Most people unsatisfied with Prawit as caretaker PM: pollCaretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon receives a wai from reporters at Government House on Tuesday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)A majority of people are not satisfied with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's performance as caretaker prime minister, according to the result of an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. They were asked for their opinions on Gen Prawit's performance during the past two weeks as caretaker prime minister after the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from his duties pending the court's ruling on his 8-year tenure. Asked whether it would be appropriate for Gen Prawit, in his caretaker position, to reshuffle the cabinet, most of them, 58.92% said "no" - with 46.34% saying it would not be appropriate at all and 12.58% said it would not probably be appropriate. Finally, when asked whether they were satisfied with Gen Prawit's performance as caretaker prime minister during the past two weeks, a majority, 63.72%, said "no" - with 41.46% not satisfied at all and 22.26% mostly unsatisfied.

The couple had been in Britain on a brief visit when the queen, Britain's longest reigning monarch, died on Thursday. Like other senior members of the royal family, Harry rushed to be by the queen's side as she deteriorated at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. A spokesperson for the heir to the throne said William had extended an invitation for the Windsor walk. A royal source described it as an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family. Royal observers had been looking for signs of a detente amid the pomp and ceremony of a period of national mourning and Elizabeth's state funeral.

Boosting sustainability: Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow emphasises the importance of MSMEs for Apec. The meeting was held as a precursor to the full Apec summit in November when 21 economic leaders will meet in Bangkok. Mr Supattanapong hopes the BCG model can help MSMEs grow sustainably and boost business opportunities as the Covid-19 pandemic subsides. "The BCG model will help MSMEs to focus on the creative economy, innovation and sustainability to keep the economy, society and the environment in balance," he said. MSMEs need to rapidly adopt the BCG model, so they can begin restructuring debts accrued as a result of the pandemic.

Punya Chupanit, OTP’s director, told Thansettakij on Saturday that a draft of the act will be presented to a related subcommittee this month. Once approved, the draft will be presented to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob before it is forwarded to the Cabinet, Council of State and then Parliament. The joint ticket act will set up rules on administration, definition, rates, which agencies will be responsible and how it is funded. OTP said the joint ticket should not be affected by the EMV Contactless card, which is used on some electric trains and boats. He said the card is one of the standards for the joint ticket and was mentioned in the contract negotiation.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has banned export of broken rice. Not only this, the board has imposed a 20 percent duty on export of all types of rice except basmati and boiled rice. Pandey has put an end to the question of shortage of rice in the country, saying that there is sufficient stock of rice in the country. He said this would increase domestic inflow and availability of broken rice for poultry feed and ethanol production. In this, 93.56 lakh metric tonnes of rice was exported from April to August, in which the contribution of broken rice was 21.31 lakh metric tonnes, which is 22.78 per cent of the total exports, whereas in 2019 it was only 1.34 per cent.

Mr Supattanapong, centre, chairs the Apec ministerial meeting on MSME issues in Phuket held on Friday. MSMEs are crucial for restoring the economy because 98% of businesses are MSMEs, which account for 40-60% of Apec's GDP, he said. The talks, which started on Sept 5, ended with four proposals for discussion at the ministerial meeting, said Wimonkan Kosumas, deputy director-general of Osmep. She said the first is the need to make new financial technology simpler for small businesses so they can use it to access funding. Next is a proposal to reduce trade costs and promote state and private procurement projects to help MSMEs better access the overseas markets.

Amazon, Apple and Google pledge training for women in Indo-PacificUS Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at a ministerial event during the Indo-Pacific Economic Ministerial event in Los Angeles on Thursday. (Bloomberg photo)Fourteen US companies including Amazon.com Inc and Visa Inc each pledged to provide at least 500,000 digital training and education opportunities for women and girls in the Indo-Pacific region as part of a Biden administration initiative. The programme, undertaken within the broader 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, is focused on Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The plan is designed to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, while advancing competitiveness in the region, they said. “I have heard loudly and clearly from the region, particularly in the developing countries, ‘We need concrete benefits, tangible economic benefits,’” Raimondo said at the launch of the initiative on Thursday.

Sawapop Tuamsang, CEO of Zortout, which runs the Zort platform, said social commerce or a marketplace operated via social media platforms, had the potential to grow exponentially. “We gather sales from all platforms, both online and offline, in a single place. Our services include the management of orders, stock, logistics as well as a payment gateway. With social media platforms like Line and TikTok fast becoming popular online marketplaces, he said, this is the perfect time for Zort to step in. “The platform manages orders by connecting to the stock system, then to logistics and payment management.

“So, I would like to assure the people that the situation is improving and the government will handle the remaining issues of the crisis,” the energy minister promised. According to the minister, Thailand has become the only Asean country to promote the use of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), so manufacturers could use Thailand as a hub for making BEVs. This could lead to development of digital technologies and would create new types of SMEs, he said hopefully. Furthermore, new SMEs based on digital platforms will be created, the energy minister said, adding that leading foreign investors are now interested in investments in cloud computing services, cloud servers, artificial intelligence, and data centres. He said foreign investors, who are keen to invest in these digital technologies, will soon apply to the Board of Investment for tax incentives.

San Hing Street and Pak She StreetThe influx of new, younger residents has given the San Hing and Pak She streets a makeover in recent years. On a clear day, tourists can look across at Lamma Island on one side, and Tsing Ma Bridge, connecting Lantau Island to Hong Kong’s urban areas on the other. Hikers can head east to Pak Kok Tsui, a small peninsula with a small beach called Tung Wan Chai, which is a popular scenic spot. The island’s water quality is good and people can see southern Hong Kong Island on a clear day. San Hing Praya Street and Pak She Praya RoadThe two areas are home to many Cantonese-style seafood restaurants, providing al fresco dining with sea views.

Published byThe Bangkok Postpublished : 9 Sep 2022 at 04:00 newspaper section: [Life](http://search.bangkokpost.com/search/result_advanced?category=news&xNewsSection=Life) Netflix’s latest original Love In The Villa seems to have all the ingredients for a good romantic comedy from a Shakespeare-inspired love story, a beautiful countryside setting, protagonists with quirky personalities, and even a sassy gay best friend who’s always there to give advice to the main character. But unfortunately, Love In The Villa also has flaws that make it nothing more than another run-of-the-mill rom-com out of Netflix’s assembly line. L…Read More

Hong Kong campaign targets reopeningRaymond Chan, regional director, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). Hong Kong tourism authorities are rolling out their biggest promotion in almost three years under a government initiative, even though the city's date of reopening has yet to be confirmed. Around 550,000 Thais travelled to Hong Kong in 2019. Hong Kong was among the world's most-visited cities that year with 56 million arrivals, of which 43.7 million were from mainland China. Mr Chan said WKCD is a long-term project under the initiative and investment of the Hong Kong government.

The REIT is set to offer investment units to institutional investors and/or ultra-high net worth investors through two underwriters, Yuanta Securities (Thailand) and DAO Securities (Thailand). The trust is set to be registered in late September or early October with Krung Thai Asset Management as a trustee. Mr. Visit Malaisirirat, CEO of MQDC, the property owner, said that the assets sold to DTPHREIT have very high potential, both in location and quality. The hotel sector is recovering fast too. The specific assets sold to DTPHREIT are currently recovering very fast.

“People who test positive should follow doctor’s suggestions and refrain from getting anti-viral drugs from pharmacies unless you have a prescription, as not all Covid-19 cases require drug treatment,” advised Anutin. On October 1 several departments under the ministry will have new executives, from director-general to deputy permanent-secretary levels, he said, insisting that the transition will not affect the department’s Covid-19 reclassification plan or any public health services. The minister also said that from October 1 Pfizer will start delivering Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months to under 5 years. Pfizer’s vaccine for children under five must be administered at 10 micrograms per dose for the first two jabs three weeks apart. For a booster shot, the vaccine will be given at 3mcg per dose eight weeks after the second jab.

UOB Thailand launches ‘U-Drive’ – an integrated value chain solution for the electric vehicle ecosystemUOB Thailand has launched U-Drive, an integrated sustainable financing solution for the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in Thailand. UOB’s U-Drive solution is designed to meet the financial needs of all EV ecosystem players by providing a comprehensive range of banking facilities. Businesses or individuals can apply for sustainable financial solutions for their purchases of EVs and charging equipment under the U-Drive solution. Mr Liu Xue Liang, General Manager, BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, said, “We look forward to working more closely with UOB Thailand now and in the near future. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Bank’s sustainable financing frameworks enable companies to apply for green or sustainability-linked banking products without having to develop their own financing framework.