Economic team still has PM's support
Economic team still has PM's supportPrayut: Quells talk of purgePrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended the work of the government's economic team, cooling speculation that key ministers in the team will be purged in the next cabinet reshuffle. Emerging from the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Gen Prayut responded to a reporter's question on whether he had conveyed moral support to the economic team, especially Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. However, leading PPRP figures have clarified that party's economic panel and the government's economic team are separate entities. This was interpreted as an indication that the ministerial posts held by Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat might will be taken away from them. The government's economic team is led by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 21:45 UTC
Opposition takes aim at budget bill
Opposition takes aim at budget billThe opposition on Tuesday blasted the budget bill for the fiscal year 2021, attacking it for not serving the country well in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. "The [current] bill doesn't serve the need for the government to manage the country in a highly efficient way to overcome the massive economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Thailand," chief opposition whip Sutin Klungsang said. The budget allocated to the Defence Ministry can afford to be cut further, he noted. The Pheu Thai Party's chief strategist Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan said the budget bill was drafted as if the massive economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had not been taken into consideration at all. She described the outbreak's economic impact as an economic tsunami.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 21:45 UTC
Fundraising kicks up stink
SeanThe Interior Ministry is working to amend a law to safeguard public donations after a donation campaign led by a social media celebrity was called into question. The law needs updating to keep up with fund-raising practices which have shifted online and to prevent any abuse of public donations, according to the deputy minister. His remark sparked fury among government opponents and critics on social media, followed by calls for an investigation into Sean's fundraising. According to Muang district office in Chiang Mai, Sean did not seek permission to publicly mobilise funds in the district under the 1944 act. Mr Jatuporn added the ministry had sufficient funds and did not need to ask for public donations to fight the bushfires.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 21:45 UTC
Sahel allies, France say progress in anti-jihad campaign
The one-day summit gathered the presidents of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, as well as their former colonial ruler France. Under the change, France deployed an extra 500 troops to its Barkhane anti-jihad force in the Sahel, bringing its complement to 5,100. Coalition forces have focussed on the "three-border region," a hotspot of jihadism where the frontiers of Burkina, Niger and Mali converge. The meeting marked the first time that Sahel allies had gathered physically since the start of the coronavirus crisis. The campaign in the three-border region is targeting an Islamic State-affiliated group led by Abou Walid al-Sahraoui.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 21:22 UTC
Airbus cuts 15,000 jobs to face aviation's 'gravest crisis'
Airbus cuts 15,000 jobs to face aviation's 'gravest crisis'Airbus says coronavirus represents the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever seen. PARIS: European aircraft maker Airbus said on Tuesday it is planning to cut around 15,000 jobs worldwide, 11 percent of its total workforce, in response to the "gravest crisis" the industry has ever seen caused by the coronavirus. But it added: "However, the figure of job cuts announced by Airbus is excessive." "Airbus is facing the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced," said Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury. The group joins a long list of airlines that have announced job cuts in recent weeks.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 20:15 UTC
US could hit 100,000 new virus cases a day: Fauci
US could hit 100,000 new virus cases a day: FauciAnthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Congress that the US was headed in the "wrong direction" on the pandemicWASHINGTON - A top US health expert warned Congress on Tuesday that new coronavirus cases could more than double to 100,000 per day if authorities and the public fail to take steps to suppress the pandemic. The dire messaging reinforced concerns about the US ability to rein in a pandemic that has claimed some 126,000 American lives. Fauci said he believed some states are "skipping over some of the checkpoints" that assure safe reopenings of business and public spaces. "That's why I've suggested that the president occasionally wear a mask," Alexander said. Fauci himself said he feels "very strongly we need to do whatever we can to get our children back to school."
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 17:26 UTC
“Cute Promotions you will never forget”
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Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 14:15 UTC
dtac Jaidee pharmacy vouchers to broaden access to licensed pharmacies
dtac Jaidee pharmacy vouchers to broaden access to licensed pharmacies●Newly launched e-vouchers make visits to a licensed pharmacist more affordable●Pharmacists will be invited to join the platform, where customers can purchase discounted vouchers. The Jaidee pharmacy vouchers are valid at participating pharmacies and can be purchased at discounts of up to 50%. Under this scheme, dtac customers both prepaid and post-paid can purchase vouchers worth up to 200 baht for 89 baht, while vouchers worth up to 300 baht cost only 150 baht. The vast majority of dtac customers use prepaid packages, and most of them are low-income earners. The program has various options that suit customer preferences, including Jaidee Auto Borrow, Jaidee Balance Transfer, Jaidee Emergency Refill.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 13:52 UTC
Supreme Court acquits activist in defamation case
Supreme Court acquits activist in defamation caseIn this Oct 29, 2014 file photo, British human rights activist Andy Hall receives flowers from supporters as he turns up at the Phra Khanong Provincial Court. Worker interviewees’ testimonies detailed allegations of violations of labour and human rights at the Natural Fruit plant in the South. Natural Fruit appealed the Appeals Court’s ruling to the Supreme Court. On July 14, the Supreme Court is due to issue a final ruling on Mr Hall’s appeal against a 10-million-baht civil defamation conviction imposed on him in 2018. After Tuesday's ruling, Mr Hall told Finnwatch from Kathmandu, Nepal: “I welcome today’s final ruling in this case.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 13:50 UTC
Russian Arctic sets 'fantastical' heat records: weather chief
Russian Arctic sets 'fantastical' heat records: weather chiefRussia struggles with wildfires in its remote taiga every summerMOSCOW - The Russian Arctic set record temperatures in June that sparked abnormal tundra fires, the head of Russia's weather service said Tuesday, blaming climate change for the "fantastical" anomalies. "We had extremely anomalous weather" in June, Roman Vilfand said, adding that "previous records were broken easily". He noted one record in particular in the Arctic town of Verkhoyansk, where temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit)on June 17. The lack of clouds, in turn, causes the ground to heat up during the Arctic summer, he said. "This is the most important problem of climate change and a result of climate change."
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 13:30 UTC
Online, food delivery services to be regulated
Online, food delivery services to be regulatedFood delivery riders park near a mall in Bangkok to pick up orders on May 10. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)The cabinet on Tuesday approved measures to regulate food and online delivery services after customer complaints during the country's coronavirus lockdown, a senior government official said. The Trade Competition Commission warned that if food delivery platforms increased prices unfairly they could be fined. "There were complaints from consumers of online services about the price of food delivery," she said. Ms Ratchada said, for example, that services like those provided by Grab and Kerry would be included on the price control list.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 12:45 UTC
Daily-wage health workers seek more benefits
Daily-wage health workers seek more benefitsA group representing hospital daily-wage workers nationwide is calling for better fringe benefits, saying they also deserve a work benefit upgrade being offered salaried staff as a reward for their good work in containing the coronavirus. The move follows Monday's announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul that the first batch of 25,000 health workers, who were permanent state employees under the Public Health Ministry, had been upgraded to civil servant status. The cabinet had previously approved a proposal to award an employment upgrade to all 45,684 health workers for their good work in the fight against Covid-19. Ms Kanokphon said the requested amendment would allow hospitals in areas considered “high risk” to pay extra allowances to their temporary workers. She also called on the ministry to reinstate hospital temporary workers previously laid off and give all temporary staff paid public holidays.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 12:33 UTC
DR Congo violence displaces over one million in six months: UN
DR Congo violence displaces over one million in six months: UNThe Kalinga camp in Masisi Territory, eastern DR Congo, houses nearly 9,000 people who have fled their homesGENEVA - More than one million people have been forced to flee their homes in the violence-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the start of the year, the UN said Tuesday. "In the last eight weeks, UNHCR and its partners have recorded multiple attacks by armed groups on displacement sites and villages," it said in a statement. "Violence has displaced more than one million people in the last six months in these areas," the refugee agency said. Some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from the capital Kinshasa, the eastern DRC is one of Africa's flashpoints. It was the theatre of two major wars, which ran from 1996-1997 and from 1998-2003, the second of which eventually involved nine countries and two dozen armed groups.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 12:00 UTC
Thai spa brand eyes international invasion, “Bonita Spa Expert” aims for world number one spa spot
Thai spa brand eyes international invasion, “Bonita Spa Expert” aims for world number one spa spotSpas are parts of the hospitality industry most affected by social distancing in the Covid-19 era but at least one visionary practitioner is taking a big leap into the ‘now normal’ with new safeguards. Bonita Spa Expert by Pakkapat Patcharawichayanon, CEO, Ruaysuk Ruaysup Co., Ltd., one of Thailand’s leading spa brands with an expanding franchise is now implementing a new strategy of franchise expansion into international markets, notably the US, Middle East, and Europe. Caption: A driven marketer, Pakkapat Patcharawichayanon MBA, is a world class bank executive-turned entrepreneur whose fondness for spa treatments and business acumen have combined to great effect. Bonita Spa Expert figures show that after the third phase easing of lockdown measures, the number of spa-goers shot up by three times, the highest recorded increase since the business began. Besides general consumers, the business has now attracted enormous interest from domestic and international investors to open spa businesses under Bonita Spa branding, inspiring the brand to open more branches both in Thailand and overseas.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 11:48 UTC
Three dead as protests erupt over killing of Ethiopian singer
He was shot on Monday night in Addis Ababa, the state-affiliated FANA Broadcasting Corporate reported. Spokesmen for the federal police and the Oromia regional police said they did not have any immediate information on casualties. The motive for the singer's killing was not immediately clear but police have detained "some suspects," Addis Ababa police commissioner Getu Argaw told FANA. - Volatile situation -The US embassy said Tuesday that it was "monitoring reports of protest and unrest, including gunfire throughout Addis Ababa". Abiy expressed "deep sorrow" in a statement posted to Twitter, describing Hachalu as a "shining young artist" and appealing for calm.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 30, 2020 10:52 UTC