound international flights and surging airfares are challenging the recovery of the Thai tourism industry. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the number of international flights is at only 30% of the pre-pandemic level. This could happen during the fourth quarter as Korean Air and Air Canada have confirmed their schedules for non-stop services. Korean Air has said that it would resume flights to Thailand in the fourth quarter.

Former massage parlour tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit speaks out in support of legalised gambling. He also said several illegal gambling dens operate right under the nose of police and with their knowledge. In the past, some illegal gambling dens offered money to certain state officials in exchange for their support. Workers in legalised casinos will pay taxes and be entitled to welfare benefits such as social security and health check-ups, he said. In reality, Thais are just three steps away from vices,'' Mr Chuwit said.

Sainz claims maiden F1 win in epic British Grand PrixFerrari celebrate Carlos Sainz's landmark winSILVERSTONE: Carlos Sainz claimed his first Formula One victory in his 150th race on Sunday when he drove his Ferrari to a spectacular triumph in a furious and crash-hit British Grand Prix. Verstappen remained ahead in the title race with 181 points, clear of Perez on 147, Leclerc on 138 and Sainz on 127. Amid this drama, Hamilton closed on Leclerc before Sainz pitted from the lead, Leclerc taking over ahead of Hamilton with the Spaniard rejoining third ahead of Norris. Hamilton pushed as Verstappen pitted again before Leclerc pitted on lap 25. Perez muscled his way to second, Leclerc and Hamilton fought and both Alonso and Norris closed to within a second, setting up a furious finale.

Ratchanok wins, mixed doubles pair lose at Malaysia OpenRatchanok Intanon poses with her gold medal after victory against China's Chen Yu Fei in the women's singles final at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. (AFP photo)Ratchanok Intanon returned to winning ways for the first time in more than two years after upsetting Chen Yu Fei in straight sets on Sunday at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur. But the mixed doubles pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai lost to Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong of China. Ratchanok took one hour and five minutes to beat Chen 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 for her first winning final in more than two years. She earned $47,250 (1.6 million baht) from the winIt was her only third victory against 15 defeats over the Chinese.

The on-peak TOU rate from 9am to 10pm will be 7.5 baht per unit of power while the off-peak rate from 10pm to 9am will be 4.5 baht. The off-peak rate will extend for 24 hours during weekends and government holidays, EV Station Pluz announced. To book charging time at a PTT EV station, motorists must download the EV Station PluZ app. PTT president and CEO Auttapol Rerkpiboon said the free trial period at PTT EV stations was expiring so fees will have to be collected. He said that PTT OR currently has about 190 EV stations across the country but this will be expanded to 450 by the end of the year.

"We found that Malaysian agencies responsible for issuing licences to import products to the western and eastern parts of the country were different," Jurin explained. In response, Thailand’s trade envoy in Malaysia had asked importers to send evidence to the Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN) for negotiations between the countries, he added. Recently, Malaysian importers had informed the DTN and Thai trade envoy that they had received the licences. "Thailand can now export rice flour to the western part of Malaysia after exports were suspended for almost 20 years," Jurin said. He added that that Malaysia's move should boost the value of Thailand's exports and trade with its southern neighbour.

“The island [in Surat Thani province] is suitable for long-term stay and thanks to its full-moon parties, it is famous among Thai and foreign tourists,” government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday. He added that the government is working on reviving Thailand’s tourism sector and that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had urged tourism-related agencies to promote six Andaman provinces. Prayut, who had been speaking at the Thailand Tourism Congress in Phuket on June 6, said he wanted the provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun to be turned into world-class destinations. “The plan to promote these provinces is in line with the 20-year national strategy to boost Thailand’s competitiveness and potential on the international stage,” he said.

RTP warns of anti-scam appPolice are warning that call-centre scammers have come up with a new ruse: tricking people into downloading a false anti-scam mobile app to obtain their private data. Pol Col Siriwat Deepor, deputy police spokesman of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), yesterday said call-centre gangs are claiming to be Department of Special Investigation officials and telling victims to download a fake mobile app. The app is actually used to obtain a user's personal information, including passwords, bank details and profile data, he said. The RTP is calling on the public not to be deceived by call-centre gangs by following their instructions to download the app. The RTP said people should keep up with the latest update on the matter in the RTP's cybercrime reports.

Security forces and disaster relief teams search for survivors and victims after a landslide in Noney district in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on Friday. (AFP Photo)The search for survivors buried under a landslide in northeastern India entered its third day on Saturday with 25 bodies pulled from the rubble and nearly 40 people still missing. Security forces and disaster relief teams raced against the clock to find any more survivors trapped under the debris at a railway construction camp in Manipur state. The situation at the scene of the landslide was “still serious” with rainfall and bad weather hampering rescue efforts, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. Dozens were killed in the region after flooding last month, with relentless rains causing landslides and inundating homes.

The France-Thailand Business Forum (FTBF) hosted the 3rd France-Thailand Business Forum in collaboration with the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking, and MEDEF International, at The Athenee Hotel, Bangkok. Joining the event were representatives from more than 20 French leading companies in the energy, environment, logistics, infrastructure management, smart city, and sustainability sectors. The special forum staged presentations on two key topics: “Transport & Mobility and BCG”, and “decarbonisation and Smart City”. In attendance were top government officials, industry leaders, and business personnel from both the French and Thai public sectors. MEDEF International is a private, non-profit organisation founded in 1989 by MEDEF, the French Business Confederation.

Consumption is forecast to slow in the fourth quarter, however, and November figures due later Friday will give a sense of the depth of any weakness. The change to the consumer-spending figure reflected upward revisions to spending on personal care and financial services, particularly portfolio management and investment advice. Inventories were revised lower on wholesale trade, especially nondurable goods, according to the report. The change in private inventories dragged down the rate of GDP growth by 0.03 percentage point in the quarter, revised from a boost of 0.17 point. Excluding the typically volatile trade and inventories components of GDP, final sales to domestic purchasers increased at a 2.2% pace that was revised from 2%.