Future food sector is growing in 2022, but not without challenges
Kasikorn Research Centre recently lowered its 2022 growth forecast for future food – non-meat protein products made from plants, algae, nuts, insects and fungi – from 7 per cent to 5.1 per cent year on year, with total market value at 4.1 billion baht. “Although alternative protein or future food is enjoying market expansion fuelled by eco- and health-conscious consumers and increasing sales channels, its expansion is still limited, especially among consumers with low to medium income who are suffering from reduced purchasing power,” KResearch said. The centre said the current economic climate would make it harder for future-food manufacturers to expand their customer base and increase sales. “Food products are responsible for 36 per cent of Thai household expenditure and are therefore affected by the economic crisis in which the cost of living and inflation are rising, while people’s purchasing power is weakening,” KResearch said.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 23, 2022 10:25 UTC
Evergrande ousts top two executives
(AFP Photo)BEIJING: The embattled Chinese real estate giant Evergrande has ousted its CEO and chief financial officer after an internal investigation into why banks seized over US$2 billion from its property services arm. The executives were forced to step down on Friday following an internal investigation into why banks unexpectedly seized 13.4 billion yuan ($2 billion) in deposits from Evergrande Property Services. Once a leading light in China’s real estate sector, Evergrande has in recent months scrambled to offload assets, with chairman Hui Ka Yan paying off some of its debts using his own personal wealth. Evergrande’s woes have had knock-on effects throughout China’s property sector, with some smaller firms also defaulting on loans and others struggling to find enough cash. Long heavily dependent on loans to finance their massive developments, China’s real estate firms have found themselves in trouble as a push by Beijing to rein in indebtedness has cut cash flows.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2022 10:24 UTC
Modi defends citizenship decision
Modi raised slogan of ‘vividhta me ekta, Bharat ki visheshta’ (Unity in diversity is India’s speciality). “We have never asked anyone if he goes to temple or mosque when it comes to implementing our schemes,” said PM Modi at the rally. With the Delhi elections in mind, rally was organized a little over a kilometre from Old Delhi’s Daryaganj that was hit by violence during protest. This is the first rally of PM Modi in the national capital after the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, the protests erupted against the amended Citizenship law at many places in the country including Delhi.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 23, 2022 04:30 UTC
Opposition loses censure debate
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob: 262 yes, 205 no, 5 abstainDigital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn: 249 yes, 205 no, 18 abstainSocial Development and Human Security Minister Juti Krairiksh: 244 yes, 209 no, 17 abstainLabour Minister Suchart Chomklin: 243 yes, 208 no, 20 abstainFinance Deputy Minister Santi Promphat: 249 yes, 204 no, 18 abstainInterior Deputy Minister Nipon Bunyamanee: 246 yes, 206 no, 20 abstain
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 23, 2022 04:15 UTC
Prayut, 10 other cabinet ministers survive no-confidence vote
Prayut, 10 other cabinet ministers survive no-confidence votePrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha walks out of the parliament chamber after defending budget for the Defence Ministry on Friday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and 10 other cabinet ministers won a vote of confidence on Saturday after they were targeted by the opposition during the three-day debate. Gen Prayut secured 256 votes of confidence against 206 votes of no confidence with nine abstentions. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon received the highest votes of 268, and Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit garnered the lowest of 241 votes. Gen Prayut on Friday denied speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the censure debate.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2022 03:50 UTC
BoT says growth might exceed 3% in second quarter
The central bank forecasts the figure could surge to 9.9% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022, said Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput. The figure is expected to increase to 10.3% in the second quarter this year. Farm income, excluding state assistance schemes, is expected increase 16.7% in the second quarter from 6.6% in the first. "If foreign tourist arrivals exceed the forecast, the economic growth rate could be higher than our assessment," Mr Sethaput said. For 2023, the bank projects the inflation rate to be 4.1% in the first quarter, 2.5% in the second quarter, then decline to 1.7% in both the third and fourth quarters.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2022 23:45 UTC
Ukraine and Russia sign landmark grain deal
(Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters)ISTANBUL: Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed a landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkey on resuming grain shipments that could ease a global food crisis in which millions face hunger. The agreement is going ahead even as Russian forces launch deadly artillery barrages over eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has accused Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, of stealing grain from territories that Russia’s army has seized. Despite hopes for a breakthrough, Russian forces pursued a relentless shelling campaign in the eastern Donetsk region, which has been the focus of Russia’s campaign in recent months. In the south, Ukraine said Russian forces were shelling villages along the frontline in the Kherson area, where Kyiv’s army is trying to claw back Moscow-occupied territory.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2022 15:22 UTC
NBTC subcommittees vote against True-DTAC merger
The four subcommittees voted 3-1 to oppose the merger plan, an informed source disclosed on Friday. However, they were afraid that their resolution might be distorted in a report submitted to the NBTC executive board, which could result in the proposed merger getting the green light, according to the source. The panels of consumer protection and civil rights, economics, and technology voted against approving the merger, while the law panel voted for it, the source said. The three panels argued that the merger would have a negative impact on the telecom market and deprive consumers of choices, which could result in pricier service fees.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 22, 2022 11:50 UTC
Sri Lanka troops demolish main protest camp
Sri Lanka troops demolish main protest campPolice special task force personnel stand guard as demonstrators take part in a protest march against Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe towards the Presidential secretariat office in Colombo on Friday. (AFP photo)COLOMBO: Sri Lankan security forces demolished the main anti-government protest camp in the capital Friday, evicting activists in a pre-dawn assault that raised international concern for dissent under the crisis-wracked country's new pro-Western president. By sunrise, police commandos and soldiers barricaded the complex and the main roads leading to the area were cordoned off. The European Union said freedom of expression was essential for Sri Lanka to transition from its chaos. Political rivalA foreign exchange crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and exacerbated by mismanagement has left Sri Lanka suffering lengthy power blackouts and record-high inflation.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2022 11:25 UTC
Indian tourists a godsend to Phuket
Somyot Pathan, president of the Phuket Old Town Tourism Community Enterprise, said the Sino-Portuguese architecture was particularly popular among Indian travellers. He said many, especially the younger set, showed up to take photographs and pick up souvenirs. “The province will do well to understand the travel behaviour of Indian tourists,” he said.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 22, 2022 10:53 UTC
AI-based, real-time multilingual translations available
In about three seconds, I received the latter voice message in English. VoiceTra was developed by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), which is under the supervision of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. As Japan is receiving more and more foreign visitors and workers, NICT has been developing multilingual translation technologies in earnest since 2014. Google’s innovationTechnology for machine translation emerged in the 1950s. Around the 1990s, a technology called “statistical machine translation” emerged.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
July 22, 2022 07:31 UTC
A broken love
Published byThe Bangkok PostNetflix’s adaption of Jane Austen’s classic Persuasion is a well-shot clumsy rom-com published : 22 Jul 2022 at 04:00 newspaper section: [Life](http://search.bangkokpost.com/search/result_advanced?category=news&xNewsSection=Life) Jane Austen, regarded as one of the first rom-com authors, has had another classic adapted for the big screen again in Persuasion, a new period drama starring Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades Of Grey) as an 1800s woman with modern sensibilities who has a second chance to reconnect with the love of her life she once let get away. From its look and feel, Persuasion may remi…Read More
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2022 01:42 UTC
Chadchart takes flak for freak floods in city
Chadchart takes flak for freak floods in cityVehicles struggle amid swamped streets in Bangkok after Wednesday's heavy downpours. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)The heavy downpours on Wednesday night that crippled much of Bangkok have unleashed a torrent of criticism and counter-criticism of Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt's ability to fight the city's flooding problems. Many of the city's roads were swamped after heavy rain that lasted for several hours. The floods sent social media abuzz with comments both criticising and defending Mr Chadchart over his handling of the situation. Observers warned Mr Chadchart that the floods could chip away at his popularity if the problem was not seen to be promptly or sufficiently contained.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2022 23:19 UTC
Govt defends power plan
Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow has defended the government's power development plan, saying it does not just benefit energy businesses as alleged by the opposition. The opposition further said that the electricity production capacity, if maintained at an excessively high level, will result in a greater financial burden for consumers. Mr Supattanapong insisted the figures used by the ministry to calculate the power production capacity are correct and differ from those provided by the opposition. "Currently, the total electricity production capacity is more than 50,000 megawatts, which may sound huge. Under the new power development plan for 2022, production capacity has been reduced by more than 3,000 megawatts, he said, adding that demand for power is also expected to increase for electric vehicles in the future.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2022 23:07 UTC
Security forces dismantle Sri Lanka's main protest camp
Security forces dismantle Sri Lanka's main protest campMembers of Sri Lankan security forces remove a barricade blocking the main gate of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on July 22, 2022. COLOMBO - Sri Lankan security forces raided the main anti-government protest camp in the capital Colombo early Friday, dismantling it and evicting activists gathered outside the president's office. Hundreds of soldiers removed barricades set up by protesters blocking the main gate of the Presidential Secretariat, which demonstrators had partly overrun earlier this month. Security forces used loud hailers asking a few hundred protesters to pull back and confine themselves to a designated protest site near the secretariat. Several activists were seized by troops who smashed tents set up along the main road leading to the presidential office.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2022 21:48 UTC