The accommodation subsidies will be funded by money left over from the fourth phase topped up by a new budget. The proposal will be discussed with Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn before being handed to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration for consideration, he said. TAT also asked Phiphat to extend the “Tour Tiew Thai” co-payment scheme until September as more than 130,000 discounts on tourism packages are still available.

Bayern was desperate to seal the title -- their only silverware of the season -- in the league's big game in front of a 75,000-strong home crowd to make up for their Champions League quarter-final shock exit to Villarreal earlier this month. They took their first chance through Gnabry, who controlled the ball at the edge of the box with one touch and released a fierce volley past keeper Marwin Hitz, left frozen on the spot. Gnabry put the ball in the net again at the half-hour mark but his effort was ruled offside. League top scorer Lewandowski did better in the 34th when Gnabry gained possession and Thomas Mueller, who became the first player to win 11 Bundesliga titles, fed the Pole who slotted in through the legs of Hitz for his 33rd league goal.

Chinese officials say the event will feature the same kind of ultra-strict Covid protocols used at the Beijing Winter Olympics. (AFP Photo)The 2022 Asian Games in China will go ahead, the Olympic Council of Malaysia said on Saturday, denying claims that the event faced the possibility of being postponed. However, Olympic Council of Malaysia president Norza Zakaria disputed that. “The Asian Games 2022 in China is going ahead,” he told AFP on Saturday. Hangzhou is scheduled to hold the Games from Sept 10-25, becoming the third Chinese host after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

AJE to use Thailand as regional hubMr Mosquera introduces D'Gussto, a premium canned saba fish in tomato sauce, which launched in the Thai market yesterday. AJE, the producer of Big carbonated drinks, is poised to expand nationally and regionally into new consumer product categories, using Thailand as its Asean hub of operations. "Thailand is our first country to try sales of premium saba canned fish in tomato sauce," said Mr Mosquera. He said Thailand's canned fish market has the opportunity for further growth because its price is competitive. He said Thailand serves as AJE's hub for Asean because of its strategic location and extensive distribution network.

Residents of small Donbas town trying to hang on but fear for the worstIn Lysychansk, only a single small market remains functional, with residents gathering every morning to procure supplies. (AFP Photo)SEVERODONETSK, Ukraine: After two months of sustained Russian artillery fire, the hamlet of Lysychansk, located just 14 kilometres from Russian ground forces, has turned into a ghost town. Only a small sheltered market in the centre of town is still operating, providing food and other supplies. One of those taking refuge here is Yuliana Alekseena, 81, who came from a nearby town that is now occupied by Russian forces. "My house was bombed and burned down," said the elderly woman, whose hand was wrapped in a bandage.

He also said the government will consider the possibility of the "Two Countries, One Destination" tourism project to promote tourism between Thailand and other countries. With the easing of travel regulations, he confirmed that Thailand will fully reopen to foreign visitors from May 1. Vaccinated travellers must register for entry via Thailand Pass and present proof of vaccination. For arrivals by land, foreign visitors who intend to stay no longer than three days must be fully vaccinated and pass self-antigen tests. For visitors who intend to stay longer, fully vaccinated travellers will not be quarantined if they pass antigen tests, while those who are unvaccinated would be quarantined for five days.

PPRP’s secretary-general Santi Promphat said the party wanted the Kraikupt family to maintain its hold in Ratchaburi, and since getting one of them to run this time was not possible, it would skip this by-election. Candidates for the May 21 Ratchaburi Constituency 3 by-election have until Monday to register. As for the next general election, Santi said PPRP was not worried about losing its influence in the province because Pareena’s father Tawee Kraikupt has been a Ratchaburi MP seven times, while Pareena has held the post four times. He said the Kraikupt family has worked hard for the benefit of their constituents. He added that the party sympathised with Pareena.

“The department will find other measures to help reduce the operational costs to ensure public transport operators can continue providing services after next month,” department director-general Jirut Wisanjit said on Friday. He added that so far no bus operators have contacted the department to discuss the lifting of the 30-baht price cap on diesel. “Operators can file an appeal to adjust their fares at the Central Land Transport Control Committee. “Most importantly, factors that warrant raising public transport fares could come from many aspects apart from the cost of fuel,” he added. Bus companies running regular public transport routes cannot raise their fares without approval from the Central Land Transport Control Committee.

Longer drinking hours at eateries as Covid controls easeTourists relax in front of an eatery on Khao San Road, Bangkok, during Songkran last week. The number of yellow zones would then rise from 47 provinces to 65 provinces. The 10 other tourism pilot provinces are Bangkok, Krabi, Kanchanaburi, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phangnga, Phetchaburi and Phuket. Other provinces will be yellow zones from May 1 on. Yellow zones limit the number of participants in an activity at 1,000 while blue zones have no restrictions for business and activities.

Myanmar junta wants peace talks with ethnic rebelsThis picture taken on April 15, 2022, shows members of the "Peacock Generation" activist troupe, some of whom are dressed as part of the "People's Defence Forces" (PDF), waving Yangon Student Union flags during a traditional "Thangyat" performance in Kayin state. (Photo: AFP)Myanmar's junta chief on Friday called for face-to-face peace talks with the country's established ethnic rebel groups, as the military struggles to crush newer anti-junta militias that have sprung up to fight the coup. Myanmar has about 20 ethnic rebel armies -- many of which control swathes of remote border territory -- that have fought each other and the military for decades over the drug trade, natural resources and autonomy. The call comes amid daily clashes between junta troops and PDF groups, some of which are fighting alongside ethnic rebels in border areas. Last month, Min Aung Hlaing vowed the military would "annihilate" PDF forces in a speech at the annual Armed Forces Day parade, which was attended by representatives from several ethnic rebel groups.

Controls on travellers from overseas will be further relaxed on May 1, with the end of the Test & Go process. Vaccinated visitors will not be tested for Covid-19 on arrival anymore. Unvaccinated travellers would be welcomed if they presented proof of a negative RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours before their trip. For arrivals by land, visitors who intend to stay no longer than two days must be fully vaccinated and pass self-antigen tests. For visitors who intend to stay longer, vaccinated travellers would not be quarantined if they pass antigen tests, while unvaccinated travellers would be quarantined for five days.

Arkhom says focus is fiscal disciplineFinance Minister Arkhom TermpittayapaisithThe government is focusing on maintaining financial and fiscal discipline after undertaking massive borrowing, says Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Thailand is accelerating the disbursement of investment budget and focusing on maintaining fiscal discipline, said Mr Arkhom. The government still has room to borrow the remaining 70 billion baht under the second emergency loan decree, which allotted a total of 500 billion baht to mitigate the impact of the prolonged pandemic. Most of the revenue was contributed by the Revenue Department, which collected 853 billion baht for the period, up 15.6% year-on-year. The Excise Department collected net revenue of 276 billion baht, down 1.8% year-on-year and 5.8% less than had been estimated.

This "incident", observers said, could be a House dissolution, a snap election or the PM's resignation. "I haven't picked up any signs of a looming political accident." Meanwhile, key politicians have brushed aside speculation about an impending political accident. "I haven't picked up any signs of a looming political accident. Chief government whip Nirote Sunthornlekha dismissed talks of a political accident, saying it will only scare away investors.

This is the second consignment of vaccines India has provided under the Quad partnership after delivering its first one to Cambodia on April 12. The vaccines have been supplied in line with Indian PM Narendra Modi’s promise to donate 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Modi made the commitment at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington on September 24, 2021. The vaccine partnership was announced by the Quad leaders at their first summit on March 12, 2021, to leverage collective strength to ensure equitable access to safe and effective vaccines.

Biggest gold bullion now worth $17mThe 250-kilogramme gold bar is recognised as the world's largest by Guiness World Records in 2005. The 250-kilogramme gold bar is exhibited at the Toi Gold Mine theme park in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. It was smelted by the park operator's parent company in 2005, and Guinness World Records certified it the world's largest in the same year. As of Wednesday, one gram of gold was worth 8,969 yen including tax, according to gold bar manufacturer Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. The theme park on the former site introduces visitors to the mine's history and offers them the chance to explore some of its tunnels and pan for gold.