Get to consolidate under Gojek brand
Ride-hailing and delivery business to benefit from identity of regional parentThe ride-hailing and delivery service Get will be rebranded as Gojek Thailand in line with its regional peers. (Bangkok Post photo)Get, the local ride-hailing and delivery unit of the Indonesian unicorn Gojek, plans to consolidate and rebrand as Gojek Thailand, aiming to drive international technology adoption and usher in new features and products for Thai consumers. Get Thailand said the Gojek app is supported by a new international technology platform, meaning Thai users can also gain access to Gojek services in Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. He said the local leadership team at Get would continue to steer Gojek Thailand, with no impact on the ownership structure. “Gojek should have done this at the beginning, as the Gojek brand is well recognised as a startup unicorn by young customers,” Mr Weeradej said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 13:07 UTC
Deflation likely to deepen, says Commerce MInistry
Consumer prices could contract by an average of 1.1% under revised forecastShoppers buy groceries at The Mall Bang Kapi on May 17. Headline inflation in the country has fallen for four consecutive months. (Photo by Varuth Hirunyatheb)Deflation is expected to be greater than originally forecast, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday, after consumer prices in June contracted for the fourth straight month. The ministry downgraded its annual headline inflation forecast to a range of -0.7% to -1.5%, with an average of -1.1%, from a range of -0.2% to -1.0%, an average of -0.6%. For the first half of the year, headline inflation was -1.13% and core inflation was 0.32%.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 13:07 UTC
New exodus from Beijing begins
Travellers gather outside the Beijing West Railway Station on Friday. Residents from areas of Beijing designated “low-risk” will be allowed to leave the city without having to be tested negative for the coronavirus starting on Saturday, said Pan Xuhong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security. A similar surge in travel demand occurred in April, when Beijing lowered its emergency response level for the first time since the epidemic first began in January. However, local governments in other provinces still get to decide whether or not people arriving from Beijing have to be tested or quarantined, and the rules vary across the country. The city reported just two new cases on July 2.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 12:56 UTC
Thai cities getting pricier for expats
Bangkok and Chiang Mai among top 30 in latest Asia survey, thanks to strong bahtBangkok is the 28th most expensive city in Asia in the latest ECA survey on the cost of living for expatriates. (Reuters photo)Bangkok and Chiang Mai remain among the 30 most expensive cities for expats in Asia, with Ashgabat in Turkmenistan still on top of the global and Asian tables. The Thai capital ranked 28th, one place above Chiang Mai, according to the latest ECA International survey on the cost of living for expatriates. In the global rankings, Bangkok was 60th and Chiang Mai 142nd, it added. Singapore was also the most expensive place for expats in Southeast Asia.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 11:58 UTC
Japan plots shift from coal to renewable energy
Japan plots shift from coal to renewable energyKyushu Electric Power Co halted operation of a reactor of Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima prefecture, southweatern Japan, on March 16, 2020, due to a delay in upgrades to protect it from terror attacks. (Kyodo photo)TOKYO: Japan will begin discussions this month on concrete steps to reduce its dependence on coal and shift towards renewable energy sources to cut down on carbon emissions, Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said Friday. Japan currently depends on coal to generate 32% of its electricity, compared with just 17% generated by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Kajiyama said the government will look for ways to promote renewable energy, including by reforming rules on using the power grid. Under its Strategic Energy Plan, released in 2018, Japan aims to reduce its dependence on coal to 26% by fiscal 2030, while boosting its reliance on renewable energy to 22 to 24%, and nuclear energy from 6% to 20 to 22%.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 11:37 UTC
Suvarnabhumi shows off quick Covid tests
A doctor and medical staff demonstrate the lab workflow at the Covid-19 testing laboratory at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday. (Reuters Photo)Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday unveiled rapid coronavirus tests that will be offered for some overseas arrivals now that the three-month ban on foreign visitors has been partially lifted. Business travellers, diplomats and government guests staying for less than 14 days are considered “fast-track travellers” who will be swab tested for the disease at the country’s main international airport to make ensure they are infection-free before entry. The government is considering a plan to open more international travel with a “travel bubble” arrangement with some countries in September, he added. Last year, spending by a record 39.8 million foreign tourists accounted for about 11% of GDP.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 11:26 UTC
England scraps quarantine for 50 countries but not US
England scraps quarantine for 50 countries but not USThe two-week quarantine period was imposed in JuneLONDON: Travellers from more than 50 countries including France, Italy and Spain — but not the United States — can stop self-isolating on arrival in England from July 10, the UK government said Friday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change, which reverses a two-week quarantine policy imposed in June, would lead to the "reopening of the nation". Travellers from the green and amber countries will no longer have to self-isolate on arrival. The amber countries will have reciprocal arrangements in place with England, while the green countries are deemed to be safer than England, such as New Zealand. The amber countries include France, Italy and Spain, which are among the most popular summer holiday destinations for Britons.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 11:03 UTC
Governor’s Message on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Governor’s Message on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit TraffickingOn 26th June 2020, Pol. This also includes campaigns to protect children, youths, and the general public from the illicit use of narcotic drugs. People in villages and communities are the main forces in successfully solving the drug problem. The aim is to make all areas safe with no new drug users. That way, the new generation of young people will not use drugs and society will be sustainably free from the scourge of narcotic drugs.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 10:52 UTC
Prince Andrew 'bewildered' by US investigators' claims
Prince Andrew 'bewildered' by US investigators' claimsPrince Andrew is "bewildered" by US prosecutors' claims that he is running shy of giving his version of events. LONDON: Prince Andrew is "bewildered" by claims he is stonewalling a US investigation into the alleged sex trafficking of minors by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, his legal team said Friday. Andrew has since faced claims from US prosecutors that he is avoiding their requests for a face-to-face interview. - 'More excuses' -Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss told reporters on Thursday she would "welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us". A lawyer who represents some of Epstein's alleged victims told British television on Friday that the prince was "avoiding and evading" the US authorities.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 10:47 UTC
China taking on more conflict around the world
China taking on more conflict around the worldConfrontations from Himalayan valleys to tropical islands are seen as part of President Xi Jinping's nationalist drive to return a once-weak China to its rightful place of dominance in the world. BEIJING: From remote Himalayan valleys to small tropical islands and tense Western capitals, an increasingly assertive China is taking on conflicts around the world like never before as the United States retreats. China has in recent years also stepped up its claims to most of the South China Sea by building artificial islands and establishing a heavy military presence. - Diplomatic tensions -China has also seen relations with a range of Western nations plummet, as it has adopted increasingly strident diplomatic tactics. But, after Western nations failed to control their own outbreaks, China went on the offensive, with Australia one of its main targets.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 10:47 UTC
French government resigns, Macron sets 'new course'
French government resigns, Macron sets 'new course'Edouard Philippe Philippe has served as prime minister of France for three years. A government source confirmed to AFP that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe would be leaving his job after serving Macron since the president came to power in 2017 elections. In an interview with regional newspapers published late Thursday, Macron said France must prepare for a "very difficult" economic crisis, "so we have to chart a new course." An Elysee Palace official told AFP that a new prime minister would be named "in the coming hours," and possibly the new cabinet cast as well. But while Philippe's approval ratings have surged over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, Macron was widely expected to try to burnish his social justice credentials with a more centrist or leftwing premier.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 10:41 UTC
Turkey trying Khashoggi murder suspects in absentia
Turkey trying Khashoggi murder suspects in absentiaSaudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was an insider turned critic of RiyadhISTANBUL: Twenty Saudi suspects including two former aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went on trial in absentia in Turkey on Friday, accused of killing and dismembering journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The prosecutor has already issued arrest warrants for the suspects who are not in Turkey. Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Prince Mohammed. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in a case that tarnished the reputation of the crown prince despite his strenuous denial of any involvement. A closed-door trial of 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia ended in December with five unnamed people sentenced to death.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 09:00 UTC
Chinese tourists for Phuket 'bubble'
Chinese tourists for Phuket 'bubble'A family enjoys a walk at a beach on Koh Phuket in June. The island is slowly opening up for the return of foreign tourists. It will target provinces that have the coronavirus under control. Phuket was being eyed to lead the planned tourism bubble comprising Thailand and its selected partners. One in every four foreign visitors to Thailand before the pandemic was Chinese, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 08:37 UTC
Ferrari 812GTS and F8 Spider to be unveiled at the same time in ‘Un Giardino di Estate’ Italian Summer Garden Style
The showroom will be transformed to ‘Un Giardino di Estate’, an Italian summer garden, to indulge fans of the Prancing Horse. The Ferrari 812 GTS is the ultimate dream car for many, and the 812 GTS hails a triumphant return for a model type that has played a pivotal role in the marque’s history since its foundation. The Ferrari F8 Spider features the Prancing Horse’s compact and efficient RHT. The F8 Spider is the latest addition to an exclusive and prestigious bloodline of open-top V8 cars begun with the 308 GTS in 1977. Experience the excitement of the two latest drop-top sports cars on www.facebook.com/cavallinoferrarithailand on Friday 10th July, 2020 at 2pm.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 07:52 UTC
Local tours planned for medical tourists
(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The government is planning for local tours for medical and wellness tourists from overseas from next month, and the start of tourism "travel bubbles" in September, a senior spokesman said on Friday . Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said medical and wellness tourists would be welcomed from this month on. The government was arranging for public and private hospitals to cater for medical and wellness visitors. About 1,700 foreigners from 17 countries had already registered for admission to Thailand for medical and wellness services. The government also planned to welcome specific groups of tourists through travel bubble arrangements with countries that have controlled the coronavirus disease.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 03, 2020 07:41 UTC