A new blow for same-sex marriagesThe Constitutional Court has ruled that Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which only allows for a man and a woman to register their marriage, is not against people's constitutional rights, marking a blow for proponents of same-sex marriages. The ruling, which appeared in a press release published by the court on Wednesday, was handed down in response to a request by the Central Juvenile and Family Court. The court was seeking an interpretation as to whether Section 1448 runs counter to Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the charter, which guarantees equal civil rights for all citizens. A female couple identified as Pheomsap Sae-ung and Phuangphet Hemkham sought to legally wed on Feb 14 of last year but saw their case rejected by the registrar citing Section 1448. They had petitioned the Central Juvenile and Family Court seeking to overturn the registrar's dismissal of their request.

Economic engines 'not as strong as before'Tourists return to popular destinations in Bangkok such as the Emerald Buddha Temple on Saturday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)Thailand's economic engines may not be as strong as before and the important tourism sector may take longer to normalise, its central bank governor said on Thursday. "If we don't rush to upgrade these economic engines, we may see the economy growing at a slower rate," he said. The central bank forecast growth of just 0.7% this year and 3.9% next year, following a 6.1% contraction in 2020 when the pandemic devastated tourism. The central bank will also be a facilitator, relaxing strict rules to support businesses and a shifting of focus next year towards "resiliency" to meet the needs of financial users, he added.

To drive the so-called low-carbon digital Thailand approach, Huawei indicated that the country requires enrichment of 5G adoption for ubiquitous connectivity, building cloud-based digital platforms, accelerating a low-carbon transition with digital power, and cultivating digital talents and the innovation ecosystem. "In order to be better prepared, promoting economic resilience through digitalisation is an urgent mission," Mr Deng said. 5G DRIVEAccording to Mr Deng, Huawei proposes four layers of support to drive the low-carbon digital path. As digitalisation is being adopted around the globe, data localisation becomes a key trend, Mr Deng said. He said Huawei Cloud is the only cloud service provider with a local data centre in the Thai market.

Belarus becomes a small storm in a sea of anxietyIt's not a tempest in a teapot; it's smaller than that. That was tantamount to hijacking, and the European Union responded by imposing sanctions on Mr Lukashenko and a number of his henchmen. But there are now 17,000 Polish border guards facing them in a no-go militarised zone that even the Polish media are excluded from. Belarus is one of Russia's few allies and Mr Putin usually puts up with Mr Lukachenko's antics, but now he was threatening Moscow's business interests. But this would mean a breach of our gas transit contract and I hope this will not happen," Mr Putin said.

China to allow vaccine-mixing for Covid-19 booster shotsSecurity personnel in protective suits guard the perimeters of a residential compound that was locked down after a local outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Beijing on Thursday. (Reuters photo)HONG KONG: China will allow the mixing of Covid-19 vaccines for its booster shots drive, with an "an optimal immunisation combination" to be introduced very soon, a senior health official said. So we will introduce an optimal combination of booster vaccines … and I think we should see the results soon." China had administered 2.38 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Monday, and more than three-quarters of its population have been fully vaccinated. Some countries where inactivated vaccines were initially used - such the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Indonesia - have offered mRNA or viral vector vaccines as boosters.

Protesters ask DSI to investigate alleged police beatingTwo pro-democracy protesters, Veerapap Wongsaman and Atthasit Nussa, file their complaint with Pol Maj Woranan Srilam, deputy spokesman of the Department of Special Investigation, on Wednesday. The allege they were beaten up while in custody of Din Daeng police. (Photo: @DSI2002 Facebook page)Two pro-democracy protesters on Wednesday complained to the Department of Special Investigation that they were beaten up by police while being detained at Din Daeng police station on Oct 29. He then filed a complaint with Din Daeng police, and it was still being considered. Like Mr Veerapap, Mr Atthasit said he wanted the case to be handled by the DSI.

Joint sitting dumps charter amendment bill sponsored by civic groupsSupporters of the charter amendment bill sponsored by civic groups at the parliament on Tuesday for the first day of the joint sitting. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)A joint sitting of parliament rejected a charter amendment bill providing for "a people's constitution" at its first reading on Wednesday. The bill received only 206 votes from MPs and senators, with 473 votes against. The bill required 362 votes from the joint chambers, including one-third of the Senate, or 83 senators, to pass the first reading. Supporters of the bill said the Senate was the product of the coup-makers' National Council for Peace and Order, since dissolved.

According to the Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTFT) chairman, Apichart Prairungruang, the group has organised the protest to impress upon the government the extent to which high diesel prices are strangling their income. The LTFT is urging the government to reduce its price cap from the current 30 baht per litre to 25 baht. "If the government fails to respond to the demand by Dec 1, we will strike," he said, adding it will immediately afterward raise the cargo transport rates by 10%. "We will continue operating only if the diesel price is 25 baht per litre. He urged the LTFT to avoid piling too much pressure on the government, saying he had instructed the Transport Ministry and its state enterprise, the Transport Co, to help support the cargo transport system in case the drivers strike.

The People Go, an activists’ network, holds a press conference in front of Democracy Monument on Nov 16, 2020 to urge parliament to accept the ‘people’s version’ of the charter amendment draft. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned that the ongoing charter amendment process must leave the royal institution untouched. During the meeting, he was briefed on Tuesday's parliamentary debate on a charter amendment bill pushing for "a people's constitution". Gen Prayut was quoted by the sources as saying: "The country, the religion and the monarchy must remain [intact]. "It is strange that fewer than 100 senators are allowed to block charter amendment proposals," he said, adding senators should make sacrifices by voting to scrap the Senate.

Construction of QSNCC on course despite lockdownAn aerial view of the construction progress of the new Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Construction of the new Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) has reached 60% completion despite the lockdown of the construction site and will be completed by next September, according to SET-listed developer Frasers Property Thailand (FPT). FPT is responsible for QSNCC's construction management, of which revenue from this project should contribute around 5% of its commercial development revenue. Withawat Koottatep, first executive vice-president of commercial development of Frasers Property Commercial (Thailand). Meanwhile, the centre will link with the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center MRT station to facilitate visitors.

Listed firms perform better than expected in Q3Thai listed companies performed better than expected in the third quarter with net profits of 209 billion baht, up 19% quarter-on-quarter, of which 167 billion baht stemmed from the real sector and 42 billion baht from the banking sector. Net profits of listed companies are expected to rise to 210 billion baht in the fourth quarter. Listed firm's total profits still need some time to recover. The sSET Index stood at its highest in three years, even though small firms' profits have yet to see a remarkable recovery. "If we were to conclude that the SET Index rose because of the churning of small-medium stocks, it would not be wrong.

The rich world's climate hypocrisyMany people around the world already consider the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow a disappointment. They have previously made too many empty climate promises, undermining the interests of developing countries that have contributed little to climate change. In 2019, total climate finance channelled to developing countries was less than $80 billion; the average amount each year since 2013 was only $67 billion. Likewise, the rich world's promises of green technology transfer have become mere lip service. Only that can end the rich world's green hypocrisy and save us all.

Myanmar to reopen land borders with Thailand, China next monthFILE PHOTO: This photo taken on July 7, 2017 shows migrant workers passing the Thai-Myanmar border in an official service truck as they leave Thailand in Mae Sot, Tak province. (AFP)Myanmar will reopen its land borders with China and Thailand from next month due to improvements in its Covid-19 vaccination rate, its information ministry said on Tuesday. The reopening, for which no specific date was set, would be followed by resumption of air travel in the first quarter of next year, the ministry said in a statement.

Proposal to legalise porn, sex toys submitted to House SpeakerOnline sex performer Suthanya Nakhonjinda, 19, aka Nong Khai Nao, centre, and content creator Attapol Khaithong, right, at the parliament on Tuesday to propose the legalisation of pornographic content and sex toys. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)A group calling for the legalisation of pornographic videos and sex toys submitted its proposal to the House Speaker's office at the parliament on Tuesday. The group was led by content creator Attapol Khaithong, who said Section 287 prevented people working on sexual content from fully using their bodies and lives to make a living. The section should be amended to legalise production, distribution and trading in sexual content and sex toys. The group submitted their proposal to Sukit Atthopakorn, adviser to the House Speaker.

Cooperation key to building EV ecosystemGWM's G-Charge Supercharging Station at Siam Square, Bangkok. More private-state cooperation is needed to build an adequate electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in Thailand, following the recent launch of EV fast-charging facilities at Siam Square in Bangkok. EV ecosystem development is part of the government's efforts to promote clean energy and transform Thailand into a low-carbon society. The G-Charge Supercharging Station features three charging units, each with two CCS Type 2 connectors. "Urgent infrastructure development is the key factor for tangibly building Thailand's EV ecosystem," said Steven Wang, vice-president of GWM Asean and Thailand.