The second phase of the drive will see candidates who have applied for Class-III positions taking a test. The state government is far stricter this time as the fortunes of some 140,000 candidates against some 30,000 vacancies will be decided through this recruitment drive, which is by far the largest. The state government has also put in place tight security measures at all examination centres. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with various stakeholders to ensure the exams continue smoothly. “We are committed to conducting this ongoing massive recruitment drive for Grade III & IV posts in the most transparent manner … Best wishes to all the candidates!” Sarma tweeted.

US warships transit Taiwan Strait, first since Pelosi visitThe AI Arleigh-burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) transits the Taiwan Strait during a routine transit on Saturday, the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island (Photo by US NAVY / AFP)WASHINGTON: Two US Navy warships sailed through international waters in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first such operation since a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China which regards the island as its territory. Pelosi's Taiwan trip in early August infuriated China which saw it as a US attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. "These (US) ships transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state," the US Navy said. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People's Republic of China. Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was followed around a week later by a group of five other US lawmakers, with China's military responding by carrying out more exercises near the island.

If the cannabis in any shape or form is mixed in food, the food and drug law will be enforced to ensure safety for consumers. Also, people are limited to growing no more than 15 cannabis or hemp plants at home for household consumption. The heaviest punishable prescribed by the Cannabis and Hemp Act would be for importing cannabis or hemp without permission. However, details of the do's and dont's surrounding the use of the plants will be fleshed out in the cannabis and hemp law. He said he sympathised with the police, who will have to navigate a maze of legality to find out who offenders are under the cannabis bill.

The law covers not only kratom leaves but also beverages obtained from boiling leaves and extracts of the plant, said government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The Kratom Plant Act of 2022 decriminalises kratom leaves and removes them from the list of narcotics. The law allows the possession, consumption and use of kratom leaves. However, it places restrictions on the sale, marketing and advertising of leaves and on blending them with other psychotropic substances.

Nong-O showed superior Muay Thai skills to end his rival’s challenge in the first round of their ONE Fight Night 1 bout at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The pair began by trading low kicks before launching strikes to the body. Nong-O began targeting Harrison’s knee with his shin, almost sending his challenger spinning to the ground after one brutal kick. Sensing a weak point, the Thai launched a barrage of low kicks, breaking through the Englishman’s defences and causing his legs to buckle beneath him. At the 2.10 mark in round one, Nong-O landed a vicious kick just below Harrison’s knee, sending him down for the count.

Sapsiree and Puttita, the No.14 seeds, came from behind to defeat 11th seeds Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu of China 15-21, 21-18, 22-20. “Popor” Sapsiree and “Earth” Puttita are Thailand’s first women’s doubles pair to get a world championship medal. Women’s doubles duo Sapsiree Taerattanachai, left, and Puttita Supajirakul of Thailand in action in the quarter-finals. In another women’s doubles quarter-final, Thailand’s seventh seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai lost to China’s top seeds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan 21-16, 21-7. In the women’s singles quarter-finals yesterday, Thailand’s 12th seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan was no match for Taiwan’s second seed Tai Tzu-ying, who won 21-16, 21-9.

The Thai e-commerce market is expected to grow from 817 billion baht currently to over 4 trillion baht in 2025, Kulthirath said. Helping to drive that growth will be the new trend for virtual or metaverse commerce, she added. “Meta-commerce is changing the world of e-commerce by adding virtual reality,” said Kulthirath as she was introduced as the association’s new chief on Thursday, replacing Thanawat Malabuppha. Strategic Market Research forecasts the global meta-commerce market will grow to US$678.80 billion (24.4 trillion baht) by 2030. The market is currently worth about $47.48 billion.

Meanwhile, trade value in the first seven months rose 11.5 per cent from the same period last year to $172.814 billion. Trade excluding oil, fuel and weaponry grew 8.3 per cent to $147.451 billion. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit credited the rise to increasing demand for food, easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures, falling freight costs, and the weakening baht. However, the ministry said the value of Thai exports is likely to fall in the second half amid a slowdown in economies of trading partners and the global inflation crisis.

Some of the well-known NFT artists were Play Isreyah, MaArt Studio, Eveden, Warden, Atevada, Latte Latte, Coconut Sunday, ARCHIVERSE, Taitern, Maxyverse, CHANGLAND, Frontyr Studio, etc. Orchaporn “Jean” Warasirikul, owner of Latte Latte, said: “Latte is coffee. Latte, latte, is like offering happiness. The world can be changed by our own hands.”Coconut Sunday, a Thai band that performed on Metaverse in the Decentraland System, showed up live at Thailand Metaverse Expo 2022. For more information:https://www.thailandmetaverseexpo.asia/Main FB Page: Metaverse Thailand Expo 2022https://www.facebook.com/ThailandMetaverseExpoFB Page for Sport Metaverse: https://www.facebook.com/sportmetaverse/

Ms Kulthirath, seated centre, along with new committee members of the Thai e-Commerce Association. Theca on Thursday unveiled Ms Kulthirath, chief executive and co-founder of Thailand e-Business Centre, as its new president. Global e-commerce will move ahead in various forms, including live commerce and video commerce, both of which are expected to hit $500 billion in 2023. According to Ms Kulthirath, global e-commerce is forecast to reach $7.3 trillion in 2025, up from $5.5 trillion in 2022. Ms Kulthirath added other strategies include supporting fair competition; driving cross-border e-commerce; enhancing inclusiveness in e-commerce; empowering local sellers; supporting e-commerce software technology and e-payment; providing digital marketing and solutions for SMEs; and increasing the e-commerce workforce.

Prof Pirongrong Ramasoota, an NBTC commissioner, said on Thursday that the regulator would make sure that the rental rate for underground cable pipes would be fair. “The goal is to tidy up the telecom cables for the safety of people and the beauty of the country,” she said. Pirongrong also said that the NBTC was well prepared to cooperate with relevant state agencies in moving untidy overhead electrical and telecom cables underground. There were complaints that the rental rate for the use of underground cable pipelines was too high.

Speaking during a special group interview, Messe Düsseldorf Asia (MDA) managing director Gernot Ringling said many countries were investing in a variety of projects, both public and private, to create comprehensive infrastructure to support border reopenings. Transportation and logistics, including the use of renewable energy and EVs, and connectivity between nations are all part of the investments, he noted. Southeast Asia is the seventh largest economic bloc in the world and witnessing fast growth, a MDA study showed. By 2030, urbanisation will encompass 45 per cent and the demand for infrastructure development, including wires, cables, tubes, pipes, foundry and metallurgy and steel production will also grow, it said. Overall, finished-steel global consumption reached 1.77 billion tonnes, of which 73 per cent went to Asia.

Thailand’s new long-term visa regulationsSince the lifting of the strict lockdown in the first quarter of 2022, and the decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Thai economy has shown signs of recovery. The LTR visa scheme is focused on making Thailand an even more attractive destination by simplifying the visa and work permit process and offering attractive incentives. The LTR visa will benefit certain foreigners and their dependents who meet the criteria set by the BOI which are divided into five categories. The concept of the LTR visa was introduced in 2021 and has been updated on an ongoing basis. Nevertheless, the LTR visa will provide the above attractive incentives to the holders as granted by the Thai government.

ICONCRAFT is one of the three brands opened in Pavilion Bukit Jalil recently from Thailand’s award winning and leading real estate and retail developer, Siam Piwat, under the collaboration with Pavilion Group, owner and operator of high-end department stores in Malaysia. It is a door of opportunity for over 800 Thai craftsmen, designers and local communities across Thailand and seeks to forge path towards modern trade and promote Thai brands to be known and recognized on the global stage. Mrs Parisa Chatnilbandhu, Senior Director of Retail Concept Shop, Siam Piwat Co. Ltd. said “ICONCRAFT has a mission to promote Thai craftsmen and local wisdom in a new angle of creative craftsmanship. With an aim to support the innovation capabilities and quality development for Thai artisans, we have collaborated with both domestic and international strong partners to open opportunity for Thai craftsmen to excel to their upmost capability and ultimately to share wonders with craft admirers. Sawasdee KL helps ICONCRAFT to achieve this.”

He said the baht could swing sideways until the results of a key US Federal Reserve meeting at Jackson Hole as investors might adjust their asset possessions and this could cause even the dollar to swing sideways. Poon believes political tensions here might ease in the short term and influence foreign investors to purchase Thai stocks, but this will not cause the baht to strengthen much because the investors will still offload Thai bonds. The strategist advised investors to use hedging tools such as options to manage risks in a highly volatile currency market.