Palang Pracharath Party MP Sira Jenjaka in parliament during the censure debate on Feb 19, 2021. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)Government MP Sira Jenjaka, Palang Pracharath member for Bangkok's constituency 4, lost his seat when the Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled him unsuited for the House of Representatives because he had been convicted of fraud in a criminal case. The court accepted the petition for consideration under Section 88 of the constitution, but rejected a request at the time to suspend Mr Sira from the House. The petition said Mr Sira was convicted of fraud by Pathumwan District Court in 1995. On Wednesday, the court ruled that Mr Sira was unqualified to serve as an MP, citing Section 98 (10) of the constitution which prohibits a person convicted in a criminal case from standing for election to the House of Representatives.

HO CHI MINH CITY: When billionaire singer Rihanna posed for an ad campaign by luxury shoemaker Manolo Blahnik, she also made a star out of the little-known Vietnamese designer who made the oversized white shirt she posed in. Designs by a Vietnamese designer, all Vietnamese production, being chosen and worn by Hollywood stars," he told AFP from his glamourous "Cong Tri" boutique in Ho Chi Minh City. He said: "It won't be too far in the future that Vietnam can stake its claim on the world fashion map." "When they were at home, they worked in the rice fields, taking care of their families," he said of the soldiers. Tran Hung, also based in Ho Chi Minh City, has shown off his designs at London Fashion Week, while rising star Tran Phuong My made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2019.

Pop superstar Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay-Z both made the shortlist for the best original song Oscar. LOS ANGELES: Beyonce, Jay-Z and Ariane Grande are all in the running for the best original song Oscar, but French shock-fest "Titane" did not make the shortlist for best foreign film, as the Academy unveiled its annual shortlists Tuesday ahead of the formal nominations. Fifteen contenders were unveiled for the international feature film Academy Award, from among 92 eligible movies. Denmark, which won the foreign film Oscar last year for "Another Round," again has a strong contender in the form of "Flee," which chronicles a gay Afghan refugee's perilous journey to Europe. The animated film was also included in the shortlist for best documentary, which was also unveiled Tuesday.

New court to deal with online fraudThe Office of the Judicial Administration Commission (OJAC) has established an online shopping division to cope with the rising numbers of online fraud cases. According to Digital Economy and Society figures, its hotline received about 2,000 complaints from consumers that related to online fraud each month. The popular channels of online scams are through Facebook and Instagram. To assist victims of online fraud and to protect the rights of consumers, the civil court said it needed to have an online shopping division to handle the glut of scams. Cases that are now pending in the consumer court when the online shopping court division is launched will not be moved into the new jurisdiction.

Govt to spend B35bn on Covid vaccinesA budget of 35 billion baht will be spent on purchasing 90 million doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, according deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek. A total of 35.06 billion baht will finance the vaccine purchase. It forms part of the 35.9 billion baht fund approved by the cabinet at its weekly meeting on Tuesday. The 35.9 billion baht fund will be tapped from the Covid-19 relief loan procured by the government under an executive decree. Of the planned vaccine orders, 30 million doses will be bought from Pfizer and 60 million doses from AstraZeneca, which make up the majority of vaccines available in Thailand.

Over 3 million jobs have been lost in the hospitality & tourism sector in Thailand since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2019. Recovery appears to be on the horizon for Thailand’s hospitality & tourism industry. Assuming virus recurrence, slow long-term growth, muted world recovery, and minimal changes to global tourism strategies, Thailand’s hospitality & tourism sector could potentially recover to pre-Covid levels by 2024. However, the US and UK they are having a large crisis finding people to re-enter the hospitality industry after the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, the UK's hospitality industry is experiencing rising worker shortages, with job vacancies at their highest levels since records began.

Rumours of a change to the 'Test & Go' scheme have tourism operators concerned. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Tourism operators are crying foul over a proposal to scrap the "Test & Go" scheme, as an immediate change would affect the international market during the high season. "Thai tourism operators don't want to start over again with a mandatory quarantine," said Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA). "Phuket is really confident about the safety of the entry process we set for the sandbox programme in July. However, if the country maintains the sandbox programme, the impact will not be as critical as quarantine measures.

"There will be no new approvals for the arrival schemes until the situation is reviewed on Jan 4," Gen Prayut said. With the suspension of Test & Go and Sandbox entry options, quarantine would be fully restored for arrivals, he said. The Test & Go entry scheme applies to visitors from specific countries, while the Sandbox scheme is open to all visitors from abroad. Dr Kiatiphum Wongrachit, permanent secretary for public health, said new registration for all Test & Go and Sandbox entries, except the Phuket Sandbox scheme, would be suspended from Dec 21 to Jan 4. Dr Kiatiphum said that the last group of previously approved arrivals via Test & Go and Sandbox would arrive on Jan 10.

Govt wants China in on key projectsThailand has invited China to enter into closer cooperation on the former's Motorway-Rail Map (MR Map) project and Southern Land Bridge scheme. The invitation was reportedly extended by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob through Han Zhiqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Thailand during their meeting yesterday. These two projects are also aimed at connecting Thailand with its neighbours in order to build new sustainable economic, trade and investment opportunities, said Mr Saksayam after yesterday's meeting. He said he had also discussed with the Chinese ambassador progress in the Thai-Chinese railway project, among other areas of cooperation between the two nations. As for the last part of the railway to stretch from Nong Khai to Vientiane, talks are being carried out between Thailand, Laos and China to complete development of the route.

Political paralysis, Covid surge: problems pile up for BidenUS President Joe Biden returns to the White House after spending the weekend in Wilmington, DelawareWASHINGTON - A defiant rejection of his massive social spending bill by a single US senator and a surge in Covid cases are imperiling Democrat Joe Biden just a year into his presidency. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to rally his demoralized troops, pledging to bring the bill -- the centerpiece of Biden's domestic agenda -- to the Senate floor. How they could do so without the crucial vote of the Democratic senator from West Virginia in an evenly divided Senate is not clear. Biden has attempted to impose vaccine mandates on private businesses and federal employees but has resorted in recent weeks to little more than publicly beseeching people to get their shots. He is to make a speech on Covid on Tuesday.

Test & Go entry may be suspended on Omicron concernsArriving visitors crowd Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday. The "Test and Go" entry programme is likely to be suspended, and quarantine reinstated, due to Omicron concerns. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The Public Health Ministry will recommend the suspension of the "Test and Go" convenient entry programme for fully vaccinated air travellers because of the escalating Omicron variant situation worldwide. He said Thailand had detected more than 80 Omicron cases to date. "Most Omicron cases detected were arrivals at Suvarnabhumi airport and they formed a quarter of the Covid-19 cases found there.

Rescued turtle had gut full of trashA young green turtle defecated almost a dozen of bits of plastic and trash from its tiny stomach after being rescued in a fishing net off the coast of Argentina. - REUTERSA young green turtle defecated almost a dozen of bits of plastic and trash from its tiny stomach after being rescued in a fishing net off the coast of Argentina. The turtle, about 35 centimeters long, expelled a total of 18 grams of plastic fragments ​such as nets, plastic caps, styrofoam, nylon, and cellophane, according to vets. "When the animal was isolated in these pools, we saw that it quickly began to eliminate a large amount of plastic waste in its feces. ​Despite the turtle releasing a large amount of waste, x-rays revealed a blockage of debris in the animal's intestines.

Govt aims for 4% growthFinance Minister Arkhom TermpittayapaisithThe government will work to achieve economic growth of 4% next year despite a lacklustre recovery in tourism, according to Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. The ministry and the Bank of Thailand will work closely to coordinate financial and fiscal policies to ramp up growth to 4% next year, Mr Arkhom told an economic seminar at Thammasat University on Sunday. This is despite the economy reporting 1.3% growth in the first nine months of this year. To offset the impact, the government has launched a raft of stimulus and relief measures financed by a combined 1.5 trillion baht in borrowing. Next year, the government is injecting into the economy an investment fund worth one trillion baht drawn mostly from the current fiscal year budget as well as from what is left of the 1.5 trillion baht loans.

State shipping company to fly 'hub' flagThe government plans to set up a national shipping line company to promote Thailand as a regional logistics hub for maritime trade. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed state agencies to study the possibility and cost-effectiveness of setting a shipping line company. The panel also inspected the transport of goods in the Gulf of Thailand at Chuk Samet port in Chon Buri, Mr Thanakorn said. The panel also stressed the need for state agencies to cooperate with the private sector to develop port infrastructure through automation, and improve legal regulations to support domestic marine shipping. Another aim is to improve the skills of commercial shipping personnel to push for Thailand to become a marine logistics hub, Mr Thanakorn said.

Country's representative has become one of the leading draws at World Expo 2020People watch a performance at the Thai Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. The World Expo 2020 was rescheduled after being postponed last year due to the pandemic, but the organisers maintained the original name for marketing and branding purposes. So far there have been 500,000 visitors, and the Thai Pavilion welcomed a good 10% of that," he said. The burgeoning medical tourism sector generated an impressive 5.4 billion baht prior to the pandemic. The agency said the country is submitting a bid to the Bureau International des Expositions in France to host a medical expo in 2028 in Phuket.