Thais willing to join talks on US Indo-Pacific regional pact
Thais willing to join talks on US Indo-Pacific regional pactUS President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One during his arrival at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Friday. He is expected to announce the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework during his visit to Japan, which came after the trip to South Korea. (Bloomberg photo)The government has asked the Foreign Ministry to announce Thailand's intention to join talks on the US' newly proposed multilateral trade agreement, known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). He said he told Ms Tai that the cabinet on Tuesday agreed on a statement on the IPEF which expressed the country's desire to join the talks. According to the statement, the document is not legally binding on Thailand, but it only serves to express the country's intention to join the talks.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 22, 2022 03:00 UTC
Boeing's Starliner space capsule launched on key test flight to orbit
The gumdrop-shaped CST-100 Starliner blasted off shortly before 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carried aloft atop an Atlas V rocket furnished by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA). If all goes as planned, the capsule will arrive at the space station in about 24 hours and dock with the research outpost orbiting some 250 miles (400 km) above Earth on Friday evening. The Boeing craft is to spend four to five days attached to the space station before undocking and flying back to Earth, with a parachute landing cushioned by airbags on the desert floor of White Sands, New Mexico. A successful mission will move the long-delayed Starliner a major step closer to providing NASA with a second reliable means of ferrying astronauts to and from the space station. Previously the only other option for reaching the orbital laboratory was by hitching rides aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 22, 2022 02:46 UTC
Ministry: Don't work in India on wrong visa
Ministry: Don't work in India on wrong visaThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned Thais who want to work in massage and spa businesses in India to apply for the right visa or they may encounter legal problems there. A warning posted on its website said several Thais working at massage and spa outlets opted to apply for a business visa, allowing them to stay in India longer than they could on a tourist visa. The ministry said doing so is illegal, and if caught workers will face charges of incorrect visa category or visa overstay. Before going to India for work, Thais should study immigration law and confirm their employment conditions. They also can contact the Employment Department of the Ministry of Labour for more information.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 22, 2022 02:36 UTC
Head of Vietnam stock exchange sacked
An electronic stock ticker displays share prices at the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange in Ho Chi Minh City. (Bloomberg File Photo)HANOI: Vietnam has fired the head of the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, the government said on Saturday, as the country intensifies a long-running crackdown on officials it accuses of graft. Tra’s dismissal follows that of State Securities Commission Chairman Tran Van Dung on Thursday for committing “serious wrongdoings”. The finance ministry on May 19 also took disciplinary action in the form of warnings against Vu Bang, former securities commission chairman; Nguyen Thanh Long, chairman of the members’ council of the Vietnam Stock Exchange; and Nguyen Son, chairman of the Vietnam Securities Depository. The regulator also put Hanoi-based Kenanga Vietnam Securities JS Corporation under special control between May 19 and Sept 18, it said without citing reasons.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 21, 2022 19:59 UTC
Ukraine warns only talks can end war
(AFP Photo)KYIV: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that only a diplomatic breakthrough rather than an outright military victory could end Russia's war on his country, as Moscow cut gas supplies to Finland. 'It will be bloody'Against this backdrop, Zelensky told Ukrainian television the war would end "through diplomacy". The conflict, he warned, "will be bloody, there will be fighting but will only definitively end through diplomacy". Russian energy giant Gazprom said it had halted supplies to neighbouring Finland as it had not received ruble payments from Finland's state-owned energy company Gasum by the end of Friday. Biden has cast the Ukraine war as part of a US-led struggle pitting democracy against authoritarianism.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 21, 2022 17:25 UTC
APEC trade ministers in Bangkok to discuss economic revival, FTAAP
This is the first time in two years that APEC trade ministers’ representatives and the APEC Business Advisory Council have come together in person. Jurin said the objective of this meeting was to provide trade ministers with an opportunity to discuss and formulate guidelines to drive trade and investment among APEC countries. He expects the outcome of this year’s trade ministers’ meeting to play a key role in determining the policy direction for revitalising and stimulating regional economic growth. It will also help member countries to be better prepared for similar crises in the future. The 21 APEC member countries are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 21, 2022 15:09 UTC
Kids in Thailand aged 6-11 will get half adult dose of Moderna
The Thailand Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Moderna vaccine in children aged 6-11 last week. Studies show that two doses of 50mg for children aged 6-11 are as effective against Covid-19 as two 100mg doses in adults aged 18-25, she added. She said Australia, Canada and European countries had already approved the use of Moderna vaccine in children aged six and over. As of Friday, Thailand had administered just over 136 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Of these, 56.563 million were first jabs, 52.108 million second jabs, and 27.391 million were boosters.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 21, 2022 08:40 UTC
A call for sustainable recovery effort in Asia-Pacific
A call for sustainable recovery effort in Asia-PacificWorkers load coal onto a truck at the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad in India's Jharkhand state last year. As we have seen, the pandemic exposed common fragilities of under-resourced and inadequate health, economic and social systems across the Asia-Pacific region. This demanded major overhauls within the limited capacities of Asia-Pacific nations who are still fighting against extreme poverty, to achieve sustainable development, and the existential threats due to climate change. I am confident that the recovery of the Asia-Pacific region lies in enhanced regional and multilateral cooperation. The Asia-Pacific region will be left behind without necessary digital transformations.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 21, 2022 07:32 UTC
PTT, SCG in green drive
PTT set an ambitious target to achieve a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption sooner than 2065, while SCG vowed to increase its proportion of eco-friendly products to 67%, up from 50% last year, by 2030. The companies gave updates on their green business plans during a two-day seminar entitled "Better Thailand Open Dialogue", which ended yesterday. PTT Exploration and Production Plc is also participating by using carbon capture and storage technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions for petroleum production in the Gulf of Thailand. Initiated in the 1990s, the first-phase programme can absorb 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and release 1.7 million tonnes of oxygen annually. SCG is also keen to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 21, 2022 04:29 UTC
Local firm to develop Nepal airport
Local firm to develop Nepal airportNepal has appointed local firm Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd to develop and install air navigation systems for Gautam Buddha Airport, the nation's second international airport. The company on Thursday said it is expected to supply, deliver, install and commission the airport's communication, navigation and surveillance and air traffic management systems, meteorological equipment plus other related goods and services to meet international standards. It said its engineering team has been setting up various flight and navigation systems at the airport, located in Nepal's Lumbini province. The company's involvement is being supported by the Foreign Ministry, it said.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 20, 2022 21:47 UTC
MEA launches power-saving contest to win electricity bill cuts
Residential users (types 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) who cut their electricity usage by at least 10 per cent in July and August from May will be rewarded with 3,000 MEA Points, which translates to a 300-baht cut in their power bill. Just increasing your air-conditioner setting by one degree Celsius can cut 5 per cent off a household electricity bill. Winners will be announced on August 31 and September 30 via SMS and at www.mea.or.thMeanwhile, registrants for the MEA Point programme will get 500 points instantly and another 500 points when they switch to electronic bills. Each timely bill payment is rewarded with 80 points (e-payment) and 50 points (traditional payment). Every 1,000 points brings a 100-baht discount on power bills.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 20, 2022 16:23 UTC
Health Ministry proposes ‘green-zone’ plan to lift restrictions
The move will add low-risk “green zones” to the current two-tier system of yellow zones (highest surveillance) and blue zones (tourism pilot provinces). Green-zone provinces (low surveillance) will be allowed to lift restrictions on public activities – likely including pubs and entertainment venues. The new zoning will be proposed at Friday’s meeting of Centre for Covid-19 Situation. The lifting of restrictions in green-zone provinces would be another step towards declaring Covid-19 endemic, which the government plans to do in July. Currently, 65 provinces are in the high-surveillance yellow zone while the remaining 12 are blue-zone tourism provinces.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 20, 2022 16:11 UTC
TV manufacturer eyes growth in Thai market
TV manufacturer eyes growth in Thai marketFrom left are Mr Nishioka, Mr Zhu and Mr Pongthep. According to Mr Zhu, the overall TV market in Thailand has reached saturation with an annual growth of only 3%. TVS REGZA Corporation, the operator of Toshiba TV, has resumed its active expansion in Thailand's 30-billion-baht television market, in an attempt to substantially raise its market share. According to Mr Zhu, the overall TV market in Thailand has reached saturation point with a growth of only 3% annually. Pongthep Sirisakulweroj, sales and marketing director of Toshiba TV Thailand, said Toshiba TV aims to achieve a market share of 10% in Thailand's TV market over the next five years, up from a 2% share in 2022.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 20, 2022 11:16 UTC
Grim reflections in the mirror of Ukraine crisis
It was the year 2014 when Western countries almost instantly recognised the coup d'état in Ukraine that launched the downward spiralling of further events out of control. What were the Western countries doing at that moment? Now I see attempts to accuse my country of "hitting Thailand", for food disruptions, global economic crisis, etc. It would not be a surprise if Western colleagues' similar articles about "hitting" other countries were published in relevant countries' media. We -- as well as Western colleagues -- can analyse public opinion in Thailand.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 20, 2022 11:12 UTC
Court accepts bankruptcy plea of Covid-hit Thai AirAsia X
The company filed its case with the court on Tuesday and the court resolved to accept the plea the following day. The court has scheduled hearings on August 22. The carrier’s creditors can submit their opposition to the plea at least three days before the hearings begin. Thai AirAsia X is a joint venture of Malaysia carrier AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia airline. Thai AirAsia X shareholder Tassapon Bijleveld, who is executive chairman of Thai AirAsia, said on Thursday that entering the business rehabilitation process is an option for the financially troubled airline to undergo financial restructuring.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 20, 2022 07:53 UTC