Kratom bill passes House
Kratom bill passes HouseThe House of Representatives yesterday approved a bill to regulate the sale and planting of kratom after it has been removed from the list of narcotic plants. The MPs voted 281 to zero with one abstention to pass the bill after the legislation was vetted by a House scrutiny committee. The bill dictates measures to regulate the imports and exports of kratom. The minister added the regeneration, planting and sale of kratom is permissible in most cases, although certain restrictions apply, which are listed in the bill. As a result, it has added a clause in the bill restricting the sale, advertising and consumption of kratom for those groups.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 08, 2021 23:37 UTC
Mixed opinions on state's October reopening plan
Mixed opinions on state's October reopening planBoonchai: Threat to 'good image'Boonchai Chokwatana, chairman of Saha Pathanapibul Plc, one of the country's leading consumer goods companies, has called on the government to reconsider its plan to fully reopen the country in October because of a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Mr Boonchai said Thailand also risks losing its "good image" if there are reports of a surge in new infections. Therefore, we must go above and beyond to safeguard the programme and ensure its success,'' Mr Heinecke said. According to Mr Heinecke, 100% of residents of Phuket have to receive vaccinations urgently. Mr Heinecke also requested support from the government for the ailing hospitality industry.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 08, 2021 23:37 UTC
Taking a stand for clean air
(Photos courtesy of WarinLabContemporary)Chiang Mai artist Thaiwijit Puengkasemsomboon has to stay inside his house during summer due to the air pollution caused by PM2.5. If previous generations had preserved natural resources for us, we probably would not encounter PM2.5 pollution today. Thus, air pollution did not reduce. The painting series, Stop Burning, Real Fine, Real Arrest, satirises a campaign against agricultural burning in Chiang Mai. "The PM2.5 pollution is a complicated issue that cannot be solved by only one person or even one group of people.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 08, 2021 00:00 UTC
Light expo set to be held online
(Photo courtesy of Impact Exhibition Management)"LED Expo Thailand + Smartech Asean Online Networking & Knowledge Week", an online platform for the smart lighting industry and market, will take place from Sept 14-17. Held under the theme "Connected Lighting For Sustainable Life", the digital edition will focus on key segments such as "Energy Efficiency by Digitalization & Technology", "Smart, IoT & Connectivity", "Health & Wellbeing" and "Sustainability & Environment". The first is two days of online industry conferences and webinars featuring many topics in market trends. The last two days are reserved for one-to-one online business matching sessions where international sellers will have the opportunity to meet and demonstrate their products and solutions to pre-qualified buyers. Lined up with sellers from leading companies that can be interacted on the online platform will be Telensa Limited, Jumbo Electronics, Precise Electric Manufacturing, Beamever, Easson Energy (Thailand), Shenzhen ENM Electronic Technology, Zhejiang Fonda Technology, and Shenzhen Ishinelux Technology.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:48 UTC
'Shang-Chi,' with an Asian lead, sets a N.America box office record
LOS ANGELES: The North American box office got a big boost as Disney's new "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," featuring Marvel's first leading Asian superhero, scored an unexpectedly strong $75.4 million opening, industry observer Exhibitor Relations said Tuesday. "Shang-Chi" stars Canadian actor, stuntman and erstwhile Deloitte accountant Simu Liu as Marvel's newest superhero, a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father. In third place this weekend was "Free Guy" from 20th Century, at $8.9 million ($11.2 million for four days). Disney's family adventure film "Jungle Cruise" came in fourth, at $4 million ($5.1 million for four days). And in fifth was Paramount animation "PAW Patrol: The Movie," also with a take of $4 million ($5.3 million for four days).
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:48 UTC
Bursting the bubble wrap
One of these products is made of water hyacinth and the other is of dried banana midribs. The idea to use water hyacinth stalks as packaging filler came to her two years ago when she started selling handmade macrame products online. Each group had their own method but we wrapped our egg with many layers of dried hyacinth stalks. At present, Chva can produce up to 1,000kg of dried hyacinth box filler per month. DRY BANANA MIDRIBS FROM SUKHOTHAIThe northern province of Sukhothai features one of the largest banana plantations in the country.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:48 UTC
'Back to the future' phone
If you are considering buying a Samsung phone, there is plenty of choice from the top line S21 Ultra to the Z Flip 3. So there is no need to worry that the phone will not run smoothly regardless of which app you throw at it. Don't game on this phone too much though because there is one sacrifice the phone has to make to be this compact and that is the battery. Moreover, Samsung has also released another foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, which is geared towards people that need to multitask on-the-go, but that's for another review. For people who are looking for a colourful phone which folds in half and want to stand out from the crowd of rectangular slabs, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will not disappoint.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:48 UTC
Don't break up social media, bifurcate it
Don't break up social media, bifurcate itAfter being celebrated for playing a central role in the Arab Spring, social-media platforms are now blamed for any outcome that traditional media outlets dislike. Growing disenchantment with social media has led to growing demands for regulation. While the printing press broke a monopoly, social media infringed on a cosy oligopoly. Before social media, everybody was free to speak, but not everybody had the right to a megaphone. Elected representatives who are reliant on social media to win re-election are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:37 UTC
IRPC signs ultra clean fuel deals
IRPC signs ultra clean fuel dealsMr Chawalit (top left) at the virtual contract signing ceremony for Ultra Clean Fuel Project. IRPC Plc, the petrochemical arm of PTT Group, is gaining momentum in its 13-billion-baht Ultra Clean Fuel project (UCF) to produce oil that meets the Euro 5 emission standard, with technical support from Chinese and South Korean companies. IRPC also signed contracts with Wison Engineering Co and Wison Energy (Thailand) Co, China's engineering service providers, for engineering, procurement and construction of a hydrogen manufacturing unit. IRPC also signed an agreement with Foster Wheeler Co (Thailand) to be its project management consultant. The upgraded oil refinery facilities are scheduled to operate from January 2024, with production capacity of 75,000 barrels per day.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 23:37 UTC
Exports seen up 10-12% this year
Exports seen up 10-12% this year - shippersThailand's exports are expected to rise 10-12% this year as the global economy recovers, but the country's coronavirus outbreak remains a negative factor, the National Shippers' Council said on Tuesday. In the third quarter, exports, a rare bright spot in the economy, are forecast to increase 8-10% from a year earlier, the group told a briefing.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 04:18 UTC
Vietnam jails man for five years for spreading Covid
Vietnam jails man for five years for spreading CovidA Vietnamese man has been sentenced to five years in jail for spreading Covid-19 after he breached home quarantine rules. Le Van Tri was convicted of "spreading dangerous infectious diseases to other people" after he travelled to his home province Ca Mau from coronavirus hotspot Ho Chi Minh City in July, according to a report on the website of the provincial People's Court. "Tri's breach of the home medical quarantine regulation led to many people becoming infected with Covid-19 and one person died on 7 August 2021," according to the court report. The vast majority of infections and deaths have been reported since the end of April, and Vietnam's capital Hanoi and commercial hub Ho Chi Minh city have been in strict lockdown for most of the past few months. Several people have been sentenced for spreading Covid-19 to others in Vietnam.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 04:18 UTC
Djokovic tries to put the "Hammer" down in Slam quest
Djokovic tries to put the "Hammer" down in Slam questSerbia's Novak Djokovic reached the US Open quarter-finals and needs only three more wins to complete the first men's singles calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 yearsNEW YORK - Novak Djokovic warns his Grand Slam quest faces a tough challenge from Italian sixth seed Marco Berrettini in the US Open quarter-finals as they meet in a third consecutive Slam. The 34-year-old Serbian advanced within three matches of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years on Monday by fending off 99th-ranked American Jenson Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. "If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he's tough. "We're going to play the third Grand Slam in a row against each other," he said. I mean, it has been now 16 years since my first center court Grand Slam match.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 04:18 UTC
S. Korea successfully launches homegrown SLBM: report
S. Korea successfully launches homegrown SLBM: reportSouth Korea has joined only a handful of countries to have successfully developed a submarine-launched ballistic missile. SEOUL - South Korea has test-fired a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile, a report said Tuesday, as it seeks to build up its forces to defend itself from the nuclear-armed North. Pyongyang has long sought to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, and showed off four such devices at a military parade overseen by leader Kim Jong Un in January, with state media KCNA calling them "the world's most powerful weapon". But while North Korea has released pictures of underwater launches, most recently in 2019, analysts believe that was from a fixed platform or submersible barge, rather than a submarine. South Korea joins only a handful of countries to have successfully developed an SLBM.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 03:56 UTC
Afghan art activist defiant as Taliban erase Kabul murals
Afghan art activist defiant as Taliban erase Kabul muralsWithin weeks of capturing Kabul, the Taliban have started replacing many of the city's murals with propaganda slogansSEOUL - Afghan activist Omaid Sharifi's art collective spent seven years transforming stretches of Kabul's labyrinthine concrete blast walls with colourful murals -- then the Taliban marched in. - 'Everybody was running' -Sharifi co-founded ArtLords in 2014, using art to campaign for peace, social justice and accountability. The prolific group often shamed the powerful in Afghanistan with street art, including warlords and allegedly corrupt government officials. Their murals honoured Afghan heroes, called for dialogue instead of violence, and demanded rights for women. Sharifi told AFP he "vividly remembers" the public punishments at a football stadium in Kabul, including beheadings and amputations for various crimes.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 03:45 UTC
Climate change fuelling surge in property insurance: Swiss Re
Climate change fuelling surge in property insurance: Swiss ReActs of God? Climate change will drive demand for protection against rising seas and extreme weather events, says Swiss ReZURICH - Climate change will help propel a threefold surge in property insurance premiums over the coming two decades, according to a study published on Monday by Swiss Re. Swiss Re, which provides insurance for other insurance companies, set out to forecast the major trends driving the sector until 2040. Property premiums stood at around $450 billion in 2020. Motor insurance premiums are expected to double to around $1.4 trillion, from $766 billion in 2020.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 07, 2021 03:16 UTC