Thaksin, Yingluck appear at Hun Sen's birthday partyFormer prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra appears in an online episode of the CARE Clubhouse x CARE Talk programme in May. (Screenshot)Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his younger sister Yingluck attended Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's birthday party in Cambodia on Saturday, according to Cambodian media outlets. Fresh News and The Phnom Penh Post reported on Sunday that Thaksin and Yingluck were at the party on the occasion of Hun Sen's 71st birthday in Ta Khmao, Cambodia. It was reported that Thaksin and Yingluck stayed there for one night. The fugitive former prime minister has been in self-imposed exile since being toppled by a coup in September 2006.

Japan condemns Russia nuclear threat on Hiroshima anniversaryPeople visit and say prayers at sunrise at the cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Sunday to mark the 78th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack. (Photo by AFP)Japan's prime minister hit out at Russian threats to use nuclear weapons as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Sunday. "The path towards it is becoming increasingly difficult because of deepening divisions in the international community over nuclear disarmament and Russia's nuclear threat," he said. "Devastation brought to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear weapons can never be repeated," said Kishida, whose family comes from Hiroshima. Any use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable," Guterres said.

Pheu Thai Party leader, Cholnan Srikaew, centre, deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai, left, and secretary-general Prasert Chanthararuangthong announced withdraw from the Move Forward Party-led coalition on July 2. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The Pheu Thai Party, now leading the formation of a new coalition government, has admitted the mission represents a major political crisis which the party is trying its best to overcome. The crisis stems from the time limit of the government's formation, legal limits associated with the constitution, the country's problematic governing structure and persistent conflicts among different groups, said Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai on Saturday. Under the circumstances, Pheu Thai is now committed to implementing those policies promised to voters in the May 14 election for the betterment of the country while leading the new government, he said. And as Pheu Thai is working on a rather realistic yet gentle approach to defusing the political crisis, it calls for more cooperation from all sides concerned and hopes for the best, he said.

Climate change threatens wild tigers' habitatFor the first time in 30 years, a trap camera captures photos of tigers roaming inside the Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi early this year. (Photo: Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary)Climate change presents a big challenge for protecting and preserving tigers in the wild, says the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment permanent secretary Jatuporn Buruspat. Speaking on Saturday at the event "Move Forward to Sustainable Tiger Conservation" to mark Global Tiger Day on July 29, in Nakhon Sawan province, Mr Jatuporn said the country has done a good job of protecting and preserving its wild tiger populations. He said efforts by forest officials and other stakeholders had been a success, as the wild tiger population in Thailand has increased. As long as the forest is fertile, the tiger population should grow sustainably.

Thaksin scraps plan to return next weekThaksin: 'Waiting for Pheu Thai govt'Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's plan to return to Thailand will be postponed until a Pheu Thai-led government is formed, a Pheu Thai source said on Thursday. The ex-premier, who is widely believed to be Pheu Thai's de facto leader, had initially planned to return on Aug 10. The plan was announced by Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn "Ung Ing" Shinawatra last week on Instagram. Thaksin also believed he should wait as Pheu Thai was still holding discussions with other parties to join its new coalition, the source added. "I don't think Thaksin will return home anytime soon, out of safety concerns.

Debt-ridden Electricity Authority of Thailand (Egat) cannot yield to any further requests for cheaper electricity bills in the next four-month cycle as this would affect its future investment in the power infrastructure. With the new power tariff rate of 4.45 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit), applicable between September and December this year, Egat would clear its loss within April 2025. The power tariff is used to calculate electricity prices. "Egat needs to repay its debt which increased to support the subsidy programme," said Boonyanit Wongrukmit, governor of Egat. Mr Boonyanit said the 4.45-baht rate is acceptable and will help Egat avoid an unpleasant impact on its future investment.

This dry period affects seed germination and rice grain formation, leading to an overall reduction in rice production. Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said lower production is expected to affect rice exports, particularly for white rice and parboiled rice for which demand from importing nations remains strong. According to Mr Chookiat, India's recent announcement that it will ban the export of non-basmati white rice with immediate effect, resulting in a decrease in the availability of white rice in the market, would impact the global rice industry. Additionally, the current price situation for unmilled rice is high, especially for white rice paddy, which motivates farmers to keep cultivating rice consistently. Meanwhile, global rice consumption is projected to reach 521.3 million tonnes in 2023 and 523.9 million tonnes in 2024, up from 518.6 million tonnes in 2022, with the global rice trade estimated at 55.6 million tonnes in 2023 and 56.3 million tonnes in 2024, compared with 56.1 million tonnes in 2022.

Thaksin's planned return unchangedFormer prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra appears in an episode of the CARE Clubhouse x CARE Talk programme in May 2023. (Screenshot)Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's planned return to his home country remained unchanged, Pheu Thai Party deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed on Thursday. Mr Phumtham told reporters at the parliament on Thursday, denying rumours of the delayed return of Thaksin, who is widely believed to be Pheu Thai's de facto leader. "Everything remains the same," Mr Phumtham said when asked whether the schedule for Thaksin's return had been postponed. The fugitive former prime minister has been living in self-imposed exile since being overthrown by a military coup on Sept 19, 2006.

(Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)The Pheu Thai Party has postponed its planned announcement about the formation of a government now that the vote for a new prime minister has been put off for at least another two weeks. The news touched off feverish speculation about which parties Pheu Thai would bring into a new coalition, and how cabinet seats would be allocated. In the meantime, Pheu Thai will continue coordinating with other political parties to garner more support. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)In making his party’s dramatic announcement on Wednesday, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew pointed to Move Forward’s insistence on amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese-majeste law. MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon stressed on Wednesday that Pheu Thai had never asked his party to back down on its intention to amend the royal defamation law.

Prince of Songkla University finds 2 new species in custard apple familyNewly-discovered flowers of the Annonaceae family include 'Bunga Seng Betong'. (Photo: Prince of Songkla University)Researchers from Prince of Songkla University (PSU) recently found two new species of the Annonaceae family of flowering plants at the Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Betong district of Yala province. The group of researchers have named the two newly-found species "Bunga Seng Betong" and "Bunga Seng Hala," and their respective scientific names are Friesodielsia betongensis Leerat and Friesodielsia chalermgliniana Leerat, he said. The other new species is also a hardwood vine with uniquely wide, oval leaves. The name "chalermgliniana" honours Piya Chalermglin, a botanist from the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research who had led the researchers, Prof Charan said.

(Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)The parliament president has put off the next parliamentary vote for a new prime minister from Friday. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said on Thursday that he had to postpone Friday's vote because the court had yet to rule on Mr Pita's renomination rejection. "The court has yet to rule on the complaints about the prime ministerial vote and a request (by the Ombudsman) to postpone the next vote for prime minister," Mr Wan said. They sought a court order for the parliament to put off its vote for prime minister pending its ruling. In a joint sitting of the House and the Senate on July 13, Mr Pita did not receive a majority vote to become the prime minister.

Former red-shirt leader slams senator Porntip over abstentionKhunying Porntip Rojanasunan said she will not exercise her right as a senator to vote for a prime minister on Friday, drawing the ire of former red-shirt leader Weng Tojirakarn, who said she should just resign her seat. Dr Weng said that rather than abstain, senator Porntip should simply resign from the upper house if she wanted to strip herself of her vote. He made the remarks in this message posted in Thai on his Facebook account:"Dear Khunying Porntip, a senator appointed under the 2017 Constitution. He said, “If there were no appointed senators under the 2017 constitution, the people’s consensus would be sacred, respected and put into force. Khunying Porntip said on Tuesday that she stood firm in her decision not to exercise her power as a senator to vote for a prime minister.

SCB and OR join forces to empower SMEs with nationwide shift to eco-friendly PTT stations through solar rooftop loansSiam Commercial Bank remains committed to promoting sustainability among SME entrepreneurs. The joint effort aims to launch a nationwide campaign encouraging PTT stations to adopt solar energy, generating electricity for station usage. The target is to convert the first 200 PTT stations into green stations with solar rooftop loans by the end of 2023. “To support this initiative, the Bank has introduced the SCB SME Green Finance program, offering solar rooftop loans to PTT station dealers. The first PTT station dealer to use this solar rooftop loan is the PTT Station in Chonburi Province, managed by Lert Prasert Oil Co., Ltd.

Growing opposition to China's plan to strip-mine seabedGreenpeace activists protest against deep-sea mining in Prague, Czech Republic on June 1. Its conclusion was 'not yet': Most delegations said they wouldn't approve any applications until the ISA puts mining regulations in place. The treaty declared the seabed to be the "common heritage" of humankind, with royalties and other benefits from deep-sea mining shared among member nations. (In June, the head of the secretariat's compliance unit joined a Norwegian deep-sea mining company that holds ISA exploration contracts.) "It is imperative to acknowledge its significance, and why a prohibition on deep-sea mining is the only viable solution to safeguard our collective ocean."

Inflation close to zero but policymakers expect a rebound and want to prevent troubleA bank employee gathers Thai baht notes at a Kasikornbank branch in Bangkok on Jan 26, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)The Bank of Thailand raised its key interest rate to a nine-year high on Wednesday, amid concerns about upside risks to prices. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to raise the one-day repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%, as expected by 19 of 21 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The central bank in May forecast a steady pace of economic expansion at 3.6% this year and 3.8% next year, supported by tourism and private consumption. The political uncertainty has weighed on Thai stocks with foreign investors being net sellers of 120 billion baht worth of shares this year.