Pupils in hair-raising protest
Pupils in hair-raising protestA group of school students on Friday protested against teachers who continue to enforce rigid haircut requirements, despite new ministerial guidelines permitting them to have different hairstyles. The youngsters, who facetiously dub themselves the "Bad Student" group, lodged a petition calling for action against the teachers to Prasert Boonruang, permanent secretary of the Education Ministry. The Education Ministry in March issued a new rule permitting boys to have longer hair. "The buzz-cut and [other] extremely short hairstyles affect the feelings of students," the group said. The group demanded that the Education Ministry urge teachers not to violate the rights of students.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Witnesses in Banyin case may face perjury charges
Witnesses in Banyin case may face perjury chargesPolice are considering laying charges of giving false statements against some witnesses in a case related to a prison break plan involving former-deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn. Mr Woraphat on Thursday denied involvement in the alleged escape bid and insisted he was not a friend of Natthapol. Mr Woraphat said they met in prison during a visit and he had asked Natthapol about his father who was detained in the same section. Mr Woraphat, however, admitted to having communicated with Natthapol over the phone about general topics. According to Pol Col Anake, police agents learned Natthapol contacted Mr Woraphat after the former policeman was released on bail.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
'Care' already being taken for next poll
'Care' already being taken for next pollVeteran politician Phumtham Wechayachai, third right, is seen with key members of the newly formed group Care during the launch last month at Voice TV station. A case in point is Pheu Thai, which lost all its list MPs in last year's elections. The name likens the role of small parties to branches that support the main Pheu Thai Party in elections. Besides, there are reports that key politicians in Pheu Thai circles are also making a move. Apart from serving the "1,000-baht note" strategy, Care will help solve rifts within Pheu Thai.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Gulf to buy Vietnamese wind farms
Gulf says it will purchase onshore wind farms in Vietnam with a total capacity of 100 megawatts. SET-listed Gulf Energy Development Plc announced yesterday that it would purchase wind farms in Vietnam worth roughly US$200 million to take advantage of low interest rates as the firm seeks projects with a quick return on investment. The projects, located in Ia Grai district of Gia Lai province, will be held by wholly owned Gulf International Holding Pte (GIH) with a licence to develop and operate the wind farms. Gulf is looking at several more renewable energy projects to acquire in Asia and Europe. Meanwhile, Gulf plans to import its first LNG cargo of 65,000 tonnes by year-end to fuel gas-fired power plants after receiving a licence in May to operate LNG shipping through wholly owned Gulf LNG Co.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
B1.28bn payout for Suksapan staff
Thanaporn Somsri, a spokesman for the office, yesterday said the board has calculated compensation packages based on the current economic and social situation. The highest severance package to be paid is reportedly worth about four million baht and the lowest is worth about 500,000 baht. When combined with pensions worth about 861 million baht for some employees, the office would need more than 1.28 billion baht to compensate them. Suksapan will have to borrow money to compensate the workers to be laid off. With debts of 6.7 billion baht, some of the employees doubt the Education Ministry's publishing and sales arm would be able to pay the severance.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Locals pin hopes on travel bubble
Most Thais prefer the travel bubble scheme to have strict regulations for entry, but they would allow in more than 2,000 people a day because it would help revive the economy. The TAT and the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) released poll results yesterday from 3,000 local residents and tour operators in eight tourism provinces. A majority of locals (82.9%) agree with the principle of limited entry under a travel bubble scheme, while 87.2% of tour operators in those provinces agreeing with reopening with some restrictions. He said the Tourism Ministry and the TAT already talked with the Office of Insurance Commission about additional requirements for foreigners to buy Covid-19 insurance from insurance firms in Thailand. But the Tourism Ministry would like to lower the price to accommodate foreign tourists.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Treatment hopes for use of plasma
Treatment hopes for use of plasmaThe Public Health Ministry is leading a programme to collect plasma from people who have had Covid-19 for its research into potential ways to treat the infection. Dr Khanawat Chantralawan, adviser to the deputy public health minister, said the medical community was exploring every channel to curb transmission of the virus and plasma research offered potential. In late May, Songklanagarind Hospital successfully used plasma from a recovered Covid-19 patient to treat those with critical symptoms of the disease. Plasma from people who had recovered from Covid-19 may contain antibodies that their immune systems have produced in fighting the virus. Dr Khanawat said plasma research was divided into three phases, with results expected before the result of vaccine trials on humans, which are likely to begin at the end of the year.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
TV takes flak over tot case
TV takes flak over tot caseChild rights advocates on Friday called on the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to investigate two digital television channels over their coverage of the death of a three-year-old girl in Mukdahan's Dong Luang district. They pandered to superstition and went as far as presenting a medium and hinting at lottery numbers. All of this was unnecessary and irrelevant in news coverage," said Mr Natthapong. The two stations, which were unnamed by the activists, were covering the death of a toddler who disappeared from her home on May 11. Her body was found in a forest around 2km from her home on May 14.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Govt asked to sell Thai expertise
Govt asked to sell Thai expertiseThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the financial sector is urging the government to promote Thailand's medical industry and expertise in the Greater Mekong Subregion in the aftermath of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. "We touched on the idea of medical tourism and agreed that the coronavirus outbreak has fostered trust in our public health system," Ms Busaya said after meeting. The forum discussed the post-Covid-19 direction of economic diplomacy with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and China. Ms Busaya said the financial sector during the meeting urged the government to help speed up digitisation in the region and increase cross-border trade by promoting local currencies, removing customs excise and facilitating transportation. "During the recent Asean Summit, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha proposed the special travel arrangement [for Asean member states]," she said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 23:03 UTC
Government survives key test with B3.3tn budget vote
Government survives key test with B3.3tn budget votePrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attends the draft budget bill debate in Parliament on Thursday. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)The coalition government survived a key challenge on Friday when Parliament passed the first reading of a 3.3 trillion baht budget bill for the 2021 fiscal year, aimed at reviving an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic. A defeat would have forced Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's 20-party government to either resign or dissolve Parliament. The proposed budget projects a 3.1% rise in spending to 3.3 trillion baht for the fiscal year starting on Oct 1. The budget planners have assumed Southeast Asia's second-largest economy will shrink 5%-6% this year before growing 4-5% in 2021.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 22:18 UTC
Air France, Hop! to shed 7,580 jobs
Air France, Hop! PARIS: Air France management said Friday it planned to eliminate 7,580 jobs at the airline and its regional unit Hop! The planned job cuts amount to 16% of Air France's staff and 40 % of those at Hop! However, unions warn that Air France may resort to layoffs for the first time, if not enough staff agree to leave or move to other locations. They also include, she said, "salary curbs with a freeze on general and individual increases (outside seniority and promotions) for all in 2021 and 2022," including executives of Air France.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 21:45 UTC
Suicide attempts, fights aboard rescue boat carrying 180 migrants
Suicide attempts, fights aboard rescue boat carrying 180 migrantsIn limbo off LampedusaABOARD THE OCEAN VIKING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN - After suicide attempts, fights erupting on board, and migrants jumping into the sea, charity SOS Mediterranee launched an emergency alert on Friday, demanding to be allowed to immediately disembark at a safe port. Tensions have risen in the past week, as witnessed by an AFP reporter aboard the boat, as migrants have become increasingly desperate to reach land. A member of the crew, Ludovic, told AFP he had never witnessed such violence on board a rescue vessel, after a spate of fights between migrants and threats of suicide. Italy responded with the telephone number of a psychologist, SOS Mediterranee said. - No answer -At times, all the members of the SOS Mediterranee rescue team have been on deck in order to calm tense situations.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 20:15 UTC
Lockdown heroes: couriers get Moscow monument
Lockdown heroes: couriers get Moscow monumentHonouring the heroes of the Russian delivery revolutionMOSCOW - A group of Russian e-commerce companies said Friday they had erected a monument in Moscow thanking couriers for helping people through the coronavirus lockdown. The tribute comes after some delivery workers, many of whom are impoverished migrants from Central Asia, protested against conditions they said were unfair. In Moscow "there were more than 60,000 couriers working during the lockdown as demand for delivery services skyrocketed", they said. In a video posted on Telegram messenger, striking couriers in the Moscow satellite town of Khimki shouted: "We're not robots! Delivery Club said subsequently that it had dropped the increase in distance of deliveries and would not penalise those involved.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 18:00 UTC
UK, Indian firm salvage satellite operator Oneweb
UK, Indian firm salvage satellite operator OnewebThe deal is aimed at delivering Britain's "first UK sovereign space capability"LONDON - The UK government and Indian telecoms giant Bharti are to take control of the collapsed satellite firm Oneweb, they said Friday, as Britain seeks to expand its post-Brexit space capabilility. The deal is aimed at delivering Britain's "first UK sovereign space capability," the statement said. "The deal will support the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing, and exploitation of novel satellite technologies, whilst boosting UK manufacturing," the spokesman said. "It will also allow the UK to explore other potential strategic opportunities, working with our international allies." Oneweb added in a separate statement that the rescue deal would help it emerge from bankruptcy with a "robust foundation" to continue commercial operations.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 14:37 UTC
Britain eases quarantine as US under siege
Britain eases quarantine as US under siegeRio de Janeiro is reopening despite Brazil's surging coronavirus outbreak. LONDON: Britain on Friday announced the first exemptions from its quarantine rules as the coronavirus outbreak slowed in Europe, but excluded the United States as the pandemic accelerates in the United States and across the Americas. In Europe, countries are trying to safely revive a struggling tourism sector as the northern hemisphere summer gets underway. But the United States and Greece, another popular travel destination, will be designated with a red light, which requires 14 days of self-isolation. Indigenous people across Latin America have been particularly hard hit due to weak immune systems and centuries of state neglect.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 13:30 UTC