Worst drought in decades devastates Ethiopia's nomads'Forced to choose between their children and their livestock': Herder Abdullahi Gorane tends to his malnourished son in Gode General Hospital. Herds provide the nomadic or semi-nomadic populations of this arid and hostile region with food and income as well as their savings. "Before this catastrophic drought, we used to survive difficult times thanks to the grasses from earlier rains," the herder said. "Several prolonged droughts have occurred predominantly within the arid and semi-arid parts of the region over the past three decades." Herders trying to recover from a drought are being "hit by a second drought", said Save the Children's Mohamed.

SEC, Fetco sound alarm on investment scamsThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations (Fetco) warn the public to be wary of investment scams and suggest checking the list of authorised persons on the SEC Check First application. For safety, both the SEC and Fetco advise checking the list of people with licensed businesses and securities on the SEC Check First application. She stressed that investment advisers of securities firms and business operators must have a registration number approved by the SEC. Paiboon Nalinthrangkun, board chairman of Fetco, said all investment decisions must be supported by trustworthy information and operators checked for verification. The list of authorised people, business operators and securities can be found on the SEC Check First application and the SEC website (www.sec.or.th) on the SEC Check First page.

Cops to erase files of cleared suspectsThe Royal Thai Police (RTP) is deleting criminal investigation records of anyone who has faced legal charges but later been cleared of the offences, according to Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, assistant chief of the national police. Despite the case being closed, the records of investigations remain in the Criminal Records Division's (CRD) filing system. Pol Lt Gen Surachate, however, said the police would now remove them voluntarily. State agencies and most private companies run a background check on job seekers that includes criminal investigation or criminal records before deciding whether to hire them. The latest update of the RTP's database on April 28 revealed 12.4 million people were currently on file in investigation and criminal records.

“This year, the DITP will hold promotion activities to ensure recognition of Thai products with T Mark certificate so that they will be widely known in Asia and Oceania, especially in the Chinese and Indian markets,” Phusit said. He said China and India topped the list of five countries that imported products with T Mark. Among the planned activities, the DITP will hold an event in Kunming in China this year to promote the T Mark sign and it will also select some products with T Mark certificate to be displayed in leading department stores in India, Phusit added.

Living with his three children in a small house in the capital, New Delhi, the 45-year-old can no longer afford private school fees for his 10-year-old son. He moved his older son into a state school in early 2021. Khan told Reuters he had no option, adding that rising education costs had come on top of a nearly 25% jump in household expenses including transport, food and clothing in the last two years. Khan is among millions of Indian parents who have moved children from private to state education since 2020, or from elite private schools to cheaper ones. In 2021, four million children switched from private to state according to government estimates, more than 4% of the total of around 90 million in private schools.

Those who have received the third shot reduce their risk of dying by 31 times. According to government figures, 81 per cent of the population has received their first shot, 73.8 per cent their second shot, but only 37.4 per cent have received their third jab. He also bemoaned the fact that only 41.5 per cent of the elderly population, who are most at risk, have received their third shot. The doctor also advised parents to have their children aged five to 11 vaccinated against Covid-19 before schools reopen later this month. Chakkarat presented the facts at the last Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting, which set the goal of declaring Covid-19 endemic by July.

Firefighters have struggled to extinguish the blaze that broke out on Tuesday (April 26) at the Bhalswa landfill site. Dense plumes of smoke have been rising from the site causing difficulties to the people living nearby.

Loan extension under the Bank of Thailand's soft loan and recovery loan schemes for businesses affected by the pandemic has reached 300 billion baht since the launch of the programme in April 2020. For the overall banking sector, loan growth was sluggish in the first quarter as a result of the impact of the Omicron variant. The bank later adjusted the soft loan scheme to recovery loans to better serve borrowers. According to central bank data, as of April 18 this year the total loan approvals under its soft loan and recovery loan schemes amounted to 305 billion baht, extended to 128,572 business operators. Retail loan growth is expected to stand at 4%, with swelling household debt a key factor pressuring the segment, said the research house.

Animal feed imports to be boosted for 3 monthsThe Commerce Ministry proposed new measures yesterday to boost imports of animal feed ingredients for a three-month period, a move aimed at shoring up domestic supplies following disruptions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Feed mills have complained for months of a shortage of grains used in animal feed mix, such as wheat and corn, urging the government to ease import controls designed to protect local farmers. Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, told a news conference one measure proposed was to temporarily suspend controls on wheat imports from May to July. The government imposed a cap on wheat imports in 2016 with the aim of shoring up domestic maize and cassava prices. Maize demand totals 7.8-8 million tonnes a year, while domestic production makes for 4.9 million tonnes.

Tourists give thumbs-up to new rulesPassengers wait their turn to submit a QR code from Thailand Pass to public health officers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Sunday. He said the axeing of the RT-PCR test requirement for hotel reservations also helped them save money. It took him a few days to complete the Thailand Pass process compared to three weeks when he visited last time. Meanwhile, Chayatham Phromsorn, permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry, checked on the readiness of Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday. "All state agencies are now working together to smooth arrivals and departures and eliminate queues at Thailand Pass and immigration checkpoints," he said.

The source said if the Finance Ministry had to extend the excise cut, the cut would be Bt1.50, not Bt3 as in the current practice. Without the tax cut and partial subsidy, the diesel price would have risen to Bt38 per litre from Sunday, the source added. So far, the government has lost its revenue by Bt17.1 billion from the excise tax cut for diesel from February 18, the source said. Initially, the Excise Department projected revenue from oil excise tax for 2022 at Bt200 billion. But when the government cut the diesel excise for three months, the department lowered its projected income from oil tax to Bt180 billion, the source said.

The “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) co-shopping scheme accounted for more than 85 per cent of total spending, with 61.83 billion baht – 31.49 billion baht spent by its 26.27 million registrants and 30.34 billion baht covered by the government. Under the scheme, the government covers 50 per cent of bills for basic necessities including food, capped at 150 baht per day and 1,200 baht per person. The other two campaigns grant funds to state welfare card holders and people in vulnerable groups to spend at participating shops. The 13.37 million state welfare card holders have spent 7.91 billion baht while 1.31 million people in vulnerable groups have spent 704.9 million baht. The Finance Ministry said most of the subsidy was spent at food and beverage vendors (25.74 billion baht), followed by general shops (21.28 billion baht), Commerce Ministry Blue Flag shops (10.74 billion baht), OTOP shops (2.83 billion baht), service providers (1.1 billion baht), and public transport (117.4 million baht).

As to the prospects of the firm increasing delivery service charges amid rising fuel prices, Mr Ng had no comment. Food delivery operator Grab expressed concerns about the higher diesel price cap, indicating it would significantly affect its drivers, who rely on diesel-powered motorcycles. Chanat KatanyuIn a typical economic environment, the public would understand and not criticise the government if it adjusted domestic diesel prices, he said. This level of spending is adequate to offset the money spent on higher diesel prices, helping to invigorate the overall economy, he said. "Without any stimulus measures to offset the impact of rising diesel prices, the country's economy may grow by less than 3% this year."

Chanettee completes hat-trickChanettee Wannasaen holds the Thailand Mixed trophy yesterday. PRTeen prodigy Chanettee Wannasaen continued her domination on the Thailand TrustGolf Tour following a four-shot victory over Sangchai Kaewcharoen in the final round of the three-million-baht Thailand Mixed at Rayong Green Valley Country Club yesterday. Her Thailand Mixed hat-trick of wins was achieved a week after she celebrated her fourth crown of the year in the Thai LPGA Tour event at Laem Chabang International Country Club last Sunday. Prior to that, she won the first two Thailand Mixed series in Cha-Am, Hat Yai and the LPGA Thailand National Qualifiers in Pattaya. "It's my goal to win that second ticket as Chanettee already secured the first one.

• Regularly evaluate the situation under Thai Stop Covid Plus and provide updates via the Education Ministry’s online system• Ensure all student activities are done in small groups• Ensure school lunches are prepared and served under strict hygienic measures• Ensure the school environment is hygienic• Ensure schools can provide isolation options in case of outbreaks• Ensure students travel in safe vehicles to and from school• Teachers and students carry a special pass proving that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid