To operate under Energy For AllAbsolute Clean Energy Plc (ACE), a biomass power plant developer and operator, plans to spend 4.72 billion baht developing 18 biogas-fired power plant projects under Energy For All renewable scheme as it continues to expand its power business domestically and internationally. The company earlier proposed 29 power plant projects in an Energy for All auction, but only 18 projects, with installed capacity of 59MW in total, are qualified to join the scheme. ACE plans to develop 18 biogas power plant projects in Buri Ram, Ratchaburi, Chiang Rai and Kamphaeng Phet, said Mr Teerawut. ACE continues to seek new investment opportunities in the renewable energy segment in the country and overseas. Projects include biomass and biogas-fired power plants, waste-to-energy power plants, solar energy and hybrid fuel development.

It not only helped me develop my passion for wheelchair racing at 13 but also taught me to be independent and not a burden on society. Wheelchair racing gave me that same adrenaline-pumping excitement." "I was there for about a term because not long after joining, I was selected for the national wheelchair racing team. Like athletics, wheelchair racing is a tactical sport, so practice makes perfect. Cash prizes from the government and private sector to the tune of 21 million baht for his three gold medals have made all the hard work worthwhile.

Portalnet, IBM help firms speed up digital strategiesMs Sirilak says choosing the right system integrator is crucial. Portalnet, a leading technology solutions firm and a subsidiary of Samart Telcoms, has partnered with IBM to help large enterprises across sectors accelerate their digital transformations with IBM Cloud Pak and its latest Power10 microprocessor. "A good system integrator must study and make a deep analysis of each individual business to offer a proper solution to meet the real needs of the organisation and resolve customers' pain points. The IBM Cloud Pak cloud platform enables organisations to extend on-premise applications as well as modernise them to any cloud or IT infrastructure. Ms Sirilak added that there is a growing trend among businesses to increase efficiency and agility through digital transformation.

Fitbit Thailand photos courtesy of Fitbit ThailandFocusing on well-being, Hollywood actor and producer Will Smith has teamed up with Fitbit to craft exclusive content for Fitbit Premium and the upcoming YouTube Originals docuseries Best Shape Of My Life. Premium members can participate in workouts, mindfulness sessions, HIIT and strength training, yoga and meditation video sessions with Smith and his training team. Over the next several months, the programme will expand, adding to the library of over 500 exercises and mindfulness sessions now accessible to Premium members. Fitbit Thailand Fitbit ThailandLike many others, Smith has battled with the loss of a consistent routine for the past year and he's now rebuilding his regimen by recording his personal journey and improvement. Premium users can also observe how Smith plans to use all of the exciting new holistic health capabilities on his new Charge 5.

She was one of the most influential molam performers of her generation, and a pioneer in the recording of molam on vinyl. Phaya Kaew, better known as courting molam, became molam glawn and between male and female molam developed into a courting style with witty verbal jousting between a pair of molam, backed by the organ-like sound of the khaen (bamboo mouth organ). These days people just call this style molam gio (courtship song). We travelled to Khon Kaen province to see the trio perform with Japanese minyo (folk music) musicians at a Loy Kratong celebration. The second side of the album features molam vocal music, molam glawn gio, with Bunpheng jousting with molam Wichian.

Country seeks to ease Indonesia's limitsMr Jurin, right, explained during talks with Mr Rachmat that Thai longan exports to Indonesia have seen some difficulties over the past 3-4 years. The longan imports must also be approved by Indonesia's ministries of agriculture and trade. Thailand and Indonesia have agreed to the JTC since 2011 but have never held the JTC meeting. Thailand sold a total of 925,000 tonnes of rice under G2G contracts to Indonesia under the previous agreement from 2012-16. Meanwhile, according to Mr Jurin, the Indonesian ambassador also asked Thailand to help raise imports of fresh shrimp and investment in Indonesia, especially in the tourism sector.

Fitch says SCB rejig in line with trendSiam Commercial Bank's (SCB) reorganisation reflects the industry's rising complexity. The group restructuring announced by SCB on Sept 22 is in line with the trend for Thai banks to become more complex financial groups, Fitch Ratings says. SCB plans to set up a holding company that will own the group's operating entities, including SCB. "We expect more details to emerge on capital planning for the holding company, SCB and the other subsidiaries. There is to be a one-off 70 billion baht dividend from SCB to the holding company for business and asset transfers and new investment."

(Royal Thai Police photo)Fifteen police stations nationwide are participating in a project that combines technology and people-centric approaches in the fight against street crime. National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk said that police need to rethink ways of suppressing crime. Such knowledge improves work efficiency in what Pol Gen Suwat described as a constantly changing social environment. The SSZ 4.0 project combines the use of hardware installed in a special control centre with technical equipment such as smart cameras, instant crime alert equipment and a drone for crime tracking. "People must be able to walk on the streets feeling safe and secure," Pol Gen Suwat said.

Pornprom SatrabhayaSeven people will be prosecuted for allegedly accepting payments in exchange for an earlier slot in the state's free Covid-19 vaccination programme. Two of the suspects were brought to appear at a press conference following a crime reenactment attended by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Bang Sue Grand Station. According to police, Ms Pakamon said she would key in the names of relatives. Sriluck Ubonnuea, deputy director of Bang Sue Grand Station, then filed a complaint with the police against the gang for obtaining profits from the vaccine. While Ms Pakamon, Mr Wichayapong and four of their accomplices have been caught, one person remains at large.

Thailand's 'Next Normal' vision at UNPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks in a pre-recorded video during the United Nations General Assembly via live stream in New York, US, on Saturday. Key issues such as fighting the global pandemic, climate change, sustainable development, peace and security, which are frequently lost in public debates at home, were discussed. In this connection, the archaic Communicable Diseases Act would be modified to be in closer alignment with the International Health Regulations (IHR) further promoting global health security. December 2021 will mark the 75th Anniversary of Thailand's membership of the United Nations. Furthermore, as a development partner of the United Nations, Thailand is hosting the headquarters of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) and over 40 UN offices.

Ministry touts benefits of national shipping lineThe Ministry of Transport is planning to open a national shipping line by June next year, in a bid to reduce reliance on foreign ships and promote the export and import sector. Yesterday, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob revealed that the Port Authority of Thailand has been instructed to launch a feasibility study on a national shipping line by next month. Mr Saksayam said if all goes according to plan, the national shipping line will launch in June next year. Mr Saksayam said that the Marine Department has been instructed to work with the PAT to set-up the shipping line, which will help boost the nation's export and import capacity and bring down shipping costs. The East Co Ltd will handle regional shipping to Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Japan and eastern China.

Nobody was willing to say the word "China" out loud, but "containing" China is just as much the focus of the Quad as "containing" the Soviet Union was when the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) was founded 72 years ago. And like the Nato countries then, today's Quad members collectively outnumber, outgun and surround their adversary. All the Quad members except Japan still have growing and relatively young populations, whereas China's population is rapidly ageing and predicted to start falling fast by 2030. In terms of serious naval hardware, China has one-sixth of the tonnage of the Quad navies, including only two aircraft carriers to 15 for the Quad and 12 nuclear-powered submarines to 69. The United States has been the world's paramount power for the past 75 years, and China is a challenger with its own sense of manifest destiny.

Revamp steps up competitionThe restructuring of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) may heighten competition in the lending businesses and cause competitors to expand at a lower rate than expected, said analysts from KTBST Securities. According to KTBST, the revamp will allow SCB to step up as one of the major players in the lending industry and intensify competition among lenders. SCB X's soon-to-be lending subsidiary companies have grown exponentially over the past few years, driven by faster operations after they were separated from SCB which faces tighter regulations from the Bank of Thailand. After all subsidiaries have moved under SCB X, these companies will have more borrowing capacity to expand businesses that will allow them to lend more with competitive interest rates. Alpha X, which has been established as a joint venture with Millennium Group Corporation for leasing loans for supercar and big bikes, will affect Ratchthani Leasing (THANI).

Deliveries to see bright last quarterA food delivery driver prepares to make a delivery along Bangkok's Khao San Road. Pornprom SatrabhayaThe online food delivery segment is expected to be robust in the final quarter, driven by the platforms' participation in the government's Khon La Khrueng (half-half) co-payment scheme. "We hope that this co-payment scheme will help boost sales for restaurants, as well as boosting consumer spending even more for last quarter," he said. "We saw more merchant partners join GrabFood, with over 200,000 merchant partners which resulted in more transactions on the platform," Mr Osorio said. The number of food delivery orders is expected to reach 120 million this year, three times that of 2019.

They also said Thailand should learn from developed countries, where pornography is tolerated and regulated, instead of suppressed. One 40-year-old OnlyFans model said while he was worried about getting arrested for producing adult content, he wouldn't deactivate his account out of respect for his followers, who had paid good money to see him perform. "It would be disrespectful to my viewers, like I'm a scammer taking people's money without giving them what they had paid for," he said. Furthermore, he said, viewers have to pay to access OnlyFans, which limits any content posted to a small circle of paying subscribers. "This means authorities can arrest at their discretion, which could be informed by personal biases," he said.