Sharp increase in drunk driving cases on second of ‘Seven Dangerous Days’
Of the total, 923 cases involved drunk driving, five cases were reckless driving and 195 cases were drug-impaired driving. The court has ordered to attach electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets on two drivers on Tuesday. In the past two days, the total number of traffic violations was 1,582, of which 1,251 cases were drunk driving, 13 cases were reckless driving and 318 cases were drug-impaired driving. "On Tuesday, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces reported the highest number of drunk driving cases — 95 cases each — followed by Nonthaburi (90) and Bangkok (77)," the department director-general, Wittawan Soonthornkachit, said. "The number of drunk driving cases has risen sharply, compared to 18 cases in the same period last year."
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 13, 2022 07:43 UTC
Equestrian Suphakamol finishes 5th in GP dressage event in Poland
Suphakamol “Pam” Vuntanadit became the first Thai rider in history to compete in the CDI3* Big Tour Grand Prix, finishing fifth in the highly competitive Grand Prix Special class in Zakrzów, Poland. Suphakamol said she was pleased with her result and that she would continue to focus and earn more points to compete in the 2022 World Championships in Denmark and the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Suphakamol said, “I was very excited to ride the CDI3* Big Tour Grand Prix, the same level used in the Olympic Games, as it has been my childhood dream. However, my horse, Dreamboat BCN, and I tackled it very well even though it was our first time competing at this level.”Suphakamol recently topped 49th in the FEI U25 World Rankings and is the highest ranked Asian rider in the U25 Grand Prix. She is currently training at Academy Bartels with Dutch Olympic medalist, Imke Schellekens-Bartels, in the Netherlands.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 12, 2022 13:39 UTC
One Bangkok governor candidate disqualified from election
The three disqualified council candidates were: Adithep Chawla, Perapol Kanokwalai, and Nattawee Paochai. Adithep, a candidate in the Dusit district, was disqualified as his name was listed in the household register in the area less than a year before registration of his candidacy, which is against Section 49 (3) of local election laws. Peerapol, a Move Forward Party candidate in the Phya Thai district, was disqualified as he was found to be in violation of Section 50 (3) of local election laws. Nattawee, a candidate in the Bang Nai district, was disqualified for not being eligible to contest an election as she had not exercised her voting right in a local election in Chiang Mai, which was against Section 50 (20) of local election laws. Her name has also been listed in the household register in the area for less than a year as on the date of registering her candidacy.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 12, 2022 08:12 UTC
Police gear up to tackle traffic and other challenges during Songkran
Deputy National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas said that 18,731 police will set up traffic checkpoints, 12,139 of them will man sobriety checkpoints, and 9,670 of them will be fast deployment units to help with accidents. The rest of them will work on normal duties such as investigation, patrol, and administration to prevent crime and give service to citizens during the festival. In addition, there is a volunteer traffic project for drivers with videos from dashcams or mobile phones to record traffic violations or accidents as evidence to help police identify culprits. The Don't Drive Drunk Foundation will select 10 videos monthly with a total prize of 50,000 baht. The project began in November 2021 and people have sent more than 100 videos.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 12, 2022 06:50 UTC
Covid cloud over Songkran
REUTERSThe government has relaxed Covid-19 restrictions nationwide for the Songkran festivities, but many people remain wary about travelling, according to a survey by Marketbuzzz. Marketbuzzz said it found that 45% of respondents have no travel plans, compared with 47% last year. Interestingly, a larger proportion of respondents, 52%, said they were worried about Covid-19, compared with 35% in a survey taken last year. The main concerns are catching Covid (29%) and continuing high infection totals (24%). Asked what prompted them to make holiday travel plans, 41% said they were attracted by inexpensive hotel accommodation.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 12, 2022 03:56 UTC
Opponents of merger turn to NACC
So far, four parties have lodged petitions against the merger with the NBTC. "After the Songkran festival, we may see some movement from these opponents," the source noted. Singtel has allowed its management to express their views and stance to the regulator with facts and related regulations governing the merger, the source said. The source, however, stressed the amendment was carried out without a public hearing, which could also bring the NBTC management into trouble. NBTC management and board cannot cite the amended act, which involves the improper amendment process.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 12, 2022 02:59 UTC
Miss Grand Thailand contestants arrive via ‘Bikini Express’
The low-cost carrier, which was nicknamed the “Bikini Airline” for advertisements featuring scantily clad flight attendants, is sponsoring the swimsuit section of this year’s pageant. The airline also sponsors Miss Grand International, ferrying beauty contestants from all over the world to promote various destinations in Thailand. Among its passengers last year was Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, the reigning Miss Grand International queen from Vietnam. Other beauties to have graced the cabin of Vietjet since 2016 include Miss Grand Thailand winners Kantida Lungjareon (Phrae), Nicharee Boonsiri (Sakon Nakhon) and Unchaya Petchamanee (Songkhla).
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 12, 2022 00:48 UTC
THAI, THAI Smile and TAT target large Indian tourist market
"This collaboration is expected to boost the recovery of Thai tourism businesses and the Thai economy after the pandemic." THAI and THAI Smile currently operate the following flights to India:1. Roundtrip Bangkok – Kolkata: 7 flights per week by THAI Smile starting April 116. Roundtrip Bangkok – Phuket – Mumbai: 7 flights per week by THAI Smile starting April 10"In addition to the collaboration in the Indian market, THAI operates flights in over 34 continental and intercontinental routes in its summer 2022 schedule," he said. Suvadhana added that passengers may travel further with THAI Smile and Star Alliance member airlines.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 11, 2022 21:48 UTC
Thai stock market under pressure as Fed tightening squeezes foreign inflows
It recommends the purchase of the following as an investment strategy:• GPSC, BGRIM, SCGP, SCC and EPG would benefit from the falling oil price. • AOT, AAV, BA, MINT, CENTEL, ERW, CPN, CRC, HMPRO, CPALL, MAKRO, AMATA and WHA would benefit from countries reopening. • BDMS, BH, INTUCH, ADVANC, BTS and BEM which can tolerate market volatility.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 11, 2022 10:01 UTC
BAAC to help farmers hurt by rising price of fertiliser
(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has mulled two options to ease the burden on farmers caused by rising chemical fertiliser prices, says bank president Tanaratt Ngamvalairatt. The chemical fertiliser price has soared 87% from 10,000 baht per tonne to 18,700 baht per tonne as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war. Last year the value of chemical fertiliser imports stood at 56 billion baht. Thailand imported 1.25 million tonnes of fertiliser from China worth 17 billion baht, accounting for 23% of total fertiliser imports. Mr Tanaratt said loans for farmers to buy chemical fertiliser account for 30-35% of the BAAC's outstanding loans of 560 billion baht.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 11, 2022 07:18 UTC
Interest-Rate Surge Starts to Ripple Through U.S. Economy
That translates into sharply higher borrowing costs for Americans looking to buy a home -- and it is only the beginning. Americans could get cars and homes and the appliances to fill them at interest rates in the low single digits. Rising Treasury yields, in turn, are cascading throughout the economy in the form of higher borrowing costs, squeezing households and businesses alike. The higher rate would add a couple of hundred dollars to her monthly payment, which she hopes to keep around $1,200. That doesn't mean people with credit-card debt won't feel the sting of higher rates.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 11, 2022 07:18 UTC
Evusheld procurement plan gets CCSA approval
Evusheld procurement plan gets CCSA approvalThe Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved a plan to procure a long-acting coronavirus antibody cocktail for people with poor immune systems who cannot be vaccinated. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the drug, branded as Evusheld, was developed by AstraZeneca and registered in June last year. Speaking after a CCSA meeting on Friday, Mr Thanakorn said the Office of the Attorney-General has advised the government to amend the vaccine procurement contract with AstraZeneca to replace some of the vaccine doses with Evusheld. So far, some 3.1 million kits have already been handed out to 1.2 million people, he said. "The prime minister has applauded the move and asked them to consider the possibility of increasing the output to 1 million kits a month," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
April 10, 2022 21:50 UTC
Seeding the future of food: Turning wild rice into a 'super rice'
In the long-term repository of the resource bank, germplasm resources are "hibernating" in a low-temperature environment. Rows of 4-meter-high shelves are closely arranged, and each layer of the shelves is densely stored with small round golden boxes. Inside the box is a seemingly inconspicuous seed, but it records the genetic secrets of various crops for thousands of years. As one of the country's most important strategic resource reserves, these germplasm resources can be stored there for more than 50 years and can be easily awakened at any time of need. At the same time, the resource bank should regularly measure the germination rate of germplasm, and multiply when it is lower than 75 per cent to ensure the activity of the resource.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 10, 2022 19:22 UTC
Expiry date of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer vaccines to be extended
Under the new amendment, the expiry date for Sinovac doses will be extended from six months to 12, while the expiry dates for AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines will be extended from six months to nine months. The memo explained that when the three vaccine manufacturers sought to register with the Thai Food and Drug Administration, they registered their vaccines under the FDA’s Conditional Approval for Emergency Use of Medical Products directive on July 24, 2020. This directive restricted the expiry date of medical products to six months. Now, however, the manufacturers have re-registered their vaccines for non-emergency usage, which allows them to set the products’ normal expiry dates, namely 12 months for Sinovac and nine months for AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 10, 2022 18:02 UTC
Ronaldo apologises after mobile phone incident following Man United loss
"I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship." The club have told Reuters they are looking into the incident. The defeat left United seventh in the Premier League standings and they face the prospect of missing out on qualification for next season's Champions League as they are six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
April 10, 2022 02:00 UTC