People queue to vote at a polling station during the sixth phase of the general election in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, India, on Saturday. The overall turnout in the same phase of the last elections in 2019 was about 63%. "There is a concern, but we hope that people will overcome the fear of the heatwave and come and vote," Delhi Chief Electoral Officer P. Krishnamurthy told Reuters. Voting in the elections began on April 19 and will conclude on June 1, with counting set for June 4. "My main issues are clean water, electricity, access to good healthcare and education," he said, adding that the Kejriwal-led Delhi government "has given us that till now".

May 25, 2024 08:41 UTC

What do Indian women want from poll? Women queue to vote inside a polling station during the third phase of the general election in Ahmedabad, India, on May 7. Alongside Ram, the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana, the BJP venerates his loyal wife, Sita — calling on Indian women to be sacrificial, devoted, modern-day domestic queens meant to serve the patriarchy. Better employment is one of the top wishlist items for Indian women, who also tell reporters that they want safety in public spaces, a check on inflation, and better education and health facilities. “The women in my family were very hopeful when Mr Modi first came because he talked a lot about what will help women,” she said.

May 25, 2024 07:38 UTC

One student killed, 15 injured in van accidentRescue workers help retrieve all students and the woman driver from the overturned school van in Muang district of Lampang province on Friday. (Photo: Lampang fire control and rescue association Facebook)A schoolgirl was killed and 15 other students injured when a van they were travelling in overturned in Muang district of Lampang on Friday morning. Police and rescue workers rushing to the scene found a Toyota van with Lampang licence plates overturned along the roadside. Students, both boys and girls, were heard crying inside the school van. Rescue workers retrieved the injured from the vehicle.

May 24, 2024 16:44 UTC

Vehicles are on display at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand's car manufacturing target for 2024 may be downgraded as production continues to decline, with a sluggish economy affecting car sales, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Earlier this year, the federation set the production target of 1.9 million cars, a year-on-year rise of 3.15%, of which 1.15 million will be for export and 750,000 for domestic sales. Last month, total car manufacturing decreased by 11% to 104,667 units, especially in the pickup segment, which plunged 45.9%, while the passenger car segment fell by 5%. Surapong Paisitpatanapong, vice-chairman of the FTI and spokesman for its Automotive Industry Club attributed the fall to a weak economy and banks’ tightening of car loan criteria to avoid non-performing loans. During January-April, car production dove by 17% year-on-year to 518,790 units, and auto sales and exports fell by 23.9% and 3.6% year-on-year to 210,494 units and 340,685 units, respectively./.

May 24, 2024 15:34 UTC

The central bank did not disclose the number of existing PD borrowers participating in the debt restructuring programme. As of February this year, there were 1.33 million general PD accounts under the central bank's definition, totalling 60.9 billion baht, and 480,000 severe PD accounts, amounting to 14.4 billion baht, according to central bank data. She said the central bank requires financial institutions to offer the PD programme to borrowers, but participation is voluntary. The programme aims to help PD borrowers exit the debt cycle, partially addressing the country's household debt problem. In addition, Ms Suwannee said the central bank implemented a responsible lending (RL) approach this year to address the country's household debt problem.

May 24, 2024 14:37 UTC





OR upbeat on prospects for rest of the yearA PTT petrol station operated by OR. Total sales and services decreased by 7.6% year-on-year to 178 billion baht in value for the company. Fuel sales decreased by 7.5% year-on-year to 6.48 trillion litres. A drop in diesel sales was not offset by a significant gain in jet fuel sales, as tourism activities increased, she said. The company said its marketing margin in the fuel business, which refers to revenue made by oil retailers after deducting costs, should be 0.7-1.2 baht per litre.

May 24, 2024 10:42 UTC

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin gives a press interview in Tokyo on Thursday after meeting with executives of five leading Japanese companies during his visit to Japan. (Photo: Royal Thai Government)Several Japanese companies are interested in investing more and expanding their production bases in Thailand, in areas including biofuel production, green packaging, artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday. Mitsui & Co expressed its intention to invest more in Thailand in the field of clean energy production in particular, said Mr Srettha. Mitsui reportedly said its interest in biofuel and clean energy in Thailand was inspired by a Thai government investment roadshow in Japan last December. The prime minister also discussed energy exploration, healthcare and green packaging with Mitsui executives, government officials said.

May 23, 2024 19:15 UTC

PGA Championship victory is awesome and it's super sweetI'm a big believer of getting the right foundation, the right people and team around you. It feels amazing to win a major championship. This victory is awesome and it's super sweet. And when I break it down, I'm really proud of how I handled certain moments on the golf course, which may have been different from the past. 2 Xander Schauffele secured his maiden major victory and eighth PGA Tour title following a hard-fought victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday.

May 23, 2024 05:46 UTC

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrives at Haneda airport, Japan, on Wednesday. (Photo: Government House)Thailand and Italy have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Wednesday following his official visit to the European nation. Speaking while in Japan, which he visited after Italy, Mr Srettha said his talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were fruitful. As for clean energy development, Mr Srettha said Italy expressed particular interest in Thailand's plan to explore new natural gas sources in the Thai-Cambodian overlapping claims areas. Mr Srettha also said direct flights between Bangkok and Milan would be inaugurated on July 1, while flights between Bangkok and Rome are expected to begin in the winter months.

May 23, 2024 05:36 UTC

Some injured passengers from a Singapore Airlines flight hit by extreme turbulence remained in a Thai hospital on Wednesday (May 22), while others who were able to continue their journey to Singapore recounted the harrowing experience that left at least one man dead and forced the airline's CEO to apologize on behalf of the company.

May 23, 2024 05:20 UTC

The stalled La Plata railway construction site is a casualty of a crackdown on public-funded construction works under Argentina's new self-styled libertarian President Javier Milei, who came to office pledging to “chainsaw” through government spending.

May 23, 2024 05:20 UTC

Thailand and Bhutan opened free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, aiming to complete the deal by next year. Deputy Commerce Minister Napintorn Srisunpang said Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay signed the terms of reference to commence FTA negotiations. Many tourist from Bhutan travel to Thailand for health and wellness tourism services and Bhutan has expressed an interest in participating in a tourism festival in Thailand to promote the culture and tourism of Bhutan. The next round of FTA negotiations will be hosted by Thailand in August. For the first three months of 2024, the value of two-way trade between Thailand and Bhutan tallied $3.06 million.

May 23, 2024 00:39 UTC

(Photo: Reuters)Twenty people remained in intensive care in two Bangkok hospitals on Wednesday, following treatment for injuries sustained during extreme turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday. An AFP photographer reported people in Singapore Airlines yellow vests entering the stricken Boeing 777-800ER on Wednesday as it remained grounded at the airport. According to a statement from Samitivej Hospital, those in intensive care at Samitivej Srinakarin and Samitivej Sukhumvit hospitals included 3 Australians, 6 British, 1 Chinese, 1 Filipino, 6 Malaysians, 1 New Zealander and 2 Singaporeans. Another 38 inpatients were being treated at Samitivej Srinakarin, Samitivej Sukhumvit and Bangkok Hospital. A passenger injured in the turbulence aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 is taken to a waiting ambulance after the emergency landing on Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

May 22, 2024 19:36 UTC

Britain said on Tuesday some victims of a contaminated blood scandal would receive interim payments of 210,000 pounds ($267,000) each before a scheme to pay "comprehensive compensation" is up and running, ideally by the end of the year.

May 22, 2024 14:12 UTC

No woman has raced in Formula One for nearly half a century but a group of 13 and 14-year-old female racers are making their first moves on a long road that could lead to the top.

May 22, 2024 13:48 UTC