Tourists visit a walking street in the Old Town zone of Phuket. Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, director of the TAT's Phuket Office, said on Tuesday that hotel rooms in Phuket used to be 75% booked before the pandemic. Furthermore, she said more than 200,000 foreign tourists had visited Phuket with the launch of the Sandbox scheme from July to December last year. The island has earned 26.5 billion baht from tourist spending, of which 14.4 billion baht came from Thais, indicating an increase in the number of domestic tourists lately, she said. Phuket is the most popular province for tourists in the South, according to Ms Nanthasiri.

Indonesia will use Covid tracking app to sell cheap cooking oilA worker fills jerrycans with cooking oil at a distribution station in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 20, 2022. (Reuters)Indonesia will make use of its Covid-19 tracking app to distribute cheap cooking oil as the government takes steps to ensure its subsidies reach their target. “People’s IDs are verified on PeduliLindungi, so people can scan QR codes and the app will show green -- meaning you can buy cooking oil -- or red if you’ve met your quota,” he said on Tuesday. Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm producer, has pushed for better distribution of cheap cooking oil to temper local prices and keep it exporting edible oils. President Joko Widodo sent the market whipsawing when he announced a ban on all cooking oil shipments in April due to a local shortage, only to revoke it weeks later.

- 'Incredible' creatures -Until the middle of the 19th century, scientists believed that life was impossible beyond a few hundred metres. From the abyssal plains to the cavernous trenches plunging deeper than Everest is high, aquatic existence continues in spectacular diversity. "When people think of the deep sea they often think of the seafloor," said Karen Osborn of the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. "I don't think we're going to find a megalodon," said Osborn, referring to the giant ancestor of the shark. Nadine Le Bris said species that "already live at the limits in terms of oxygen or temperature", are already "disturbed".

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The FTI said that in the first five months of 2022, 1,567 battery electric vehicles (BEV) were registered in May, increasing 189.65 per cent year on year (YoY), while 5,702 BEVs were registered in the first five months of 2022, up 156.15 per cent YoY. There were 5,362 newly registered hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in May, increasing by 67.77 per cent YoY, while 27,093 HEVs were registered in the first five months of 2022, up 46.8 per cent YoY. In addition, 1,056 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were registered in May, increasing by 50 per cent YoY, and 4,862 were registered in the first five months of 2022, increasing by 55.09 per cent YoY.

“If we wait for the bill to be enacted, the decriminalisation of ganja usage without a law to regulate will have a severe impact on society,” Somchai said. He backed his concerns by citing a recent report from the Royal College of Paediatricians, which said that six children between the ages of three and 17 had been treated for badly reacting to cannabis-spiked cookies. He said the children ate the cookies without knowing they carried cannabis because there was no warning label in the packet.

Ratch raises B25bn for expansion in rights issueRatch Group Plc, Thailand's largest private power generation company by capacity, has raised 25 billion baht in a rights issue to expand its business and support its loan payment plans. Choosri Kietkajornkul, chief executive of Ratch, said the funds will increase the company's capital expenditure for power generation and infrastructure projects in Thailand and overseas. Up to 80% of capital spending is allocated for the power business, while 20% will go to infrastructure development, said Ms Choosri. The company signed a power purchase agreement with PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara, Indonesia's state electricity company. The company aims to increase electricity generation capacity to 215MW, up from 185MW, and steam production to 45 tonnes per hour, from 40 tonnes per hour, at this facility.

Cannabis bill vetting to be done by AugustBhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut, chairman of a House committee scrutinising the cannabis and hemp bill, said the committee should finish work on the bill by August. The committee has no intention of delaying the bill, Mr Supachai said. "This shows that the bill does not benefit major businesses," Mr Parnthep said while also defending the benefits of cannabis. Mr Parnthep further said the committee vetting the bill comprises representatives from the government, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, lawyers, academics and the civil sector. Some have supported the use of cannabis for recreational purposes, he said, adding that the committee will gather public opinions to improve the bill.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,511,777 – 4,458,416 of whom have recovered, 22,786 are still in hospitals and 30,575 have died. Separately, another 8,376 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 17,767 their second shot and 42,272 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 139,422,838. According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 548.25 million on Saturday, 523.22 million of whom have recovered, 18.68 million are active cases (36,235 in severe condition) and 6.35 million have died (up by 1,421). Thailand ranks 26th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 88.71 million, followed by India with 43.38 million, Brazil with 32.03 million, France with 30.51 million and Germany with 27.68 million.

Phayahong is first Thai woman K-1 championPhayahong Ayothayafightgym wins the 45-kilogramme division at the K-1 World Grand Prix, a renowned kickboxing tournament, in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday. (Photo: Ayothaya Fight Gym)Buri Ram boxer Phayahong Ayothayafightgym is the first Thai woman to win a K-1 kickboxing championship, taking the title in the 45-kilogramme division at the K-1 World Grand Prix at Yoyoki National Gymnasium in Tokyo on Saturday. After a four-round fight, Phayahong was declared winner, beating Sukawara Miyu of Japan with a score of 2-1. Her Thai predecessors who won K-1 championship titles were all men - Buakaw Banchamek, Kaew Viriyalekgym and Kongnapa Viriyalekgym. Phayahong is a former student of Nakhon Ratchasima Sports School and began boxing at the age of 9 years.

However, the COJ clarified that it never sends court orders demanding transfer of payment. “If a court order is sent to you with instructions to transfer money to a bank account, for whatever reason, do not believe it,” said the COJ statement. It warned that scammers are also trying to trick people via other methods, from phone calls to messaging. The court also advised people to be cautious of Facebook messages from friends, pointing out their accounts may have been hacked to steal their personal or financial data. Hence it was best to check by calling first.

The economic recovery in the first half was tepid, but the tourism industry is touted by some as a key growth engine once international visitors are able to travel freely once again. The tourism industry is seen as the key engine after international tourists could travel freely like in the past. Varuth HirunyathebBYPASSING THE MAINLANDThe number of international arrivals in May, after the Test & Go and Sandbox schemes were removed, was 476,171. He said this target is achievable if 1 million tourists arrive each month in the third quarter, before ramping up to 3 million tourists per month in the final quarter. "The council is not worried about the new subvariants as long as the country remains open," said Mr Chamnan.

Maserati looks to the heavens with new convertibleMaserati MC20 Cielo. MASERATIMaserati has unveiled its MC20 Cielo, the retractable hardtop version of the Italian company's MC20 supercar. The model name, Cielo, is the Italian word for sky, which emphasises the beauty of driving a convertible. Multimedia and Maserati Connect can be used to control a range of purposes, including all of the Maserati Intelligent Assistant's features. Options include an automatic emergency speed reduction system, a traffic sign recognition system and a new camera that can see in all directions.

Goyal said India was working actively with different countries to finalise free-trade agreements, which will give zero-duty access for the Indian textile sector in the world market, our New Delhi correspondent reports. Goyal advised all stakeholders in the value chain to strive hard, stand united and thereby become the largest manufacturing country in the world. He said that from farm to fabric, fabric to finished products, finished products to fashion products and then finally to foreign products, India has a major share in the entire value chain. The commerce minister said India has already finalised two FTAs with Australia and the UAE and was negotiating with the UK, Canada and EU. We want to capture the world market," Goyal said.

Wimbledon struggles to avoid shadow of Russia banCentre Court to the front line for Sergiy Stakhovsky. LONDON: It's been nine years since Sergiy Stakhovsky stunned Roger Federer at Wimbledon in a Centre Court seismic shock. When Wimbledon announced its ban, the two tours retaliated by stripping the tournament of ranking points. "I don't think it was a good idea to ban the Russian players. Despite the official ban, there are still plenty of Russian-born players taking part at Wimbledon.